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Athens, Greece
Greece is the cradle of European civilization and Athens has been its capital since 1834. It is the country's heart and the economic and industrial center, as well as the political and cultural center. No matter how crowded it becomes with residents and tourists, visitors still find it hospitable and welcoming.
Athens can seem overwhelming at first. The mountains, the rocks, the historic ruins, the panoramic views of valleys and sea: nothing is small. Athens is not scrubbed and polished; it has an ancient, lived-in look as befits a city that has been inhabited for over 7000 years.
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 Acropolis of Athens
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+30 210 3214172
Dionyssiou Areopagithou, Athens
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Ancient Greek civilization was represented in an ideal way on the Acropolis hill and some of the greatest architectural masterpieces of the period were erected on its ground. During the Classical period, 450-330 B.C., three important temples were erected on the ruins of earlier ones; the Parthenon, the Erechtheion and the Temple of Nike. The monumental entrance to the sacred area, the Propylaea, was also constructed in the same period.
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The Parthenon
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+30 310 3214172
Dionyssiou Areopagithou, Athens
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The most important and characteristic monument of the ancient Greek civilization, it was dedicated to Athena Parthenos, the patron goddess of Athens. The temple is built in the Doric order and almost exclusively of Pentelic marble. It is peripteral, with eight columns on each of the narrow sides and seventeen columns on each of the long ones. The central part of the temple, called the cella, sheltered the famous chryselephantine cult statue of Athena.
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Agora
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+30 210 3210185
Adriannou Street 24, Monastiraki
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The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural center, and the seat of justice. Important site monuments consist of the Temple of Hephaistos, the Stoa of Zeus Eleutherios, the Temple of Apollo Patroos, the Bouleuterion, the Metroon, the Monument of the Eponymous Heroes, the Altar of the Twelve Gods, the The Odeion of Agrippa, the Stoa Basileios and the Tholos.
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Byzantine Museum
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+30 210 7211027
Vasilissas Sophias 22, Athens
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The collections of the Byzantine Museum show the course of 4th to 19th century Greek art. Sculptural works, paintings and small works of all sorts represent the artistic production of the Greek area, and other regions both central and peripheral of the Byzantine empire and subsequently of Hellenism on into post-Byzantine times.
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National Gallery of Art
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+30 210 7235857
Vasileos Konstantinou 50, Athens
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The National Gallery, housed in a modern, low rise building, contains a rich collection of works of Greek painters from the 19th and 20th century as well as a noteworthy collection of representative works of European painters.
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Photo credit: Hellenic Ministry of Culture
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