Athens Half Day Tour Includes Lunch

The Monastery of Daphni lies to the west of Athens, almost half-way along the ancient Sacred Way to Eleusis. The Monastery is built on the site of the ancient sanctuary of Apollo Daphnaios which was destroyed during the invasion of the Goths in 395 A.D.The first monastery was erected on the site in the 6th century A.D. and was enclosed by strong defensive walls, almost square in plan. The catholicon was a three-aisled basilica which stood in the center of the courtyard. Along the inner NE side of the walls, two-storied buildings were constructed, containing the cells of the monks. A refectory and a second block of cells were attached on the north wall of the enclosure.

The Agora was the heart of ancient Athens, the focus of political, commercial, administrative and social activity, the religious and cultural centre, and the seat of justice.

It was built between 19 and 11 B.C. with a donation of Julius Caesar and Augustus. During the reign of Hadrian the court was paved with slabs. After the invasion of the Herulae in A.D. 267 the city of Athens was restricted to the area within the Late Roman fortification wall, and the administrative and commercial centre of the city was transferred from the Ancient Agora to the Roman Agora and the Library of Hadrian.

Located in southern Athens, between the Acropolis and the Ilissos river, the Olympeion was the sanctuary of Olympian Zeus. Here stands one of the greatest ancient temples of Zeus and, according to Vitruvius, one of the most famous marble buildings ever constructed. The sanctuary's foundation is attributed to mythical Deukalion. The site also comprises the temple of Apollo Delphinios - the sanctuary of Apollo Delphinios was traditionally associated with Theseus - and a tripartite building with a south courtyard of ca. 500 BC. The latter has been identified as the Delphinion Court, which was allegedly founded by Aegeas.

The Panathenaic Stadium is a classical cultural monument of Greece. Its history is directly connected to the Modern Olympic Games, from their revival in 1896 until the Athens Olympic Games in 2004. It is also the place from which the Olympic Flame is delivered to all the Olympic Games, Winter, Summer and Youth, as well as the Athens Authentic Marathon.

It is a unicameral legislature of 300 members, elected for a four-year term. During 1844–63 and 1927–35 the parliament was bicameral with an upper house, the Senate, and a lower house, the Chamber of Deputies, which retained the name Vouli. Several important Greek statesmen have served as Speakers of the Hellenic Parliament.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial located in Syntagma Square in Athens, in front of the Old Royal Palace. It is a cenotaph dedicated to the Greek soldiers killed during war. It was sculpted between 1930 and 1932 by sculptor Fokion Rok. The tomb is guarded by the Evzones of the Presidential Guard.

he Academy of Athens is Greece's national academy and the highest research establishment in the country. The Academy Building constitutes one of three parts in an “architectural trilogy”. It was founded with the Constitutional Decree of March 18th, 1926, as an Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Fine Arts.

The University of Athens has been in continuous operation since its establishment in 1837 and is the oldest higher education institution of the modern Greek state and the first contemporary university in both the Balkan Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean. Today it is one of the largest universities by enrollment in Europe, with over 69,000 registered students. The University of Athens was founded on 3 May 1837 by King Otto of Greece and was named in his honour Othonian University. It was the first university in the liberated Greek state and in the surrounding area of Southeast Europe as well.

The National Library of Greece was built at the end of the 19th century, as the last of the Architectural Trilogy of Athens, a group of three neoclassical buildings which also includes the Academy and the University.

The Old Parliament House at Stadiou Street in Athens housed the Greek Parliament between 1875 and 1935. It now houses the country's National Historical Museum

The Acropolis rock with its characteristic trapezoidal shape, dominates the city of Athens, at an altitude of 157 m. The uncovering and restitution of its monuments has been gradually accomplished, since 1834. The main visible monuments of the archaeological site were built during the Classical period, in the second half of the 5th c. B.C., in the framework of the Periclean building program. It is about the Propylaia, the monumental entrance of the classical Acropolis, the Parthenon, doric temple dedicated to goddess Athena and major achievement of the ancient Greek architecture, the Erechtheion, in whose interior space very ancient cults and memories of the city were hosted, and the ionic temple of Athena Nike on a prominent position to the south of Propylaia.

Syntagma Square is one of the most popular parts of the city. It is also the starting point of most of the city’s demonstrations and it also houses concerts and festivals. The square is always full of life, packed with people in its bars.

Located under the shadow of the Acropolis, Monastiraki is a unique neighborhood that has been inhabited for six thousand consecutive years! It is among the oldest, most historic and important neighborhoods in Western Culture. The name “Monastiraki” was established during the Greek Revolution against the Ottoman Occupation. It was inspired by the nunnery (female monastery) that was established on the square. The area includes the Ancient Agora, one of the most important archeological sites in Athens, which was the center of the ancient city of Athens. Just next to the Monastiraki square, one will find also the Hadrian Library and the Roman Agora with the Tower of Winds. We will stop to enjoy a lunch in a greek taverna