Athens

Athens: The Acropolis Is Worth the Cliche

The Parthenon is possibly the most reproduced image in Western architecture and the experience of seeing it in person still surprises most people. Not because it is grander than the photographs – in some ways it is smaller – but because standing on the Acropolis plateau at 156 metres above the city, with the limestone of the rock beneath you and the actual 5th-century BCE marble above, the fact that this is the original object rather than a representation of it takes time to settle in. It was begun in 447 BCE and largely completed by 432 BCE under Pericles. The Elgin Marbles, a significant portion of the sculptural programme, are in the British Museum in London – a controversy that the Acropolis Museum addresses with considerable restraint.

Arrive before 8am. The path up fills rapidly and by 10am in summer the crowds make thoughtful looking difficult. The combined Acropolis ticket (EUR 30) covers six major sites over five consecutive days including the Ancient Agora, the Theatre of Dionysus, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

The Acropolis

The Propylaea is the monumental gateway through which you enter the plateau. The Erechtheion to the north, with its Caryatid Porch of six female figures as columns, is the most architecturally unusual building on the rock. The original Caryatids are in the Acropolis Museum; the six you see are replicas.

The Acropolis Museum, opened in 2009 at the base of the hill, was built specifically to house the monuments’ sculptures with visual connection to the actual Acropolis through floor-to-ceiling windows. The top floor’s Parthenon frieze reconstruction – originals alongside plaster casts of the pieces in London – is both beautiful and an implicit argument for repatriation. Allow two hours.

Beyond the Acropolis

The Ancient Agora, west of the Acropolis, was Athens’s civic and commercial centre. The Stoa of Attalos, a 2nd-century BCE colonnaded building reconstructed in the 1950s, now houses a museum. The Temple of Hephaestus on the hill above is among the best-preserved ancient Greek temples anywhere.

Eating

Athens does not have a problematic food culture if you know to leave the tourist-facing tavernas on Plaka’s main streets. Walk five minutes into the side streets of Psyrri, Monastiraki, or Metaxourgio for the same food at lower prices to a predominantly local clientele. Souvlaki from a street vendor (EUR 3 to 8) is the correct street food. Loukoumades – deep-fried dough balls with honey and cinnamon – are the evening sweet. A proper mezze lunch at an ouzeri with small plates, olives, grilled octopus, and saganaki (fried cheese) is the best version of Athenian eating.

The Exarchia neighbourhood, five minutes north of the National Archaeological Museum, has neighbourhood tavernas with no English menus and prices that reflect actual costs.

Where to Stay

Plaka for maximum atmosphere and walking access to the Acropolis, but noisier. Psyrri for the food scene and a more contemporary Athenian character. Monastiraki for budget options and the flea market. Kolonaki for upscale comfort with access to the Benaki Museum and Mount Lycabettus.

Practical Notes

The combined Acropolis ticket is the right purchase. The EU students get reduced entry with identification. Best months: April through June and September through November. July and August are brutally hot (35 to 40 degrees Celsius) and the sites are at their most crowded. Winter is mild and the sites are yours.