A walking tour of Athens city

A walking route you can do on your own:

Syntagma Square, in front of the Parliament House, is the main square in Athens.  It’s also known as Constitution Square and around this area you’ll find the banks, airline offices, shopping centres and malls, restaurants and hotels.

This is a good starting point for a walking tour of the city, something that you can easily do on your own with the help of a street map.

We came here in search of the American Express exchange office, which we recalled as being a little office in Ermou Street off the main square. However, as the area had been totally overhauled for the Olympics, what we recollected was outdated information.  The moral of the story is if you need to get to an American Express office, or any other place in particular, always check the latest address before you leave.  We asked quite a few of the locals before someone was able to point us to the new location.

Catch the changing of the Guards Ceremony

In front of the Parliament House is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is watched over by two special guards called evzones and each hour on the hour, a changing of the guards ceremony takes place.  This is quite an impressive ceremony and a great photo-opportunity.

The guards in their traditional uniforms (apparently there are some 400 pleats in the kilt-like skirt) and pom-pom shoes look extremely smart.  In the heat of the midday sun, it must be unbearably hot in the heavy outfit, and yet these guys look very together.  When taking your snaps, be careful not to get in the way of the guards as they high-kick their way away from the tomb at the end of the changeover.  They will not veer from their path and you won’t want to risk a nasty kick!

Across from Syntagma is the Grande Bretagne Hotel. This grand and luxurious hotel was established in 1862 and its guests usually include foreign dignataries and the more upmarket travellers.

Behind the Parliament House is the National Gardens which we didn’t call into as we wanted to complete our walk circuit. Walking down El. Venizelou Street, you’ll see some magnificent and grand neoclassical buildings like the Academy of Arts, University and National Library. The university students are very fortunately to have their university smack in the middle of town and surrounded by other historic institutions.

Finish off your walk in the maze of shops at Monastiraki

At the end of Venizelou Street is Omonia Square and if you head southwards, you’ll be walking in the direction of Monastiraki. This is the most picturesque area of Athens with its flea market and streets that are packed with all kinds of shops.  Once you hit this area, you’ll probably lose yourself in the maze of shops.

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Greece and Greek Island Travel

Greece Travel: a Europe Tour that’s a Gold Medal Experience!

Greece travel need not be an Olympic marathon. Given Greek history, the most interesting tourist sights naturally tend to be in the more southern areas of mainland Greece rather than the north.

After Athens, most tours concentrate on the major historical sites like Olympia and Delphi and a few other places of interest such as the monasteries at Meteora and the Perama Caves. Unless you have special reasons for spending longer, two weeks is really quite sufficient to cover Athens and the main areas.

Greek island travel however can take as long as you want, and the time you allot usually tends to be too short! There are seven main groups of islands, each island with a slightly different feel. The individual Greek islands all have their own unique beauty and allure, and to no two islands are the same.

Choose the classical Greek style of the Cyclades Islands, or the  Venetian influence on the Ionian Islands, or a quiet and relaxing vacation amid the green scenery of the more laid-back Sporades Islands. Whatever your taste, there’s an island to match…

Of course, ignoring expatriate Greeks visiting relatives, the majority of tourists visiting Greece come on package tours to a single island destination. However, this need not be a disaster, as in many if not most cases these package tourists are isolated in resort hotels and areas. Careful choice of island and hotel (and season) can still give you the Greek holiday you dream of!

A Cruise Alternative

Another alternative is to take a cruise around the Greek Islands, and these ships often slot in a visit to the Turkish coast as well. There are some interesting cruises that take in a few Greek islands and also some Italian destinations which you may find interesting.

Although tending towards the expensive end of the market, a cruise is certainly a relaxed way of seeing the various island destinations, and can often be combined with a land tour for a more comprehensive experience. You may also get to cover a greater selection of islands in a limited time if you’re on a tight schedule.

Of course, it’s best to allow yourself as many lazy days as possible when you’re in the islands, but the main drawback of a cruise option for me is that you usually don’t get to spend the evenings there, so it’s not possible to enjoy a lazy late night dinner in the tavernas.

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Tour Routes in Greece and the Greek islands

When to travel to Greece and the Greek islands

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Athens Sightseeing: The Acropolis

An awe-inspiring heritage from Greece’s Golden Age:

A highlight of any holiday in Athens is a visit to the Acropolis.  One of the earliest religious complexes in ancient Greece, this awe-inspiring heritage from its the Golden Age still dominates the skyline of modern Athens.

The Acropolis is an extremely popular tourist attraction and each day bus loads of tourists of different nationalities descend upon the site.  Shuffling in the queue as you wind your way to reach the top can be a test of patience as sometimes the less public spirited group tourists may jostle and push their way through causing others to lose their cool.  If you’re able to get there early in the morning or in the late afternoon when there are less tour groups, you may have a more pleasant experience of this impressive site.  The complex is open from 8am to 7pm in summer and from 8am to sunset in winter.

To reach the plateau, you enter through an large portal, and at the top are the ruins of three of the most important temples built in the 5th century BC.  The Acropolis is under various stages of restoration and photographers may be a little frustrated by the scaffoldings.

Temples of the Acropolis

The Parthenon is the largest building on the Acropolis and one of the world’s most legendary man-made structures. It was built by Perikles to honor the virgin goddess Athena.  Except for the wooden roof, the whole building was constructed entirely out of marble. The Parthenon’s architecture and illusion of perfect symmetry has been the study of many architects and historians and thousands of buildings around the world have been modeled on it. Most of the artifacts from the temple are housed in the Acropolis Museum nearby.

The Temple of Athena Nike, also called the Temple of the Wingless Victory, is a small temple that once contained a sanctuary and an altar for animal sacrifices. The temple was restored to its former splendor in time for the 2004 Olympics.

The Erechtheion can be recognized by the six maidens, or caryatids, holding up the roof of the porch. Five of the original caryatids are stored in the old Acropolis Museum with the sixth in the British Museum in London.

The Acropolis Museum lies hidden behind the Parthenon and contains all of the portable objects removed from the Acropolis since 1834.  It displays antiquities including three of the original sculptures from the Parthenon’s pediment and sculptures of humans and animals dating back to the 6th century BC. Due to its limited size, a new and much larger Acropolis Museum is currently under construction a few hundred yards to the south (scheduled for opening in June 2009).  The old museum has been closed since 2007 to prepare for the move of its treasures to their new home.

From the top of the Acropolis, you also get a sweeping view of Athens and the Saronic Gulf.  Crowds and scaffolding notwithstanding, this ancient sacred site never fails to impress its visitors.

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Greek sandals fit for gods and goddesses

Greek sandals by a famous sandal maker

On my first visit to Athens many many moons ago, I stumbled upon Pandrossou Street and recall my heart rate spiking up as for me this was like discovering an Aladdin’s cave of shops.  Pandrossou Street is a pedestrian walkway jammed  with shops on both sides, many selling souvenirs, local handicraft, jewelry, scarves, t-shirts as well as leather goods.

I didn’t come here with a specific shopping list, but ended up buying a nicely hand-made and very functional black leather briefcase from one of the shops.  It was quite cheap and lasted forever, in spite of my none too delicate treatment of it! I needed to bring back little souvenirs for work colleagues and found some nice ceramic coasters with images of Greek gods on them. My colleagues loved them as I had paired them off with a god each and they were chuffed with the association.

It was in Pandrossou Street as well that we first met Stavros Melissinos. We went into his shop to admire (and buy) his Greek sandals and then discovered that Stavros was more than a sandal maker.  This very friendly old man was famous as a poet and philosopher and his celebrity clientele included Sophia Loren, the Beatles, Jacqueline Onassis, Gary Cooper, Rudolph Nureyev and many others.  The sandals were a means to earn a living, but Stavros was more interested in his writing and philosophy.  He was pleased that he could discuss his philosophy with Tony and the two of them got on like wild fire. For all his fame, Stavros’ shop was very modest and it appears that he was more interested in meeting the people that came into his shop, rather than selling his wares.  So each time when we returned to Athens, a visit to Stravros was one of our first stops.

Where to find Melissinos’ sandals

The Melissinos sandal shop moved from Pandrossou Street as the Olympics brought with it increased rentals in the main tourist areas.  The sandal shop is now located at 2 Aghias Theklas Street, still within walking distance of the Plaka area.  The business is now run by Pantelis Melissinos, Stavros’s son.  Pantelis has carried on the family tradition of sandal making and like his dad, he is also a talented playwright, composer and set and costume designer.  He is a spitting image of his father both in looks and personality.  Coincidentally, the new shop at No. 2 Aghias Theklas Street is just a few doors away from where Lord Byron used to live at No. 11.  Pantelis must feel that he is in good company in this street.

Sandals fit for gods and goddesses

We bought more sandals and Pantelis was able to quickly pulled apart a pair that Tony was keen on and he personally fitted them to Tony’s feet, making sure that the edges were all smooth – what great service!  Pantelis told us that the priestesses at the Olympia Flame Ceremony have been wearing Melissinos’ sandals for over 40 years, something that Stavros never mentioned to us.

If you’re going to Athens, it would be worthwhile making your way to Melissinos’ and getting an authentic pair of Greek sandals from this famous sandalmaker.  You can choose from about 28 different styles, each one named after an ancient Greek god, goddess or one of his celebrity clients.  They are very affordable and make good gifts for friends and family.  You can also order these online and the website shows what all the different styles are and gives indicative shipping costs to the U.S.

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Shopping on your Athens holiday

Athens, a Shopping Mecca for all:

Athens is a shopping mecca which caters for all types of shoppers.  From the souvenir collectors to the bargain hunters and to the more serious buyers of artwork, jewellery or sculptures, there is an abundance of choice here.

When Athens was awarded the 2004 Olympic Games, the city centre was spruced up immeasurably in preparation for the Games.  Ermou Street, for example, was converted into a pedestrian walkway and a bigger range of more upmarket shops sprung up.  Both sides of the street are lined with stores selling brand named clothing, shoes, cosmetic, etc. getting ready for the big tourist spend.

Shopping Streets

If you wear comfortable walking shoes, it’s easy to cover the shopping triangle marked by Syntagma, Monastiraki and Omonoia.  Then there is the Plaka area with shops selling herbs and spices, icons, candlesticks, books, etc.  Even if you’re not looking for anything in particular, it’s interesting to just stroll around and check out the variety of shops and see what each one of them is selling.

Ladies looking for jewellery will want to head for Mitropoleos Street which has a great variety of fabulous shops offering copies of ancient Greek designs to more modern and elegant creations.

For the chicest place to shop in Athens, make your way to Kolonaki, the fashionable neighborhood at the foot of Lykavittos Hill.  This is where you’ll find the big names like Bulgari, Gucci, Vuitton, Lanvin and Lancel. Tsakalof Street is Kolonaki’s most famous thoroughfare with a reputation of being the sixth most expensive street in the world. When you need a bit of rejuvenation, there are plenty of trendy coffee shops and restaurants around Kolonaki Square.

Flea Markets

At the opposite end of the scale, if you like checking out flea markets, then you’re in luck here.  Athens is noted for its flea markets and at Monastiraki, you’ll find a huge one.  Dealers set out their wares very early on Sunday mornings along Adrianou and nearby streets and you’ll find all kinds of bric-a-brac here.  As in many European cities, you’ll also find African vendors selling their fake designer goods.  The police frequently come around to chase them away, but one wonders how these guys manage to bring their fake goods into the country in the first place.

The commercial tourist shops and antique sellers of Pandrosou and Ifaistou streets also regard themselves as part of the Monastiraki Flea Market.  These shops open everyday however weekend mornings are the best times to visit.

In front of the Monastiraki station there are stalls selling fruit and food as well.  Its always enjoyable walking around market places as it gives you an idea of what’s in season and the types of food that locals buy.   There is a Central Market each Friday at Xenokratous in Kolonaki, so if you decide to pay a visit to ‘chic city‘, you’ll be able to call in at the market as well.

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