No matter your artistic pursuits - sculpture, olive tree or concert, museums visit, concerts or attending an event - Athens offers eternal beauty and freedom, coexisting harmoniously with many architectural styles.
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The museum boasts an excellent sculpture collection, including its mid-20th-century bronze Statue of Poseidon in room 15 which boasts a perfectly balanced physique and elegantly pleated belted chiton.
Acropolis
The Acropolis stands as a testament to ancient Greece, and remains as captivating today as when first seen. Under Pericles' leadership, Athens underwent an impressive building program which brought great transformation as architects like Iktinos, Mnesikles and Kallikrates and Phidias created stunning temples, palaces and public buildings that captured world attention.
Athens has recently become increasingly hip, and areas like Thissio, Gazi and Kerameikos offer lively nightlife scenes along with notable restaurants and museums. Meanwhile, eastern Athens boasts more traditional charm; here the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center brings back agora traditions by hosting concerts, events and temporary exhibits all year long - while being an eye-catching landmark that mimics street metrics similar to its historical counterpart.
Ancient Agora
From the Acropolis, take either a short drive or longer walk to reach the Ancient Agora. This vast area boasts remains from various eras including temples, cult sanctuaries and even an entire complex with rooms.
Agoras were at the heart of life in Greek cities. Citizens would gather here to enjoy urban life and share ideas. Public trials would take place here, as well as commodities being displayed for sale. This research disproves the widespread notion that atheism was unimaginable in ancient Greece by showing instead how unbelief was deeply embedded into Greek religion and culture - it will appeal to anyone interested in Greek history or culture, Classics scholars, religious studies specialists, philosophers or anyone interested in philosophy and theology.
Byzantine Churches
Athens is the birthplace of democracy, philosophy and drama. With a distinct urban personality that mixes grungy with graceful living space, Athens exudes both ancient Greek pride and contemporary sensibilities simultaneously.
Cityscape of Athens dotted with sculptures - such as Plato, Socrates and Apollo at the Academy, statues of Lord Byron, George Canning and William Gladstone on Thiseion as well as busts commemorating fighters for Greek independence on Pedion tou Areos - make its neoclassical cityscape striking.
Church and State were closely linked during Byzantine times, yet neither subordinate to one another. Church scholars such as Gennadios II Scholarios demonstrated how church scholars could find common ground between Western thinking and Orthodox doctrine.
Museums
Athens Museums (Athenaeum) are one of Greece's premier attractions and serve as an icon of Athens and Greece in general. Here you will discover an endless supply of wonders for all to enjoy whether art lovers, history enthusiasts or curious travelers can be found together under one roof.
Modern dating techniques have disproven Agamemnon as its subject; nevertheless, its fame remains as an impressive draw. Other highlights of interest at Aegis Museum are the spectacular gold Mask of Agamemnon which, though no longer from mythical Agamemnon himself, still draws in visitors and stuns them. Other exhibits include exquisite, 2.3 meter-high Caryatids from Room 6 which represent maidens from Spartan Caryae who were sentenced to hard labour following siding with Persian invaders during their second invasion in Aegis.
Other rooms showcase Mycenae art with exquisitely decorated rings, cups and seals from Mycenae. On the first-floor are several paintings by El Greco who is best-known outside Greece.
Concerts & Festivals
Athens is a city of contrasts: from grand Neoclassical buildings like those found at Platia Syndagmatos looming over a bustling bazaar filled with old mansions in varying states of preservation or disrepair; luxury department stores coexist alongside smaller boutique shops; to luxurious department stores offering intimate goods for sale side by side.
Athens is home to two UNESCO World Heritage sites: The Acropolis and Daphni Monastery are iconic elements that define its character; contemporary landmarks include National Library, Greek Parliament and Academy of Athens - three such places make an impressionful statement about Athens today.
There are also monuments dedicated to Athens' great philhellenes like Lord Byron, George Canning and William Gladstone at Thiseion; an equestrian statue of Kolokotronis at Polytekhnio; and several neoclassical statues depicting philosophers and freedom fighters such as Plato and Socrates at Pedion tou Areos. Additionally, Athens hosts 17 Foreign Archaeological Institutes that facilitate research by scholars from all around the globe.
