DISCOVERING ATHENS ON FOOT - Part 1
One of Europe's longest pedestrianised roads; a walking route that connects some of the most important archaeological sites in the world; a verdant oasis in the city centre and many more spots for strolling: downtown Athens is perfect for long walks.
Dionysiou Areopagitou: Athens' loveliest promenade
Our walk begins at the start of Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, across from Hadrian's Arch, and skirts the base of the Acropolis, passing the Acropolis Museum. The sombre stone building in front of the museum is the Weiler Building, modern Greece's first military hospital and one of the first public buildings erected in the modern capital. There are some marvellous examples of 19th and 20th-century residential architecture all along the pedestrianised street. In the summer, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, a restored Roman-era theatre, hosts the headline events of the annual Athens Festival.
Plaka: The oldest neighbourhood in Athens
With elegant neoclassical mansions, colourful courtyards, Byzantine churches, charming little streets and the famed Anafiotika district (seemingly plucked straight from a Cycladic island, this small area was created by the labourers from the island of Anafi who helped build Athens in the mid-19th century). Plaka is, without a doubt, Athens' loveliest neighbourhood!
Climbing the Acropolis
The entrance to the South Slope of the Acropolis is located near the start of Dionysiou Areopagitou Street and takes you onto a path that runs past the Theatre of Dionysus in the Sanctuary of Dionysus Elefthereus, the cave with the choragic monument of Thrasyllos, the Stoa of Eumenes with its limestone colonnade, and the Odeon of Herodes Atticus before climbing up to the top of the Sacred Rock, where the Parthenon stands.