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
This Athens dining guide doesn't list restaurants but gives practical advice on types of eating places, tipping, hotel breakfasts and picnics.
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.
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.
There are lots of flights from Athens to Santorini as well as a ferry service from Piraeus, with flights to Santorini leaving from Athens International Airport.
The Athens War Museum is a fascinating look at Greek history through the lens of warfare from ancient battles to the Greek War of Independence and World War II.
Mount Lykabettos is the highest hill in Athens and provides some of the best views of the city, with a funicular cable car the easiest way to get to the top.
The Athens Acropolis has the city's most iconic building, the Parthenon, along with other historic buildings and is where the Elgin Marbles were taken from.
The Athens Museum of Cycladic Art houses a remarkable collection of Cycladic figurines and other items and is one of the best museums in Athens.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
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.
The Changing of the Guard in Athens takes place outside the Parliament building at the top of Syntagma Square and is a must-see for visitors.
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.
Amusing children in Athens is easy as there is lots to do including a children’s museum, planetarium, beaches, and easy excursions to the nearest islands.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
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.
Athens walking tours and other experiences like cookery lessons, ceramics workshops, dining with a family, and street art are available from Alternative Athens
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 Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
This beginner's guide to Greek architecture explains how to tell your Ionic from your Doric columns, and what to look for in temples and Byzantine churches.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
A History of Athens from the first people to live on the Acropolis through the Golden Age of Pericles and Alexander the Great to the military junta.
The National Archaeological Museum is one of the best things to see in Athens, and the best museum in the world for seeing Greece's archaeological treasures.
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.
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