Walking Tour: Plaka & Anafiotika

Walking Tour: Plaka & Anafiotika

Take time to explore the side streets graced by old mansions under renovation by the Ministry of Culture. Begin your stroll at the Monument of Lysikrates, one of the few remaining supports (334 BC) for tripods (vessels that served as prizes) awarded to the producer of the best play in the ancient Dionyssia festival. Off the square on Galanou and Goura is the pretty church of Ayia Aikaterini. Take Herefondos to Plaka's central square, Filomoussou Eterias (or Platia Kidathineon), a great place to people-watch.

Up Kidathineon are three small but worthy museums: the Greek Folk Art Museum has a rich collection ranging from 1650 to the present, including works by the beloved naive artist Theophilos Hatzimichalis. Across from the museum is the 11th- to 12th-century church of Sotira Tou Kottaki, in a tidy garden with a fountain that was the main source of water for the neighborhood until sometime after Turkish rule. The Frissiras Museum, in two neoclassical mansions, has a collection of paintings by top Greek and international contemporary artists, with a focus on the human figure. The tiny but delightful Museum of Greek Children's Art surprises with the freshness of its exhibits. Nearby, the Children's Museum makes a good stop for kids. Down the block and around the corner on Hatzimichali Aggelou is the Center of Folk Art and Tradition. Continue west to the end of that street, crossing Adrianou to Hill, then right on Epimarchou to the striking Church House (on the corner of Scholeiou), once a Turkish police post and home to Richard Church, who led Greek forces in the War of Independence.

At the top of Epimarchou is Ayios Nikolaos Rangavas, an 11th-century church built with fragments of ancient columns. The church marks the edge of the Anafiotika quarter, a village smack dab in the middle of the metropolis: its main street, Stratonos, is lined with cottages, occasional murals painted on the stones, and a few shops. Wind your way through the narrow lanes off Stratonos, visiting the churches Ayios Georgios tou Vrachou, Ayios Simeon, and Metamorphosis Sotiros. Another interesting church is 8th-century Ayioi Anargyroi, at the top of Erechtheos street. From the church, make your way to Theorias, which parallels the ancient peripatos (public roadway) that ran around the Acropolis. The collection at the Kanellopoulos Museum spans Athens's history; nearby on Panos you'll pass the Athens University Museum (Old University), the city's first higher-learning institution.

Walk down Panos to the Roman Agora, which includes the Tower of the Winds and the Fethiye Mosque. Nearby visit the engaging Museum of Greek Popular Musical Instruments, where recordings will take you back to the age of rembetika (Greek blues). Also next to the Agora is Athens's only remaining Turkish Bathhouse, providing a glimpse into a daily social ritual of Ottoman times. On your way back to Syntagma Square, cut across Mitropolis (Cathedral) Square to the 12th-century Byzantine church known as Little Mitropolis, whose outer walls are covered with reliefs. Closer to Syntagma Square, on the corner of Pendelis and Mitropoleos, is the curious sight of Ayia Dynamis, a chapel peering out from between the cement columns of a Ministry building.

Timing

Plaka is a delight any time of day, liveliest in the early evening or Sunday afternoons, when locals congregate at its outdoor cafés. Perhaps the best time to explore Anafiotika is a bit before sunset, when the haze is reduced and you can catch great views of the city. During Carnival, a three-week period preceding Orthodox Lent, costumed Athenians gather during evenings in Plaka for a stroll through the quarter, bopping one another with plastic clubs, showering confetti, and spraying foam at passersby: beware. If you want to visit the museums (some open only until mid-afternoon) or the churches (open 8 AM-noon and sometimes 5-7 PM), begin your excursion as early as possible. For planning ahead, check which museums are closed Monday. The walk, with leisurely stops at one or two museums and time for a coffee break, takes about three hours.