DK Travel : Athens

Athens is simultaneously known as the Classical, marble-pillared cradle of Western civilization and as a modern urban sprawl of concrete and traffic. Between the extremes lies a kaleidoscopic city, where the influences of East and West entwine in the markets, cafés and tavernas, built upon ancient ruins and rubbing shoulders with gold-leafed Byzantine churches.

Aghiorghitiko

Deep, velvety “St George” wines from Nemea are the rising stars of the growing Greek wine industry.
Agia Ekaterini

Remnants of Classical columns remain in the courtyard of this beautiful 12th-century church – evidence that it too was built over the ruins of an ancient temple, this one possibly dedicated to the goddess Hestia. The church’s many colourful frescoes have been lovingly restored. (see Church of Agia Ekaterini)
Agia Moni

This 12th-century Byzantine convent and garden makes for a good day out from Nafplio. The nuns sell their own textiles.
Agias Apostoli

This is one of Athens’ oldest churches, built in the early 11th century over a 2nd-century monument in the ancient Agora. Though it underwent a great deal of damage during the Ottoman occupation, the remains of its frescoes have been preserved and restored within.
Agioi Theodoroi

A tiny, peaceful 11th-century church in the bustle of the marketplace. The wall paintings are 19th century.
Agios Georgios

Claiming the highest point in modern-day Athens – the peak of Lykavittos Hill – Agios Georgios boasts views as far as the Saronic Gulf, the island of Aegina and the Peloponnese coast. Services are held both inside and outside.
Agios Nikolaos Pefkakia

Built in 1895, the church of Agios Nikolaos Pefkakia (St Nicholas of the Pines) crowns the top of steep Dervenion, and is a looming landmark on all the streets below.
Agora

The Agora, the marketplace where philosophers held forth, tradesmen bickered and statesmen hammered out the terms of the first democracy, was the city’s heart and soul for 600 years. This is one of the most hands-on sites in Athens and includes the Temple of Hephaestus, the best-preserved ancient Greek temple. (see The Agora)
Agora and Agora Museum

One of the most interesting archaeological sites in Greece, this is where Socrates “corrupted” youth, St Paul preached and converted his first followers, and the first decisions in the fledgling democracy were made. Don’t miss the wonderfully preserved Temple of Hephaestus, or the recreated Stoa of Attalos, now home to the excellent Agora Museum. (see The Agora)
Agora Museum

The fascinating displays of finds from the city’s ancient marketplace focus on objects used in the workings of the first democracy, including the declaration inscribed on marble that a government of democracy, not tyranny, was to rule. (see Stoa of Attalos)