Things To Do

THINGS
TO DO

TEMPLE OF POSEIDON, SOUNIO

Just a short drive from Athens is the 5th-century BC temple dedicated to the sea god himself, with an aura (and sunset) that continues to captivate visitors.

The Temple of Poseidon in Sounion has always had a special place in the hearts of visitors. Built at the same time as the Parthenon, during Athens’ Golden Age, it wasn’t just a site of worship of the sea god Poseidon (whose bronze statue stood more than 6m tall at its centre) but – positioned high above the sea on the southeastern tip of Attica – it was an indication for sailors returning to Piraeus that they were almost home.

PARTHENON

This 2,500-year-old rocky outcrop perched in Athens’ modern metropolis is the sight you’ve only dreamed about. The Acropolis finds itself at the very top of our list because if you do one thing in Athens, it has to be this.

The monuments here are considered the greatest architectural feats of Greek antiquity. The Parthenon temple, dedicated to the goddess Athena, is perfectly proportioned and considered the world’s finest Doric masterpiece.

LYCABETTUS HILL

Lycabettus Hill is one of the highest peaks in Athens. You can get to it by hiking up a forested slope – only briefly, mind – or, if you’re feeling lazy, there’s a cable car to the top.
At the peak, you’ll find one of the most sweeping views of the city. There’s also a pretty whitewashed church called St George, a café and a gourmet Greek restaurant with surely the capital’s most scenic terrace. Concerts are held at the Lycabettus open-air theatre, built on another part of the hill, in the summertime.

TOUR TO NAFPLIO

One of the most beautiful towns in the area of Argolis (in eastern Peloponnese) as well as one of the most romantic cities all over Greece, Nafplio was the first capital of the newly born Greek state between 1823 and 1834.

According to mythology, the town was founded by Nafplion, the son of the god Poseidon and the daughter of Danaus (Danaida) Anyone. The town’s history traces back to the prehistoric era when soldiers from here participated in the Argonautic expedition and the Trojan War alike. The town declined during the Roman times and flourished again during the Byzantine times. Frankish, Venetian, and Turkish conquerors left their mark on the town and strongly influenced its culture, architecture, and traditions over the centuries. Ancient walls, medieval castles, monuments and statues, Ottoman fountains, and Venetian or neoclassical buildings mesmerize the visitor with their unique architecture and beauty.

STAVROS NIARCHOS FOUNDATION CULTURAL CENTRE

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is modern architectural elegance at its best. A glass-fronted multi-angular building is built on the edge of the Faliro Delta and perched above a hill that connects and punctuates it into the Athenian skyline. It was in 2006, well before any sign of the global or Greek economic crisis, when the Stavros Niarchos Foundation announced its intention to fund the development of a cultural center in Athens, that would encompass a new home for the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece.

More than a decade later, they have done just that. The newly erected SNFCC has pushed Athens well into the 21st century, providing its citizens with some much-needed hope and vision for the future.