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Photo: Dimboukas, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Visit the beautiful Neoclassical main building which houses collections of Greek art, from ancient times through the Byzantine period and the modern state. Open late and for free on Thursday evenings. The museum shop is a good place to buy souvenirs. There is a small selection at high prices but the quality is excellent.
The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in Athens, Greece. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop. Although the museum initially housed a collection that included Islamic art, Chinese porcelain and exhibits on toys, its 2000 re-opening led to the creation of satellite museums that focused on specific collections, allowing the main museum to focus on Greek culture over the span of the country's history. This Museum in Athens houses over 100,000 artifacts from Greek history and showcases the many eras, civilizations and cultures which have influenced the development of Greece. Spread over a number of locations, the museum ranks among Greece’s foremost cultural institutions.
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Holds the second largest collection of Cypriot antiquities in the world outside Cyprus, after the Metropolitan Museum in New York. Some of the most popular exhibits include the Cycladic figurines, the idols from Early Bronze Age Cyclades, whose style greatly influenced modernist work in the 20th century, and Cypriot pottery and Ancient Greek artifacts, especially the ‘Scenes of Daily Life in Ancient Greece’ display, which is popular with families. They also sell great souvenirs, and lunch is available at the elegant Aethrion Café. If you are lucky, there may be a quirky temporary exhibition too (with no extra entry fee), as they hold archaeological, modern and contemporary art exhibitions.
This building is on the eastern side of the square. It was the former royal palace before Greece became a republic. At its base, facing the square, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Λύκειο, Lýkeio
An ancient temple here hosted lectures by Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and early meetings of the Athenian Assembly. Aristotle made the temple the home of his school, the Lyceum. It hosted the world's first zoo and botanical garden, as well as a library which preserved classical Greek works for centuries afterwards. Rediscovered in 1996, the site can now be viewed outdoors. Entrance is from the north, from the same entrance as for the Byzantine and Christian museum.
Catch the changing of the guards in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of Parliament every hour on the hour. The guards are a fascinating sight; they wear distinctive uniforms with pleated kilts and leather clogs with pom-poms. The uniforms and the guards' unusual marching style are a tribute to the light infantry insurgents (evzones) who bravely fought the Greek War of Independence. Make sure you don't get too close or stand on the wrong side of them if you want to take a picture. If that occurs, they will knock their gun and, as they are not allowed to speak, another guard in regular military uniform will kindly ask you to change position. A more elaborate version of the ceremony takes place at 11:00 every Sunday, when it is accompanied by a marching military band.
Now the base of a summertime outdoor cinema, you can view the remains of the reservoir that was the terminus of an aqueduct that transported water for Roman-era Athenians from Parnitha to the base of Mount Lycabettus. You can only peer through windows and are not able to descend into the reservoir.
A Peaceful and beautiful park in the centre of Athens, easily the coolest place to hide from the summer sun. Wander around, check out the quirky art that seems to sprout up every now and again, look on in disbelief at the "zoo", sit on one of the benches, enjoy the luxuriant flowers and vegetation, marvel at the turtle and duck ponds, have a frappe in the cafe, and spot one of the resident tortoises exploring... it's a fun place to hang out.