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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, GreeceThe 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 in Athens, GreeceThe 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.

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 in Athens, GreeceMount 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.

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