How to spend top weekend in Athens - ideas on extraordinary attractions and sites

Athens Acropolis Athens is, without a doubt, a very popular destination, so it’s getting harder and harder to find a place, where you won’t find yourself surrounded by other travellers. However, such places still exist. The Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Acropolis are the main antique landmarks of the city, so every day thousands of tourists arrive there to admire the precious places of interest. Luckily, not many travellers know that it is possible to see the abovementioned landmarks from another place, namely, from Hadrians Arch. It slightly reminds of the Triumphal Arc in Rome, so the arc alone is worth a visit as an interesting historic landmark. These ancient gates offer breath-taking views of the Acropolis and surrounding landmarks.
A new and modern boutique hotel, Athens Diamond Plus Hotel is distinguished by state-of-art design that never ceases to amaze its visitors. Romantic setting with white as the main color and … Open
If you like walking and find exploration of the mountains amusing, there is one more entertainment in Athens for you – ascension to Mount Parnitha. This is the highest mount in the city, so a climb to it normally lasts a whole day, after which travellers are usually offered to sleep on the top. Such a trip will be very interesting as sides of the mount are covered with dense pine forests. During a walk, travellers will see rare plants and mysterious caves. After a long day of walking and sleeping in the open air, you will be able to see sunrise on the top of the mount – a truly unforgettable and breath-taking view. Those, who are not ready for camping and crave for more comfort, can sleep in a comfortable house on the mount, where they can also enjoy delicious home-made food.
If walks in the mountains are not enough, it’s high time to search “the Blood of Hercules”. Red wine with this quite an unusual name is produced by Nemea winery, which is located in an Athens’ neighborhood. According to some data, the winery has been there for more than a thousand years. The wine is made in accordance with centuries old methods, some aspects of which are kept in a secret. Nevertheless, guests are always welcome at the winery. Visitors can sample the wine and purchase the sorts they like, including the legendary Blood of Hercules. Copyright www.orangesmile.com
In Athens, there are many beautiful shopping streets. You can find interesting shops on each. The central shopping street is Ermou. It is here that local fashionistas and thousands of … Open
One more way to get closer to the antique world of Athens is to walk on the Panathenaic Way. Just like thousands of years ago, the road is paved with gravel. It starts near one of the city’s doors and reaches the Acropolis. In antique times, locals used this road during the Panathenaia festival that is dedicated to Athena. Nowadays, everyone is welcome to walk on the ancient road, but note that the road is quite long and not everyone might have enough strength to walk on it from the beginning till the very end.
Athens If you want to visit one of the most sacred and romantic places of the ancient Greek city, head to Cape Suonio. There are many interesting legends connected to this picturesque place. Ancient Greeks considered it a holy place and used it to worship Athena and Poseidon. Later, fishermen and farmers started appearing on this site. Nowadays, only ruins of their houses remind of that period. Peaceful and calm atmosphere of this place has become the major attraction of the cape. Usually not crowded, Cape Suonio offers fascinating panoramic views of the sea.
Discovering the architecture of Athens from bird's eye view! Parthenon, Erechtheion, Cathedral of Athens, Arch of Hadrian, Temple of Olympian Zeus, National Historical Museum, National Archaeological Museum, all those monuments are defining the image of Athens … Open
There is a not very famous place of interest in one of the noisiest tourist destinations of Athens. This is the legendary Prison of Socrates, the place where the great philosopher spent last days of his life. At a glance, the prison looks like an ordinary cave, so many inexperienced travellers simply neglect it and pass the prison by. It is not hard to find the Prison of Socrates – it is located near the foot of Filopappos Hill not far away from the Acropolis. Here attentive travellers will notice a small niche with rusty grating carved in the rock. According to a legend, imprisoned Socrates lived in that cage.
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Reference information
Map of all Michelin restaurants
Michelin-starred restaurants in Athens
♥   Restaurant 'Electra Roof Garden' Athína. Type - Mediterranean cuisine. 1.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Restaurant '2 Mazi' Αθήνα. Type - Greek. 1.5 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Restaurant 'Oikeîo' Athína. Type - Greek. 1.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Restaurant 'Cookoovaya' Athens. Type - Greek. 2.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Restaurant 'Vezene' Αθήνα. Type - Meats and grills. 2.3 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Map of all castles
Survived castles around Athens
♥   Castle 'Castle of Chalkis' Chalkis, 54.6 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Map of all art museums
Art galleries in Athens and around
♥   Art museum 'National Archaeological Museum of Athens' Athens, 0.5 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'Benaki Museum' Athens, 1.5 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'Museum of Cycladic Art' Athens, 1.7 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Art museum 'New Acropolis Museum' Athens, 2 km from the center. On the map   Photo
Map of all palaces
Public palaces near Athens
♥   Palace 'New Royal Palace' , 1.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Palace 'Psychiko' , 4.8 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Palace 'Tatoi' , 20.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo
♥   Palace 'Polydendri' , 28.4 km from the center. On the map   Photo

Original sights of Athens, deserving Guinness book

House Blue Forest

From the series “Ubelievable Residential Houses Residing on Trees”
The house is distinguished by its exquisite design, which was made using exclusively natural materials. In addition to beautiful bedrooms, it has also a fully equipped kitchen, as well as a games room with a huge plasma TV and games console. The main feature of the Blue Forest is its unique technical equipment. The house on a tree has been equipped with a biometric security system that responds to fingerprints. In addition, technical gadgets include a complex video surveillance system with night vision cameras. … Read further

Athens

From the series “The Oldest Inhabited Cities on the Planet”
Currently, the city has more than 200 museums and galleries introducing history and culture to visitors. The most visited among them are the Acropolis Museum and the National Archaeological Museum showing guests of the city the collection of priceless archaeological finds. The modern capital of Greece is the cradle of a great civilization; ruins of beautiful temples and termae tell about its former power. Fans of ancient history from around the world are eager to see the Parthenon, as well as a picturesque historic district of Plaka. … Read further

Acropolis of Athens

From the series “Top 15 Unesco Sites in Europe”
Construction on the territory of the acropolis has being conducted continuously for hundreds of years. The ancient monument drawn the special attention of historians and specialists in cultural studies in the 19th century, after the proclamation of the independence of Greece. At this time, a long reconstruction of the monument began. Ancient temples were restored and buildings dating back to the newer period were eliminated. During works, unique antique statues were discovered at the territory of the Acropolis. All of them were transported to various museums. Today, replicas of statues complement the unique look of the Acropolis. … Read further

Visiting neighbours of Athens for exclusive entertainment

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