Saturday October 1st, 2016
We land in the early afternoon and we go to the hotel just to leave our bags. We leave and head towards Monastiraki, passing through Pl. Kotzia with the Town Hall and the Central Market. In Monastiraki we see the Ekklisia Kimisi Theotokou Mitropoleos and the Tzisdaraki Mosque.
When we arrive at the Roman Agora we see that the archaeological area is still open, we take advantage of it to get in and go all the way to the Tower of the Winds. We do not have time to see other archeological areas, they are closing, so we go up the hill of Areopago to admire the view on the city and the Acropolis at the sunset.
We turn around the Acropolis hill passing by the Attic Herod’s Theater and the Acropolis Museum. It’s still open, but we would have too little time to visit it now. It begins to darken, and the monuments begin to be illuminated, like the Arch of Hadrian and the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
After dinner we return to Monastiraki, take some stops for the photos and then go to the hotel.
Sunday October 2nd, 2016
Today we visit the Acropolis. When we get there some groups are at the entrance, but they have not yet stacked in to get in. So we can enter without having to wait. We walk around the Acropolis admiring the Propilei, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Eretteo and of course the Parthenon.
When we leave, we notice that many people are coming, we have managed to avoid the crowd. We descend from the Theater of Attic Herod and the Dionysus Theater to go to the archaeological area of the Temple of Olympian Zeus.
We cross the road to enter the national gardens and go to the Zappeion, a circular structure for events and exhibitions. Also in the same area there is the Panathenaic Stadium, the stadium where the first modern Olympics took place.
We move from the Presidential Palace to the Lykeion of Aristotle, of which there are few ruins. After lunch we visit the Acropolis Museum, and in the evening we go to Piraeus.
Monday October 3rd, 2016
We go on a cable car to Mount Lycabettus, we admire the scenery and walk down to the National Museum. Unfortunately, today is closed (there are works to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Museum, but tomorrow it will be open).
Therefore we have to change our itinerary and so we go to the Hadrian’s Library and after to the ancient Agora, where we find the Temple of Hephaestus (very well preserved) and the Stoa of Attalo (rebuilt but which gives a good idea of how the buildings were in ancient times. Within Stoa, a small museum was built.
After lunch we go to Kerameikos, the ancient cemetery. Most of the sculptures and tombstones are now in the museum (or in the National Museum). After a short break at our hotel, we walk through the pedestrian streets of Monastiraki and Plaka, passing through the Agios Eleftherios Church and the Metropolitan Cathedral. We take a walk around the Acropolis for the photos and then dine outdoors, just in front of the Acropolis.
Tuesday October 4th, 2016
Today we return to the National Archaeological Museum that we visit for some hours, admiring the precious works exhibited. We go to the University, visiting the nearby Library and the Academy. Then we walk to Syntagma Square, where we take a bus to go to the sea.
We stop at Glyfada, where we have lunch. Back in the city center we walk for a while before returning to the hotel to pick up our suitcases and go to the airport.
