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Orientation
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As a visitor, you're likely to spend most of your time in the central grid of Athens, a compact, walkable area. Only on arrival at, or departure from, the various far-flung stations and terminals, do you have to confront the confused urban sprawl. Once in the centre, it's a simple matter to orient yourself. There are four strategic reference points: the squares of
Syndagma
("Syntagma" on many English-language maps) and
OmA?nia
and the hills of the
Acropolis
(unmistakable with its temple crown) and (to the northeast)
LykavitA?s
. Once you've established these as a mental compass you should not be lost for long - anyone will point you back in the direction of Syndagma or OmA?nia.
Syndagma (PlatAa SindA?gmatos, "Constitution Square", to give it its full title) lies midway between the Acropolis and LykavitA?s. With the Greek Parliament building - plus mammoth metro tunnelling and traffic diversions - on its uphill side, and banks and airline offices clustered around, it is to all intents and purposes the centre of the capital. Almost everything of daytime interest is within twenty to thirty minutes' walk of the square. To the northeast, the ritzy KolonA?ki quarter curls around the slopes of LykavitA?s , with a funicular up the hillside to save you the final climb. To the east, behind the Parliament, the jungly National Gardens function as the city's chief lung and meeting place; beyond them are the 1896 Olympic stadium and the attractive neighbourhoods of PangrA?ti and Mets , both crammed with restaurants and bars. To the southwest, up to the base of the Acropolis , spread the ramshackle but much-commercialized lanes of PlA?ka , the lone surviving area of the nineteenth-century, pre-Independence village. Beyond the Acropolis itself is FilopA?ppou Hill , an area of parkland bordered by the neighbourhoods of KoukA?ki and A?no PetrA?lona , also good choices for accommodation and meals. Northwest of Syndagma, two broad thoroughfares, StadhAou and PanepistimAou (officially but ineffectually named VenizAİlou), run in just under a kilometre to OmA?nia (in full, PlatAa OmonAas, "Concord Square"). This is the heart of the city for the ordinary Athenian, with department stores, computer software and discount-priced electronic goods attracting a lively trade on Saturday morning. OmA?nia's backstreets were not long ago compared to those around Piccadilly Circus or Times Square: more than a bit seedy, with fast-food cafAİs, gypsies, pickpockets and a scattering of porno shows and bordellos. This is rapidly changing, however, with the commercial success of PsyrrA , the entertainment district to the southwest of OmA?nia square. Buildings on and near OmA?nia have been renovated, local theatre groups have set up headquarters in old warehouses in PsyrrA and a plethora of trendy ouzerAs, cafAİs and clubs is flourishing. The area's popularity is spilling over into KeramikA?s , a diverse residential neighbourhood west of PsyrrA. It has a pleasantly low-key atmosphere in comparison to frenetic PsyrrA and is now home to a few chic restaurants and bars. Southwest of here is the neighbourhood of GA?zi , named after the defunct gasworks, that once spewed out noxious fumes but has now been converted into the sleek Municipal Technopolis Centre gallery. Even further west, RoA?f , once distinguished by its large gypsy population and produce market, has also undergone something of a renaissance. With the recent opening of a couple of very upscale restaurants, the area is being labelled the next "hotspot".
To the northeast of OmA?nia, beyond PanepistimAou, lies the student neighbourhood of
ExA?rhia
, a slightly "alternative" district, with a concentration of lively tavernas and bars there and in its extension
NeA?poli
. Southeast of OmA?nia, stretching down to
ErmoA?
street and the
MonastirA?ki
bazaar district on the borders of PlA?ka, lies the main commercial centre, crammed with offices and clusters of shops offering everything from insurance to airline tickets, machine tools to household goods. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Greece,
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