La Greece capitalAthens is one of those cities like Rome, London or Paris that everyone knows, everyone has in mind some symbolic building that represents them but that no traveler can claim to know completely. The Parthenon, the Acropolis, and Syntagma Square are destinations that cannot be missed on a trip to Greece, but among the alleys and squares of Athens there are many other treasures and wonders to discover.
Yes from a certain point of view Athens It has always been associated with the splendor of the classical era, we must not forget that this city of a thousand faces was a bridge between East and West, a lively center during the Middle Ages under the Byzantine Empire and a city of the Ottoman Empire, before becoming in the heart of the reborn independent Greek state. The atmosphere that exists in Athens is the result of this ancient history and the mixture of different peoples and cultures that have generated a cultural vivacity that surprises the visitor who comes down from the Acropolis. To visit the Acropolis without lines and with an expert guide, the advice is to book online in advance.
In this guide we will go in search of an unusual and lesser-known Athens to discover the most authentic and popular side of the Greek capital.
The first place to visit to discover a side of Athens deeply linked to popular traditions is the neighborhood of Monastiraki, walking distance from the Acropolis. In this picturesque neighborhood there are still vestiges of the city's Ottoman period, such as the splendid Tzistarakis Mosque built in the 18th century, and a vibrant nightlife made up of small nightclubs populated by students and former residents of the neighborhood. The name Monastiraki comes from the monastery of the Theotokos, which once occupied a large area of the neighborhood of which today only the small katholikon, a small church, of Pantanassa has survived. One of the most famous attractions in the neighborhood is the Flea Market on Ifesou Street, where you can find countless ancient objects from all over Greece
Another place not to be missed is Psiri, a neighborhood that was once considered one of the most run-down areas of Athens and that today has been remodeled to the point of becoming one of the most famous places of alternative culture in the city. Here you can find bars and clubs where you can spend an evening with students and artists, very lively cultural centers and many traditional shops that have not yet suffered from the tourism that has reached the streets most frequented by tourists.
A short distance away is the area of exarchy, which, like Psirri, has been remodeled in recent years, transforming it into a true open-air museum, covered in graffiti and populated by design studios and art galleries. This neighborhood of the capital of Greece comes to life at night and the typical cafes become authentic pulsating centers of music and entertainment where it is worth stopping to spend an unusual evening with the most authentic Athenians.
After a lively evening there is nothing better than a little physical activity to recover and in Athens the place to take a pleasant walk and test your body is the Lycabettus Hill which, with its almost 300 meters of altitude, dominates the city. To get to the top you can take the funicular, but it is worth trying to go up and admire the magnificent view of all of Athens that opens up little by little as you approach the top. At the foot of the hill you can find numerous clubs and restaurants where you can refresh yourself after the effort.
coming down from Lycabettus you can cross the neighborhood Kolonaki, Once famous for being the most exclusive residential area in the capital of Greece, but over the years it has become depopulated, leaving behind a mixed aura of elegance and decadence. It is worth exploring this particular place in the city where you can see the elegant residential buildings, the numerous foreign embassies that populate the streets, but above all, enter the best pastry shops in all of Athens, where the tasty traditional honey sweets are sold. Greek. they are produced.
The traffic and chaos that often forms in the central streets of the capital of Greece push Athenians to frequently visit the wonderful area of National Gardens, located just behind the famous Syntagma Square. This large park, which occupies an area of more than 15 hectares, was created as a tribute to the newly independent Greece and at first it was full of exotic plants and trees that, however, after a few years did not last because they were too different. from tropical places of origin. Today the park is presented as a magnificent surface covered with green grass and animated by palm groves and fountains, with the wonderful presence of columns and other finds from the classical period found during the works to create the park itself.
Inside the park you can visit the eclectic building of the Zappeion, a sumptuous structure built at the end of the 1896th century to host the first Olympic Games of the modern era in XNUMX. The building, created in a mix of styles inspired by Hellenic classicism, is today used as a venue for exhibitions and concerts and represents an area excellent for relaxing on the hottest days of the Athenian summer.
Following in the wake of the First Olympic Games of the modern era in the capital of Greece you can visit it Panathinaiko Stadium, also known as Kallimarmaron, which was rebuilt on the site of the ancient stadium of the Panathenaic games of the classical era. Today the stadium, with a capacity of approximately 80.000 spectators, is used for sporting events and concerts and was used during the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad in 2004.
