Central Athens

Commercial Center – The commercial center lies between Omonia, Syntagma, and Monastiraki squares, and includes the Plaka and Psirri districts. Certain streets are  for pedestrians only, which can be quite pleasant.

Omonoia Square

Omonia Square - My grandmother always used to tell me how beautiful Omonia Square used to be; a grand plateia (square) surrounded by elegant neoclassical buildings and couples strolling along. Near by is the Athens Stock Exchange a nice neoclassical building from where you can head in six different directions; take Athinas street (or better yet, pedestrianized Aiolou – also spelled Eolou – with its charming cafes and shops that end at the Roman Forum), which leads you eventually to Monastiraki.

For a look at grand old city of Athens of the 19th century, check out the beautifully restored Kotzia Square with its grand neoclassical buildings including the Athens City Hall designed in 1874 and the National Bank of Greece Cultural Center. In the middle of the square a large portion of an ancient road has been uncovered (found when building the new Stock Exchange) and can be seen in a fenced-off area where several ancient tombs and small buildings are also visible. The square is even more beautiful at night when it is dramatically lit, so be sure to include it in an evening stroll.

Athinas Street - This street links Omonia and Monastiraki squares, and has Athens‘s Central Market. This is where you can browse fish and meat halls, buy vegetables and fruit from all over Greece, sample cheeses from distant islands – or buy a pair of shoes or sunglasses.
Across from the markets, formerly bleak Varvakeios Square is now landscaped, has several cafes, and offers an opportunity to take a break from the frenzy of the market. The revamping of Varvakeios Square is indicative of just how much the transformation of the Psirri district – once deserted, now chic – has affected neighboring areas.

Klafthmonos Square

Another nearby square, Klaftmonos has also been redesigned and now from it you can see the grand Neoclassical University Trilogy as it was meant to be seen – another glimpse at grand and elegant 19th-century Athens. Athinas Street is also the latest street to be targeted by city planners to be pedestrianized in the near future.

Syntagma (Constitution) Square - The heart of Athens city – Syntagma Square is the focal point of the city’s political and civic life and the New Year’s celebrations. This is also where you’ll find the major banks, travel agencies, American Express and several fine hotels, including the King George, Athens Plazza and Grande Bretagne, the grande dame of Greek hotels. If you are not staying here, take a discreet peak at the magnificent Beaux Arts lobby.

The central post office is at the corner of Mitropoleos. For years, the sidewalk cafes here were popular places from which to watch the world go by, but with the proliferation of the fast-food joints that attract teeny-bopper Athenians and bands of student travelers, you may not want to linger. That said, beautifully restored Syntagma Square, the plateia in front of the Syntagma Metro, with two cafes across from one another, is a convenient central meeting point. This square as well is even more beautiful at night when it is brilliantly lit.

Syntagma is the home of much of governmental Athens: The handsome neoclassical building at the head of the square is the Greek Parliament building, formerly the Royal Palace. The most impressive thing about this grand building – and I urge you to pay close attention to this – is the buildings’ stone and how it changes color throughout the day, from off white to gold to a light blush mauve before it is lit dramatically at night.

Changing of Greek Guards

During the day this is where you’ll see the Changing of the Guard several times a day or during the Athens sightseeing and may hear a band playing on Sunday around 11am. The soldiers who march in front of the Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier often wear the evzone uniform (frilly white skirts and pom-pommed red shoes) of their ancestors who fought to gain Greece’s freedom during the War of Independence (1821-28). (Be sure to spend some time in the beautiful National and Zappeion Gardens adjacent to the Parliament.) South of Syntagma Square, Monastiraki Square and the Plaka area are Athens‘s two main tourist destinations.

Kolonaki - Forever posh, elegant, and happening, this neighborhood tucked beneath the slopes of Lycabettus Mountain has long been the favorite address of the socialites. The streets (many pedestrianized) are jampacked with boutiques, designer houses, private art galleries, and dozens of restaurants, cafes, and cooler-than-thou night and day spots.

Vassilissis Sofias Avenue is one of the most imposing streets in Athens city, with beautiful neoclassical mansions that have been converted into museums (a few embassies as well), thus earning the nickname the Museum Mile (aka the Embassy District). Kolonaki is a great area to explore, with its happening streets, busy plateias, boutiques, galleries and restaurants, so take your time to soak in all the urban chic you can before making your way to the top of Lycabettus mountain for an extraordinary sunset with Athens laid under your feet like a sparkling map.

The open-air theatre of Likavitos hill at night

If you walk down, you’ll pass through some of central Athens’s nicest and greenest streets winding around Likavitos’s lower slopes.

If you’re in Kolonaki on a Saturday, don’t miss the beautiful people and the wannabes promenading up and down the streets, thronging in front of favorite boutiques to ogle the latest fashions, and collapsing at street cafes to revive their spirits with cool drinks. There are more shoe stores per inch in Kolonaki than almost anywhere else in Greece, a nation that takes its footwear very seriously.

Kolonaki gradually merges to the northwest with the university area, which is spread loosely between the 19th-century university buildings (the Neoclassical University Complex, or Trilogy) on Panepistimiou and the Polytechnic some 10 blocks to the northwest. Many publishers have their offices around here, and bibliophiles may enjoy the window displays of everything from children’s books about Hercules to mathematical texts.