Cameron Hewitt - Rick Steves Pocket Athens

Rick Steves with Gene Openshaw and Cameron Hewitt

Traveling to Athens is like making a pilgrimage to the cradle of our civilization. Romantics cant help but get goose bumps as they kick around the same pebbles that once stuck in Socrates sandals, with the floodlit Parthenon forever floating ethereally overhead. Youll walk in the footsteps of the great minds that created democracy, philosophy, theater, and more...even when youre dodging motorcycles on pedestrianized streets.

While sprawling and congested, the city has a compact, user-friendly tourist zone, with sights such as the Acropolis Museum and the Ancient Agora an easy walk apart. Many locals speak English, major landmarks are well-signed, and most street signs are in both Greek and English.

The core of the book is five self-guided tours that zero in on Athens greatest sights. My Athens City Walk leads you on a three-part stroll through the engaging and refreshingly small city center. My Acropolis and Ancient Agora tours take you back in time to the bustling religious and commercial centers of ancient Greece. And the Acropolis Museum and National Archaeological Museum provide up-close views of artifacts and treasures unearthed from Greeces great ancient sites.

The rest of the book is a travelers tool kit. Youll find plenty more about Athens attractions, from shopping to nightlife to less touristy sights. And there are helpful hints on saving money, avoiding crowds, getting around on public transportation, enjoying a great meal, and more.

Sights are rated:

Tourist information offices are abbreviated as TI, and bathrooms are WCs.

Like Europe, this book uses the 24-hour clock. Its the same through 12:00 noon, then keep going: 13:00 (1:00 p.m.), 14:00 (2:00 p.m.), and so on.

For opening times, if a sight is listed as May-Oct daily 9:00-16:00, it should be open from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. from the first day of May until the last day of October (but expect exceptions).

For updates to this book, visit www.ricksteves.com/update. For a valuable list of reports and experiencesgood and badfrom fellow travelers, check www.ricksteves.com/feedback.

Ninety-five percent of Athens is noisy, polluted modern sprawl, jammed with characterless concrete suburbspoorly planned and hastily erected to house the areas rapidly expanding population. But most visitors never see that part of Athens. Almost everything of importance to tourists is within a few blocks of the Acropolis.

A good map is a necessity for enjoying Athens on foot. The fine map the tourist info office (TI) gives out works great. Youll concentrate on the following districts:

The Plaka (PLAH-kah, in Greek): This neighborhood at the foot of the Acropolis is the core of the tourists Athens. One of the only parts of town thats atmospheric and Old World-feeling, its also the most crassly touristic (souvenir shops and tacky tavernas).

Acropolis The most important ancient site in the Western world, where Athenians built their architectural masterpiecethe Parthenon. Hours: Daily May-Sept 8:00-20:00, April and Oct 8:00-19:00, Nov-March 8:00-15:00. See .

Acropolis Museum Glassy modern temple for ancient art. Hours: Mon 8:00-16:00, Tue-Sun 8:00-20:00, Fri until 22:00. See .

Ancient Agora Social and commercial center of ancient Athens, with a well-preserved temple and intimate museum. Hours: Same hours as the Acropolis. See .

National Archaeological Museum Worlds best collection of ancient Greek art. Hours: April-Oct daily 8:00-20:00; Nov-March Mon 12:00-17:00, Tue-Sun 8:00-15:00. See .

Acropolis Loop Traffic-free pedestrian walkways ringing the Acropolis with vendors, cafs, and special events. See .

Temple of Olympian Zeus Remains of the largest temple in ancient Greece. Hours: Same hours as the Acropolis. See .

Benaki Museum of Greek History and Culture Exquisite collection of artifacts from the ancient, Byzantine, Ottoman, and modern eras. Hours: Wed and Fri 9:00-17:00, Thu and Sat 9:00-24:00, Sun 9:00-15:00, closed Mon-Tue. See .

Museum of Cycladic Art Worlds largest compilation of Cycladic art, from 4,000 years ago. Hours: Mon and Wed-Sat 10:00-17:00, Thu until 20:00, Sun 11:00-17:00, closed Tue. See .

Byzantine and Christian Museum Fascinating look at the Byzantines, who put their own stamp on a flourishing culture. Hours: April-Oct daily 8:00-20:00; Nov-March Tue-Sun 9:00-16:00, closed Mon. See .

Mars Hill Historic spotwith a classic view of the Acropoliswhere the Apostle Paul preached to the Athenians. Hours: Always open. See .

Syntagma Square Athens most famous public space, with a popular changing-of-the-guard ceremony. Hours: Guards change five minutes before the top of each hour, full ceremony with marching band on Sun at 11:00. See .

Panathenaic (a.k.a. Olympic) Stadium Gleaming marble stadium restored to its second-century A.D. condition. Hours: Daily March-Oct 8:00-19:00, Nov-Feb 8:00-17:00. See .

Opening hours for sights in Greece can change without notice, so be sure to confirm hours locally.

Monastiraki (mah-nah-stee-RAH-kee, ): This area (Little Monastery) borders the Plaka to the northwest, surrounding the square of the same name. It has a handy Metro stop (where line 1/green meets line 3/blue), seedy flea market, and souvlaki stands.

Psyrri (psee-REE, ): Formerly a dumpy ghetto just north of Monastiraki, Psyrri is now a cutting-edge nightlife and dining districtand one of central Athens most appealing areas to explore after dark.

Syntagma (SEEN-dag-mah, ): Centered on Athens main square, Syntagma (Constitution) Square, this urban-feeling zone melts into the Plaka to the south and is bounded to the east by the Parliament building and the National Garden. While the Plaka is dominated by tourist shops, Syntagma is where local urbanites do their shopping.