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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 culinary tours are among the food walking tours offered by an unusual company, Culinary Backstreets.
The Athens National Historical Museum is in the former Greek Parliament building and houses an archive of historical artefacts and documents.
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.
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.
Athens car rental options include almost all of the major international car hire firms such as Avis, Budget, Hertz, and Europcar.
In My Athens on Greece Travel Secrets travel writer Mike Gerrard describes what he loves about Athens including the Acropolis and eating!
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.
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 walking tours and other experiences like cookery lessons, ceramics workshops, dining with a family, and street art are available from Alternative Athens
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.
This Athens dining guide doesn't list restaurants but gives practical advice on types of eating places, tipping, hotel breakfasts and picnics.
Greece Travel Secrets chooses its top ten Athens restaurants with Acropolis views, perfect for dining by day or by night, including places with Michelin stars.
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.
Greece Travel Secrets visits the Monastiraki Flea Market, followed by Sunday lunch at Sigalas on Monastiraki Square
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
Around Monastiraki is the flea market, Athens cathedral, Kerameikos Cemetery, the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art and the Psirri and Gazi nightlife districts.
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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