Athens

Athens

The Parthenon was a treasury before it was a temple. The building completed around 438 BCE on the Athenian Acropolis served as the treasury of the Delian League, the alliance of Greek city-states led by Athens, which had accumulated substantial reserves from member contributions ostensibly for defense against Persia. The treasury was held in the opisthodomos, the chamber at the western end. The famous chryselephantine statue of Athena (now lost, known only from descriptions and copies) stood in the main hall. The building’s religious function was secondary to its political and financial role, which is either a modern insight or a cynical misreading of Athenian piety, depending on your position. The Acropolis Museum has a model of the original interior.

Athens is the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe and the birthplace of democracy, drama, and western philosophy. The Acropolis is the single most significant ancient site in the western world. None of that prevents it from being genuinely beautiful and genuinely worth the effort, which it requires in July.

The Acropolis

Entry is EUR 20 (April to October) and combined tickets covering multiple Athens sites are available. The site opens at 8am. Arrive at or before opening, especially in summer when the midday heat on the exposed limestone plateau is serious. The Parthenon is currently under ongoing restoration; scaffolding is typically present on some section of the structure.

The Theatre of Dionysus below the Acropolis’s south slope is the oldest theatre in the world, where Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides premiered their plays for audiences of roughly 17,000. The Odeon of Herodes Atticus, built in 161 CE, is still used for performances in summer.

The Acropolis Museum

The museum at 15 Dionysiou Areopagitou, opened in 2009, holds the sculptures and objects from the Acropolis in context. The third floor reconstructs the Parthenon frieze with original panels alternating with white plaster casts for the sections now in the British Museum – a permanent reminder of the ownership question. The glass floor in the lobby reveals ongoing archaeological excavations beneath your feet. Entry EUR 9. Open Tuesday through Sunday. Closed Mondays.

The Plaka and Central Athens

The Plaka, the old residential neighbourhood below the Acropolis’s north and east slopes, is the most immediately attractive part of Athens: narrow streets, neoclassical buildings, small churches. Monastiraki flea market (open daily, busiest on Sundays) is adjacent. The National Archaeological Museum in the northern Neoclassical Quarter holds the best collection of Greek antiquities in the world: the Antikythera Mechanism (the world’s oldest known analogue computer, from roughly 100 BCE, capable of predicting astronomical positions), the Mask of Agamemnon, and the Artemision Bronze (possibly Poseidon or Zeus, one of the greatest surviving bronzes).

The Psyrri neighbourhood west of Monastiraki has better restaurants and less touristy bars than the Plaka proper.

Eating

Souvlaki from street vendors in Monastiraki is the cheap lunch option: EUR 2 to 3 per skewer, wrapped in pita with onion, tomato, and tzatziki. Avocado at Platia Varvakios market or fresh produce at the central market on Athinas Street for self-catering. For a proper sit-down meal, the Psyrri neighbourhood has reliably good tavernas at prices aimed at locals rather than tourists.

Getting Around

The metro covers all main visitor destinations. The airport is 30 minutes from central Athens by the express M3 metro. A 24-hour travel pass (around EUR 4) covers all metro, tram, and bus within the central zone.