Things to Do in Athens

The political and social heart of the ancient city of Athens, the famous Agora of Athens (or the Forum of Athens) is one of the city's most important archeological sites -- the remainder of the civic center and marketplace where Greek democracy was first brought to life.

Today, the ruins are regarded as the best-preserved example of an ancient Greek agora, standing to the northwest of the Acropolis between the hills of Areopagus and Kolonus Agoraios. Dating back to the 6th century BC (before which it was used as a residential area), the vast area was originally laid out by Peisistratus and featured an elaborate drainage system, a series of fountains and a temple devoted to the Olympian Gods. Later additions included the temples of Hephaestus, Zeus and Apollo, a series of altars and a concert hall, before the agora was finally abandoned after a Slavic invasion in the 6th century AD.

Today, the fragments of the once glorious marketplace provide important clues to the former political, civic and economic center of the ancient world, most notably the beautifully preserved Hephaiston temple and the shopping center of Stoa of Attalos, which now houses the Museum of the Ancient Agora.

The Theatre of Dionysus is an impressive ruin on the southern slope of the Acropolis in Athens. You can climb up and sit in the semi-circle of marble seats ringed around the stage area. In its heyday, around the 4th century BC, the theatre could seat 17,000 people. You can still see names of the important people inscribed on the throne like seats in the front row (although this area is roped-off to conserve it). It was in this theatre that the plays of Sophocles, Euripedes, Aeschylus and Aristofanes were performed.

Dionysus was the Greek god of wine, agriculture and theatre, known to the Romans as Bacchus, hence the word Bacchanalia. The theatre is in the area of the Sanctuary of Dionysus, which also housed temples to the god. Excavations in the late 1800s rediscovered this important site and the Greek Government has recently announced its intention to restore the theatre.

An archaeological wonder, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and one of the world's most instantly recognizable landmarks, the Acropolis is the star attraction of ancient Athens. Dramatically perched on a jagged clifftop—the so-called sacred rock of Athens—the ruins overlook the modern city and date back to as early as 510 BC.

Until the 17th century, the Acropolis survived largely intact but since then a gunpowder accident, a Venetian bombing and tourists have taken their toll. After the creation of the Greek State, it was decided that a museum was needed to protect the heritage of Ancient Greece. The first museum was begun up on the Acropolis in 1865 but it quickly became inadequate. Finally, in 2007, the new 25,000 square meter (6.2 acre) museum near the base of the Acropolis opened.

Today the Acropolis Museum (Museo Akropoleos) houses original pieces from the temples of the Acropolis, protecting them from further deterioration, while also giving their historical context. In the Parthenon Gallery, the famous marble frieze is recreated with both original marbles and casts of those pieces held elsewhere, such as the Elgin Marbles in the British Museum.

The Archaic Gallery has statues which pre-date even the Acropolis itself, and the Gallery of the Slopes of the Acropolis shows pots, children's toys and other things used by the early settlers in everyday life.

Erected in honor of the Roman Emperor Hadrian in the 2nd century A.D, the monumental gateway of Hadrian’s Arch remains one of the most striking remnants of ancient Athens. Located on the ancient road between the Athenian Agora and the Olympieion, the elaborate structure was supposedly built to honor the arrival of Hadrian in 131 AD.

The Arch, standing in front of the once magnificent Temple of Olympian Zeus (the Olympieion), formed a symbolic gateway between the old city district and the new Roman-built city, erected by Hadrian. Notably, two inscriptions feature on the sides of the arch: the western side, looking onto the old city reads ‘ This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus’ and the eastern side, facing the Olympieion, reads ‘This is the city of Hadrian and not of Theseus’. The exact meaning of the latter phrase is hotly disputed – some say it is simply naming the new city as that of Hadrian; others insist it was a deliberate contradiction of the former statement, indicating that the entire city was now ruled by Hadrian.

Today the main structure of Hadrian’s Arch remains remarkably preserved and is one of the most popular attractions of modern Athens. Towering at a height of 18 meters, the fully symmetrical Roman-style arch is an impressive sight – sculpted entirely from Pentelic marble, adorned with Ionic architraves and crowned with a row of Corinthian columns and pilasters.