Although Athens gets more and more commercialised it still manages to maintain its authentic side. The best thing to do is to start your trip at the Plaka, the centre of old antique Athens and decide what you would like to explore or go to the centre of the present Athens, Sindagma Square, which in itself is not very interesting, but serves as a good starting point for walks to the main sights. You can also start with a visit to one of the two other areas packed with ruins, the Agora (northwest of the Acropolis) or the Roman Forum. Temples of The Acropolis Hill is one of the main sights of Athens. This 'sacred rock' of Athens served as a residential area from the Neolithic period onwards. Besides that, it was the matrix for the cult of the city's patron goddess, Athena. Besides that, three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones, namely, the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, and the Temple of Nike. All these monuments reflect the successive phases of the city's history. Although these monuments were converted into Christian churches and houses belonging to previous invaders (such as the Frankfurts and the Turkeys) at one time, after the liberation of Athens from the Turks, a large-scale restoration and preservation plan was made, which is still maintained on this very day. Some must see attractions are:
Acropolis Museum
The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens. The museum was built in order to house every artifact found on the rock and on its feet, covering a large period of time, from the Greek Bronze Age to Roman and Byzantine Greece but lies also on the archaeological site of Makrygianni, ruins of a part of Roman and early Byzantine Athens.
Open summer: Mondays noon-7pm, Tues.-Sun: 8am-7pm. Open winter: daily, 8am-2.30pm. This museum houses portable objects that could be removed from the Acropolis since mid-nineteenth century.
Museum of Greek Folk Art
The Museum of Greek Folk Art belongs to the state and comes under
the Ministry of Culture. It was founded in 1918 under the name
"Museum of Greek Handicrafts" and was housed in the
Tsisdarakis Mosque in Monastiraki Square. In 1923 it was renamed
the "National Museum of Decorative Arts". It was given
its present name in 1959.
Open: Tues.-Sun: 10am-2pm. Entrance fee: Dr500. Collection of authentic Greek costumes and collections of pottery, weaving and embroidery influenced by the Middle-East.
The National Archeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum of Athens in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. It is situated in the Exarhia area in central Athens between the streets Epirus, Bouboulina and Tositsas while its entrance is on the Patission Avenue adjacent to the historical building of the Athens Polytechnic.
Open summer: Mondays 13.30pm-7pm, Tues.-Sun: 8am-7pm. Open winter: Mondays 10.30am-5pm, Tues.-Sun: 8am-2.30pm. Dr2000. One of the most well-known museums in the world
Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art
The Museum of Cycladic Art is one of the great museums of Athens. It houses a magnificent collection of artifacts of Cycladic art.
The museum was founded in 1986 in order to house the collection of Cycladic and Ancient Greek art belonging to Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris. Starting in the early 1960s, the couple collected Greek antiquities, with special interest in the prehistoric art from the Cyclades islands of the Aegean Sea.
The Museum's main building, erected in the centre of Athens in 1985, was designed by the Greek architect Ioannis Vikelas. In 1991, the Museum acquired a new wing, the magnificent neo-classical Stathatos Mansion at the corner of Vassilissis Sofias Avenue and Herodotou Street.
Open: Mon. & Wed.-Fri: 10am-4pm, Saterdays: 10am-3pm. Dr1000. The museum houses collections of the period of the fall of Mycenea up to the beginning of Historic Times. Besides that, memorabilia of the earlier Cycladic civilization and the pre-Minoan Bronze Age are on show.
Benaki Museum
An impressive collection of memorabilia from the Greek War of Independence.