The Guardian Highlights The Best Of Athens, Greece, In New City Guide

Acropolis of Athens, © Alfio Ferlito

“It would be criminal to come to Athens and miss the Acropolis but visitors who stick only to the city’s ancient past are missing out,” The Guardian notes in its recently released online Athens city guide.

Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghikas Gallery. Photo © Maria Theofanopoulou

In the guide, the UK newspaper makes a series of suggestions for tourists on what to do and see, where to stay, eat, drink and shop in the Greek capital.

In the “what to do” section, The Guardian highlights the Benaki Museum – Pireos St. Annex, in the Gazi district that hosts some of Athens’ best contemporary art exhibitions. “It is particularly popular on weekend evenings, when it closes at 10pm.”

Also recommended is a visit to the Athens Central Market, which has maintained its traditional character and appearance, in contrast with London and Paris that have converted their historic markets into tourist traps and shopping malls. “The sheer variety of fish and meat on sale in its grand, slippery-floored arcades is a sight in itself, but it’s also a good place to buy whole spices, cheese and olive oil.”

References are also made to the Nikos Hadjikyriakos-Ghika Gallery, which reopened to the public two years ago and includes a beautifully laid-out three-floor survey of mid-century Greek art and culture; and to the open-air cinema Vox in the Exarchia neighborhood, although “it’s hard to beat the Thissio cinema, with its dramatic floodlit view of the Acropolis looming behind the screen.”

Open-air cinema Cine-Thisio

On shopping, The Guardian notes that “Athens is, as you’d expect, a great place to buy hard-to-find and often reasonably priced Greek designer goods.”

Philopappos Hill. Photo © Dimitrios / Shutterstock

In regards to the “must-sees” of Athens, The Guardian highlights Philopappos Hill park, classical ruins (the Parthenon and the Hill of Pnyx), the Acropolis Museum and “Alfresco drinking” at Kolonaki Square or Exarchia.

Archaeological Site of Pnyx Photo © Wikipedia

The guide also includes many suggestions on where to eat, drink and sleep in Athens.

Acropolis Museum, Athens. Photo © Lefteris Papaulakis / Shutterstock

To browse through the whole guide, press here.