Places to Visit in Athens

Besides the innumerous museums and historic building and sites, there is one other place which will interest the young travellers. The Planetarium of Athens is famous as it is the world’s largest and most technologically advanced digital planetarium. Here, you can see 3D virtual shows which include trips to our galaxy as well as many other shows. The dome of this planetarium spans over 950 square meters and has a seating capacity of 280 persons. Open on Wednesday to Sunday, it can be reached by the metro.

Athens like rest of the Greece falls under the institution of the Greek Orthodox Church. It plays a very important role in the Greek society and Greeks visit church at least once a month and on the special occasions. In the city of Athens there is a considerable number of Muslims present that is why the government has allowed building of a mosque in this city. This recognizes the fact that in Athens as well as I Greece there is freedom to practice any religion. Apart from these there are minority communities of Catholics, Protestants, Jews, etc. among others.

Athens Cathedral was built in 1862 which is the seat of the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Athens. Besides this there is a small church which was built in the 12th century and holds very much importance for the local church goers. Open on all days of the week, it can be easily reached by the underground rail.

Opened in 2009, it houses the remnant treasures retrieved from the Acropolis. Spread over a huge area of around 14, 000 square meters, it has over 4000 exhibits. This museum has three levels where different objects are showcased, above them there is a museum shop and a café. The top level of the museum has the Parthenon pillars which have been relocated from the original site. Here they have been placed exactly in the same fashion as they were there originally. This museum stands at a location which was also an archaeological site. The visitors to this museum can see excavations below as the floors are all glass made.

This museum is the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities and artifacts. These exhibits include sculptures, pottery, frescoes, jewellery and artifacts which have been excavated from various sites throughout the Greece. Visit this museum with ample time in your hand as there are almost 11,000 artifacts on display. Open on days of the week this museum requires more than one visit to cover all the exhibits.

One of the very popular gardens of the city is the National Garden of Athens which was built in the year 1840 on orders from Queen Amalia. Located right in the heart of the city this garden along with the others are very popular outdoor recreational sights for the local residents as well as for the tourists. The surrounding hills of the city are covered in greens and have small pine forests. 

The Roman emperors also did their bit to adore this beautiful city further. One such roman emperor, Hadrian commissioned this beautiful monument of Pentelic marble in the year 132AD. The inscriptions on this arch suggest that this arch separates the ancient city of Athens from the new Roman city. 

The city of Athens is surrounded by four mountains on its each side. It has Mount Parnitha to the north, Mount Aegaleo to the west, Mount Hymettus to the east and Mount Penteli to the northeast. Also it has a number of hills around the city with Lycabettus being the tallest amongst them.

It has a subtropical Mediterranean climate whereby it has hot and dry summers and mild winters, receiving very less rainfall. Due to the urban heat island of the city the summers are very hot and there are severe heat waves.

Built in the 4th century BC it was the site for Panathenaic athletic events. However, this grand arena fell into disuse for several centuries following. Later in 1895, it was restored to its almost original grandeur. The seats of this huge stadium is built of Pentelic marble which can accommodate almost 70, 000 spectators at a time. In the 2004 Olympics, some of the events were organized here. Otherwise throughout the year, this stadium hosts several public events like concerts.

This octagonal building made up of Pentelic marble was built in the 1st century. It was built by a Syrian astronomer and it functioned as a sundial, weather vane, compass and water clock.

It is an ancient site which is situated above the city of Athens. This ancient site has several ancient monuments among which Parthenon is the most famous one. Around 4th century BC this region was inhabited and Pericles in the 5th century BC commissioned the construction of many buildings including the famous Parthenon.