This is Athens Greece, one of the world's oldest cities, the cradle of Western civilization and the
birthplace of democracy. Athens is world famous for its amazing Ancient Greek monuments as well
as heritage from Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman times. No wonder then that Athens is among the
world's top tourist destinations. Hi guys, my name is Rok and I’ve spent the last 9 years traveling
around Europe as a tour guide and I can’t wait to show you Things To Do In Athens, Greece. This
is the highest point of Athens with a popular viewing platform offering the best view of the
city. Thanks to a wonderful view of world famous Acropolis and an upscale restaurant this is also
one of the most romantic places in Athens. Here is also a small 19 century Greek Orthodox church
and a coffee bar. If you take a stroll around the peak of the hill you will also see an Open
Air Theater used for summer concerts. As Athens is full of myths and legends this hill also has one.
The legend has it that the Greek goddess of wisdom and patron of the city Athena was carrying a huge
piece of limestone to be used for the construction of the Acropolis. When a Raven flew to her
and told her bad news Athena was startled and she dropped the limestone from which this hill was
created. To get up here you can walk up the path with stairs, but on hot and sweaty summer days
funicular railway might be a better choice.Athens is not just about ancient monuments as it also has
landmarks from the 1800s when Athens became the capital of the independent Greek state.
Three buildings of Academy, University and National Library are known as the Athenian
Trilogy and are considered to be among the most beautiful neoclassical examples in the world.
It may come as a surprise, but the modern Greek state is actually quite young. You see in 1204
Athens was occupied by the Fourth Crusader Army and that was the beginning of more than 600 years
of occupation of Greece. In the 1400s Ottomans took over the city and they ruled Athens for 400
years. The Greek war of independence against the Ottomans ended in 1834 with the birth
of the modern Greek state. Greece's biggest city at the time, Thessaloniki, was still part
of the Ottoman Empire and also due to historical reasons Athens was declared a capital city. But at
the time Athens was a small city. So a modern city plan was laid out and public buildings,
including the Athenian Trilogy, were erected. The Academy is not open to the public, while
you can take a quick peek inside the National library and The University is open to the public.
On the outskirts of Athens on the ancient Sacred Way stands this beautiful Byzantine monastery
from the 11th century protected by fortified enclosure. It was founded on the site of the
ancient Greek Sanctuary of Apollo which had been destroyed in the 400s and its ancient columns
were re-used for the monastery. This is one of the finest examples of Byzantine art in Athens
and a Unesco World Heritage Site thanks to its partially preserved interior with golden mosaics.
Its main feature is the large dome resting on eight pillars decorated with an imposing figure
of Christ Almighty flanked by prophets. Mosaics are from the end of the 11th century and they
represent the universe, with the dome as heaven, and the floor as earth while mosaics around the
dome depict the life of Christ. The Monastery is open from Wednesday to Sunday from 8am to
3:30pm and can be reached by various bus lines. This was the greatest and the biggest ancient
Greek temple in the world but only a fraction of the temple has survived. There isn't much left but
this mega temple with 104 massive columns was home of Zeus, head of the Olympian gods. Construction
began in 515 BC but because of its enormous scale the temple was left unfinished for more than
600 years when it was finally completed by the Romans. Inside was a statue of Zeus made from
ivory and gold, that was the largest statue of the ancient world. Unfortunately only 100 years after
its completion this temple was pillaged during barbarian invasion. In centuries after the fall of
the Roman Empire, the temple was taken apart piece by piece for building materials around the city.
This sixteen gigantic columns is all that is left and most of them are currently under restoration.
Fifteen of them are standing while one is on the ground where it fell during a storm in 1852.
This is a very important square in modern Athens as its name translates to the square
of Constitution. Here is a Parliament Building and below it is a monument of the Unknown Soldier
representing all soldiers who gave lives in the long Greek fight for independence. The monument
is guarded by the highly respected Presidential guard, an elite unit of the Greek Army famous
for its uniforms with skirts. These soldiers hold a huge symbolic meaning to Greek people and they
are performing one of the most impressive changing guards ceremonies in the world.
Every day and every hour since 1868 chaining of the guard is done in a highly coordinated and
very slow manner, apparently to protect soldiers blood circulation after 60 minutes of immobility.
Uniforms also hold a special meaning and on Sundays Guard is wearing their special uniforms
in honor of the Greek War of Independence. The skirt of the Sunday white uniform has
exactly 400 folds to represent 400 years of Ottoman occupation over the Greeks.
The grand changing of guard ceremony with the military band is every Sunday at 11 am.
This stadium hosted opening and closing ceremonies of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Since
then this stadium hosts the Olympic flame handover ceremony when Olympic flame sets up its journey
to the cities of Winter and Summer Olympic Games. Originally this stadium was built in 6 century BC
for religious and athletic festivals that took place every 4 years to honor the goddess Athena.
It was rebuilt in marble by Romans in the year 144 with a capacity of 50,000 seats.
After the rise of Christianity in the 4th century it was largely abandoned
and forgotten until in the 19th century it was excavated and rebuilt. Since this is the
only stadium in the world built entirely of marble its rebuild was excessively expensive.
The refurbishment was mainly taken over by a great national benefactor of Greece,
George Averoff and his marble statue can be found next to the Stadium’s main entrance.
It is almost impossible not to visit a museum in Athens and this is one of the world's top
archeological museums. This modern building located right beneath the Acropolis immediately
became a new landmark of Athens. It is supported by more than 100 pillars as the building hovers
over Roman and Byzantine ruins. This museum houses every artifact found on the site of Acropolis and
its slopes and its interior is split into three floors. Most impressive artifacts on the first
floor are five maidens that once held up the roof of one of the most sacred parts of the Acropolis.
The top floor of the museum is designed on the same axis as the Parthenon and has the same
dimensions. There is a display of the entire high-relief marble sculpture that used to run
around the exterior wall of the temple. The glass paneling and elevation of the third floor offers
amazing views of the ancient Acropolis, with the Parthenon always in plain sight.
This is one of the most popular neighborhoods in Athens known for its flea market, small tourist
shops, ancient monuments and streets full of traditional tavernas with Acropolis views. If you
are hungry head to Adrianou Street famous for its inviting taverns serving traditional Greek food
with a view over the Ancient Agora. But the heart of this neighborhood is its Monastiraki square,
one of the most popular meeting points thanks to its interchange Metro station between Lines
1 and 3. On the square stands an 18 century mosque from the Ottoman period that now hosts a Museum of
Greek Folk Art. Right next to it is the much older Hadrian’s Library built by the Romans in the 1st
century. But the neighborhood and square are named after a small orthodox monastery that used
to stand here. What is left of the monastery is one of the oldest Byzantine churches, dating to
the 10th century. As the square was rising over the centuries about 1/3 of the church is now
below ground. This is also a starting point of the biggest Flea Market in Athens that happens every
weekend and during the week there are numerous small shops perfect for souvenir shopping.
Part of the Monastiraki neighborhood is also Ancient Agora that used to be the heart of
Ancient Athens. Ancient Agora served as a central square right under the slopes of Acropolis.
This was the most important meeting place in Ancient Athens where among other social events,
most important political functions were exercised.
No wonder then that this is considered to be the birthplace of democracy.
Today this is an archeological park with shady trees, winding paths and historical ruins.
Here is also the Agora museum, housed in the reconstructed covered walkway that served as
a marketplace. Original building dates to 150 B.C. but the current building was fully
reconstructed in the 1950s. Agora also served as a marketplace and among its many temples,
altars and shrines is also the best preserved temple in Greece. It was dedicated to the Greek
god of craftsmen and metalworking. This temple was also used as a Greek Orthodox church for
more than one thousand years, until 1834 and that is why it is so well preserved.
East of Ancient Greek Agora is also Roman Agora. Here you can find Tower of Winds that
functioned as a timepiece and is considered to be the world's first meteorological station.
Later this tower served as a bell-tower of the Greek Orthodox church.
Under Ottoman rule it was buried to half and used by whirling dervishes.
This is one of the most picturesque, interesting and the oldest neighborhoods in Athens.
Plaka is among the most visited areas of Athens and it is easy to see why.
This neighborhood under the slopes of Acropolis feels like an old village and its pedestrian
streets are one of the best places to wander around. Plaka is full of narrow cobblestone
pedestrian streets, archeological treasures, ancient monuments, beautiful neoclassical
buildings, and small churches. It is lined with cafes, restaurants and shops.
The lower part of the neighborhood is a souvenir paradise with all kinds of souvenir shops,
Greek local products and jewelry stores, while the upper part towards the slopes
of Acropolis is full of charming taverns. Part of the neighborhood stretches all the
way to the slopes of Acropolis where you can find the most picturesque cluster of small whitewashed
houses in Athens. This scenic tiny quarter is named after its founders, stone masons from the
island Anafi. They were drawn to Athens by big construction projects in the mid 19th century
when Athens experienced huge expansion after becoming the capital of the newly founded
modern Greek state. Stone masons settled here and built their homes in Greek Island style.Slopes
of the Acropolis were the second most important religious center of ancient Athens. Here are also
an ancient Greek theater and a Roman theater that are a perfect place for a story about the creation
of Athens. Legend has it that Athens was built by a legendary half-man, half-snake king Sikrops.
Beautiful city ignited competition among Greek Gods that wanted to become its patrons.
After much debate, two Gods stood out as the main contenders: Poseidon, god of the seas, and Athena,
goddess of wisdom. Contest between the two gods was held to determine who would win the honor.
First Poseidon stepped forward, and standing on a rock, he stuck it with his trident,
causing a spring of water to gush out of the ground. His gift, the gift of water,
meant that citizens were never to face drought. Thrilled by the idea, citizens ran to the water
only to discover that it was salty like the water of the seas. Next came Athena with
her hand stretched out. When she opened it, it revealed a seed, which she planted in the ground.
At once, the seed took root and grew into a beautiful and tall olive tree. The citizens
were happy, as an olive tree would mean food, oil and firewood. They proclaimed Athena the winner
and the city was named after her and to this day there was always an olive tree on Acropolis.
This rocky hill is the most impressive landmark and the very symbol of Ancient Greece. World
famous Acropolis was the most important religious center of ancient Athens. It is a complex of
marble temples commanded by its biggest temple, Parthenon. Parthenon was dedicated to Athena and
was the most sacred place on Acropolis and also the most secure place in the city as it also
served as a treasury. The decorative stonework was originally highly coloured and inside the
temple was a huge statue of Athena. Parthenon and other important buildings of the Acropolis
were built during the Golden Age of Athens in 5th century B.C. Unfortunately Acropolis is undergoing
a long lasting renovation, and since 1975 scaffolding and cranes are part of its landscape.
Over the centuries natural disasters, wars and reconstructions damaged only ornamentation and
art, but the temple structures remained intact all the way until the 17th century. At that time
Athens was part of the Ottoman Empire. Ottomans used Parthenon as a warehouse for gunpowder
when facing attack from Venetians. One of the cannonballs hit the Parthenon and after 2.200
years the Acropolis with Parthenon was destroyed. When an independent modern Greek state was born
in 1834, Athens became its capital city and Parthenon with Acropolis became the symbol Greece,
a symbol of democracy, Western civilisation and one of the world's greatest cultural monuments.
Athens has one of the richest heritage sites on the planet and a huge variety of experiences
that makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. In summer you should
also visit the beautiful and long Athenian Riviera famous for its beautiful coves and
beaches. As Athens offers so many choices, I’ve made a list of my favorite Athens tours,
day trips and experiences that can be found in the description below this video. But Athens is also
famous for its delicious Greek cuisine. That is why I’ve prepared a special video dedicated only
to Delicious Food In Athens. That upcoming video will show you the best street food and the best
restaurant dishes you have to try in Athens and will be available in the top right corner. If
you like this video please give it a thumbs up. You can share your questions or suggestions about
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