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Uncover a special facet to Athens with these enjoyable, uncommon issues to do within the Greek capital…
Athens. One of many world’s oldest cities, a spot the place the traditional world collides with the fashionable – and the place a number of layers of historical past and tradition coexist in a chaotic jumble.
Historic structure emerges all around the metropolis centre: seen in metro stations, beneath public squares, or included into trendy buildings. And all of the whereas, the enduring Parthenon on Acropolis Hill overlooks the town’s skyline.
However past the historical past the town is so well-known for, Athens is a pulsing and fast-evolving metropolis present process a radical city transformation. As soon as-impoverished districts are being reclaimed as creative centres, full of vibrant avenue artwork, stylish boutique outlets, and bars & eating places to go well with each style possible.
When you’ve checked off the principle sights in Athens, it’s time to immerse your self within the metropolis’s quite a few personalities. Dive into standard native nightlife hotspots, search avenue artwork between Byzantine buildings, beach-hop your method alongside the Athens Riviera, or people-watch on the bustling metropolis centre markets.
These are a number of the extra uncommon issues to do in Athens – that can assist you get beneath the pores and skin of the town and expertise it a bit extra “like a neighborhood”. Don’t have time to learn the entire article? There’s additionally a map and a brief model of the listing on the backside of this web page. Get pleasure from…
Really helpful Athens Excursions
Whether or not you need to discover the principle websites in Athens or get off the crushed monitor, there are some nice excursions on Get Your Information. These are a number of the top-rated…
Uncommon Issues to do in Athens
In a rush? There’s a map and a brief model of the listing on the backside of this web page! Use the contents menu above to skip forward if that you must.
1. Don’t Miss the Historic Websites in Athens
Athens is known for its historical websites – particularly the enduring, hilltop Acropolis which might be seen from throughout the town. These don’t really matter as “uncommon issues to do” as they’re so well-known, however they’re positively must-sees once you go to Athens. So right here’s a quick listing of the “prime” historical websites you shouldn’t miss:
- The Acropolis and the Parthenon. For a extra uncommon take on Athens’ most well-known sight, take a look at this Acropolis Mythology Tour.
- The Acropolis Museum
- The Historic Agora
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus
- Temple of Hephaestus
- Panathenaic Stadium
- High tip – you possibly can purchase a Combo Ticket for entry to the entire following: Acropolis, Historic Agora, Roman Agora, Temple of Zeus, Aristotle’s Faculty, Hadrian’s Library, and Kerameikos Historic Cemetery. Click on right here for particulars and newest costs.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Acropolis, Parthenon, & Acropolis Museum Guided Tour (from €57pp)
2. See Athens with a Native on an Various Athens Tour
Once I visited Athens, I took a strolling tour with a unbelievable native firm referred to as Various Athens. They’re simply among the finest tour corporations within the metropolis, providing small-group strolling excursions led by skilled native guides – all of which goal to take you past the basic vacationer websites and enable you get to know the true, genuine Athens.
Various Athens runs a number of distinctive metropolis excursions, together with meals excursions, a Homosexual & Lesbian Nightlife Tour, and a Road Artwork Tour. I took the Surprising Athens Orientation Tour, which runs every day at 9:30am, takes 4 hours, and prices €49 per particular person.
It’s the right introduction to the town, taking in a lot of the principal websites in addition to a number of the metropolis’s quirkier districts. Plus, your information will have the ability to share numerous insider ideas for locations to eat and drink throughout your journey to Athens. You simply can’t beat a advice from a neighborhood!
3. Watch the Altering of the Guard at Syntagma Sq.
Syntagma Sq. looks like the center of Athens: a bustling sq. on the pinnacle of the busy excessive avenue Ermou.
It’s house to the Royal Palace, a modest neo-classical constructing courting from the 1830s when Greece lastly gained independence after centuries of Ottoman occupation. Immediately, the palace homes the Greek parliament.
Don’t miss the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in entrance of the parliament constructing: a memorial devoted to the fallen troopers of Greece’s wars. The tomb is consistently guarded by troopers wearing conventional livery, together with Tsarouhi: giant, clog-like sneakers with studded soles and fluffy pompoms on the toes.
The Altering of the Guard takes place each hour, a drawn-out course of involving all of the pomp and fussiness you’d count on type such a ceremony. It’s free to look at and is effectively price together with in your Athens itinerary. On Sundays at 11am, the Grand Change takes place: a bigger model of the ceremony involving extra troopers and much more pomp!
4. Search out the Road Artwork in Athens
Followers of avenue artwork and concrete artwork will love exploring Athens’ historic sidestreets and quirky hipster neighbourhoods. There are murals, installations, and vibrant items of avenue artwork in every single place!
Psirri, Monastiraki, Gazi, and Metaxourgio are a number of the greatest districts to go avenue artwork searching. Higher nonetheless, take a guided tour with a neighborhood skilled that can assist you discover the very best avenue artwork in Athens. I’d advocate considered one of these two:
5. Hunt for Bargains at Monastiraki Flea Market
Monastiraki is a historic neighbourhood near the Historic Agora identified for its quirky buying scene and vibrant avenue artwork. The labyrinthine community of slim streets is full of unbelievable eateries and bars, artisanal boutiques, and funky classic outlets.
Don’t miss the well-known Monastiraki Flea Market. That is held each Sunday morning within the space between Monastiraki Sq. and Avissynias Sq.. Stalls right here promote the whole lot from damaged Barbies and surplus military gear to vintage furnishings and outdated cash. There are sometimes avenue performers and busking musicians, too, giving Sunday mornings a celebration vibe!
Though the market is barely held on Sundays, the entire space is full of vintage outlets and weird boutiques which might be open all week. So even for those who’re not visiting Athens on the weekend, it’s nonetheless price exploring the Monastiraki Flea Market space for some window buying, people-watching, and bargain-hunting.
6. Uncover Athens’ Modern Artwork Scene at TAF (The Artwork Basis)
Housed inside a fantastically crumbling Ottoman mansion with a central courtyard, TAF is an modern cultural centre in Athens’ Monastiraki district. They host worldwide and native group exhibitions, in addition to cultural occasions, workshops, performances, and movie screenings.
It’s price visiting simply to discover the constructing itself – however this cultural hub can be house to a up to date artwork gallery, a store selling native designers, and a full of life courtyard cafe-bar.
7. Witness 4 Eras of Athens Historical past at Monastiraki Sq.
From Athens’ well-known Monastiraki Sq., you possibly can take pleasure in a view that takes within the 4 main eras of the town. There’s the red-tiled dome of the Ottoman Tzisdarakis Mosque, the Roman pillars of Hadrian’s library, the fashionable metro station, and the Historic Greek Acropolis above.
It’s an incredible picture to summarise Athens, the place the layers of the town’s previous are chaotically intertwined creating a fancy, vibrant mishmash of various eras, architectures, and influences.
8. Take a Greek Meals Tour in Athens
For my part, the easiest way to get to know a tradition is thru meals. I attempt to take a meals tour in each metropolis I go to. It’s the right option to discover the native flavours (each actually and figuratively. There are some unbelievable meals excursions in Athens to select from – these are my prime picks:
9. Uncover a Roman Tomb inside a Zara Retailer
Head to the Zara retailer on Stadiou Road for a real hidden gem in Athens. On the basement stage, you possibly can see the ruins of an Historic Roman tomb!
These are protected by a glass wall, and have a glass ceiling so you possibly can look down from the ground above as you enter the store.
Athens is Europe’s oldest capital metropolis, with recorded historical past courting again over 3,400 years, so there are a lot of traces of the previous buried beneath the fashionable metropolis. It appears you possibly can’t begin digging within the centre of Athens with out discovering one thing, and plenty of trendy buildings have needed to be distorted throughout constructing to protect the previous. This is only one of many examples: but it surely’s free and straightforward to go to so effectively definitely worth the detour!
10. Swing by the Archaeological Website inside Monastiraki Metro Station
Main on from the above, there’s additionally a small archaeological web site contained in the Monastiraki Metro Station. A number of archaeological finds have been uncovered in the course of the station’s building, courting way back to the eighth century BC. It’s additionally free to go to – so cease by earlier than you catch your practice!
11. Spot Neo-Classical Structure on Panepistimiou Road
Take a stroll alongside Panepistimiou Road, a significant avenue operating from Omonia Sq. to Syntagma Sq., to discover a treasure trove of neoclassical structure.
Essentially the most well-known buildings right here type the so-called “Neoclassical Trilogy”: the Academy of Athens, the Nationwide and Kapodistrian College of Athens, and the Nationwide Library. These are thought-about three of the very best items of structure within the metropolis and are completely beautiful.
There are a number of extra buildings price noticing alongside Panepistimiou Road. Don’t miss the Cathedral Basilica of St. Dionysius the Areopagite, in-built an elaborate Neo-Renaissance model.
The pink-bricked Athens Ofthamiatrio (Public Eye Hospital) has an attention-grabbing historical past. Supposedly, it was constructed to deal with the massive quantity of eye issues that sprang up within the nineteenth century, attributable to the mud from all of the constructing work as Athens was remodeled from a tiny metropolis of simply 10,000 residents into the new capital of Greece.
12. Soak Up Ottoman Structure and Hipster Vibes in Psirri District
From the mid-Fifteenth century to the early nineteenth century, Greece was a part of the Ottoman Empire, and earlier than that was beneath Byzantine rule. These centuries of occupation left as a lot of a mark on Athens as the sooner Historic Romans and Greeks did.
To find a few of these traces, head to the colorful, historic district of Psirri (additionally referred to as Psyri) – one of many metropolis’s oldest neighbourhoods. A maze of winding alleyways and sloping streets designed to channel rainwater, Psirri is full of crumbling Ottoman Mansions and Byzantine church buildings.
Nowadays, it’s considered one of Athens’ trendiest neighbourhoods; identified for its full of life nightlife and nice foodie scene. There’s quite a lot of avenue artwork round, with work and murals tucked into nearly any out there spot. Trendy tradition and hipster vibes blended right into a fantastically vintage neighbourhood – what’s to not love?
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Psyri Neighborhood Graffiti Self-Guided Sport & Tour – from €10.99
13. Be taught In regards to the German Occupation at Korai 4
In newer historical past, Athens was topic to a different occupation: this time by the Germans throughout WW11. Initially an workplace constructing, Korai 4 was requisitioned because the headquarters of the Gestapo in Athens between 1941 and 1945.
Visiting Korai 4 is without doubt one of the extra uncommon issues to do in Athens, but it surely’s a captivating and chilling perception right into a horrible chapter of the town’s historical past.
The slim, basement-level air-raid shelter – claustrophobic behind metallic air-lock doorways – was transformed right into a “non permanent” subterranean jail. Short-term within the sense that almost all prisoners have been solely saved there for a matter of days earlier than being transported to a camp or executed.
Inside, you possibly can see imprints of the tiny cells on the flooring. The partitions are scarred with writing and drawings etched by the prisoners. Some left their names and the dates of their incarceration, others scratched out doodles or self-portraits.
14. Dive Into the Stylish Gazi District
Athens is consistently reinventing itself, and nowhere is that extra obvious than within the trendily grungy, industrial-chic district of Gazi.
The gasoline works that stood right here till 1989 as soon as pumped out a lot air pollution that the encircling space was referred to as the “Gasoline District” (Gazi). Immediately, the now-silent chimneys and the rusted skeleton of the outdated gasoline holder nonetheless dominate the realm – however now they’ve been repurposed into Athens’ coolest nightlife district.
The outdated gasoline drums have been transformed into eco-friendly workplaces, whereas the previous gasoline works now homes Technopolis, an industrial museum and a significant cultural venue. The encircling streets are full of cafes, eating places, bars, and golf equipment – together with some unbelievable LGBTQ+ golf equipment – and the neighbourhood has grow to be referred to as among the finest locations to social gathering in Athens.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Bar Crawl with Free Drinks and Membership Entry – from €26.70pp
15. Take a Sip of Historical past on the Oldest Distillery in Athens
Within the coronary heart of the historic Plata district, you will discover the oldest bar and distillery in Athens: Brettos. The distillery was based by Michail Brettos in 1909, who produced ouzo, brandy, and liqueurs primarily based on outdated household recipes from Smyrni (modern-day Izmir in Turkey). You’ll be able to nonetheless pattern these identical liqueurs in the present day for an actual style of historical past!
Over a century outdated, this atmospheric bar nonetheless appears to be like virtually precisely because it did at first of the twentieth century. The partitions behind the outdated wood bar are lined with shelf upon shelf of vibrant bottles, lit from behind to create a shocking impact.
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Greek Wine & Olive Oil Tasting at Brettos – 2 hours, from €110pp
16. Take an Olympic Work Out within the Historic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium is without doubt one of the most iconic websites in Athens. It was constructed (or re-built) as a reproduction of an Historic Greek stadium which as soon as stood on the identical web site and which hosted the Panathenaic Video games, a spiritual and athletic competition celebrated each 4 years in honour of the goddess Athena.
The stadium we see in the present day was reconstructed for the primary trendy Olympic Video games in 1896. It’s additionally the one stadium on the earth constructed totally of marble.
These in search of extra uncommon issues to do in Athens ought to take a look at this distinctive Olympic Video games Exercise expertise (from €55pp). You’ll get the possibility to run across the stadium – in addition to strive a number of the basic Olympic sports activities like javelin, shot put and discus.
17. Watch an Historic Greek Theater Efficiency
Carry the tales and myths of Athens’ historical buildings to life with this distinctive expertise. In a rooftop theatre overlooking the Acropolis, you possibly can watch a superb Historic Greek Theater Present.
Actors put on conventional costumes and use masks to depict completely different characters, precisely as they did in historical occasions. The play, ‘Medea and Different Associates I Made in Athens’, is a humorous tackle the traditional Greek myths – so it’s an effective way to study a bit of the historical past behind the town’s iconic ruins. From €25 – click on right here to purchase tickets.
18. Or Catch a Movie at an Open Air Cinema in Athens
Talking of performances – how about an out of doors cinema? In summertime, open-air cinemas are a BIG factor in Athens, with over 60 scattered throughout the town. Right here’s my choose of a number of the greatest:
- Aegli – the oldest open-air cinema within the metropolis, set inside the gardens of stately Zappeion Corridor.
- Cine Dexameni – on the roof of the Historic Roman Hadrian’s Aqueduct.
- Cine Thisio – views of the illuminated Acropolis at night time.
- Zefyros – historic, bohemian cinema showcasing basic & artsy movies.
19. Store with the Locals at Varvakios Market
Varvakios Central Municipal Market is the most important and liveliest market in Athens, so it’s an incredible place to expertise an genuine facet of Athenian life.
The historic constructing, courting from 1886, is full of stalls promoting contemporary meat, fish, olives, herbs, spices, and all method of scrumptious Greek produce. It’s an incredible place to people-watch and pattern some native flavours. Be warned, although, the sections housing the meat and fish should not for the faint-hearted!
RECOMMENDED TOUR: Half-Day Final Meals Strolling Tour – 4 hours, from €69pp
20. Discover the Seafront of the Athens Riviera
Athens could also be greatest referred to as a metropolis break vacation spot, however you too can have a seaside vacation right here!
If you wish to see one other very completely different facet of Athens, head south to the coastal space referred to as the Athens Riviera. The riviera stretches round 60km from the swanky marina at Paleo Faliro to Cape Sounion. All alongside it, you will discover stunning sandy seashores, bustling ports, posh “yachtie” haunts, and hidden coves.
Don’t miss the well-known Temple of Poseidon, the therapeutic mineral waters of Vouliagmeni Lake, or the superb seafood eating places round Piraeus.
21. Take a Greek Cooking Class
For an additional enjoyable and weird exercise in Athens, contemplate taking a cooking class. This can be a nice option to meet different travellers, uncover some scrumptious native meals – and possibly study a bit about Athenian tradition whilst you do it. Right here’s my choose of the very best cooking lessons in Athens:
Uncommon Issues to do in Athens: Quicklist and Map
Don’t have time to learn the entire put up above? Right here’s a fast listing of the very best uncommon issues to do in Athens – plus a helpful map that can assist you navigate.
- Don’t Miss the Historic Websites
- Take a Strolling Tour with Various Athens
- Watch the Altering of the Guards at Syntagma Sq.
- Search out the Road Artwork in Athens
- Hunt for Bargains at Monastiraki Flea Market
- Uncover Athens’ Modern Artwork Scene at TAF (The Artwork Basis)
- Witness 4 Eras of Athens Historical past at Monastiraki Sq.
- Take a Greek Meals Tour in Athens
- Uncover a Roman Tomb inside a Zara Retailer
- Swing by the Archaeological Website inside Monastiraki Metro Station
- Spot Neo-Classical Structure on Panepistimo Road
- Spot Road Artwork and Ottoman Structure in Psirri District
- Be taught In regards to the German Occupation at Korai 4
- Dive Into the Stylish Gazi District
- Take a Sip of Historical past on the Oldest Distillery in Athens
- Take an Olympic Work Out within the Historic Stadium
- Watch an Historic Greek Theater Efficiency
- Or Catch a Movie at an Open Air Cinema in Athens
- Store with the Locals at Varvakios Market
- Discover the Seafront of the Athens Riviera
- Take a Greek Cooking Class
Learn Extra
Are you aware any extra hidden gems or uncommon issues to do in Athens? Scroll right down to share your prime ideas within the feedback!
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