N. P. Goulandris Foundation Museum of Cycladic Art
Kolonáki
If you have an hour to spare, this museum is the best of all the others in
town after the National Archaeological Museum. The Goulandris has wonderfully
informative plaques describing each piece in a collection that celebrates
the art and simple sculpture of the Cycladic tradition, which began
in about 3000 B.C. Famed 20th-century artists such as Brancusi, Henry
Moore, Modigliani, and Picasso were all inspired by these sculptures. The
museum’s second floor houses ancient Greek pieces, many from the fifth
century B.C.
See map p. 539. 4 Neoph;tou Douká Kolonáki. % 210-722-8321 or 210-722-8323.
www.cycladic-m.gr. Metro: Evangelismos. Bus/trolley: A5, A6, A95, E7, 3, 7, 8,
13, 200, 214, 220, 221, 222, or 235. Admission: 3.50€ ($4.05) adults, 1.80€ ($2.05) students.
Open: Mon and Wed–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
More cool things to see and do
Wandering the city in search of less touristy ruins: It seems
that everyone who visits Athens makes a beeline to the Acropolis,
and most also find their way to the Agora and the National
Archaeological Museum, but then many travelers set sail for the
islands, leaving the rest of the city’s vast archaeological heritage
to the few who stay an extra day and explore a bit.
The best of the remaining ancient sites includes Hadrian’s Arch
(on Amalías Avenue, between Vasilissis Olgas and Dionissiou
streets), through which the Roman emperor marched in A.D. 132
to dedicate the gigantic Temple of the Olympian Zeus (%210-
922-6330). Built a little bit at a time between 515 B.C. and A.D. 132,
the temple measures 360 by 143 feet. Fifteen of the original 104
columns are still standing, each an impressive 56 feet high. The
sight is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; admission is 2€ ($2.30).
The octagonal Tower of the Wind (where Eolou Avenue ends at
Pelopída Street) was built in the first century B.C. and once held a
water clock, which measured time by the fall or flow of water. In the
18th century, whirling dervishes did their religious spinning dance
at the tower.
An ancient cemetery called the Keramikós (%210-346-3553), 500
yards from the Agora at 148 Ermoú St., was outside the walls of the
ancient city. You can still see some of the old walls here, as well as
the ancient city gates. The cemetery site has roads lined with
tombs and includes a section of the Sacred Way. Hours are Tuesday
through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; admission is 2€ ($2.30).
Seeing the changing of the guard: Athens’s version of this tradition
is much more entertaining than its London counterpart. The
guards wear shoes with pom-poms on the toes and march in a
comical, stiff-legged style. They stand at attention in front of the
Parliament building and march back and forth in front of the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier (both are on S;ntagma Square). The dutyrotation
ceremony occurs every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Enjoying some Greek music and dancing: All over Athens, bouzoúki
clubs — named after a mandolin-type instrument often played in
them — can give you a tase of traditional folk music and dancing.
The musical styles include the rebétika tunes of the urban lower
class or dimotiká, upbeat country folk music. Greeks traditionally
show their appreciation for the music by smashing plates, but you
should check with the staff before you do this because many clubs
don’t allow this anymore. (Places that still do charge you or let you
buy them before the show.)
As you get farther from the Pláka neighborhood, the clubs get more
authentically Greek. Still, most clubs are used to seeing a lot of
tourists, and the waiters can teach you some simple dances. Things
really get busy around 11 p.m., but if you want a good seat you’d
better arrive early.
For good rebétika music, try Rebétiki Istorís, 181 Odos Ippókratous
(%210-642-4937); Taximi, 29 Odos Isávron (%210-363-9919); or
Stoa Athanaton, 19 Sofokleous in the Centrsal Meat Market (%010-
321-4362). Taverna Mostroú, 22 Odos Mnissikléos (%010-324-
2441), is a top-notch dimotiká club. More club info is available in
Athenscope magazine, which you can get at news kiosks.
You can see the most authentic, artistic folk dancing in the open-air
shows put on by performers from the Dora Stratou Folk Dance
Theater (%210-924-4395 or 210-922-6210), May through September
nightly at 9 p.m. (plus 8:15 p.m. Wed and Sun) on Philopáppou Hill.
Kolonáki
If you have an hour to spare, this museum is the best of all the others in
town after the National Archaeological Museum. The Goulandris has wonderfully
informative plaques describing each piece in a collection that celebrates
the art and simple sculpture of the Cycladic tradition, which began
in about 3000 B.C. Famed 20th-century artists such as Brancusi, Henry
Moore, Modigliani, and Picasso were all inspired by these sculptures. The
museum’s second floor houses ancient Greek pieces, many from the fifth
century B.C.
See map p. 539. 4 Neoph;tou Douká Kolonáki. % 210-722-8321 or 210-722-8323.
www.cycladic-m.gr. Metro: Evangelismos. Bus/trolley: A5, A6, A95, E7, 3, 7, 8,
13, 200, 214, 220, 221, 222, or 235. Admission: 3.50€ ($4.05) adults, 1.80€ ($2.05) students.
Open: Mon and Wed–Fri 10 a.m.–4 p.m., Sat 10 a.m.–3 p.m.
More cool things to see and do
Wandering the city in search of less touristy ruins: It seems
that everyone who visits Athens makes a beeline to the Acropolis,
and most also find their way to the Agora and the National
Archaeological Museum, but then many travelers set sail for the
islands, leaving the rest of the city’s vast archaeological heritage
to the few who stay an extra day and explore a bit.
The best of the remaining ancient sites includes Hadrian’s Arch
(on Amalías Avenue, between Vasilissis Olgas and Dionissiou
streets), through which the Roman emperor marched in A.D. 132
to dedicate the gigantic Temple of the Olympian Zeus (%210-
922-6330). Built a little bit at a time between 515 B.C. and A.D. 132,
the temple measures 360 by 143 feet. Fifteen of the original 104
columns are still standing, each an impressive 56 feet high. The
sight is open daily from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; admission is 2€ ($2.30).
The octagonal Tower of the Wind (where Eolou Avenue ends at
Pelopída Street) was built in the first century B.C. and once held a
water clock, which measured time by the fall or flow of water. In the
18th century, whirling dervishes did their religious spinning dance
at the tower.
An ancient cemetery called the Keramikós (%210-346-3553), 500
yards from the Agora at 148 Ermoú St., was outside the walls of the
ancient city. You can still see some of the old walls here, as well as
the ancient city gates. The cemetery site has roads lined with
tombs and includes a section of the Sacred Way. Hours are Tuesday
through Sunday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; admission is 2€ ($2.30).
Seeing the changing of the guard: Athens’s version of this tradition
is much more entertaining than its London counterpart. The
guards wear shoes with pom-poms on the toes and march in a
comical, stiff-legged style. They stand at attention in front of the
Parliament building and march back and forth in front of the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier (both are on S;ntagma Square). The dutyrotation
ceremony occurs every Sunday at 10:30 a.m.
Enjoying some Greek music and dancing: All over Athens, bouzoúki
clubs — named after a mandolin-type instrument often played in
them — can give you a tase of traditional folk music and dancing.
The musical styles include the rebétika tunes of the urban lower
class or dimotiká, upbeat country folk music. Greeks traditionally
show their appreciation for the music by smashing plates, but you
should check with the staff before you do this because many clubs
don’t allow this anymore. (Places that still do charge you or let you
buy them before the show.)
As you get farther from the Pláka neighborhood, the clubs get more
authentically Greek. Still, most clubs are used to seeing a lot of
tourists, and the waiters can teach you some simple dances. Things
really get busy around 11 p.m., but if you want a good seat you’d
better arrive early.
For good rebétika music, try Rebétiki Istorís, 181 Odos Ippókratous
(%210-642-4937); Taximi, 29 Odos Isávron (%210-363-9919); or
Stoa Athanaton, 19 Sofokleous in the Centrsal Meat Market (%010-
321-4362). Taverna Mostroú, 22 Odos Mnissikléos (%010-324-
2441), is a top-notch dimotiká club. More club info is available in
Athenscope magazine, which you can get at news kiosks.
You can see the most authentic, artistic folk dancing in the open-air
shows put on by performers from the Dora Stratou Folk Dance
Theater (%210-924-4395 or 210-922-6210), May through September
nightly at 9 p.m. (plus 8:15 p.m. Wed and Sun) on Philopáppou Hill.
Guided tours
Hop-in sightseeing tours (%210-428-5500; www.hopin.com) make the
rounds of 25 Athenian stops in a two-hour circuit between 9 a.m. and
4 p.m., and you can get on and off at will (and make use of a free tour
guide at the Acropolis, where admission is extra). The bus stops at all
the major sights in this chapter and on S;ntagma Square.
Tickets cost a steep 42€ ($48) and are good for two days; you can get
them at travel agents or on the bus. Hop-in also offers variants on the
bus tour for 46€ to 64€ ($53–$74); the higher price is for a tour that
includes either lunch at a Pláka tavern or a two-hour guided tour at the
Acropolis and a stop at the National Archaeological Museum (the cost
of the tour covers admission fees).
Key Tours (%210-923-3166; www.keytours.com) offers half-day tours of
Athens that include the Acropolis, the University, Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, the Academy, Temple of Olympian Zeus. Tours cost $50. A night
tour that includes dinner in the Pláka runs $58.
Following an itinerary
If you’re the type who’d rather organize your own tours, this section
offers some tips for building your own Athens itineraries.
If you have one day
If you see only one sight in Athens, it has to be the Acropolis, with its
mighty Parthenon, the most famous Greek temple in the world and the
symbol of the city itself. Spend the whole morning here admiring the
work of the ancients, their temples and theaters, and the sculpture and
other artifacts in the on-site museum.
After lunch (grab a souvlaki to go and some pita), trolley up to the
incredible National Archaeological Museum, housing one of the richest
collections of antiquities in the world.
In the late afternoon, head to the Pláka to explore its alleyways and
nightlife. Have dinner under the sycamores of Platanos Taverna, and,
if you’re there between May and September, head to Philopáppou Hill
before 10:15 p.m. to take in a performance of the Dora Stratou Folk
Dance Theater. In winter, just find a traditional bouzoúki club after
dinner and clap along.
If you see only one sight in Athens, it has to be the Acropolis, with its
mighty Parthenon, the most famous Greek temple in the world and the
symbol of the city itself. Spend the whole morning here admiring the
work of the ancients, their temples and theaters, and the sculpture and
other artifacts in the on-site museum.
After lunch (grab a souvlaki to go and some pita), trolley up to the
incredible National Archaeological Museum, housing one of the richest
collections of antiquities in the world.
In the late afternoon, head to the Pláka to explore its alleyways and
nightlife. Have dinner under the sycamores of Platanos Taverna, and,
if you’re there between May and September, head to Philopáppou Hill
before 10:15 p.m. to take in a performance of the Dora Stratou Folk
Dance Theater. In winter, just find a traditional bouzoúki club after
dinner and clap along.
If you have two days
Spend Day 1 as described in the previous section. On Day 2, start off at
the Ancient Agora, exploring its ruins and visiting the museum inside
the famed Stoa of Attalos to see, literally, the machinery of the world’s
first democracy.
Afterward, delve briefly into the Pláka for an early lunch at one of its
sidewalk tavernas (Thanasis is excellent). Make sure you get to the N. P.
Goulandris Foundation Museum of Cycladic Art by 2:30 p.m. so you
can admire its beautiful and highly stylized ancient statues.
Return to the Pláka in the late afternoon to seek out some of the less
famous ancient architectural ruins hidden in its back alleys, such as
Hadrian’s Arch. Then rustle up some dinner at Palia Plakiotiki Taverna
or Taverna Xinos, and find a bouzoúki club to plant yourself in for an
evening of retsina, ouzo, and song.
If you have three days
If you can manage it, I would definitely give Athens only the two days
described previously and spend the third day in Delphi (see the next
section, “Traveling Beyond Athens”).
The best way to do this, if you’re arriving in Greece by ferry, is to take
the bus from Patras to Delphi the night you arrive. (I’m not counting this
as one of your three days because the boats arrive in the late afternoon.)
Stay the night in Delphi, and then spend Day 1 clambering around the
evocative ruins, consulting the oracle (at least in your imagination), and
touring the museum before hopping a late afternoon (or evening) bus to
Athens. Then you can spend Day 2 and Day 3 of your Greek odyssey in
Athens.
If you arrive in Greece by plane, spend Day 1 and Day 2 as described in
the preceding section, but leave Athens on the evening of the second
day for Delphi. Spend the night there before exploring the mountainside
the next day, returning to Athens in the evening again for a late dinner.
