There’s so much to see in Athens that it could easily fill a week, but when my husband and I had only one day to see the city, we took a friend’s advice and contacted Stelios Spinoulas at Greek Tour Drivers.
Stelios was a thoughtful and knowledgeable guide who thought of everything to make our day as memorable and comfortable as possible. Fearlessly navigating the streets of Athens, he dropped us off at each site and waited while we explored on our own. We went to the Acropolis first, and as we drove, he narrated some of the city’s history.
Statues are preserved on the stage of the Tehater of Dionysus.
There’s a lot to see around the Acropolis, including the Theater of Dionysus, which opened in 534 B.C. With seats for 13,000 in its 67 tiers, the Theater hosted an annual dramatic festival highlighting the works of writers including Sophocles and Euripides. Now, visitors can climb down the aisles toward the stage and see some of the elaborate carvings that adorn it.
The Parthenon remains an awe-inspiring site more than 2,000 years after it was built.
It takes some climbing to reach the top of the Acropolis, where the Parthenon and the Erechtheum await. A 17th-century explosion destroyed many of the columns on the eastern side of the Parthenon – the Turks used it as a gunpowder magazine – but what’s left of the structure is awe-inspiring. The Erechtheum, built in a different architectural style, is no less elegant, especially the six statues (one is a restored replica) of maidens who balance part of the structure on their heads.
The New Acropolis Museum is located nearby, and it houses a wide variety of artifacts that were uncovered in the area. The highest level contains detailed reconstructions of the sculptures that once adorned the exterior of the Parthenon. Many of the originals are housed in London’s British Museum. Another interesting exhibit showed maps of the area at different points in time, illustrating how many buildings the Romans added after they took over Athens.
The owner of Fagopoteion Restaurant shows off lunch options.
Lunch was a real treat. Stelios took us to a local spot called Fagopoteion where we were overwhelmed with options, all freshly prepared and explained with obvious pride by the owner. My husband got a pork gyro, served with pita and vegetables, and a generous helping of mousaka. I had a delicious eggplant dish with tomatoes and onions – the freshness of the tomatoes brightened the entire dish – and rice cooked with plenty of spinach, saturated and soft. We barely had enough room for dessert, but the baklava was crisp and flaky, not dripping in honey but saturated and sweet.
A guard marches in front of the Presidential Mansion.
There was plenty more to see after lunch. We drove first to the Lykavittos Hill, the highest point in Athens. After a short climb, we enjoyed a stunning 360-degree panorama, with the Parthenon visible in the distance and mountains beyond it shrouded in haze. Our next stop was the Presidential Mansion for the ceremonial changing of the guards. Before the ceremony began, Stelios spoke with the guard on duty and convinced him to take a photo with us.
The Panathenaic Stadium, site of the ancient Olympic games.
The next stop was my favorite. We went to the Panathenaic Stadium, an imposing marble structure where the Olympic games were held in ancient times. An audio tour provided history of its restoration, and a museum contained memorabilia such as the official posters for each of the modern Olympic games. My husband ran 100 meters on the track and took a photo atop the podium. In the car on the way to our final stop, Stelios told us that a marathon is still run every year along the site of the first one, beginning in the town of Marathon and ending at that very stadium.
Our day was winding down, but after Stelios dropped us off at our hotel, we ventured out for one last excursion to the Ancient Agora. Little is left of the buildings that once stood there, but walking among their foundations and reading about their functions makes it easy to imagine the site as a bustling market 2,000 years ago. The Temple of Hephaestus, the best preserved of the ancient temples even though it was constructed in the 5th century B.C., overlooks the area.
We had to rush through the Agora, trying to see as much as we could before we were asked to leave at closing time. We got just a small taste of Athens but a huge appreciation for its momentous place in history.
If you go:
Greek Tour Drivers
+30 6976 518 378
info@greektourdrivers.com
Combination ticket for Acropolis costs €30 and also includes admission to:
Hadrian’s Library
Roman Agora
Ancient Agora
Kerameikos
Temple of Olympian Zeus
The New Acropolis Museum
15 Dionysiou Areopagitou Street
Athens 11742
Hours vary by season
Fagopoteion Restaurant
Patriarhou Loakeim
+30 2107 251 771
The Panathenaic Stadium
Vasileos Konstantinou Anevue
Athens 11635
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. March-October; closes at 5 p.m. during winter season
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