Athens Agora
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.
At the Ancient Agora in Athens
After the Acropolis and National Archaeological Museum, the
market place of ancient Athens is another of the best things to do in Athens. It features some good
remains and a fine, small museum.
Athens Agora
Imagine the Agora filled with stalls and shops, its streets
and squares packed with buyers and sellers. It helps to buy a plan or to
consult one of the information boards dotted around the site. The area was
first used as a market place in about the 6th century BC. Before that it was a
cemetery.
The Ancient Agora Stands Below the Acropolis
Photo by Donna Dailey
The site was at the heart of Athenian life for centuries, along with the Acropolis, which rises behind it. In fact, a good overview of the Agora can be had from the Acropolis, or from the neighbouring Areopagos.
At ground level the foundations of many buildings are still evident, with signs in English for some of them. Two buildings dominate opposite ends of the site. One is the Temple of Hephaistos, and the other the Stoa Atallou (Stoa of Attalos), which contains the Agora's excellent little museum.
The Temple of Hephaistos
Athens Agora: The Stoa of Attalos
The Stoa is a two-storey arcade, first built in the 2nd
century BC. It has been immaculately restored by the American School of
Classical Studies in Athens, giving us a rare opportunity to see what Greek buildings
of the period actually looked like when they were in use.
The Stoa of Attalos
Athens Agora Museum
Inside, the museum is full of quirky finds that bring old
Athens to life: a child's commode, a fragment of a library rule-book, a clever machine
used for the selection of officials. Between the museum and the Acropolis is
another restored building, the Church of the Holy Apostles.
Where to Stay in Athens
Some other Athens pages
If you're wondering where to eat in Athens and Piraeus we have a few suggestions including some favorites around the Acropolis, Omonia Square, and Syntagma.
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.
Athens Airport car rentals include Alamo/National Car Rental, Avis, Budget, Europcar, Hertz and Sixt, all with offices at the airport.
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
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.
Two of the best cocktail bars in Athens, MoMix Kerameikos and The Clumsies, are making creative cocktails using that most Greek of Greek spirits, Metaxa.
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.
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
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.
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.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
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 Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
Athens is a top vacation destination. The Greece Travel Secrets Athens guide has information on hotels, museums, Athens airport and all the best things to do.
This extract of Artistic Athens in the Lonely Planet book Culture Trails takes visitors on a journey through the artistic side of Athens..
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.
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
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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.
Athens culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.
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.
Athens Airport hotels include the luxury Sofitel at the terminals, Holiday Inn near the airport, and others close by like the Hotel Pantheon.
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.
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.
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