Opened after renovations in 2017, the 17th-century Benizelos home is a typical domestic structure from that period, with dirt-floor downstairs rooms with wine and olive presses, and wood-panelled living rooms upstairs. Look for the repurposed classical columns in the gate leading to the backyard, formerly an olive grove. It's a nice free diversion, but note the limited opening hours.
Oldest House in Athens
Syntagma & Plaka
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.4 MILES
This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman…
0.23 MILES
Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's…
0.21 MILES
The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost…
0.7 MILES
This lush, tranquil site is named for the potters who settled it around 3000 BC. It was used as a cemetery through the 6th century AD. The grave markers…
27.63 MILES
The Ancient Greeks knew how to choose a site for a temple. At Cape Sounion, 70km south of Athens, the Temple of Poseidon stands on a craggy spur that…
0.72 MILES
With its serried rows of white Pentelic marble seats built into a ravine next to Ardettos Hill, this ancient-turned-modern stadium is a draw both for…
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The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…
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This was the city’s market area under Roman rule, and it occupied a much larger area than the current site borders. You can see a lot from outside the…
Nearby Syntagma & Plaka attractions
1. Church of Agios Eleftherios
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This 12th-century church, dedicated to both Agios Eleftherios and Panagia Gorgoepikoos (Virgin Swift to Hear), is Athens' religious history in one tiny…
0.08 MILES
One of the few remnants of Athens' Ottoman period, this 17th-century hammam (Turkish bath) is also the only intact public bath building in the city –…
0.09 MILES
This ornate 1862 cathedral is the seat of the archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church of Athens. Far more significant, both historically and…
4. Museum of Greek Popular Instruments
0.09 MILES
A single avid ethnomusicologist collected almost 1200 folk instruments; the best are on display in three floors of this house-turned-museum. Headphones…
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Tucked away in Plaka, this 17th-century church is worth visiting any time for its peaceful courtyard and beautiful interior decoration. On the evening of…
6. Church of Agios Nikolaos Rangavas
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This lovely 11th-century church was part of the palace of the Rangavas family, who counted among them Michael I, emperor of Byzantium. The church bell was…
0.12 MILES
This Pentelic marble tower within the Roman Agora, likely built in the 2nd century BC, is both beautiful and functional. Devised by Andronicus, a…
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Clinging to the north slope of the Acropolis, the tiny Anafiotika district is a beautiful, architecturally distinct subdistrict of Plaka. In the mid-1800s…