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abc athens
attractions
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre:
Designed by decorated architect Renzo Piano as a cultural and recreational hub, it provides a state-of-the-art HQ for the Greek National Opera and National Library of Greece, set within a landscaped park peppered with playgrounds, as well as a 400-metre seawater canal. This civic-minded landmark hosts an incredible line-up of free events all year—from concerts, theatre, movies and festivals to sporting activities, chess and gardening clubs.
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Standing at 277 metres, this is the second highest viewpoint in wider Athens (after Tourkovounia.) The origin of its name is contested; there’s the unlikely story that wolves (lykos in Greek) used to live in the area. Another etymology connects Lycabettus to the rising of the sun, above the hill, spreading light over the city of Athens. During history, it was used as a quarry - several of Athens’ neoclassical gems are built from its stone - a bunker during WWI and music concerts regularly take place at its open-air amphitheatre in the summer. Plans of the area’s sustainable development are currently underway, focusing on the mountain’s flora and fauna.
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Originally a private area, known as the Royal Garden, the park was open to the public only during the afternoons. It was declared a public space and renamed as the National Garden in 1927, at the end of the constitutional monarchy. Nowadays, it’s open from sunrise to sunset.
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Zappas and his cousin, Konstantinos, were the first to suggest and implement the revival of the Olympic Games in 1859. The so called Zappeioi Games—or Nea Olympia (New Olympics)—were the foundation of the first modern Olympics that were held in 1896 at the Panathenaic Stadium. The Zappeion Megaron was Zappas’ vision for “a building that would cover the needs of the new Olympic Games.” Today, it serves as a conference and events venue.
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It’s also known as the Hill of the Muses because of a fifth-century-BC sanctuary dedicated to the poet and prophet Musaeus. The hills are riddled with ancient votive markings but also modern milestones, including the installation of Greece’s first telescope here in 1902. During the Nazi occupation in the early 1940s, black marketers set up a flourishing trade in food in the area around the National Observatory.
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Former Public Tobacco Factory:
The 19,000 square-metre Former Public Tobacco Factory was constructed to host numerous tobacco factories and warehouses. The building later was used as a prison, a World War II air-raid shelter and workplace for several government departments. From 2000 until today, it houses part of the Hellenic Parliament Library and Printing House.
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This modern cultural landmark covers an entire block of Syngrou Avenue. Architecture Studio’s bold design is a glass cube cloaked in rows of white marble that glow at night. Known locally as Stegi (Roof), the building hosts theatre, dance, and musical performances by Greek and leading international artists, as well as boundary-pushing exhibitions that often extend off-site. The top-floor bar and restaurant, Hytra, is a destination in its own right.
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