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Photo: Julian Lupyan, CC0 via Wikimedia Commons
The best preserved ancient Greek temple, 5th century BCE.
The Temple of Hephaestus or Hephaisteion, is a well-preserved Greek temple dedicated to Hephaestus; it remains standing largely intact today. It is a Doric peripteral temple, and is located at the north-west side of the Agora of Athens, on top of the Agoraios Kolonos hill. From the 7th century until 1834, it served as the Greek Orthodox church of Saint George Akamates. The building's condition has been maintained due to its history of varied use.
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The site of the ancient city centre is a green space with a beautiful view of the Acropolis. It was built as a multipurpose area, then evolved into a religious area over time. The Ancient Agora was eventually abandoned and then large parts of it were later built over for a thousand years. The open space you see today was excavated starting in the 1850s.
Museum of the Ancient Agora
This building was reconstructed in the 1950s from its original foundations, incorporating as much of the original structure and materials as possible, with limestone quarried from Piraeus and roof tiles made of clay from Attica. It is used as a museum to house relics found in the Agora.
Agias Apostoli
From the 11th century, one of the oldest churches in Athens.
An excellent collection which anyone interested in Islamic art will want to see. The museum was opened in 2004 as a branch of the Benaki, but is in a different part of town in two connected buildings.
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.
Roman Forum
This area became the main marketplace of the city after the Ancient Agora to the west became primarily a religious facility under Roman rule. It houses the Tower of the Winds, an eight-sided tower with a different wind deity on each side, the remains of ancient shops, and a fountain. Although the official entrance faces the end of Pikilis, you cannot buy tickets at the entrance. The ticket office is just around the corner and across the street to the north, on Epaminonda.