Athens: Private Walking Tour - Bites of History and Gastronomy

Theaters, eclectic shopping, gourmet dining and fine drinks are all available under the roof of an Athenian architectural landmark 

At No 4,of Amerikis street and outside the headquarters of the Piraeus Bank Group, there is the bronze sculpture of the Abduction of Europa by Zeus by the acclaimed Botero the Columbian artist. 

The National Historical Museum is permanently housed in the Old Parliament Building at Stadiou Street (Kolokotronis square) since 1960. The Museum narrates the history of Modern Greece: the period of Ottoman and Latin rule, the Greek War of Independence (1821), the liberation struggles, the creation of an independent state, the political, social and spiritual development of the Greeks up to the present day.

In 1836, the neoclassical mansion that houses the Museum of the City of Athens was just three years old and it took an invitation from the palace to cross its threshold. Today it is open to the public and retains not just the regal opulence of its past, but also recounts the history of the Greek capital in the 19th century through exhibits arranged in 20 halls. 

Klafthmonos is a central square in Athens, located on Stadiou street. Apart from being home to some very interesting buildings, it also has a very interesting name. You see if we had to translate it in English it would be “Cry Square”. It got that name, because in the past, whenever a new government came to power it would fire the civil servants that where appointed by the previous government so as to hire its own voters. So those fired and disgruntled civil servants would gather here outside the Ministry of Finance which was housed in the square to protest against their firing. 

The square situated in front of the City Hall of Athens has changed names many times throughout the turbulent history of the Greek state, settling on its current iteration that pays tribute to the Greek politician Konstantinos Kotzias. 

If the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, then you’ll certainly love the Greek capital after a visit to the Athens Central Market. This is literally the Grand Central Station of food, where people from all walks of life converge to discover the freshest and most delicious ways to satiate their hunger. Make no mistake, everyone shops here, from celebrity chefs to neighborhood grocery store owners. Named after one of Greece’s national heroes, gentleman pirate Ioannis Varvakis (1974-1825), this is a tribute to the everyman, as the Athens Central Market, aka the Varvakios, knows no class divides. 

A strange sight, an ancient Corinthian column protrudes trough the roof of the little church of St. John the Baptist in Athens. The Christian church was built atop an ancient sanctuary of Asclepios, the ancient Greek deity of medicine and healing, and this little church, just a few feet each way, is said to have been founded in 565 A.D., thus it may be the oldest christian church in Athens. Underneath its foundations flows the ancient river of Eridanos, and several wells are known to have been created through time to deposit this precious commodity. 

The Miran workshop runs an outlet shop in the center of Athens, at 45 Evripidou St., inaugurated in 1922. People swarm in from all over Attica region to taste the delicacies of pastourma, soutzouki and the bull meat products from Kerkini region, in Serres district. Here you can also find products of small producers from all over Greece, as well as aged cheeses and salt meets of small Greek workshops.