A Walk around
Kolonaki
This walk around the Kolonaki neighbourhood of Athens starts and ends
in Syntagma Square and takes you to several museums, Kolonaki Square and Mount
Lykabettos.
The Kolonaki Neighbourhood in Athens
Start/end point: Syntagma Square
Distance: 3 kms (1.9 miles)
Time: 90 minutes without stops, 2–3 hours with stops, or all day if you
also visit any of the museums.
Walk Around Kolonaki:
Directions
From Syntagma Square walk up Vasilissis Sofias, the main
road to the left of the imposing National Parliament Building. If you're here on the hour you might want to watch the Changing of the Guard, which takes place at the top end of Syntagma Square every hour, on the hour, every day of the year.
The Benaki Museum
Photo by Dimboukas
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
At the fifth junction on your left, along Vasilissis Sofias, on the corner with Koumbari, stands the Benaki Museum. The museum houses the art collection of a wealthy Greek merchant, Antoine Benaki. See our full page about the Benaki Museum.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
To Kolonaki Square
Turn left by the museum, up Koumbari to Kolonáki Square. Kolonáki
is one of the most fashionable districts of Athens, the kind of place where
well-to-do Greek ladies walk their dogs. Kolonáki Square is surrounded by
designer stores, cafés, and smart gift shops.
Mount Lykabettos as seen from the Acropolis
To Mount Lykabettos
Cross the square and leave it at the far right corner along
the main road, Patriarchou Ioakim. Cross two junctions; at the third, at the
first set of traffic lights, turn left up Plutarchou. This steep street leads towards Mount Lykabettos, visible at
the top.
At the end of Plutarchou you may appreciate taking the funicular to the top of Mount Lykabettos. Enjoy the views over Athens: on a clear day you can see as far as the island of Aegina. See our full page all about Mount Lykabettos.
To the Byzantine and
Christian Museum
Take the zigzag path to the left, going down again through
the lightly wooded slopes of the hill. If you ignore minor paths to left and
right, you emerge on Aristippou, about 100m down from the funicular station.
Head straight down Loukianou, another steep stepped Kolonáki Street, back down
to Vasilissis Sofias, to emerge almost opposite the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Syntagma Square
Photo credit: puthoOr photOgraphy on Visualhunt
Back to Syntagma
Square
Turning left here and crossing the road would take you to the War Museum and, a
little further on, the National Gallery. If you have had enough walking for one
day, turn right to go back down Vasilissis Sofias and return to Syntagma
Square.
Some other Athens pages
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
The beach resorts of Athens are easily reached from the city and also close are Cape Sounion with the Temple of Poseidon, ancient Marathon and Rafina's port.
Athens, an Eater's Guide to the City, is published by Culinary Backstreets, who do walking food tours in Athens and the book recommends the best places to eat.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
The best things to do in Athens, Greece, include top archaeological sites like the Acropolis and must-see attractions such as the National Archaeological Museum
Athens' Benaki Museum is one of the city’s top museums with an outstanding collection, especially of Greek and Egyptian artefacts, in a beautiful mansion.
Easter in Athens is, like everywhere in Greece, the biggest religious celebration of the year and this page tells you what to expect over the Easter weekend.
Athens Food Tours are being introduced by new company The Greek Fork, and will include tours of the Central Market, and the best street food.
Ten Fun Things to Do in Athens include eating in the Central Market, watching the sun set over the Acropolis and seeing one of the world's oldest theatres.
The Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
Greece Travel Secrets picks the best time to visit Athens with a month-by-month account of the weather, hotel prices and any special events that are happening.
If visiting Athens it helps to know when major events and public holidays take place, as some shops and attractions may be closed, but to be there at times like Easter can make for a magical trip.
Syntagma Square or Constitution Square is the main square in Athens and has a metro station, the Greek Parliament building, hotels, cafes, and a post office.
The Greece Travel Secrets guide to the original Athens Olympic Stadium, built for the 1896 Olympic Games and open to the public for jogging and photography.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
Athens International Airport is east of Athens city centre with its own Metro train station, buses to Athens and Piraeus, taxis and car rental offices.
Athens in the rain isn’t something you’re likely to experience but here are suggestions for things to do in the rain in Athens including museums and shopping
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
This drive around Attica offers visitors high hills, beach resorts, small villages and classical sites like Marathon and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion.
Athens culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.
The Pnyx hill near the Acropolis is one of Athens' true hidden gems, a place to wander freely away from the crowds and discover ancient places and mysteries.
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
The Athens Agora or ancient market is a must-see site and one of the best things to do in Athens with its restored arcade building, the Stoa, and its museum.
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
Greece Travel Secrets lists the ten best museums in Athens, with the top two being the National Archaeological Museum and the Acropolis Museum.
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