An often overlooked ancient site in downtown Athens with substantial history (and nature).

The ruins of an ancient fortification wall sit in front of and underneath this boutique hotel.

One of the greatest collections of coins in the world is housed in the former mansion of an archeological pioneer.

The ruins of this ancient fortification wall sit in the middle of a quiet, residential intersection.

Heralded as the world's first theater, these ruins are often overlooked as they reside in the shadows of the Acropolis.

A preserved portion of an ancient Athens barrier is displayed in a hotel basement.

Preserved portions of Athens's ancient defenses are on display in a subterranean parking garage.

The ruins of an ancient mansion sits in front of and underneath a contemporary art gallery.

This historic structure has been used as a mosque, a barracks, a prison, a school, and a bakery.

Legend says it was constructed with the destroyed pillar of an ancient Greek Temple.

This graffitied 19th-century building was a prototype of European industrial architecture.

A Byzantine-era church hidden in a wooded area below the Acropolis.

The oldest standing Byzantine church in Athens is tucked within a monastery in the middle of an upscale shopping district.

A man's head is enshrined beneath a statue near the first building constructed for the modern Olympic Games.

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

Scars of this building's past life as a violent prison still cover its walls.

This striking sculpture of Icarus honors Greece's fallen flyers.

The site where hundreds of Greeks were tortured by the Nazi secret police is now a cosmetics store.

A crushed gate and giant bronze head serve as a reminder of Greece's fight for freedom.

The ruins of an ancient Roman tomb hidden in the basement of a trendy clothing store.

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

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

There are many Byzantine-era churches still standing in Athens, but this is the only one with a 2,500-year-old column rising through its roof.

This small 16th-century church in Athens is almost entirely surrounded by a modern building.