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.
Our Pick of the Athens Guides
Some other Athens pages
The Athens Byzantine and Christian Museum is housed in a beautiful villa with an underground wing and lovely gardens too.
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.
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.
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 car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
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.
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 Food Tours are being introduced by new company The Greek Fork, and will include tours of the Central Market, and the best street food.
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.
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.
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 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 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.
Pictures of Athens from the Greece Travel Secrets website
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.
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.
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
Athens walking tours and other experiences like cookery lessons, ceramics workshops, dining with a family, and street art are available from Alternative Athens
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.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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.
Greece Travel Secrets gives its choice of the best hotels in Athens from budget and moderate options through to 5-star luxury choices.
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.
Athens culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.
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