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Directly behind Piraeus metro station, in a street parallel to the railway line, this is often compared to Athens’ Monastiraki Sunday market (see Athens’ Flea Market), though it’s decidedly grottier. It gets very crowded, attracting tourists, Athenians and local minorities: Albanian immigrants have several shops selling Albanian flags and music, while colourfully dressed gypsies hawk seasonal fruit and nuts.

Syntagma station is as much museum as transport hub. When the city was busy excavating to extend the metro, archaeologists found thousands of priceless items on this site, which has been continuously occupied since Classical times. Many are displayed in the station, but the highlight is a glass wall overlooking the site, which includes. at least two cemeteries. (see Syntagma Metro Station)

This enormous complex used to be a toxin-spewing foundry, hence the name of the neighbourhood, “Gazi” (gaslands). These days it’s been converted into a huge arts centre, hosting top-notch exhibits, concerts and arts spaces – hence the building’s new name, which means “art city”. The conversion to Technopolis has prompted a revitalization of the entire area, with trendy bars and restaurants springing up among the gaslands. Check the Athens News (see Newspapers) for listings of the frequent events.

All that remains of Greece’s largest temple, a shrine to Zeus, is 16 columns. But standing alone, silhouetted by the bright Attic sky, their majesty still overwhelms. Inside the temple was a colossal gold-and-ivory sculpture of the god, a copy of the one at Olympus, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. (see Temple of Olympian Zeus)

The 5th-century BC temple is one of the few ever built to Poseidon. After watching the sunset from the remaining white marble pillars of this ancient site on the peak of Cape Sounio – silhouetted by the incomparable iridescent blue of the Aegean – you may share the sentiments of the poet Byron. He asked the gods simply to “Place me on Suniom’s marbled steep, Where nothing save the waves and I, May hear our mutual murmurs sweep, There, swanlike, let me sing and die.” (see Temple of Poseidon)

The city of Thebes was once one of the greatest Mycenaean settlements and home of the tragic dynasty of Oedipus. Although next to nothing remains of the ancient sites, and the modern city offers little in the way of sightseeing, Thebes is worth a visit for the splendid Arch-aeological Musuem, with its excellent collection of Mycenaean finds.

Although only half an hour from Lavrion, Tzia remains peaceful and relatively untouristed. Its interior is fertile and flowered. Don’t miss the stone Lion of Tzia, carved into a hillside, or the excellent local wine.

The two huge floors telling the history of warfare in Greece from prehistoric to modern times might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but most will enjoy the Saroglos collection, including medieval suits of armour, three-musketeer-type duelling foils, and fabulous engraved Turkish scimitars. Outside, there are several fighter planes and tanks – visitors are allowed to climb up and take a look in the cockpits of most of them. (see War Museum)