Athens Modern Athens

Mount Lycavittos. From the peak of Mt. Lycavittos, the tallest of Athens’s seven hills, visitors can see every inch of the city. A funicular rail (2min., every 10-30min. 9am-3pm, round-trip €5.50) travels to the top. The quaint Chapel of Saint George, with walls adorned with intricate religious murals, and a pricey restaurant crown the peak. Take your time appreciating the astounding 360˚ view that spans from the mountains over the Acropolis to the water. The colorful stadium seating of the Lycavittos Theater is 180˚ from the Acropolis. Using the Acropolis as a point of reference, the neighborhoods of Monastiraki, Omonia, and Exarhia are on your right. Continuing clockwise, you will see Areos Park behind the small circular patch of green that is Strefi, another of the seven hills. The eastern view gazes down onto more parks and Mt. Hymettus, and offers a glimpse of the Panathenaic Stadium, the National Garden, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. (A trail from the end of Loukianou in Kolonaki takes 15-20min. Hikers should bring water, watch out for cacti and slippery rocks, and not climb alone, especially at night.)

Panathenaic Stadium. Also known as the Kallimarmaro (“Pretty Marble”), the horseshoe-shaped Panathenaic Stadium is wedged between the National Gardens and the neighborhood of Pangrati, carved into a hill. The Byzantines destroyed the Classical stadium, but in 1895 its gleaming white marble was restored. The stadium was the site of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 and was refurbished once again for 2004 games, where it served as the finish line for a marathon event that matched Phidippides’s 490 BC route (see Marathon). The stadium is known in the record books as the site of the most highly attended basketball game in history, with 60,000 spectators for a 1968 European League Final. Marble steles near the front honor Greece’s gold and silver Olympic medalists. The stadium’s history and sheer size make it worth a trip, but be warned that visitors no longer are permitted to walk past the fence that runs along its open end . (On Vas. Konstantinou. From Syndagma, walk down Amalias 10min. to Vas Olgas and follow it to the left. Or take trolley #2, 4, or 11 from Syndagma. Free.)

Around Syndagma. Every hour on the hour around the clock, a small crowd of tourists assembles in front of the Parliament building to witness the changing of the guard. In precisely seven minutes, the evzones (guardsmen) on duty synchronize a series of jerky marionette moves that lead them away from their posts. Once new guards are in place, an attendant hurriedly adjusts ruffled collars and stray hairs. Longer, more elaborate ceremonies take place on Sundays at 11am.

The National Gardens sprawl serenely behind the Parliament building. Broad stripes of white gravel weave past patches of dense plant life, artificial ponds, and the occasional fallen column. A quiet refuge in the middle of Athens’s busiest center, the gardens have shade and plenty of places to sit. Near the Zappeion, a building of exhibition and conference halls, are less natural diversions: an outdoor movie theater and a breezy patio restaurant. The park’s dingy zoo is its least attractive (though perhaps most amusing) draw. A handful of ostriches wanders as peacocks flash their long wings at the stray dogs barking nearby.

Outdoor Markets. Athens’s markets attract bargain-hunters, browsers, award-winning chefs, and a lot of yiayias (grandmothers dressed in widows’ black). The Flea Market, adjacent to Pl. Monastiraki, is like a festive garage sale where old forks and teapots are sold alongside family heirlooms. Try to go on a Sunday, when the whole square is brought to life. (Open M, W and Sa-Su 8am-8pm.) Varnakios, the biggest outdoor food market in Athens, is on Athinas between Armodiou and Aristogeitonos. (Open M-Th 6am-7pm, F-Sa 5am-8pm.) Not for the faint of heart, the meat market, which closes at 3pm, overwhelms with the sights and smells of livers, kidneys, and skinned rabbits. Early risers can jostle with Athenian cooks for choice meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, breads, and cheeses. Roving farmers’ markets, or laikes, pulsate throughout central Athens, stopping every morning to take over a stenodthromos (narrow street) in one particular neighborhood of the city. Other than following a trail of corn shucks and peanut shells, the best way to track them is to call the Athens office of Laikes Agores, Zoödochou Pigis 2-4 (☎21038 07 560).

National Cemetery. The National Cemetery in Pangrati is an impeccably maintained expanse of marble, cypress trees, and intricate tombs. Within its gates are the graves of politicians, actors, poets, and many others who died in Athens, from archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann, excavator of Troy and Mycenae, to Melina Mercury, the Greek film icon who starred in Never on Sunday before becoming the nation’s Minister of Culture. There is a chapel on the main path where ceremonies are held. ( From Pl. Syndagma walk down Amalias for 15min. Turn left on Ath. Diakou, then walk across the intersection and down Anapavseos. ☎21092 36 118. Open daily in summer 8am-8pm; in winter 8am-6pm. Free. Modest dress required.)