The capital of which modern country is Athens. Athens in ancient greece

Athens is the cradle of our civilization, the birthplace of philosophers and democracy, a repository of destroyed columns and armless statues, ancient jugs and coins. Ancient traditions and modernity are harmoniously intertwined here. History lovers and those wishing to soak up the warm sea in Athens will be greeted cordially and hospitably - in Greek.

Athens (Αθήνα) is a legendary city named after the wise warrior goddess Pallas Athena. It stands on the plain of Attica, near the Saronicos Gulf, between three mountain ranges: Parnita, Penteli and Hymetta. The hills of Acropolis and Lycabettus rise above the city.

In ancient times, Athens was the center of ancient Greek civilization. Today's capital of Greece is a huge metropolis, the focus of world history, a symbol of the Olympic idea. Athens is a center of science, culture, art and developed trade. The lively rhythm of modern life exists here in parallel with the grandeur of ancient monuments and the mysteries of ancient legends.

The myth of the patroness of the city

One of the ancient Greek myths tells. Long ago, the king of Attica was Cecrops (half-man, half-snake). He had to choose the patron saint of the city. The wise son of the goddess Gaia decided that he should become the one who will bring the city the most useful and valuable gift. Poseidon, brother of Zeus, immediately appeared before the people and thrust his trident into the rock of the Acropolis. At the place of impact, a huge fountain shot up into the sky, but the water in it was salty sea. Then Pallas Athena appeared, who raised a wonderful olive tree on a stone and presented it to the people. The king and his people rejoiced, and wise Athena became the patroness of the city.

Highlights of the history of Athens

The territory on which Athens stands has been inhabited since the Neolithic. The exact date of the birth of the city is unknown. From ancient times to the Middle Ages, Athens dominated Hellas, here the foundations of world democracy arose and developed. In the Middle Ages, the city experienced decline, became part of Byzantium, was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire. In 1833, Athens received the status of the capital of the new Kingdom of Greece. A beautiful city was built near the ancient ruins. The traditions of the Olympic Games have been revived. By the end of the 20th century, Athens had become a beautiful and distinctive metropolis worthy of the title of a modern capital.

Itineraries for 2 days in Athens

Philopappou Hill

Monument to Philopappos

Olympion

Roman Agora

Syntagma Square

Syntagma metro station

National Archaeological Museum

Panathinaikos

You can only get a full impression of Greece and ancient culture by visiting Athens. I suggest itinerary for one day. You will see the most interesting and significant places in the Greek capital.

Philopappou Hill

Panorama of Athens and the Acropolis from the height of Philopappou hill, photo Dan

In order not to fry under the scorching Greek sun and have time to see as many sights as possible, start your walk early in the morning. Climb Philopappou Hill (Λόφος Φιλοπάππου) (also called the Hill of the Muses), admire Athens and the Acropolis from above, and you will have a general vision of the city. There are not many tourists here, unlike Lycabettus Hill.

Monument to Gaius Julius Antiochus Philoppos, photo wrd39

Filopappou Hill is a pine park with paths and paths, observation platforms and benches. It is pleasant to walk in the shade of trees here. At the top of the hill rises the monument to Philopappos, who adored Greek culture.

Below is the prison of Socrates (Η Φυλακή του Σωκράτη). It is believed that Socrates was in it for "corrupting the youth of Athens with his radical statements." He was sentenced to death and forced to take poison.

At the entrance to the park from the street Dionisiou Areopagitou there is a small church of St. Demetrius.

From the side of Arokinto street, it is in the west of the hill, we see the Dora Stratou theater (θέατρο Δόρα Στράτου). It hosts Greek folk dance performances in summer.

How to get there: go to the station Singru Fix (Sigrou-Fix, Greek ΣΤ.ΣΥΓΓΡΟΥ-ΦΙΞ), red metro line; walk along Drakou street; further along the path to climb the hill.

Acropolis

The symbol of Athens, the heart of Hellas is the Athenian Acropolis (Ακρόπολη Αθηνών). The Hellenic capital and the entire Greek civilization began from this sacred hill. The architectural complex of the Acropolis attracts all guests of the Greek capital. There are beautiful ancient temples in ruins, founded during the reign of Pericles. This is where our path lies.

2. Hecatompedon

4. Statue of Athena Promachos

7. Eleusinion
8. Bravroneion
9. Chalcotek
10. Pandroseion
11. Arrephorion
12. Athenian altar
13. Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus
14. Sanctuary of Pandion
15. Odeon of Herodes Atticus
16. Stoa of Eumenes

19. Odeon of Pericles
20. Temenos of Dionysus
21. Sanctuary of Aglavra

The archaeological zone of Acropolis is entered from the side of the southern slope: here you can see the ruins of the huge ancient theater of Dionysus (Θέατρο του Διονύσου) with the surviving rows of spectator seats and a stage. On this site, ritual festivals were held - Dionysia; the pathetic masterpieces of Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes were played. The passage between the stone rows of places has now become part of the hiking trail that surrounds the Acropolis.

Another "theatrical" monument of the Acropolis was intended for musical performances - the Odeon of Herodes Atticus (Ωδείο Ηρώδου του Αττικού). Its ruins, rebuilt from scratch, are now hosting the annual Athens Festival of the World's Best Troupes.

Between the two ancient theaters is the standing Eumenes (Στοά Ευμένους) - a covered two-story colonnade, built in the II century. BC. Standing served the theatrical audience for walks.

Behind the colonnade are the ruins of a temple dedicated to the god of medicine Asclepius. Asklepion (Ἀσκληπιεῖον; Asklepieion) was built after the terrible Athenian cholera epidemic (5th century BC).

We will go to the gentle summit of the Acropolis through the Propylaea (Προπύλαια) - the monumental front passage to the Acropolis, built by Mnesicles (5th century BC). In antiquity, the building was adjoined by the pavilions of the Pinakothek and Hadrian's library.

To the right of the entrance is the reconstructed temple of Nike Apteros (Ναός Αθηνάς Νίκης), also called the Temple of Athena-Nike, built to commemorate the triumph of the ancient Greek army over the Persians in the 5th century. BC. Inside there was a statue of a wingless goddess so that she could never leave Athens.

Parthenon, photo Rol247 *

Behind the Propylaea is the marble Parthenon (Παρθενών) - the main temple of the Acropolis, a great architectural symbol of ancient culture. The monumental structure, framed by a colonnade, was built in 432 BC. A sanctuary was erected from stone brought from the Penteli Mountains. The Parthenon has become the standard of classical antique architecture. It was once adorned with a statue of Athena Parthenos, a magnificent ivory plated with gold. During the Byzantine period, this cultural value was taken to Constantinople.

Next to the Parthenon, in the sacred part of the Acropolis, stands the Erechtheion (Ἐρέχθειον) - a temple dedicated to Athena, Poseidon and King Erechtheus, built on the site of the mythological contest between Athena and Poseidon. It is said that on its northern portico there are marks left by the trident of the god of the seas himself. The columns of the temple are made in the form of sculptures of young women (caryatids).

The entrance ticket to the Acropolis is € 12. It is valid for 4 days, with a bonus you get free admission to the Theater of Dionysus, the Roman Agora, the Ancient Greek Agora, the Temple of Zeus, the Hadrian's Library and the Ceramics, the cemetery of ancient Athens. For children and adolescents under 18 years old - admission is free.

How to get there: go to the Acropoli station, red line of the metro. Accessible from Monastiraki and Thisssio stations.

New Acropolis Museum, photo by Tilemahos Efthimiadis

The ultra-modern building of the New Acropolis Museum (Μουσείο Ακρόπολης) is located 300 meters from the Acropolis itself. It was built on an archaeological site that can be seen through the glass floor. Museum stores archaeological finds from the Archaic period (1800-600 BC) to the Romanesque (I-V centuries AD): ancient cornices, borders, carved areas with bas-reliefs. The pearl of the museum collection is the original caryatids taken from the portico of the Erechtheion.

There is a cozy cafe on the roof of the building where you can have a drink and enjoy the view.

The entrance to the museum is from Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. The nearest metro station is Akropoli.

Address: Dionysiou Areopagitou 15, Athina 117 42. Website: theacropolismuseum.gr.
Entrance fee is € 5.

What can be seen near the Acropolis

Ares Hill, photo by SantiMB.Photos

To the northwest of the foot of the Acropolis is the Areopagus (Ἄρειος πάγος) - the hill of Ares, on which the courts were held in ancient Athens.

Near the western slope of the Acropolis there is a low rocky hill Pnyx (Πνὐξ) - a place of crowded meetings of the ancient Hellenes. On the plateau of this semicircular hill with a stone platform, dating from 507 BC. e., Athenian citizens gathered and conducted ecclesias. This is the first democratic authority in the history of mankind. During the XX century excavations on Pnyx, the sanctuary and the altar of Zeus were found.

Temple of Olympian Zeus, photo by Alexander Pappas

Half a kilometer from the Acropolis hill to the southeast there is a grandiose Olympion - the largest religious building of Hellas - the Temple of Olympian Zeus (Ναός του Ολυμπίου Διός). It was laid down in about 515 BC. e .; built for more than six centuries. Today only a number of columns with capitals have survived from the ancient complex.

These sights are not included in our itinerary, but you can see them on another day.

Athenian agora, photo by Joaquin Javier Esteban Martinez

Ancient Agora (Ἀρχαία Ἀγορά) is located at the foot of the Acropolis. In the ancient city, this square, built under Solon, was not just a market, but the center of the social, cultural and sports life of Athens. The center of the Agora was Panathena Street. Today there are ruins of the Stoa (colonnade) of Hermes, the covered Stoa Poikile with fragments of polychrome painting, a monument to ten tribes and ten heroes of Attica (IV century BC).

Temple of Hephaestus, photo by Keith Mac Uidhir

The temple of Hephaestus (Ναός Ηφαίστου), the god of crafts and blacksmithing, erected in the west of the Agora (449-415 BC) is considered a unique building, one of the best-preserved religious buildings in the entire ancient world.

Standing Attala, photo by Tilemahos Efthimiadis

The two-story complex Stoya Attala (Στοά του Αττάλου) was a real shopping center antique Athens. Under the roof of a huge building 115 m long, surrounded by a powerful Doric colonnade, more than four dozen shops were assembled. The merchants' showcases were located under the arches in the porticoes. In the 3rd century, Stoya was completely destroyed by the invasion of the Heruli. The restoration was carried out in the middle of the 20th century. Now this architectural monument houses the Agora archaeological museum.

The visit to the Agora is included in the ticket price for the Acropolis.

Roman Agora

Roman Agora, Tower of the Winds and Fethiye Jami Mosque, photo Tai Pan of HK

There is also a Roman Agora in Athens (Ρωμαϊκή Αγορά της Αθήνας), a Roman market square, - architectural complex from a rectangular colonnaded courtyard located on the streets of Pelopidas and Aeolou. But we are not on our way there. On the eastern side of it stands the octahedral marble Tower of the Winds, created by the astronomer Andronicus Kirrestes (1st century BC). If you walk north of the square, you can see the legendary Hadrian's library.

The decoration of the Roman Agora is the Fethiye Jami Mosque (Φετιχιέ τζαμί), built in honor of Mohammed the Conqueror in 1458 and recognized oldest monument Turkish era in Athens.

Monastiraki, photo evren3m999

The Agora is bordered by the Monastiraki (Μοναστηράκι) district, one of the oldest in Athens. There are few attractions here. A mosque built by the Turkish governor of Tsistaraki in 1759 has survived. It stands next to the Monastiraki metro station. Moreover, the church of Agiu Philip of the 17th century. on Adrianou street.

Monastiraki are loved for the unique atmosphere prevailing here. Here they just walk, enjoy the play of street performers, sit in a cafe with a cup of coffee, buy their favorite things in souvenir shops and antique salons. On weekends, check out the flea market on Ifestu Street.

While we were getting acquainted with the sights, it was time for lunch. I suggest to eat at central market, tasty and inexpensive. Therefore, we are heading towards Varvakios Agora. The market is open all days from 08:00 to 18:00 except Sunday, trading is brisk. Look at the gifts home at the market, and take colorful photos.

The meat section has a PAPANDREOU restaurant serving traditional Greek cuisine. The prices are affordable. A good lunch will cost around € 10-15. There are other excellent taverns on the market.

How to get to the market: from the Monastiraki metro station, walk 500 m.

We will continue our walk through the coziest area of ​​Plaka (Πλάκα). Narrow streets, taverns and atmospheric cafes, colorful inhabitants. The houses are 2-3 hundred years old, but they were built on antique foundations.

Let's take a look at the oldest street in Athens - Hadrian.

Ermu (Οδός Ερμού) - lively pedestrian streets Athens leading to Syntagma Square. On it you can buy something from clothes between times. But I advise you not to waste time, as you will not find anything exclusive and inexpensive.
By the way, boutiques of luxury brands are located at the beginning of the street, and then there are shops of democratic brands (Zara, Marks & Spencer, etc.).

Changing of the guard at the Parliament building, photo MPD01605

After passing the Ermou street, we will find ourselves on the Constitution Square (Syntagma - Πλατεία Συντάγματος). Its main attraction is the Palace of the Greek Parliament (Βουλή των Ελλήνων). Nearby there is a monument to the Unknown Soldier. Every hour there is a change of the guard of honor near it. Presidential Palace and the Greek Parliament, which consists of the soldiers of the national guard "Evzones" (translated from Greek - well belted).

The Evzones are dressed in a uniform similar to the national Greek costume. The uniform consists of a man's woolen pleated skirt with 400 folds - fustanella; caps of bright red color with a long brush - phareon; leather boots - tsarukh, each weighing about 3 kg, with large black pom-poms (earlier knives were hidden in pom-poms); garters with tassels for gaiters - caltsodet; white shirt and stocking, vest. During the changing of the guard, the movements of the guards are similar to the national dance.

In Evzones they take not only well-trained, but also outwardly attractive soldiers with a height of at least 187 cm.

On Sunday at 11:00, the changing of the guard is accompanied by a military band.

Ancient artifacts at Syntagma metro station

Syntagma metro station (Σταθμός Συντάγματος) is like a small archaeological museum. As soon as you leave the subway car, unique finds, covered with glass, appear in front of you. Among them are ancient graves and a fragment of an old Athenian aqueduct. The artifacts were found when the metro was being laid in 2004.

You can see ancient exhibits at Akropolis and Monastiraki stations, but Syntagma is more interesting.

Archaeological Museum

Archaeological Museum exposition, photo by one-thirteen

After examining the ancient artifacts at the Syntagma station, I wanted to learn more about the history of Athens. Then you go to the National Archaeological Museum (Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο) or the Benaki Museum.

The National Archaeological Museum is located near Victoria Metro Station. The exposition of the museum is the richest in Greece. It contains sculptural exhibits from the ancient Greek and Roman eras, a collection of Corinthian ceramics, and Mycenaean gold. The museum collection includes illustrious exhibits from different time periods: the mask of Agamemnon, sculptural group"Aphrodite and Pan", a two-meter bronze statue of "Poseidon", a statuette of Zeus Keravnovol, a figure of the goddess Hygieia, a sculpture "Boy-jockey".

Dozens of museums are open in Athens: Byzantine and Christian, Maritime, Museum of Ceramics, Historical, Theater, University, and many more expositions, exhibitions, galleries.

Panathinaikos

From Syntagma Square, walk through the Royal Gardens to the Panathenaean Stadium or Panathinaikos (Παναθηναϊκό στάδιο).

This huge structure was built entirely of white marble... The original stadium, built in 329 BC e., has not survived. It was the site of the Panathenaic Games, dedicated to the goddess Athena. In 1895, the stadium was practically rebuilt with the money of Georgios Averoff. His statue now stands at the entrance.

From the Panathenaean Stadium we will walk along Anapafseos Street, at the end of which is the First Athenian Cemetery (Πρώτο Νεκροταφείο Αθηνών), founded in 1837. This is an open-air museum, the burial place of the local elite. Every tomb is a work of art. The mausoleum of the famous archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann and his family is impressive.

On the territory of the cemetery, one Catholic church and two Orthodox were built.

It's supper time. Let's take a look at the Funky Gourmet restaurant. The prices, of course, are not democratic here, and the place is not romantic, but they are fed - you will lick your fingers!

Address: 13 Paramithias Street. Metro station - Metaxourgio (red line).

Lycabettus

Lycabettus Hill, photo by Wally Gobetz

The evening crept up unnoticed. Let's enjoy the evening panorama of Athens from the Lycabettus hill (Λυκαβηττός), the highest in Athens, also called Lycabettus. This perfect place to take photos of the evening Acropolis, the port of Piraeus, and Aegean.

At the top we will see a cult monument of the Byzantine era of Hellas, the white-stone chapel of St. George (XIX century); open-air restaurant and theater.

How to get there: Go to Evangelismos station (blue metro line). Continue along Ploutarchou street to the lower funicular station.

The funicular takes you quickly and comfortably to the top of the hill. The interval of movement is 5-10 minutes. A round trip ticket costs € 14. The best way is to take the funicular and go down on foot.

A taxi can take you to Lycabettus. You will pay about € 25-30, and you will have to walk for another 5 minutes.

There are two walking paths up the hill. The ascent at a calm pace will take you 20 minutes.

The day ended, and with it our walk through ancient Athens ended.

Sandy beaches of the city of the Gods

Faliron

Athens beaches stretch for miles along the city and its surroundings. The most populous is Faliron, a free recreation area with a sandy beach. Faliron is not suitable for a family vacation: the coast and the water here are not clean.

Lutsa

In the eastern part of the city there is a sandy Lutsa beach. It is preferred by the Athenian youth: for a large number of 24-hour entertainment venues, taverns and surf clubs.

Alimos

One of the most visited is the Alimos beach on the southern outskirts of the city. There is a clean sandy coast and excellent, by Athenian standards, infrastructure: there are many cafes and taverns, there are showers, umbrellas and sun loungers, children's entertainment.

Votsalakia Campos

The most comfortable beaches include Votsalakia Kampos - a fully equipped recreation complex with a court, volleyball courts, an outdoor pool. The beach is sandy with pebble areas.

Glyfada bay

An excellent place for a family vacation is the Glyfada Bay, located in the suburbs, at a distance of 16 km from the capital's center. It is a wide, long strip of golden sand in a picturesque mountainous and wooded area. On the sandy paid beaches of Glyfada, all the necessary equipment and attractions are installed, water sports entertainment, restaurants and clubs work, lifeguards are on duty. The beaches of Glyfada are awarded with the Blue Flag.

Voula beaches

The beaches of Voula are famous for their purest sandy bottom, which is located 18 km south of Athens. A cozy, well-equipped coastal area is surrounded by a pine grove. There is a sports and training center for all ages.

Vouliameni resort area

V resort area Vouliameni includes two sandy beaches on the sea coast (Kavuri and Attiki Akti), elite resort Asteria-Volimenis with a complex of beaches, thermal lake Voulyameni, on the banks of which a cozy resting place is equipped.

Kokkino-Limanaki beach

Connoisseurs of pristine natural beauty choose the Kokkino-Limanaki beach near the port of Rafina. There is an amazing turquoise sea, pure golden sand and picturesque red stones of the cliffs.

Akti-Varkiza beach

And Varkiza Bay is located 27 km to the east. There is a beautiful free Akti-Varkiza beach with sports grounds, a children's area, attractions and many eateries. There is a yacht club next to the beach.

In the surroundings farther from the capital, there are sandy beaches Porto Rafti with its famous fish taverns and Chinyas is a favorite spot for surfing fans; beach areas of the town of Vavrona and the famous resort at Cape Sounion - near the ruins of the ancient temple of Poseidon.

Transport in Athens

The city runs public transport: buses, trams, trolleybuses, metro and commuter trains... It is quick and convenient to get to the desired point by metro. The ticket for all types of transport is the same.

The cost of a single trip within 70 minutes. - € 1.20;
ticket for 24 hours - € 4.

Buy tickets at ticket offices, vending machines at metro stations and tram stops. Be sure to punch your ticket.

How to get from the airport to the center of Athens

Athens International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos" is located 27 km from the center. You can get from the airport to the center by public transport: by metro, express bus or taxi.

Metro

The easiest and most convenient way is to take the metro. To get to the Aerodromio metro station (blue line), you need to leave the arrivals hall through the second exit, cross the road and then follow the signs - TO TRAINS (to the trains).

Purchase a metro ticket from a machine or a ticket office. Cost - € 8; round trip - € 14. The ride is 40 minutes. The interval is 30 minutes.

See the diagram of the Athenian metro.

By bus

There are express buses from the airport to the center: No. X95 goes from Syntagma Square every 20 minutes; No. X96 - from the port of Piraeus; X93 - districts of Kifissia; X97 - from Daphne.

The cost of a bus ticket is € 5. Tickets can be bought from the driver or at the metro ticket offices.

Taxi

An alternative to public transport is taxis. It will take you directly to your destination without transfers. A trip to Athens will cost from € 35 and take a maximum of 40 minutes.

Athens from A to Z: map, hotels, attractions, restaurants, entertainment. Shopping, shops. Photos, videos and reviews about Athens.

• Last Minute Tours to Greece

Athens is not just a capital city. It was here that classical Greece was born, and therefore Western civilization in general. The first prehistoric settlement appeared here around 3000 BC. e. For many centuries, everything happened with Athens, including periods of decline. It's hard to imagine, but in the 1830s, when the city began to revive after the Ottoman oppression as the capital of independent Greece, Athens was just a small provincial village.

Athens includes the Old City, the central districts, the suburbs, and the port of Piraeus. In the center there are two hills: the Acropolis hill with the Parthenon and ancient temples, and the Lycabettus (Lycabettus) hill with the picturesque church of St. George at the top.

In Athens, you can spend a month exploring in detail all the ancient monuments and ruins, charming neoclassical buildings in the historical center and museums. But if you really decide to do this, keep in mind that even in the very center of the city there are places where you should not go idle. Seriously, the expat-filled Omonia quarter is best avoided even in bright daylight.

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How to get to Athens

Transport links connect Athens with Moscow and St. Petersburg. Residents of other regions need to plan a route taking into account a transfer in one of the capitals. Muscovites have two options - plane and bus. In terms of cost, they almost do not differ, but the time spent when traveling by air is much less. Even choosing the cheapest connecting flight, you can cut them in three times.

Search for flights to Athens

Districts of Athens

The Greek capital is divided into 7 districts and several dozen neighborhoods and districts. Some of them are interesting from a tourist point of view, others are not at all remarkable, and there are some where it is better not to go at all without special need. Among them is one of the central quarters of Omonia, inhabited by emigrants. It can be unsafe here even during the day.

The most popular area among the guests of the city is the Acropolis. This is the historical center, and it is here that the monuments of ancient Greek architecture are located - the Acropolis itself, on the territory of which the ancient theater of Deonis and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus are located, where concerts, performances and other cultural events are held to this day.

Another famous area of ​​Athens is Plaka. There are several interesting museums here, among which the most notable are the Children's Museum and the Museum of Folk musical instruments, as well as a chapel with the poetic name Tower of the Winds and the Cathedral of the Metropolis. In addition, most tourists stay in Plaka. There are hotels of different price categories here, although budget options(20-30 EUR per night) a little. Travelers are attracted by the proximity of the main attractions and the abundance of souvenir shops and shops.

Travel souvenirs and antiques can be bought at the market in the Monastiraki area. There is also an old mosque and a temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. There are several inexpensive hotels in this part of the city (from 20 EUR per night), but in most hotels prices start from 100 EUR per knock.

Those who want to look at the city from a height of 200 m should go to the Kolonaki area. You can climb Mount Lycabettus on foot or by cable car. There are many 24-hour entertainment venues in this quarter, so if you want to get to know nightlife Greek capital, it is worth looking for housing here. True, it will cost a lot, because Kolonaki is the most expensive area of ​​Athens.

• Which resort near Athens is suitable for a beach holiday

Connectivity and Wi-Fi

Arriving in Athens, it is better to immediately take care of always being in touch. Of course, you don't have to change your SIM card and use the services in roaming, but if you have to communicate a lot on the phone, calls can cost a pretty penny. In this case, a SIM card from one of the local operators is the best option to save money. You can buy it right at the airport, as well as in the salons and brand stores of the city. There are 3 cellular companies in Greece - Vodafone, Wind and Cosmote. Each of them has Special offers for tourists - prepaid tariffs with favorable prices for calls abroad. The most interesting for Russians are Frog (Costome) and Q (Wind).

When buying any SIM card in Greece, you need to have an identity document with you.

Free points wireless access to the Internet in Athens are ubiquitous. Along with the usual hotels, cafes and restaurants, Wi-Fi is available in many squares, including the main Syntagma square, as well as in the metro, trams, the port of Piraeus and other points of the city.

Athens Spotlighted

The main difference between the Athens city pass Athens Spotlighted from tourist maps other popular directions - in its cost, or rather - in its absence. In some cities the CityCard price can go up to 200 EUR in 3 days. In Athens, the card is issued to everyone free of charge and is valid for 10 days. Athens Spotlighted can be picked up at Eleftherios Venizelos Airport (baggage claim and information desk).

The benefits of using the Athenian tourist card may not be as great as those of its paid counterparts. However, it will help to significantly save on vacation. Its owner receives a 50% discount on entry tickets to the most interesting museums and other cultural institutions of the city. Among them are the National Art Gallery of Athens, Benaki Museum, Frisiras Museum, Automobile Museum and many others. In addition, you can attend performances, concerts and other events of the National Theater of Greece and the National Opera with a 15 to 20% discount. More than 15 cafes and restaurants, upon presentation of Athens Spotlighted, reduce the receipt by 20%. The same action is valid in several dozen grocery, souvenir shops, as well as in clothing, footwear and accessories stores. Read more about the companies participating in the program at the office. site.

Athens Accommodation

The peak tourist season in Athens is between July and August. At this time, hotel rooms are not easy to find, and prices skyrocket. It's better to take care of housing in advance - a chance to catch a good option for normal money will be higher. Budget housing represented by a small number of hostels and 2 * hotels. Prices are about the same - 20-50 EUR per room. No sophistication, only the most necessary.

Slightly better service in three star hotels... Although they are also more suitable for those who only come to the hotel to sleep. Sometimes breakfast is included in the price, more often - Buffet... The room will cost 50-100 EUR per night, depending on the area.

Those who want to live in the center by all means should pay attention to the Plaka and Monastiraki districts. There are several inexpensive hostels and hotels there.

The elite room fund is represented by 4 and 5 * hotels. The level of service does not differ much, but the range of prices is quite large. If a room in the first one will cost from 70 to 150 EUR, then in the most luxurious hotels in the city the prices reach 400 EUR per night.

Shopping

Athens is a large modern metropolis. Old antiques here perfectly coexist next to the products of the most fashionable designers and quite democratic brands of clothing, footwear and accessories.

For clothing and footwear from well-known but inexpensive brands, go to Ermou Street, the largest shopping street in the Greek capital. From the middle to the very end, Zara, Morgan, Benneton, Marks & Spenser and others are crowded on both sides. In the beginning, more expensive luxury brands are presented. The most luxurious shopping areas are Kolonaki, Kifissia and Glyfada. When going to one of them, get ready to part with a large amount.

At affordable prices, you can shop on the street. Patision (clothes, shoes and accessories), in the Plaka area (jewelry, souvenirs and antiques) and st. Monastiraki (handmade clothes and shoes, accessories, traditional instruments). The latter has a flea market every Sunday. Among the heap of useless trinkets, there are interesting and original gizmos, including inexpensive Greek souvenirs - ceramics, bedding, carpets, copies of museum pieces and busts of ancient Greek thinkers.

Thrifty shopaholics are better off planning a vacation for the second half of the summer. From mid-July to the end of August, sales are taking place in Athens, prices fall by 50-80%. However, even at this time, the famous Greek furs cost a lot here, it is better to go to other parts of the country for a fur coat.

Athens cuisine and restaurants

The national cuisine of Greece is traditionally associated with a large number of vegetables and seafood, olives, soft feta cheese and a variety of herbs and spices. In any place in Athens, you can find dishes such as Tiropeta (cheese pie), Moussaka (a puff dish of eggplant, potatoes and minced meat), Dolmatesdolma (stuffed cabbage rolls in grape leaves), Dzadziki (thick sauce made from fresh cucumber, yogurt and garlic) and, of course, grilled squid, fish, shrimp and octopus.

Olive oil and lemon juice are often used for dressing traditional Greek dishes, highlighting the taste of fish and seafood.

Where to go to try it all? It all depends on the budget. For those planning a meal plan of EUR 100 per dinner per person, there are several authentic Michelin-starred restaurants in the capital. Luxurious interiors and exquisite dishes that outwardly resemble works of art, and the taste is beyond praise.

However, the city is full of establishments with prices much more acceptable for an ordinary tourist. In the coastal taverns and small restaurants in the city center, you can taste traditional Greek cuisine, paying no more than 50 EUR for lunch for two, and if you go to the outskirts or to the Plaka area, this amount will decrease to 30 EUR.

For those who do not want to spend more than 5-15 EUR for lunch, there are inexpensive eateries and café "Tiropitadiko" in Athens. The first serve kebabs with pita and lemon, business card the second - puff pies with cheese, spinach and other fillings.

The best pictures of Athens

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Guides in Athens

Entertainment and attractions

The main attraction of Athens is the Parthenon Temple - the symbol of the city. This is the most magnificent and monumental building of the Athenian Acropolis. However, the entire complex of ancient buildings deserves the attention of tourists, even considering that many of them now more closely resemble ruins. In particular, there is a building that the Greeks have been using for its intended purpose for almost 2000 years. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus still hosts classical music concerts and theatrical performances.

You can get into the auditorium of the ancient theater only during events by purchasing a ticket.

Footprints ancient civilization can be found not only on the Acropolis Hill. At its foot, on the former market square of the capital of Hellas, stands the temple of Hephaestus, the god of fire. This building is located in the Agora square, and, despite its impressive age, it has been well preserved.

The most popular tourist area after the Acropolis is Old city Plaka. The central part of Athens is bounded by a triangle formed by the squares of Omonia (Concord Square), Syntagma (Constitution Square) and Monastiraki. On the Constitution Square, attention is drawn to the majestic building of the Parliament with a guard of honor at the tomb of the unknown Soldier. To the right of the Parliament building is the magnificent royal park "Zappio", behind which are the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the famous Hadrian's Arch.

It is also worth visiting the Panafinsky Stadium and taking the funicular to Lycabettus Hill (277 m high), from where a magnificent panorama of the city opens up. One of the central Athenian streets, Panepistimiou, connects Syntagma and Omonia squares. Here is the famous ensemble of buildings of the University, Academy and National Library.

So different Athens

Museums

There are over 250 museums, galleries and temple complexes in Athens. The National Archaeological Museum keeps unique finds from all over the country, the Byzantine Museum is the best collection of icons and mosaics in Europe, the Benaki Museum is famous for its rich collection of ancient Greek and Byzantine art, as well as exhibitions of Chinese porcelain, oriental jewelry and weapons. Not far from it is the National Art Gallery, a two-story building that displays works by Greek artists from the 14th century to the present day.

To see all the expositions of the Athenian museums, no vacation is enough. We advise you to study the information in advance and choose the most interesting ones for yourself.

The Archaeological Museum of the Athenian Agora, located in the northeastern part of the city, is interesting because most of its exhibits are associated with the world's oldest Athenian democracy. In particular, it is here that ostracs are kept - clay shards that the Athenians used to vote. In the museum natural history Goulandris, you can get acquainted with the Greek flora and fauna. The exposition presents rare endangered plant species.

To get to know the country and its people from a different, musical side, go to the Museum of Greek Folk Musical Instruments. The collection contains more than 1200 exhibits, the oldest of which dates back to the 18th century. Only half of them are exhibited in the halls, but there is an opportunity to hear the sound of each.

5 things to do in Athens

1. Feel like an ancient Greek, walking from one ancient temple of the Acropolis to another.
2. Experience the contrast between antiquity and modernity as you head straight from the Temple of Hephaestus to a trendy restaurant.
3. Taste real olives and feta cheese.
4. Climb Lycabettus on foot.
5. Go to a play at an ancient theater.

Athens for kids

Even in such a monumental and majestic ancient city like Athens, there is a place of childlike spontaneity and curiosity. The first step is to visit the Children's Museum located in the city center. It regularly hosts thematic classes and master classes - culinary, creative, theatrical, as well as games for the development of logic and attention. The exhibition presents works by young artists from 4 to 12 years old, after which you can look at your grandparents (a separate room where the interior and atmosphere of an old Greek house are recreated) or in the library.

For fun, head to Allou Fun Park (official site in English), best park entertainment in Greece. A solid area is home to attractions for the whole family - from small carousels for kids to extreme roller coasters and a large Ferris wheel.

It is better to take the afternoon for a hike to the park - it is closed in the morning.

When everything has already been studied in the center of Athens, you can visit the suburbs. In the northwest, not far from the coast, there is the Copa Copana water park.

September

October

November

December

People go to Athens not only for the beach holiday, the tourist season here does not stop all year round. Greece has a classic continental climate, so it rarely snows. Heavy showers are possible in winter, but infrequently, this time is great for sightseeing tours.

It's already warm here in April, but you can't swim yet. There are not many people, you can safely walk and take pictures. The swimming season starts in June and lasts until mid-October. The peak of tourist activity falls on three summer months... At the same time, daytime temperatures soar along with house prices. For those who can't stand the heat, there is the velvet season, which starts in mid-September. The weather is comfortable, and the beaches are much freer.

Athens (Greece) - the most detailed information about the city with a photo. The main attractions of Athens with descriptions, travel guides and maps.

Athens (Greece)

Public transport in Athens is represented by the metro, commuter trains, trams, trolleybuses and buses. A single ticket is valid for all types of transport. The metro has three lines: M1 (green) - connects the port and the northern suburbs through the city center, M2 (red) - connects western and southern Athens, M3 (blue) - connects the southwestern suburbs with the northern suburbs and the airport.

sights

The most famous landmark of Athens is the sacred hill - the Acropolis. There are striking antique ruins of ancient temples that symbolize the flourishing of Greek civilization.

The Acropolis is 156 meters high and is visible from almost everywhere. In ancient times, it was located royal palace, majestic temples to the gods, religious objects and numerous sculptures. Most of the main structures of the Acropolis were built during the reign of Pericles (5th century BC) during the heyday of Athens.

The most famous landmark of the Acropolis is the magnificent Parthenon, which despite its time is one of the best-preserved ancient Greek structures in Athens. The Parthenon is considered the largest temple of the classical period of Ancient Greece and is dedicated to Aphrodite. It was completed in 438 BC. The temple is famous for its monumental Doric columns and has been decorated with numerous sculptures.

Among the ancient ruins of the Acropolis stands out the temple of Niki Apteros, built in 427-424 BC. and dedicated to the Victorious Athena, propylaea (the main entrance formed by columns and porticoes), the Erechtheion, a temple built between 421-406 BC. and dedicated to Athena, Poseidon and King Erechtheus.

All structures and ruins of the Acropolis:

1. Hecatompedon.
2. Statue of Athena Promachos.
3. Propylaea.
4. Eleusinion.
5. Bravroneion.
6. Chalcotek.
7. Pandroseion.
8. Arrephorion.
9. Athenian altar.
10. Sanctuary of Zeus Polieus.
11. Sanctuary of Pandion.
12. Odeon of Herodes Atticus.
13. Standing Eumenes.
14. Asklepion.
15. Odeon of Pericles.
16. Temenos of Dionysus.
17. Sanctuary of Aglavra.

At 300 meters there is the Acropolis Museum, which is one of the most important modern buildings in Athens and is built of steel, glass and concrete. Priceless finds and antiquities, which were found here during excavations, are kept here.

An archaeological path leads from the Acropolis to the city, where you can see other antiquities of Athens, which belong to different periods and cultures. So, at the foot of the hill, are the ruins of Olympion, a temple dedicated to Zeus. It was the largest building in Ancient Greece. It began to be built in the 6th century BC. and finished only in the 2nd century AD. under the Roman emperor Hadrian. More than a hundred huge marble columns once supported the grand sanctuary. Only 15 of them have survived to this day.

The Dionysus Theater is located on the southern side of the Acropolis and is considered the oldest of its kind in Greece. Many of the most famous ancient Greek comedies and tragedies were presented on this stage. The theater, originally built as a temple, dates back to the 6th century BC. It was dedicated to Dionysus, the god of fun and wine, and could hold 17,000 people.

Ancient Agora was the marketplace and center of daily life in ancient Athens. Most of the surviving ruins date back to the Roman period and date back to the 1st century AD. The agora was surrounded by colonnades and columns. It has also hosted sporting events and theater performances. To the east is the 12-meter Wind Tower.

An excellent view of the Agora opens from the northern wall of the Acropolis.

Arch of Hadrian was built in 131 AD. and symbolizes the entrance to ancient city... Not far from the western slope of the Acropolis is the Pnyx Hill. Here the citizens of Athens could exercise their democratic rights. To the southwest of the Athenian Acropolis lies Philopappos Hill, which was known as the Hill of the Muses and has preserved several ancient ruins. It also houses a tiny 12th-century Byzantine chapel with 18th-century frescoes.

Core historic center Athens is the Plaka area, located on the eastern side of the Acropolis. This area has been inhabited since ancient times. Now it is a labyrinth of narrow flowering picturesque streets with traditional houses of the 19th century. Plaka is famous for its provincial atmosphere (sometimes you can't even believe that this is the center of a bustling metropolis), cute restaurants and historic churches.

From Plaka, the Athenian streets lead to Monastiraki Square, which is one of the central squares of old Athens with narrow streets and small buildings. A traditional bazaar (Yousouroum) is held in the square. Monastiraki is a popular shopping area with over 2,000 different shops.

Anafiotika is another atmospheric rural area of ​​Athens located north of the Acropolis. Here tourists can enjoy traditional Greek food and Cycladic-style winding streets. Anafiotika was built in the 60s of the 19th century.

The Odeon of Herodes is an ancient Roman theater built in the 2nd century AD. on the steep slopes of the Acropolis by Herodes Atticus in memory of his wife. The theater accommodated 6,000 spectators and was rebuilt in the 1950s.

The Olympic Stadium was built in the 19th century for the first modern Olympics. It can seat 50,000 spectators and is the largest sports facility made entirely of marble. The first stadium on this site was built in the 3rd century BC. and rebuilt in 144. In ancient times, the stadium hosted a religious festival dedicated to the goddess Athena every four years.

The Church of Our Lady of Kapnikarea is a magnificent example of 11th century Byzantine architecture. The church is located on one of the central streets of Athens - Ermou.

The Church of the Holy Apostles is a 10th century religious structure on the site of the ancient Agora, built in a typical Byzantine style. The dome is decorated with original frescoes inside. A significant part of the ancient iconostasis of the 11th century has also survived.

Syntagmatos Square is the central square of modern Athens. In front of the building of the Greek Parliament, there is a presidential guard in national costumes. A change of guard takes place in front of the Unknown Soldier Monument at 11 am every day.

• The National Archaeological Museum is one of the largest museums in Greece, which has one of the largest exhibitions of Antiquity in the world. The building with an area of ​​8,000 square meters includes 11,000 exhibits.
• Byzantine Museum - over 25,000 exhibits representing a treasury of religious artifacts from the Byzantine period, as well as works of early Christian, medieval and post-Byzantine art.
• Museum of Cycladic Art - Ancient exhibits found in the Cyclades and Cyprus.

The history of Athens is the history of Western civilization, its origins and essence. Everything was invented here: democracy, theater, foundations of law, philosophy and oratory. The city has stood on the fertile land of Attica for 9 thousand years, no cataclysms and wars could shake its foundations.

In the ancient heart of Athens - the sacred Acropolis, there are still pagan temples dedicated to the mighty Zeus, wise Athena and the mighty Hephaestus. The stone scenes of ancient theaters still remember the first tragedies of Euripides. The marble steps of the Panathinaikos stadium are still ready to accommodate dexterous athletes.

Over the millennia, Athens flourished, fell into decay, was devastated and reborn again. But the city was able to maintain its status as the ancestor and source in which our entire culture was born.

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What to see and where to go in Athens?

The most interesting and Beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

The Acropolis is the heart of Athens, an ancient city where civilization was born thousands of years ago, giving rise to the entire modern Western world. The architectural ensemble of the Acropolis includes buildings from the pre-Hellenistic, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman periods of the history of Athens. Of greatest interest are the partially preserved walls and columns of ancient temples and theaters. The complex of the Acropolis of Athens is one of the most valuable objects cultural heritage humanity.

Greek temple dedicated to the patroness of the city - the goddess Athena. The majestic structure was built in the 5th century BC. during the highest prosperity of the city of Athens under the ruler of Pericles. The names of the architects of the temple have survived to this day. It is believed that the masters Kallikrates and Iktin worked on the construction, and the great Phidias worked on the sculptural decoration. The interior of the Parthenon was magnificent and pompous, and the facade was painted in different colors.

Temple of the 5th century BC, belonging to the Classical era of Greek history. It was erected by the will of the Athenian ruler Pericles, an outstanding commander and talented politician. The roof of the building is reinforced on slender rows of marble Doric columns, friezes are made in compliance with the canons of the Ionic style. Interestingly, from the 7th century A.D. and until the beginning of the 19th century, the Orthodox Church of St. George was located in the temple of Hephaestus.

According to ancient legend, the Erechtheion was built on the site of the dispute between Athena and Poseidon, during which the gods did not share power over Attica. The temple was erected at the end of the 5th century BC. in the Ionic style, the name of the architect was lost in the thickness of the centuries. The portico of Caryatids, which was added to the temple later, is well preserved. It is a series of female column sculptures supporting the roof. The authorship is attributed to the sculptor Callimachus (according to another version - Alkamen).

Stone Theater, located on the southern slopes of the Acropolis. The odeon was erected in the middle of the 2nd century BC. It was used to organize theatrical performances and musical performances. The odeon has been perfectly preserved and, moreover, it is used for its intended purpose to this day. After reconstruction in the middle of the 20th century, the stage began to host the annual Athens Festival. Since then, the best voices of the world stage have performed there.

The grandiose construction of the temple began in the 6th century BC. under the tyrant Pisistratus, but after his overthrow, the building remained unfinished for another six centuries. The work was completed under the Roman emperor Hadrian. In the 3rd century A.D. during the sack of Athens, the temple was seriously damaged, and in the 5th century it was completely closed by order of Theodosius II. The final destruction of the temple of Olympian Zeus occurred with the decline of the Byzantine Empire. The remains of the building were discovered during excavations in the 19th century.

Octagonal building of Pentelikon marble, located in the territory of the Roman agora. According to one version, it is believed that the tower was erected in the 1st century BC. astronomer Andronicus of Kirr. The structure is 12 meters high and about 8 meters wide. In ancient times, a weather vane was installed at the top, which indicated where the wind was blowing. The walls of the tower are decorated with images of eight Greek deities responsible for the direction of the wind.

The theater is located in the southeastern part of the Acropolis, it was built in the 5th century BC and is the oldest theater in Athens. Works by Euripides, Aristophanes, Sophocles and Aeschylus were staged on the stage. In the 1st century BC. under Emperor Nero, a large-scale reconstruction of the theater was carried out. The scene fell into disrepair by the 4th century AD. and was gradually abandoned. Today, a large-scale theater restoration project is being carried out.

The ancient city cemetery, where the most worthy representatives of Athens were buried until the 4th century. This place has been used as a necropolis since the Bronze Age. Famous military leaders, statesmen and philosophers, including Pericles, Cleisthenes, Solon, Chrysippus and Zeno, are buried here. There are many tombstones in the cemetery Antique period, gravestone columns and sculptures.

A covered two-story colonnade, built in the 2nd century BC. The building was built by order of the Pergamon king Atalla, who studied in Athens in his youth (for the young descendants of the royal families of the Mediterranean, this was a common practice at that time). In ancient times, the standing place served as a walking place for the townspeople. From here one could observe the square and streets of Athens, as well as various festive processions.

An ancient stadium made entirely of Pentelikon marble. On its territory, the Panathenaean Games were held - a large sports and religious holiday where athletes performed, festive processions were held and ritual sacrifices were performed. The revived Olympic Games were held at the Panathinaikos Stadium at the end of the 19th century.

The modern building of the museum was created in 2009 by a joint project of Greek and Swiss specialists. The collection is made up of artifacts from different periods in the history of Athens. Mainly, the funds were replenished through archaeological excavations on the territory of the Acropolis. The new Acropolis Museum inherited the old collection of antiquities, which has existed since the middle of the 19th century.

Private collection, which was founded in 1930 by A. Benakis on the territory of his family mansion. The owner has been collecting the collection for 35 years and handed it over to the state. Until his death, Antonis himself served as the head of the museum. The exposition consists of works of Greek art. It displays ceramics, textiles, prints, sculptures, jewelry and church utensils. There are also several paintings by El Greco in the museum.

The museum is the largest collection of items of ancient Greek culture. The archaeological collection was founded at the beginning of the 19th century; in 1889, a separate building in the neoclassical style was not erected. The museum exhibition is subdivided into several collections, which include collections from the prehistoric period, Cycladic art, Mycenaean art, Egyptian art and many others.

The exposition was founded in 1986 on the basis of a private collection of the influential Greek Goulandris family. Before the transfer of the collection into the hands of the state, it visited many world exhibitions. The museum building was designed by V. Ioannis. The collection is divided into three parts: the Bronze Age, ancient Greek art, and the art of ancient Cyprus. It should be noted that the museum contains the most complete collection of artifacts from Cypriot culture.

The museum displays a collection of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art spanning a 15-century period. It houses an impressive collection of valuable icons. The museum was opened in 1914, in 1930 it moved to the task of the former villa of the Duchess of Piacenza. In addition to icons, the museum funds contain statues, church vestments, ceramics, engravings, manuscripts, mosaics, dishes and much more.

Museum ship moored for eternal anchorage in the harbor of Palio Faliro. The ship was built at the beginning of the 20th century in Livorno for the needs of the Italian army, but due to economic difficulties it was sold to Greece. The cruiser took part in the First Balkan War, during the First and Second World Wars, she was captured first by the French and then by the British. In the 50s. the ship was put into reserve. In 1984, it was decided to turn the ship into a museum.

The Academy of Sciences is the main public research institution in Greece. Main building the building in which it is located was built by F. von Hansen in 1887. The building is a true masterpiece of the neoclassical architectural style. In front of the facade there are sculptures of the thinkers Plato and Socrates, as well as statues of the ancient Greek gods - Athena and Apollo.

The square is located in the modern center of Athens. The place gained importance in the 19th century, becoming the center of the city's commercial life. The square is home to the Royal Palace of the mid-19th century, designed by F. von Gertner. Now the Greek parliament is sitting there. Syntagma Square is constantly becoming the epicenter of social unrest. Protests, strikes and other mass actions of disobedience often take place here.

A guard of honor is on duty at the walls Royal Palace at Syntagma Square. This is a rather unusual and even funny sight, unlike similar ceremonies in other countries. It's all about the unusual shape of the Greek soldiers, which consists of tunics, skirts, white tights and slippers with "pompoms", as well as non-standard marching during the changing of the guard. This spectacle always attracts a large number of tourists.

One of the oldest Orthodox churches Athens. The temple was erected on the ruins of a pagan sanctuary dedicated to a female deity. The first Christian churches began to appear in the city at the dawn of the Byzantine era, when the city fell into decay, and the new faith almost completely replaced the pagan cults. The Church of Panagia Kapnikarea is built in a typical Byzantine style, characterized by round domed towers.

The monastery is located 11 km. from Athens next to the Daphnian grove. It was founded in the 6th century on the site of the destroyed temple of Apollo and over time became one of the most revered shrines in Greece. The original appearance of the monastery has practically not survived; the construction of the 11th century model - the period of the heyday of the Byzantine Empire - has survived to this day. In the 13th century, Catholic monks settled in the monastery for a while, but in 1458 the entire complex of buildings was returned to the Orthodox Church.

A hill in the northeastern part of Athens, which is the most high point in the town. It offers panoramic views of the Acropolis and the port of Piraeus. The hill has two peaks, on one of them there is a church, on the other - a modern theater with an open stage. You can get to the top in three ways: go up the equipped pedestrian road, use the funicular or drive in by car.

The hill on which the highest court of Athens, the Areopagus, gathered in ancient times. The name appears to be derived from the name of the god of war, Ares. Until the 5th century BC. The Areopagus served as the city council of elders, but from 462 BC. this body was deprived of political functions and empowered to administer civil and criminal courts. Also on the hill the apostle Paul read a sermon.

City hill with a monument at the top, erected in honor of the Roman Gaius Julius Philopappus, who helped Athens more than once in cash... Since the II century, the place is better known as the Hill of Philopappos, earlier it was named after the ancient Greek philosopher, poet and musician Musaios (translated as “muse”). On the slopes of the hill is located nature Park without infrastructure.

The old district of Athens, built up mainly with houses of the 18th century. Almost all buildings are on antique foundations. On the territory of Plaka, there is the oldest street in the city, which has retained its direction since the time of Ancient Greece. A large number of The former residential buildings were converted into museums, souvenir shops and cafes, as residents massively moved from Plaka in the 19th century.

The City Market, located in the area of ​​the same name, is one of the most popular shopping venues in Athens. Monastiraki belongs to the category of flea markets. Many unnecessary things are sold here, homemade shoes, antiques, coins, furniture and other collectible antiquities. On the market you can see a unique exposition of the Greek way of life of the past centuries.

A unique quarter in the old Plaka area, which is adjacent to the Acropolis. The winding and slightly crooked streets of Anafiotika are built up with typical white Mediterranean houses. The area was formed as a result of the resettlement of builders from the island of Anafi to Athens. They arrived in the capital at the invitation of the Greek king Otto in order to build a palace for his special order.

A 16 hectare park located in the heart of Athens. Five hundred species of various plants grow on its territory. Every third tree is over 100 years old. Ancient Greek ruins are preserved within the National Garden - the remains of walls, columns and fragments of mosaics. The garden was created in the 19th century at the behest of Queen Amalia. At first, vegetables and fruits were grown there for the royal cuisine. Now the former vegetable garden has turned into a green oasis in the middle of the stone city.

A modern yacht dock, designed for the simultaneous berthing of 200 ships. An excellent infrastructure for tourists has been created on the embankment of the marina: luxury boutiques, restaurants, a picturesque promenade. At the berths, you can admire luxury yachts under the flags of different countries, as well as, if you wish, take a refreshing boat trip along the coast.

The age of Athens is two and a half thousand years. The glorious past of the city is still clearly visible: literally from everywhere ancient acropolis towering over the city. Today Athens is a modern metropolis with a population of about four million people. In the twenty-first century, this great city has changed. This happened in part thanks to the 2004 Olympic Games. Now Athens is more than a repository of antiquities. The city has changed a lot and, contrary to the idea of ​​it as a city with a polluted environment and unbearable traffic, leaves an amazing impression.

The construction boom after the end of World War II and the increase in population from 700,000 to 4 million people turned into an architectural disaster. However, now the city's appearance is changing: new roads and metro are being built, and the expansion of the pedestrian zone in the city center has already saved Athens from painful traffic jams and even reduced the cloud of smog, which literally poisons the metropolitan atmosphere. The clearer air can be seen in the re-emerging views that Athens was once famous for, and despite the skyscrapers and fast-track facilities, the city manages to maintain its unique character and charm.

Oriental bazaars compete with fashion boutiques and shops heaped with goods from Armani and Benetton. Rapid modernization is balanced by the feeling of a home atmosphere spilled in the air: any Greek will tell you that Athens is the most big village in the country. No matter how often you visit Athens, your attention will be attracted by what has been preserved from the classic ancient city- first of all, it is the Parthenon and other monuments of the Acropolis, as well as the renovated one, which presents the best collection of antiquities.

Most of the several million visitors who annually visit Athens are limited to visiting these monuments, adding to them perhaps only an evening in a romantic atmosphere in one of the tourist-oriented taverns of Plaka. But in doing so, they miss the chance to see the Athens that the Athenians themselves know and love. Even if you glanced into the city for a very short time, this does not justify the desire to see in Athens only a collection of preserved antiquities and museum exhibits. It would also be worth spending a little time to get to know the surroundings of the capital, to visit not far from Athens.

For tourists, Plaka is probably the most accessible - an area that mixes Turkish, neoclassical and Greek island architecture. Further, there are interesting museums dedicated to traditional arts and crafts, from ceramics to music. A little further north - bazaars, much the same as in the Middle East, and an additional reward - cafes, bars, clubs in Psirri and the fast-growing, as well as National park and shady and elegant. Not so far from Plaka are the hills - Lycabetus and Philopappos, from which the whole city is visible at a glance, and there is a tram (in summer it will take you to the beach). All of the above sights can be seen during.

But most of all visitors are surprised by the bustling city life in Athens. The cafes are always crowded, during the day and after midnight, the streets are not empty until three or even four in the morning, bars and clubs attract night owls. To eat, so much so that you will remember for a long time - there is also where: there are many traditional taverns, and chic restaurants await discerning gourmets. In summer, café tables move out onto the street pavements, club life moves to the beaches, or you can go to the cinema, attend concerts and performances based on the works of classical ancient Greek drama in the open air. Shopping enthusiasts have their eyes dazzling: lively colorful bazaars and huge shopping spaces in the suburbs, referred to in the American style as "malls", and, of course, boutiques filled with the creations of the most fashionable designers.

And very good - and for the price too - public transport, inexpensive taxi, so you won't have much difficulty getting around. Describing the suburbs of Athens - about them and the region as a whole will be discussed in other articles - here attention is paid, first of all, to the monuments of antiquity. Most eagerly inspect the Temple of Poseidon in Sounion: that wonderful architectural monument is located on a cliff overlooking the cape. Not so famous and not so often visited are the sanctuaries of Ramna (Ramnus), Eleusis (Elefsina) and Vravrone, as well as the burial mound at Marathon, which was built in honor of the great victory.

Hikers may wish to make ascents - the mountains have encircled the city, and it is best to climb Mount Parnitha. If it will be in the spring, then at the same time you will pick up an armful of the most different marvelous forest and wild flowers. The beaches of the Attic coast are good enough to attract city-weary Athenians, but if you are heading to the islands, then getting to know the local beaches is not necessary. Getting out of Athens is easy: dozens of ferries and hydrofoils leave every day from the Athenian suburban port of Piraeus, as well as, less frequently, from two more Attic ports with ferry berths - Rafina and Lavrion.

A Brief History of Athens

Athens is a city where life began over seven thousand years ago. The low rocky hill, which later became the Acropolis of Athens, has attracted people since ancient times as a convenient place for settlement. It rises in the middle of a valley irrigated by the rivers Kephis and Ilissos and surrounded by the mountains Hymettes, Penterikon, Parnet and Aegalei. The slopes of the hill, whose height is 156 meters above sea level, are inaccessible, and therefore it is natural that all these advantages were appreciated by the most ancient inhabitants of Attica. The Mycenaeans built a fortress palace on the rock.

Unlike other Mycenaean villages, during the Dorian invasion (about 1200 BC) Athens was neither abandoned nor plundered, so the Athenians always prided themselves on being "pure" Ionians, without Dorian "admixture". But the state of the Mycenaean type in Athens did not survive. Gradually, the village turned into a polis (ancient city-state) and a cultural center. The rulers of Athens were considered to be the Basilei kings, who then ceded power to the clan nobility - the Eupatrides. National assemblies took place at the Propylaea of ​​the Acropolis. To the west rose the rocky hill Apec, named after the god of war. Here, on the leveled top, the Areopagus gathered - the council of elders of the noble families of the city, the Areopagites. Athens in those days remained in the shadow of the largest and most powerful policies, such as and.

Athens grew rich, and the increased prosperity contributed to the rapid growth of arts and crafts, especially pottery. But economic growth increased political tensions: there was growing discontent among farmers and Athenians, who were excluded from public life, but paid taxes and levy on the land that fell to the landed aristocracy. Only the reorganization of society, which was targeted by the laws of Drakont (his "Draconian" code was promulgated in 621 BC) and the choice of the rulers of Solon (594 BC), who was empowered to carry out radical political and economic reforms.

Solon's reforms granted civil rights to broad sections of the population and laid the foundations for a system that eventually grew into Athenian democracy. In the middle of the 6th century BC, Pisistratus seized power. Pisistratus is usually called a tyrant, but this only means that he took power by force: his populist policy won him the loyalty and love of many fellow citizens, he turned out to be a very successful ruler, under which Athens became much more powerful, richer and more influential. His sons Hippias and Hipparchus were not so happy: Hipparchus was killed in 514 BC, after which Hippias tried to establish a dictatorship.

He was very much disliked by the people and was overthrown with the help of an army called from Sparta in 510 BC. The new leader Cleisthenes carried out more radical transformations: he introduced a government collegium of 10 strategists, created territorial phylae instead of tribal ones, and each of them sent fifty representatives to the Bule State Council. Bule made decisions on issues discussed in the Assembly. All citizens could participate in the Assembly and it performed the functions of both the legislative branch and the supreme court. The reforms proposed by Cleisthenes formed the basis of Athenian democracy, which lasted, almost unchanged, until Roman rule.

Around 500 BC, Athens sent a detachment of warriors to Asia Minor to help the Ionian Greeks who rebelled against the Persian Empire, which provoked a retaliatory Persian invasion of Greece. In 490 BC, the Athenians and their allies defeated the many times superior Persian forces at the Battle of Marathon. In 480 BC, the Persians returned, captured and sacked Athens and left almost the entire city burned to the ground. In the same year, however, the victory in the naval battle put an end to the struggle between the Greeks and the Persians, at the same time securing the position of the leading city-state in the Greek world for Athens, and Athens was able to unite the cities of the Aegean islands and central Greece in the Delian Union, also called the Athens Maritime Union.

The newfound power gave rise to the so-called classical period, during which Athens reaped the fruits of its successes and the triumph of democracy along with the flourishing of arts, architecture, literature and philosophy, and the influence of this era on world culture is felt to this day. In the second century BC, power passed to the Romans, who revered Athens as a spiritual source, but made little effort to give the city a greater splendor.

Christians and Turks in Athens

The emergence of Christianity is perhaps the most significant milestone in the process of the long decay of Athens, which lost the glory that the city had known in the classical era. At the end of Roman rule, during which the appearance of the city changed little, Athens lost its role as a connecting link in the Greco-Roman world, and the reason for this was the division of the Roman Empire into Eastern and Western and the formation of Byzantium (Constantinople) as the capital of the Eastern Byzantine Empire. In this empire, the new Christian outlook very soon overshadowed the ethics developed by Athens, although Neoplatonism was still taught in the philosophical schools of the city.

In 529, these lyceums were closed, and Justinian I, who had finished with them, ordered the city churches to be consecrated at the same time, and all of them, including the Parthenon, became Christian churches. Then Athens almost ceases to be mentioned in the chronicles and chronicles, a hint of revival was outlined only during the reign of foreign rulers and the Middle Ages: as a result of the Fourth Crusade, Athens with the Peloponnese and a considerable part of the central one were in the hands of the Franks. The ducal court was located on the Acropolis, and for a whole century Athens returned to the mainstream of European life. The power of the Franks, however, had almost no one to rely on, except for the provincial aristocracy.

In 1311, the Frankish troops fought with the Catalan mercenaries who had fortified themselves in Thebes, and were driven into a swamp. The Catalans, who organized their own principality, were replaced by the Florentines, and then very briefly by the Venetians, until the Turkish Sultan Mehmed II, the conqueror of Constantinople, appeared in 1456. Athens during the period of Turkish rule was a military settlement with a garrison stationed in it, every now and then (and to considerable damage to the buildings of the classical period) finding itself at the forefront of battles with the Venetians and other Western powers.

Ties with the West were severed, and only rarely did French and Italian ambassadors appear at the Sublime Port. Sometimes rare travelers or curious painters dropped in Athens. During this period, the Greeks enjoyed some degree of self-government, the monasteries of the Jesuits and Capuchins flourished. turned into the residence of the Ottoman ruler, and the Parthenon was turned into a mosque. The areas around the Acropolis returned to the distant past, moved to a partial peasant existence, and the port in Piraeus was forced to be content with servicing a dozen or two fishing boats.

The 400-year Ottoman rule ended in 1821, when the Athenian Greeks revolted along with the inhabitants of dozens of cities in the country. The rebels occupied Turkish areas lower town- this is the current one - and they laid siege to the Acropolis. The Turks retreated, but five years later they returned to re-occupy the Athenian fortifications, the Greek rebels had to go inland. When in 1834 the Ottoman garrison left forever, and a new, German, monarchy arose, 5 thousand people lived in Athens.

Modern Athens

Despite its ancient past and the natural advantages of its location, Athens did not immediately become the capital of modern Greece. This honor first went to Nafplion in the Peloponnese - the city in which Ioannis Kapodistrias developed the plans for the War of Independence, and from where he later led it, and where in 1828 the first meeting of the country's first parliament, the National Assembly, took place. And if I. Kapodistrias had not been killed in 1831, it is quite possible that the capital would have remained, or maybe it would have been transferred from Nafplion to Corinth, or - the cities are better equipped and rather large.

However, after the death of Kapodistrias, the intervention of the Western European "Great Powers" followed, imposing their monarch on the country - Otto, the son of Ludwig I of Bavaria, became him, and in 1834 the capital and the royal court moved to Athens. The rationale for the move came down to symbolic and sentimental reasons, because the new capital was of little importance. settlement and was on the very edge of the territory of the new state - it still had to include in its composition the northern one, Macedonia and all the islands, except for the already existing ones.

In the 19th century, the development of Athens was in the nature of a gradual and completely controlled process. While archaeologists were ridding the Acropolis of all the architectural layers that the Turks and Franks had adorned it with, the city was gradually being built: streets intersected at right angles, and neoclassical buildings in Bavarian style appeared. Piraeus managed to turn into a full-fledged port again, because until the beginning of the 19th century, competitors strongly interfered with it - largest ports Greece on the islands and. In 1923, at the end of the tragic Greek-Turkish war in Asia Minor, a peace treaty was signed, according to which a "population exchange" took place: Turks moved to, Greeks - to Greece, and nationality was determined exclusively by religion.

One and a half million Greek Christians from villages that existed for many centuries in Asia Minor and the Turkic-speaking, but Orthodox population of Anatolia arrived in Greece as refugees. And more than half of this stream settled in Athens, Piraeus and nearby villages, changing the appearance of the capital in one fell swoop. The integration of the new settlers and their efforts to survive constituted one of the greatest chapters in the history of the city, and the phenomenon itself left deep traces that are still noticeable today. The names of the districts located on both sides of the metro line connecting Athens with Piraeus testify to the longing experienced by the new settlers for their forever lost homeland: Nea Zmirni (New Smyrna), Nea Yonia, Nea Philadelphia - similar names are common for city blocks and streets.

At first, these quarters were villages in which people from the same Anatolian town settled, who built houses from which they had to, and it happened that one well or a water tap supplied drinking water about two dozen families. The merger of these suburbs with Athens and Piraeus continued until World War II. But the war brought such new worries that all the old ones were temporarily aside. Athens suffered greatly from the German occupation: in the winter of 1941-1942, according to rough estimates, two thousand people starved to death every day in the city. And at the end of 1944, when the German occupation ended, a civil war broke out.

British soldiers were ordered to fight their recent allies in the Greek Resistance EL AU because the army was led by the communists. From 1946 to 1949, Athens was an island in the raging sea of ​​war: roads both to the north and not could be called passable only with a very big stretch. But in the 1950s, after the civil war, the city began to expand rapidly. A program of powerful investment in industry was implemented - the money was invested mainly by Americans, who wanted to persuade Greece to enter the US sphere of influence, at the same time, the capital experienced an influx of immigrants from impoverished villages ravaged by the war.

Wastelands between neighborhoods began to be quickly built up, and by the end of the 1960s, Athens had become Big City... New buildings often look dull. The old buildings were demolished, with particular force the element of destruction raged in 1967-1974, during the junta. Homeowners instead of demolished buildings built apartment buildings up to six stories high. The central streets are like canyons - narrow streets seem to be cut between concrete high-rise buildings. A booming industry took over the outskirts, and the joint efforts of urban planners and industrialists quickly turned Athens into a polluted megalopolis, suffocating from the poisonous fog descending on it, which is here called nefos.

Since the 1990s, in preparation for the Olympics, measures have finally begun to improve the situation in the city. Although Athens is still far from or in terms of green spaces and open spaces, the results of these efforts are already visible. Everything that has survived from the city's architectural heritage is being restored, public transport is clean, the construction of houses is monitored, new buildings of interesting ultra-modern architecture have appeared (for example, some structures erected for the Olympics and unfinished new museum Acropolis), and the air is not as polluted as before. Hopefully, the changes in this direction will continue.

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