Athens is an extensive capital city of Greece. It is established amongst seven ancient hills and bounded by noteworthy mountains. The city is believed to be inhabited for over 3,000 years and thus, it was widely known as the cradle of Western civilization as well as the birthplace of democracy. Athens represents a confusing yet amusing blend of historical and modern features consisting of a large city center, metropolitan area and an urban district. If you are planning a trip to this incredible city, then read on to this write-up and get to know about the tourist attractions that you must visit when in Athens. For Greece tour package visit EaseMyTrip.com.

Parthenon, Acropolis

Located on the Acropolis on a hill, the Parthenon overlooks Athens. The temple was constructed in order to honor the goddess Athena Parthenos, the patron of Athens, to thank her for shielding the city during the Persian Wars. Originally designed by the popular sculptor Phidias, it held all kinds of treasures, but the main attraction was a large statue of Athena that was carved out of chryselephantine (also known as elephant ivory) and gold. The Parthenon dates back to 447 BC and was originally built over another temple that is often referred to as the Pre-Parthenon.

Plaka

One of the most famous tourist attractions in Athens is located in the Plaka District that resides under the Acropolis and sprawls out to Syntagma. This beautiful village is just like an island within the city and the best way to experience real Greek culture. This area is quite private and boasts unique landscape with various cafes, green leaf canopies, ancient trees and scenic stone walkways. Plaka is renowned for its food, cafes and boutique shops. Along Kydathineon Street, visitors can choose to visit Folk-Art Museum, the Jewish Museum and Saita Taverna, which serves scrumptious bakalairo and several other grilled meats.

Ancient Agora

Situated to the northwest direction of the Acropolis, the ancient Agora of Athens was once used to be a civic center and marketplace. At that time, people used to gather here to browse all kinds of commodities they need. It was also a place where people meet to talk about politics, current events, business and the nature of the universe as well as divine. One can trace the ancient Greek democracy be traced down to this ancient place. Ancient Agora is a brilliant place to look at the cultural start of Athens. The Temple of Hephaistos was built in the 5th century BC that overlooks the Ancient Agora from its elevated located on the hill of Agoraios Kolonos.

National Archaeological Museum, Athens

For travelers who love art exhibitions, there is no best place to visit in Greece than the National Archaeological Museum. Here, you can find various collections can be found here right from antique artists to the artwork from the contemporary ones. This museum also holds a fine collection of artwork dating back to the Neolithic Age. The collections mainly include small vases, clay vases, working tools and other small artifacts that are some of the oldest archaeological dating back to the 7th millennium.

Some of the other famous tourist attractions are, Mount Lycabettus, New Acropolis Museum, National Garden (Athens), Erechtheum, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Syntagma Square etc.