51 Cool and Unusual Things to Do in Athens - Atlas Obscura

Unusual Attractions in Athens

Antikythera Mechanism

2000-year-old computer demonstrates remarkable engineering and astronomical precision.

The Athenian Agora

This ancient Greek place of assembly and marketplace is being revealed layer by layer below the modern Athens cityscape.

Hadrian's Reservoir

This ancient hydrological marvel is now the base of a modern outdoor cinema.

Magic Sphere of Helios

This mystical orb covered in strange symbols is thought to have been used in ancient Greek magical rituals.

Lycabettus Funicular

The railway carts travelers to central Athens's highest peak, which offers stunning vistas of the city.

Tower of the Winds

An ancient octagonal weather station named for the eight Greek gods of wind.

Anafiotika

The Cycladic architecture makes this Athens neighborhood feel like an island paradise hidden in the shadow of the Acropolis.

First Cemetery of Athens

The oldest cemetery of modern-day Athens blends the modern and ancient worlds.

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Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Athens

The Olive Tree of the Acropolis

Legend says this sacred tree was a gift from Athena.

Atlas Obscura Trips

Forgotten Greece: Ghost Cities & Sinking Ships

Explore the ghost cities, abandoned industrial buildings, and mountain villages scattered throughout the rugged region of Peloponnese in search of a truer, more contradictory Greece.

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Stories About Athens

Hermes, back on the surface after ages amid the filth.

We Shouldn’t Have Been Surprised to Find a Sculpture of Hermes in a Sewer

Filthy infrastructure has long been a site of artistry and civic pride.

by Jessica Leigh Hester

December 4, 2020

A Bangladeshi mosque in a rented apartment in Petralona.

The Makeshift Mosques of Athens Are About to Disappear

The Greek capital will soon open an official place of worship for the city's 200,000 Muslims.

by Demetrios Ioannou

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