So Athens will be a packed day. We are there for eleven hours and our tour will take about 8 hours.
Map from AthensHotels.it
Our tour can be completely customized based on the suggestions of the group, but here is the suggested itinerary that we will probably stick to:
"We start the tour by visiting the so called “sacred rock”, the Acropolis. Here you will see the Parthenon that was dedicated to goddess Athena (Parthenos), Propylea, the monumental entrance to the sacred area, the temple of Athena Nike which was dedicated to Athena-Nike (Victory), the Erechtheion with its famous female figures-statues, the Caryatides or Maidens dedicated to both goddess Athena and god Poseidon. The Odeum of Herodus Atticus and the ruins of the first theatre in the whole world the Theatre of Dionysus and finally the Areopagus (Mars Hill).
"We will proceed to the Temple of Olympian Zeus (visit) and then to Panathenaic or Kallimarmaro Stadium which hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 (short visit). We will drive by the Prime Minister’s Residence (Maximos Mansion), the former Royal Palace, today the Presidential Mansion and the House of Parliament with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (short stop so as to watch the changing of the guards).
Modern Olympic Stadium - photo credit: bobchin1941 on Flickr cc
"We continue our tour by driving up to the highest point of Athens, the Lycabettus Hill (the best 360 degree panoramic view of Athens). From Lycabettus Hill we’ll proceed to the oldest and most picturesque neighbourhood of Athens, Plaka (stone-paved narrow streets, traditional Greek tavernas -best gyros- antique and souvenir stores) and the Tower of the Winds.
"After lunch in Plaka we’ll drive through the city centre to the area of the Flea Market (street bazaar, antique stores) where we’ll visit the Ancient Agora (the political, financial and commercial centre of ancient Athens). There we’ll see the temple of Hephaistos, known also as Theseum (best preserved ancient temple in Greece) and the Stoa of Attalos (an ancient shopping centre) which was restored in the fifties by the American Archaeological School. It is a peaceful and inspiring site and especially in Spring when everything is in full bloom one’s spirit lifts!
"Our tour will be completed with our visit to the National Archaeological Museum, the biggest museum in Greece with one of the most extensive and important archaeological collections in the world. It houses, among other important exhibits, the frescoes of the island of Santorini and the prehistoric golden collection of Mycenae with the famous mask of Agamemnon. OR with a visit to the New Acropolis Museum, "Home" of the Parthenon Marbles and important and impressive archaeological findings from the sacred rock of the Acropolis. (Mondays closed)"
I think there was some talk in our group of skipping of the museums and maybe going shopping instead.
I'm a huge geography nerd and have always been a little fascinated by Greek mythology, so I'm super excited about this port and this tour.
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Have you been to Athens? Even though we're on a tour, what should I try to see? Any restaurant or cafe recommendations? How is the wine in Greece? Let me know in the comments!
The view from Lycabettus is the BEST. If you can watch the sunset from there, do it. If possible, I would recommend visiting the Acropolis in the afternoon — the cruise tours all go in the morning, and it's really crowded. We went in the afternoon and pretty much had the place to ourselves. If you visit the Monastiraki district, there's a place on the plaza that sells the best gyros ever, if it's still there. It's diagonally across from the McDonald's. There's also lots of cheap shopping in that area — it's the old Turkish bazaar and is now a flea market. Hold tight to your purse though!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the suggestions, Lisa! Our tour stops at Acropolis first, but our tour starts at 7AM and the guide thinks it won't be too crowded yet. I'm not sure if we will stop at Monastiraki; it sounds like we are stopping for lunch and shopping in Plaka, but it does say there's a flea market there. I will be on the lookout for gyros!
DeleteThis is what I'd be most excited to see too. Do you think there is there a spot where you can meet and greet with Hercules and Megara? ;)
ReplyDeleteYour tour looks great! You're really hitting some of the big highlights. After we talked on twitter a few days ago, I remembered that I should suggest making sure you saw the guards at the Parliament or Presidential Mansion - big, tall guys in pleated skirts with pompoms on the toes of their shoes! - but it looks like it's already on your itinerary!
ReplyDeleteThe Acropolis Museum wasn't open yet when I was there, so I can't really speak to that. I'd love to go, but I think that some of the major pieces are still in the British Museum. The National Archaeological Museum has a lot of really cool pieces, but after all the sites you're visiting I can see that you may be ready to stop looking at historic artifacts and do some shopping!
As for wine - if you're brave, try the retsina. It's white wine flavored with pine resin. I thought it was fun, but it does taste a bit like you'd imagine Pine Sol would.
All these pictures really bring me back. My study abroad program was right next to the Olympic Stadium, so I walked by it almost every day. Maybe this is woefully out of date since I was there 8 years ago now, but just don't go into it expecting Athens to be like London or Paris or some other western European city. It's definitely it's own thing. There are stray dogs and cats everywhere, it's sprawling and smoggy, and you're not supposed to flush your toilet paper. But the history is incredible and modern Athens fits in and among all that history in a really interesting way. I could ramble on a lot more, but seriously, have fun and let me know if you have any questions I can help with.