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Photo: Ktiv, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
An 11th-century Byzantine monastery and UNESCO World Heritage site. Damaged by an earthquake in 1999, but has now been fully restored.
Daphni or Dafni is an eleventh-century Byzantine monastery eleven kilometers northwest of central Athens in the suburb of Chaidari, south of Athinon Avenue. It is situated near the forest of the same name, on the Sacred Way that led to Eleusis. The forest covers about 18 km2 (7 mi2), and surrounds a laurel grove. "Daphni" is the modern Greek name that means "laurel grove", derived from Daphneion (Lauretum).
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This house of study was founded by the famous philosopher Plato. His equally famous follower Aristotle studied here for 20 years before leaving to found a school of his own. The site is an outdoor free park where you can see the excavated ruins. The ruins are not well explained or particularly impressive, but they do form a very nice park in a charming family oriented neighborhood. The exact coordinates given here are for a sign which best explains the various ruins in the park. The site is a long walk from all other historic sites, or a single bus route which runs slower than walking on the busy streets.
The site of the ancient cemetery of Athens. It also houses the Dipylon Gate, where the Panathenaic procession would begin. Its museum showcasing many of the grave stele and other archaeological items found on the grounds. The site has more than 20 tortoises, so be sure to watch your step and not trample on them.