The civic heart of Athens. Come for the Changing of the Guard on the hour; stay for the energy of a city that takes its public squares seriously.

The neoclassical former royal palace, now home to the Hellenic Parliament. Out front, evzones in traditional dress guard the Monument of the Unknown Soldier — the Changing of the Guard is pure theatre.

A shaded royal garden behind Parliament — winding paths, duck ponds, ancient columns and a rare pocket of cool green in the middle of the city. Athens’ favourite place to slow down.

A grand neoclassical hall set in the National Garden, built for the revival of the modern Olympics. The shaded gardens around it are a favourite Athenian escape from the midday sun.

The only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, home of the first modern Olympics in 1896. Sit on the ancient tiers where champions have been crowned for over two thousand years.

Fifteen colossal columns are all that remain of the largest temple in Greece. Seven centuries in the making — and worth every step at golden hour.

A marble gateway raised in AD 132, marking where the ancient city ended and Hadrian’s new Athens began. Two inscriptions, two cities, one threshold.

One of Europe’s finest museums, and still somehow underrated. The collection tells the story of the hill above it with quiet authority.

You don’t need us to tell you it’s worth seeing. But approaching on foot, through Plaka, as the city wakes around you — that’s the version worth remembering.

Athens’ commercial heart under Roman rule, watched over by the octagonal Tower of the Winds — the world’s first weather station, still keeping time.

Where democracy was born and Socrates once walked. Quieter than the Acropolis, more intimate, and ringed by some of the best-preserved ruins in the city.

Part bazaar, part neighbourhood, entirely Athenian. Sunday mornings here are something you won’t find on any highlight reel.