Athens is the historical capital of Europe

Ioannou:While in Athens, it is important to visit all the top landmarks. However, you’ll also want to spend some time relaxing and enjoying life the way the Athenians do. The Thissio neighborhood is the perfect place to do this.

Ioannou:For many tourists Monastiraki Square is the starting point for a visit to the Flea Market, an open air market that is held once a week at the nearby Plateia Avissynias. Here you can find anything from kitsch and souvenirs to chandeliers and beautifully crafted armoires.

Ioannou:Apostolou Pavlou pedestrian street, links Dionyssiou Areopagitou pedestrian street with the historic district of Thesseion, and, eventually Monastiraki.

Ioannou:is a colorful neoclassical neighborhood known for its artisans, specialty stores, restaurants, bars, tavernas with or without live music, theaters, art galleries, antique shops

Ioannou:Awalk Dionyssiou Aeropagitou pedestrian street is one of the most impressive streets of Athens, if not the world, offering an extraordinary view of the southern slope of the Acropolis,

Ioannou:Famous as an anarchist hotspot, Exarchia has always been a focus for a fierce exchange of ideas, creativity and youth culture. During the peak economic crisis the area was a hub of protest and rebellion, and today it is a destination for young creatives looking to embrace the fluid, beautiful chaos on offer in the area. If you’re in Athens and looking for a way to spend a day in one of its most exciting neighbourhoods, read Culture Trip’s for how to spend a day in Exarchia.

Ioannou:Syntagma Square is the most important square in Athens; it is constantly crowded with locals and tourists alike. The square is bordered on the east side by the Hellenic Parliament Building.Nearly every major event in Greece has been celebrated or mourned here.Syntagma Square is also the starting point of Ermou Street, the most important shopping street in Athens. The pedestrianized street leads all the way west towards Monastiraki Square.

Ioannou:Lykavittos is the highest hill in Athens, and is visible from all over the city. A funicular brings visitors to the top of the hill, which offers great views over the Acropolis and the city of Athens. Lykavittos Hill, Athens Lykavittos Hill The hill, also called Lykabettus, can alternatively also be climbed on foot or by car. Cars can't reach the top, so you'll still have some walking to do before you reach the peak of the hill at a height of 277 meters (over 900 ft).

Ioannou:The sixteen hectare (40 acres) large garden was originally created as a private garden for the Royal Palace - now the Parliament Building - at Syntagma Square. This Royal Garden was first laid out in 1836 by the architect of the palace, Friedrich von Gärtner.In 1923, after the royals had already moved to a new palace nearby, the park was opened to the public. At the same time it was renamed National Garden. The leafy park soon became popular with the citizens of Athens, as it is a beautiful and quiet refuge from the hectic city center. The many tall trees provide ample of shade, a necessity in a city with often scorching summer months. The garden is decorated with statues, flowerbeds and even some ruins from the Antiquity. There is also a duck pond, a turtle pond, a very small zoo and a children's playground. You can also visit the small botanical museum or the park café.

Ioannou:To the south the National Garden is bordered by the equally pleasant gardens of the Zappeion. The gardens surround the neoclassical Zappeion, a large exposition and congress hall that was built in the nineteenth century. At the center of the garden stands a large fountain, built to commemorate the inauguration of the Marathon Dam.

Ioannou:Perched on the north slope of the Acropolis Hill is one of Athens's most idyllic neighborhoods, Anafiotika. The picturesque whitewashed houses and narrow alleys are reminiscent of a Cyclade island village.The area is one of the city's most charming, and many of the houses are decorated with colorful bougainvillea. Despite the constant stream of tourists you won't find many restaurants or souvenir shops here.

Ioannou:Monastiraki Square is one of the most attractive squares in Athens. For centuries this square was the city's commercial center. Today it is particularly crowded on Sundays, when the nearby open air flea market attracts throngs of tourists.Monastiraki was the site of one of the largest monasteries in Athens. Most of this 'Great Monastery' was demolished during archaeological excavations in the nineteenth century. So little was left of the complex - only the church remains - that it was ironically named 'monastiráki' or 'little monastery', which eventually gave the neighborhood its name.

Ioannou:The Greek Parliament Building was erected between 1836 and 1842 as the royal palace for king Otto I, the first king of modern Greece. The architect was the German Friedrich von Gärtner, who designed a monumental building with neoclassical facade.

Ioannou:In front of the Parliament Building is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The monument, with a large relief depicting a nude, dying hoplite, was inaugurated on March 25, 1932, on the Greek day of independence. On either side of the tomb are excerpts from Pericles's famous funeral oration inscribed on the wall.The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is permanently guarded by Evzones, members of the presidential guard in traditional attire, foustanella. The foustanella was worn by the Greek revolutionaries who fought the independence war against the Turkish between 1821 and 1830. It consists of a white skirt with four hundred pleats (the number of years of Turkish rule), white shirts with long sleeves, red pointed shoes with large pompons and an embroidered vest. The change of the guards, on the hour, looks like a very slow dance where the soldiers kick their feet on the ground and in the air. On Sunday at 11 o'clock, the ceremony is more elaborate than the weekday event and features a marching ba

Ioannou:The First Cemetery of Athens was created in the early nineteenth century and contains the graves and tombs of some of the most notable citizens of modern Greece, including many leading politicians and intellectuals.

Ioannou:Adrianou StreetExcavations have proven that Adrianou is the oldest commercial street in Athens still in continuous use with exactly the same layout, direction and usage since antiquity.

Ioannou:The Museum of Cycladic Art is a museum dedicated to the ancient Aegean cultures, covering a history of about four millennia. It is especially renowned for its collection of marble statues from the Cyclads, an island group in the Aegean Sea.

Ioannou:Most of the artifact unearthed at the Acropolis of Athens are now exhibited at the Acropolis Museum, including the most extensive group of Korai statues, and the sculptures that once adorned the Parthenon. Elgin Marbles, British Museum The majority of the original Parthenon sculptures are in the British Museum in London, where they are known as the Elgin Marbles. n 1799 Lord Elgin, British ambassador to the Ottoman Empire, obtained permission from the Ottoman rulers to take about two thirds of the sculptures of the Parthenon to the United Kingdom. In 1816 the sculptures were sold to the British government and displayed in the British Museum, where they are still to this day The Greek government considers the transaction invalid and has demanded the sculptures to be returned to Athens. The new Acropolis Museum was built in part to demonstrate that Greece is capable of providing a safe and proper accommodation for the invaluable sculpture collection.

Ioannou:The largest museum of Greece hosts the most important artifacts from the entire country under one roof. All eras of Ancient Greek history are represented from the stone age to the Roman Era.

Ioannou:The Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is housed in one of the most beautiful neoclassical-style buildings in Athens, near the National Garden and the Hellenic Parliament. It was converted into a museum in order to shelter the collections of Antonis Benakis and was donated to the Greek nation by himself and his three sisters, Alexandra, Penelope and Argine. Following its most recent refurbishment (1989–2000), the building houses a unique exhibition on Greek culture arranged diachronically from prehistory to the 20th century.

Ioannou:National Historical Museum is permanently housed in the Old Parliament Building at Stadiou Street (Kolokotronis square) since 1960. The Museum narrates the history of Modern Greece: the period of Ottoman and Latin rule, the Greek War of Independence (1821), the liberation struggles, the creation of an independent state, the political, social and spiritual development of the Greeks up to the present day.

Ioannou:The Archaeological Museum of the Athenian Agora is hosted in the Hellenistic Stoa of Atallos. The stoa was rebuilt in the 1950's from the ground up with the purpose of storing the artifacts unearthed in the Agora excavations, and to house the museum where the most important items can be exhibited. The museum highlights include art dating all the way back to the stone age, every-day life objects, and artifacts directly related to the Athenian democracic functions.

Ioannou:Rev your engine at The Hellenic Motor Museum When you’ve ticked off all the ancient wonders, change gears and check out over 100 amazing cars at the Hellenic Motor Museum. From vintage cars to classics, there’s a huge collection here to impress any Top Gear or motor fan. Explore three floors and see cars from the 19th and 20th centuries. From models that are now out of action like Avions Voisin, Delage, and Lagonda, to cars that are still on the roads, like Bugatti, Ferrari, and Aston Martin, they’re all waiting to rev your engine here.

Ioannou:The Metropolitan Cathedral of the Annunciation, popularly known as the "Mētrópolis", is the cathedral church of the Archbishopric of Athens and all Greece. The construction of the Cathedral began on Christmas Day, 1842 with the laying of the cornerstone by King Otto and Queen Amalia.

Ioannou:Agia Irini is located on the crossway of Aiolou and Athinaidos Street.After the reconstitution of the Greek state, it functioned as the Cathedral of Athens, since it was one of the oldest and best-preserved churches after the Revolution.However, in order to correspond to the needs of the newly established state, the old church was rebuilt by the designs of the architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou during the period 1846-1850, while its decoration was completed in 1892.This is a three-aisled Basilica of neoclassical order with a dome.It is worth mentioning that despite its reconstruction, the Metropolis of Athens was eventually moved into a newly built church.The church of Agia Irini has become known during the recent years for the masses of devoutness of the Byzantine Choir of LykourgosAggelopoulos.

Ioannou:A major landmark and an important meeting point for locals on the famous pedestrian shopping street of Ermou, the church of Panagia Kapnikarea dates back to the 11th century. An ideal spot where shoppers often sit down to take a break from the busy street, it features stunning murals. When Ermou Street was constructed in 1834, they planned to relocate the church elsewhere, but it was saved after King Otto’s father’s (Ludwig, King of Bavaria) intervention.

Ioannou:If you gaze towards Lykavittos Hill, you will discern on its top the small white chapel of Agios Georgios.It is a single-naved church with a dome built around 1870 on the same spot, where the temple of Akreos Zeus was located.You can go uphill either on foot via the paths that traverse the slopes of Lykavittos or by the funicular railway, which starts at Ploutarchou Street.From this point, the view spreads across all the region of Attica and dissolves in the depth of the Saronic Gulf.

Ioannou:Dating from the 11th century, the Church of Metamorphosis, also known as the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, sits on the flanks of the Acropolis. Located in the picturesque district of Anafiotika, the Cycladic-inspired area under the Sacred Rock, the church features a cross-in-square layout with a typical Athenian dome.On the northern foothills of the Acropolis, near the intersection of Theorias and Klepsydras streets, on the edge of the picturesque district of the Anafiotika in Plaka, is the beautiful, small church of Metamorphosis Sotiros (Transfiguration of Christ) .Celebrates: 6 August

Ioannou:The impressive church that stands dominant at a central location of Kolonaki square, on Skoufas street, opposite the Experimental School of the University of Athens, is dedicated to the bishop and patron saint of Athens, Agios Dionysius the Aeropagite. On the location of the present day church there was another smaller one, which started to be constructed in 1880 and was demolished in 1900 in order to erect another, larger one. Construction works started in 1925 and were completed in 1931, when the inauguration was carried out by the Archbishop Chrysostomos. Celebrates: 3 October

Ioannou:he church of Agios Nikolaos Rangavas is situated in Prytaneion street, in Plaka, in the oldest neighborhood of Athens, where one can admire unique buildings from various periods. The church dates from the second half of the 11th century. The owner of the church was Leon Ragkavas, whose name is written on a small column that was found in the dome. It is possible that there is a relation of Leon Ragkavas with the family of the emperor Michael I Rangabe (811-813).Even though it has seen many changes through the years, it is considered one of the most important Byzantine monuments in Athens and is definitely worth visiting. Celebrates: 5th & 6th of December

Ioannou:The church of Agioi Asomatoi is located at the district of Theission and more specifically at the end of the most commercial street of Athens, at Ermou street. It has easy access since it is located next to the station of the Electric Railway. The church of Agioi Asomatoi is a characteristic example of an Athenian church of the 11th century. It belongs to the type of the simple cross-in-square church supported by four columns.Among others it is worth noticing that during the restoration works parts from wall paintings and a silver reliquary with the bones of an unknown saint.Celebrates: 8 November

Ioannou:The church of Agios Ioannis Theologos is located at the picturesque district of Plaka, a great tourist attraction, at the intersection of Erechtheos and Erotokritou streets. The church dates from the end of the 11th century or the beginning of the 12th. To this dating also leads us a bronze coin of Alexios I Komnenos (1081-1118), which was found on its roof.It is worth visiting also for the Byzantine wall paintings, since very few exist in the area of Athens.Celebrates: 8 May

Ioannou:According to the tradition, in 1658, on the eve of the saint’s celebration, when Yusuf, the Turkish commander of the Acropolis, wanted to bomb the church and the congregation with a loumbarda (large cannon) from the Propylaea. However, his plans were cancelled when a lightning struck and blew up the powder house on the Acropolis, resulting in his death. Due to this attempt with the loumbarda, the church was called Loumbardiaris.Thanks to its beautiful location, a lot of young couples choose Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris for their wedding

Ioannou:The church of Agia Aikaterini is located at the intersection of Hairefontos and Lysikratous street at a busy and beautiful spot of the most picturesque district of Athens, Plaka, which attracts a lot of tourists. It has been constructed on top of an ancient temple dedicated to Artemis. On the one side of the courtyard there are the ruins of a Roman stoa with columns.he church keeps the holy relics brought by the refugees from Asia Minor. Finally, at its courtyard the visitors can discern architectural members of ancient buildings that still survive.Celebrates: 25 November

Ioannou:The church was erected in the 16th century over the ruins of an ancient temple of Hercules and it was the Metochi of the Penteli Monastery, while in the same area there was an Old Christian basilica. The name Agia Dynami refers to the Virgin Mary and was given to the church because all pregnant Athenian women in order to give birth to strong children. For this reason the church’s celebration takes place of September 9th, day of the birth of Virgin Mary.

Ioannou:Agia Marina is situated on the hill of the Nymphs near the Observatory, at the district of Thission. On its southeastern corner they have incorporated the much older initial church, which was a cave and today is the baptistery.