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.

Kallimarmaro Stadium

This showpiece in central Athens was built in the 4th century BC for the Panathenaic Games. It later fell into disuse, but was restored with beautiful Pentelic marble for the first modern Olympics in 1896. In 2004, it hosted archery and the Marathon finish.
Kalogirou

Stocks an overwhelming array of designer shoes and a wide selection of Kalogirou’s own stylish creations.
Kalyviotis

Thread and fabric, bead- and button-filled shops populate the area around Ermou and Perikleous. Kalyviotis is the best one-stop haberdashery.
Kanari Corner

Summer diners in this surprisingly quiet spot tuck into a limited but tasty selection of pastas, salads, grilled meat and desserts.
Kanaris (Karamanlis)

A firm favourite with former president Constantine Karamanlis. Try the stuffed cabbage leaves and yiouvetsi (pasta with roasted meat), washed down with barrel retsina.
Kanellopoulos Museum

A miscellany of high-quality antiquities from a family collection, housed in a Neo-Classical mansion.
Kapetanios

Sit by the church and sample a wonderful array of seasonal seafood, raw or fried with cheese.
Kaplanis

Flavourful taverna classics in a rather fancy room with gilded chandeliers. In spring, be sure to try the fried courgette (zucchini) flowers. Year round, sample the fromila (barbecued cheese).
Kapnikarea

One of Athens’ greatest pleasures is walking down a crowded street and suddenly finding yourself face-to-face with a tiny, centuries-old monument in the midst of all the modernity.. The beautiful 10th-century church known as Kapnikarea, smack in the middle of the shopping street of Ermou, provides just such a moment. Built over the ruins of an ancient temple to a goddess, the church kept the theme, with its dedication to the Virgin.
Kapnikarea

This lovely little church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, was built in the 11th century over the ruins of an ancient temple. It is laid out in the typical Byzantine cross-in-square plan, with three apses on the east side and a narthex (a western portico) on the west. Inside, the church is decorated with medieval mosaics. (see Kapnikarea)

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