IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE ATHENIAN CAPITAL… Busy roads, shopping streets, picturesque alleyways and hidden gardens invite you to discover the secret paths of Athens Pedestrian streets buzzing with life. Luxury hotels, exceptional restaurants serving all kinds of cuisines, outdoor cafes, shopping centres for hours of nonstop shopping, as well as, picturesque old markets, galleries with modern art exhibits, art shops and antique shops. For you to fully enjoy all that’s happening in Athens, discover its routes: Panepistimiou-Voukourestiou-Stadiou-Amerikis The so-called golden square of the city centre buzzes with life. It is home to historic cafes, designer stores, the renovated Pallas Theatre and the Spyromilios arcade. What even Athenians may not know is that the previous Army Pension Fund mansion, a characteristic example of public architecture from the 1930s, housed the royal stables during the Ottoman period and in 1923 it was even a circus! Across from Attica-Citylink is the garden of the Numismatic Museum, where you’ll have a coffee in one of the most beautiful gardens of Athens. Filopappou Hill, in the company of muses Formerly called Hill of the Muses, this bucolic paradise, with its Mediterranean vegetation, perfume of pine trees and the beautiful landscaping of the famous architect Dimitrios Pikionis reward those
who stroll here. Don’t miss the Byzantine chapel of Agios Dimitrios Loumbardiaris, hidden among the pines. Take a walk in the garden of kings A green oasis in the centre of the city, the National Garden embraces the Greek Parliament building and continues south to Zappeion. It was once the Royal Garden, commissioned by Queen Amalia, who imported hundreds of plant species. The garden’s boundaries were drawn in 1839, reaching a total of 155 acres. Extending from the Presidential Mansion to the Maximos Mansion, from the Stadium to the Columns of Olympian Zeus, the gardens of Zappeion are a popular space for rest and recreation in the centre of the capital. The impressive Zappeion mansion – a semicircular neoclassical building with a Corinthian portico – was completed in 1878 by the Danish architect Theofilos Hansen. It’s worth walking through the manicured gardens where you can also stop for a coffee or a bite at renowned cafe-restaurants.
The most beautiful historic stroll The walk along Dionysios Areopagitis and Apostolos Pavlos streets (the neighbourhood beneath the Acropolis) is one of the most beautiful walks in the centre of the city. Sidewalk cafes, the New Acropolis Museum, and row upon row of elegant neoclassical buildings facing the Acropolis will welcome you as you begin your stroll. Next you’ll come across the Herodion, the ancient theatre that still hosts live performances and has been active in the international art scene for more than half a century. Take a detour to visit the Pnyx archaeological site and continue on to Apostolos Pavlos where the entire neighbourhood of Thiseion unfolds before you, with dozens of coffee shops, ouzeries and restaurants populating its wide sidewalk. Discover the Hill of the Nymphs, with the Temple of Pan, then head to the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and take in the panoramic view of Piraeus and the Aegean. The beat goes on at numerous beach bars and exclusive nightclubs where you will dance until dawn, feet in the sand. Here the sun shines bright, the laughter is loud and the sunsets are magical all year round. At the southernmost tip of this coastline is the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion, one of the most important temples of ancient Greece. Sea, light and an infinite sky unite in this landscape, creating a timeless, idyllic holiday setting.
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