Athens Athens in 4 Days Packed Itinerary © 2014-2015 visitacity.com All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. Day 1 09:00 The Acropolis The UNESCO site topped by the Acropolis and other ancient structures 10:00 Parthenon The main structure on the Acropolis built in honor of Athena 11:10 Theater of Dionysos A well preserved amphitheatre, 174AD on the slopes of the Acropolis 12:15 Plaka Athens' old town, charming cobbled streets, cafes and neo-classical building 13:50 The Acropolis Museum This museum holds archaeological findings, statues and architecture from the Acropolis 15:55 Hadrian's Arch A 2nd century triumphal arch in honor of Emperor Hadrian 16:30 Temple of Olympian Zeus The remains of the largest temple in Greece, southeast of the Acropolis 17:30 Panathenaic Stadium Built in 330BC for the Panathenaic Games and adapted over time © 2014-2015 visitacity.com All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. 09:00 The Acropolis Visit Duration: 1 hour Athens' top must-see attraction and a UNESCO site is the Acropolis, High City or Sacred Rock, a hill overlooking the city and home to the most recognizable symbol of the city, the Parthenon. The Acropolis has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and has been used as both a religious cult site and a residential area. Most Greek cities were built around a central hill or mound as it made a good-look out point and place to retreat in the event of an attack. From the Acropolis you can look out to sea and down onto the city, the remains of the ancient Agora and the Plaka which hugs the foot of the hill. TThe Parthenon was the central and largest of the Acropolis temples and was dedicated to Athena, it had rich decoration, statues, friezes and art work by the greatest artists of the time. In ancient times the Acropolis was the venue for the annual Athenian Festival of Panathenaia. When Athens was invaded by the Persians in 480BC the Acropolis and its monuments were destroyed. Under Pericles the Acropolis structures were rebuilt starting in 448BC. The 5 th century structures we see today were made from Pentelic marble. The Acropolis and its ancient structures (particularly the Parthenon) represent the pinnacle of Greek civilization, philosophy and art. Among the complex of archaeological discoveries on the Acropolis four main structures stand out: the Parthenon; the Propylaea; the Erechtheum and the Temple of Athena Nike. Address: Athens 105 58 Phone Number: 210 321-4172 Visitors enter the site through the Beule Gate and then pass through the Propylaia. Propylaea (monumental gateways) stand at Admission: €12 general admission, concession the entrance to the site. €6. Ticket, valid for 1 week, includes admission to the Acropolis, Ancient Agora, Theater of Dionysos, The Temple of Apteros Nike stood on the ramparts protecting the entrance to the inner sanctuary. The Temple of Athena Nike Karameikos Cemetery, Roman Forum, Tower of or Athena of Victory is an Ionic temple dating back to 424BC and is the oldest temple on the Acropolis. It is best known for the the Winds, and Temple of Olympian Zeus. frieze on the Nike Parapet. The temple has a four columned colonnaded portico at the back and front with closed walls on the Individual tickets may be bought at the other sites. sides. Last weekend Sept free. First Sunday of months The Erechtheion is the tomb of Erechtheus, one of the early kings of Athens. The Erechtheion has beautiful carvings and 1st Nov-31st March free. Under 18s free. Caryatids holding up the porch ceiling (the originals are on display in the Acropolis Museum). Caryatids are sculptured figures of Opening Hours: Daily 8am-5pm. Web: women used instead of columns. Note where Poseidon struck the ceiling and floor and made a spring flow out in his contest http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh351.jsp?obj_id=2384 with Athena to decide who the city would be named after. Next to the tomb stands an olive tree which Athena planted in Transportation: Metro: Acropolis Note: Ticket response. booth, small post office, and snack bar are located slightly below the Acropolis entrance The massive Parthenon (see separate post) has a total of 50 columns and is one of the most graceful and impressive in the Greek world. Originally the Parthenon had a roof which was destroyed in the 17 th century. Visitors can walk around the structure but just like in ancient Greece the general public cannot enter the structure. The Parthenon and other structures would have been brightly painted but over the course of time have lost their color and now appear in their natural marble state. © 2014-2015 visitacity.com All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. 10:00 Parthenon Visit Duration: 1 hour 0.1 KM, 2 minutes walking from The Acropolis The Parthenon is the main ancient structure on the Acropolis, a hill in the center of Athens. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the symbol of Athens and the most famous of the surviving structures from the world of ancient Greece. The building was originally built in honor of the goddess Athena, the city's patron. The Temple of Athena the Virgin ( Parthenon is the Greek word for virgin) was built following the Persian Wars in thanks of the city's victory. It was built on the site of an earlier temple which the Persians had destroyed. As rulers and occupiers changed the temple was used for different purposes including as a church, a mosque and a fortress. In the construction of the Parthenon the architect Entasis used optical illusions to create a light and elevated impression. The base of the columns, the stylobate , curves upward slightly and the columns swell slightly as they rise thus creating a more symmetrical impression as you look up at the edifice. The base of the Parthenon is 30.9 meters by 69.5 meters; the cella (inner chamber) was 29.8 meters by 19.2 meters; there Address: Acropolis, Athens were two colonnades of Doric columns supporting the roof. Originally the Parthenon would have been painted Phone Number: 210 3214172 with light blue ceilings and the statues in bright colors. Today we can only see the white marble. Admission: €12 general admission, €6 concession. Ticket includes Acropolis and 10 other The 5 th century sculptor Phidias took charge of the decoration and the center piece was a 12.19 meter high sites. Free last weekend Sept; free every first sculpture of Athena. By 438BC the building was complete but the decoration continued a further 5 years. Sunday of month 1st Nov-31st March, under 18s free. Unfortunately structural changes were made in different eras to accommodate the building's changing Opening Hours: Daily 8am-5pm functions. For example the internal columns were removed to turn the temple into a church and when Web: converted into a mosque a minaret was added. The structure suffered at the hands of vandals, natural http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2384 disasters and tourists who stole pieces of the temple to take home. In 1687 the roof of the Parthenon was Note: Metro: Acropolis, access via Dionysiou destroyed when the Venetians attacked the city and the defending Ottomans turned it into a gun powder Areopagitou St. storage. A shell exploded causing irreparable damage. Lord Elgin played a major role in the "rape" of the Parthenon when he carried off a hefty portion of the sculptures and architectural pieces. This collection, known as Elgin Marbles is now on display in the British Museum of London. Other sculptures ended up in Paris and Copenhagen. Many of the Parthenon sculptures can be seen in the Acropolis Museum in Athens. Following the establishment of a Greek State in 1832 the more recent architectural additions were removed and much of the Acropolis and Parthenon restored. From April to October you can attend the Acropolis Sound and Light Show in English. © 2014-2015 visitacity.com All rights reserved. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. 11:10 Theater of Dionysos Visit Duration: 1 hour 0.6 KM, 9 minutes walking from Parthenon On the southern slope of the Acropolis the pedestrian street of Dionysiou Areopagitou is the site of two ancient performance venues – the Dionysos Theatre and the Odeion Theatre of Herodes Atticas. The Odeion of Herodes Atticus is named after the man who financed its construction around 160-174AD. The Piraeus limestone structure was covered with marble and had a cedar wood roof. The 81 meter wide semi-circle of audience seats (cavea) appears to have been cut out of the surrounding natural rock and could at one time seat 5,500. The audience looks onto the orchestra (the floor in front of the stage where the chorus would stand) and onto the stage. Behind the stage is a three storey high skene, a 28 meter high building with arched niches where statues once stood. The highest point of the surviving structure reaches the 2 nd floor. The only way of seeing the Odeion up close is by attending a performance or from the Acropolis. The 4 th century BC Theatre of Dionysos was constructed on the site of an earlier theatre where the original Address: Dionysiou Areopagitou St., Athens, performances of famous classical Greek dramas were performed. Thus it is considered the birthplace of southern slope of Acropolis European theatre. Plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides had their premiers here.