3 Best Sights in Greece

This summit includes Lofos Mousson (Hill of the Muses), whose peak offers the city's best view of the Parthenon. Also there is the Monument of Filopappus, depicting a Syrian prince who was such a generous benefactor that the people accepted him as a distinguished Athenian. The marble monument is a tomb decorated by a frieze showing Filopappus driving his chariot. In 294 BC a fort strategic to Athens's defense was built here, overlooking the road to the sea. On the hill of the Pnyx (meaning "crowded"), the all-male general assembly (Ecclesia) met during the time of Pericles. Originally, citizens of the Ecclesia faced the Acropolis while listening to speeches, but they tended to lose their concentration as they gazed upon the monuments, so the positions of the speaker and the audience were reversed. The speaker's platform is still visible on the semicircular terrace. Farther north is the Hill of the Nymphs, with a 19th-century observatory designed by Theophilos Hansen. He was so satisfied with his work, he had servare intaminatum ("to remain intact") inscribed over the entrance.

Myth claims that Athens's highest hill came into existence when Athena removed a piece of Mt. Penteli, intending to boost the height of her temple on the Acropolis. While she was en route, a crone brought her bad tidings, and the flustered goddess dropped the rock in the middle of the city. Dog walkers, lovers, and joggers make it their daily stomping grounds, while kids and tired visitors love the zap up the steeply inclined teleferique (funicular) to the summit (one ride every 30 minutes). Once you reach the top, visit the whitewashed Agios Georgios chapel with a bell tower donated by Queen Olga and enjoy 360-degree views of the capital. The thickly forested hill strewn with wild herbs and flowers offers wonderful respite from the city's car-packed action and sounds, and, depending where you are, you can see Piraeus port and as far as the island of Aegina, or the Parthenon in all its glory. Built into a cave on the side of the hill is a small shrine to Agios Isidoros, known for housing a miraculous icon. Cars park up at the top at sunset for swoon-inducing magic-hour views of the city as lights twinkle on and the moon rises over "violet-crowned" Mt. Hymettus. Diners should also note that Lycabettus is home to Orizontes Lykavittou, an excellent fish restaurant, which by day houses Café Lycabettus.

When the sun gets too hot to handle, step into this lush oasis, which was completed in 1860 as a commission of Queen Amalia. Here children run free (there are two large playgrounds ideal for kids to spend a while playing as sweaty parents take a breather from the sights) among nature that includes plants, flowers, and trees that were brought from around the world when the gardens were created. It's favorite place for early-morning jogs, outdoor yoga, and for kids to see the gardens' (caged) goats, rabbits, and exotic birds as well as ducks and swans swimming around the giant pond. At the east end is the majestic Neoclassical Zappeion Hall, built in 1888 as an Olympic building often used for official events, fashion shows, and conferences. At Fokianos Sports Academy at the bottom of the gardens is a café-restaurant serving fresh pizza, sandwiches, and refreshments next to basketball and soccer courts, trampolines, and an outdoor workout area. Across the road is the renowned Panathenaic Stadium, called "Kalimarmaro" by Greeks because it is completely made of marble. This is where the first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 and where the annual Athens Marathon concludes with a ceremony every November. You can look at the stadium only from the outside, but there is an elevated dirt running track behind it (free entrance through a big gate on Archimidous Street, which runs directly behind the stadium).