Syntagma Square
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.
Syntagma Square
Photo by Donna Dailey
The main square of Athens, Constitution Square (or Plateía Syntagmatos in Greek), is one that every visitor should see – and at some point probably will. The metro station is one of the busiest in the city, and the square has newspaper kiosks selling foreign papers, several hotels, banks, ATMs, and currency exchanges.
There’s also a main post office, though its street address is Mitropoleos 2, just round the corner at the south-west corner of the square. Syntagma Square also has public toilets, and some outdoor sculptures to enjoy. In addition, this is where the X95 bus to and from the airport stops, along the southern side of the square, and local buses too.
Syntagma Square
Photo credit: puthoOr photOgraphy on Visualhunt
Small gardens, shady cafés and a fountain down one side all make for a pleasant break for Athens’ office workers at lunchtime, and for visitors too. You’ll pay a little more for your coffee but it’s the perfect place to hang out and people-watch.
Hotel Grande Bretagne
The Hotel Grande Bretagne on Syntagma Square
On one side is the distinguished Hotel Grande Bretagne, almost a tourist attraction in its own right. Richard Strauss, Elizabeth Taylor and Sir Winston Churchill have been among the guests. Churchill would have remembered the experience as it was during World War II and an attempt was made on his life there!
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Greek Parliament Building
The hotel was built in 1862 as an annexe to what was then the royal family's summer palace and is now the Greek Parliament Building, or Vouli, at the top of the square. In front of this is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by the Greek soldiers known as Evzones, whose Changing of the Guard ritual is one of the most popular tourist attractions. It is an impressive, precise and dramatic routine, with the guards dressed in their colourful traditional costumes.
The Changing of the Guard on Syntagma Square
Syntagma Square Metro Station
Syntagma metro station, the hub of an ever-expanding system, not only provides many useful transport links but also offers visitors a glimpse of what lies below the busy streets of the modern
city. It features a display of archaeological finds uncovered during the
excavations of the transport system, and a diorama of the square as it would
have looked in the past.
Some other Athens pages
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
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.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
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.
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.
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.
This Athens dining guide doesn't list restaurants but gives practical advice on types of eating places, tipping, hotel breakfasts and picnics.
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.
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
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.
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
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.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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.
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
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.
There's all kinds of entertainment in Athens whether you're interested in theatre, dance, classical music, jazz, Greek music, rock music, disco, opera or movies.
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
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
The best views in Athens include views from the Acropolis and of the Acropolis from the top of some of the city’s several hills and from hotels and restaurants.
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
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.
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.
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