Athens is well known for its historical, ancient monuments and history but there is also another aspect of the city life.The view of cozy, relaxing, beautiful places just right fitting for your vacations
An overview of the top tourist attractions (not historical) in Athens, you can find below:.
"Allou Fun" Park
"Attica" Zoo Park
"Copa Copana" water park
Mikrolimano (View-Sea-Food or Coffee)
Plaka (downtown)
Plaka-Yasemi Cafe (downtown)
Thisio
Monastiraki
Mount Lycabettus
Hotel-Casino Mont Parnes
Next in this article, you can see all the above tourist attractions (not historical) in detail .......
1. Allou Fun Park
The Allou Fun Park is the best amusement park in Greece. It is located next to a small shopping center. You can get to the park with a bus, a taxi or by car.
There you can find all the classic rides from ferris wheel and roller coaster to bumper cars. You can play different skill games, stroll around the park, and choose to eat from many different food kiosks. It is also divided in two sections. Across the street you can find Kidom for under 12 years old kids. You spend easily half of a day here enjoying the rides, eating candyfloss and having fun. The area is clean, safe and easy to go around. You can choose to pay the rides with a daily wristband, magnetic card or tokens. The access to the park is free for all.
2. Attica Zoo Park
The “Attica Zoological Park” as a member of ΕΑΖΑ (European Association of Zoo and Aquaria) is the only zoological park in Greece today, receiving tens of thousands of visitors of all ages every year, from all over Greece. For over ten years, Attica Zoological Park has been offering visitors a unique journey to the five continents, through more than 2.000 animals, from 400 species.
3. Copa Copana water park
Copa Copana is a huge winter and summer entertainment park. For the summer the all new COPA COPANA offers coollest waterslide rides for all…WATER SLIDES: Black Hole, Rafting Slide, BIG Multi Slides x3, BIG Family Slide, Turbo Tube Slide, Kamikaze, Space boat, Free Fall, Small Multi Slide x3, Body Slide, Space Ball, Uphill Flying Boats x2 …The heart of the all New Copa Copana is the coollest spot in Athens during the Summer.
4. Mikrolimano (View-Sea-Food or Coffee)
Mikrolimano is another place you should visit in Piraeus. Mikrolimano is the second largest Yacht marina of the big port with lots of fish restaurants and only 15 minutes walk to the Stadium of Peace and Friendship in Faliro.The port was protected by the goddess Mounihia Artemis that's why sometimes it is referred as port of Munihia. Its old name from the times of the Ottoman occupation was Tourkolimano. Today Mikrolimano it is a popular location, attracting people from all over Attica. It is a beautiful little harbour with fishing boats, small boats and luxury yachts. If you like fish and seafood have lunch or dinner at one of its famous taverns. many Greek films have used this location because of its idyllic atmosphere. Mikrolimano is a few minutes walk from Kastella, alternatively you can take the trolley from Pasalimani to get there. The trolley does not go down to the marina so you have to get off at Cavo Doro stop and go down by foot. On the same area located the Nautical Athletic Association. If you walk toward Faliro you will find numerous of bars and cafeterias under the hill of Kastella with amazing view to Faliro gulf and the Athletics Stadium.
5. Plaka (downtown)
Pláka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, which resides under the Acropolis and spreads out to Syntagma.and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. It is known as the "Neighbourhood of the Gods" due to its proximity to the Acropolis and its many archaeological sites.
This village is almost like an island within the city, and it’s the
perfect way to experience authentic Greek culture. The area is quite
private and boasts truly unique scenery with several cafes, ancient
trees, green leaf canopies and stone walkways. The area is well-known
for its food, boutique shops and cafes. Along Kydathineon Street,
visitors find the Jewish Museum, Folk-Art Museum and Saita Taverna,
which serves delicious bakalairo and other grilled meats.
6. Plaka-Yasemi Cafe (downtown)
I discovered this cute small bistro (yasemi cafe) in Plaka (Mnisikleous 23) many years ago , when only few people we were its clients. These days have gone, now Yasemi is so popular it has become difficult to find a table. What made it so popular? The aura of the old era is probably its most strong privilege most possibly because to its unique location. Cheap prices, little choices in the menu but home alike food and intere-sting crowd around. It’s like you eat at your grandma’s home during a lazy Sunday. When the weather is good (meaning almost all year round in Athens) sitting out in the stairs, under the rock of Acropolis, is the perfect spot to build your memories from your Athenian holidays. For the more cold days or nights, inside near the fireplace you can feel like being in a small village far away from Athens.
7. Thisio
Thiseio, also Thisseio, Thisio and Thissio is the name of a neighborhood in downtown Athens, northwest of the Acropolis, 1.5 km southwest of downtown, and 1 km southwest of city hall; its name derives from the Temple of Hephaestus, also known as Τhiseio, as it was, in earlier times, considered a temple of Theseus. Many Cafe and restaurants makes a beautiful atmosphere.
8. Monastiraki
Monastiraki is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens, and is one of the principal shopping districts in Athens. The area is home to clothing boutiques, souvenir shops, and specialty stores, and is a major tourist attraction in Athens and Attica for bargain shopping. The area is named after Monastiraki Square, which in turn is named for the Pantanassa church monastery that is located within the square. The main streets of this area are Pandrossou Street and Adrianou Street.
9. Mount Lycabettus
Mount Lycabettus, also known as Lycabettos, Lykabettos or Lykavittos , is a Cretaceous limestone hill in Athens. At 277 meters (908 feet) above sea level, the hill is the highest point in the city that surrounds it. Pine trees cover its base, and at its two peaks are the 19th century Chapel of St.George , a theatre, and a restaurant. The hill is a popular tourist destination and can be ascended by the Lycabettus Funicular, a funicular railway which climbs the hill from a lower terminus at Kolonaki (The railway station can be found at Aristippou street). Lycabettus appears in various legends. Popular stories suggest it was once the refuge of wolves, possibly the origin of its name (which means "the one (the hill) that is walked by wolves"). Mythologically, Lycabettus is credited to Athena, who created it when she dropped a mountain she had been carrying from Pallene for the construction of the Acropolis after the box holding Erichthonius was opened. The hill also has a large open-air theater at the top, which has housed many Greek and international concerts.
10. Hotel-Casino Mont Parnes
The Hotel-Casino Mont Parnes, located at an altitude of 1.055 meters on the beautiful mountain of Parnitha has been one of the most interesting buildings at the time it was constructed. The prestigious inauguration of the facilities took place in 1961, in the presence of Prime Minister Konstantinos Karamanlis, who was also granted the initiative for its development. The hotel initially operated under the authority of the Hellenic Tourism Organization, but during the sixties it changed through several administrations without much success. The situation changed drastically in 1971, when within the facilities of Mont Parnes the first Greek Casino started operating together with the hotel. The seventies have been described as the golden era for Mont Parnes primarily due to its exclusive clientele, the aristocratic atmosphere and the outstanding and luxurious environment.
11. Tomb of the Unknown Soldier-Syntagma Square
Forget Buckingham Palace, this is the place to watch the changing of the guard - beautiful building, love the uniforms of the guards, especially the pompoms, and their performance is amazing. They do their performance regularly, so just wait around for a few minutes and suddenly they will start walking towards each other, not to be missed. They do a longer performance with the changing of the guard.
12. Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum
The Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum is a unique museum devoted to the art of jewelry and the decorative arts. The museum was founded in 1993 and opened to the public, as a non-profit organisation. Today the Museum’s permanent collection includes over 4000 pieces of jewelry and micro sculptures from over 50 collections designed by the museum’s founder, Ilias Lalaounis, between 1940 and 2000. The permanent collection is enriched with donations including jewelry and decorative arts from around the world. The main museum edifice was the original workshop of Ilias Lalaounis Company. The alterations of the space were designed by Bernard Zehrfuss (1908-1996) and the architectural plan was refined and carried out by the Architect, Vassilis Gregoriadis with the Engineer, George Athanasoulis.
13. Benaki Museum
The Benaki Museum, established and endowed in 1930 by Antonis Benakis in memory of his father Emmanuel Benakis, is housed in the Benakis family mansion in downtown Athens Greece. The museum houses Greek works of art from the prehistorical to the modern times, an extensive collection of Asian art, hosts periodic exhibitions and maintains a state-of-the-art restoration and conservation workshop. Although the museum initially housed a collection that included Islamic art, Chinese porcelain and exhibits on toys, its 2000 re-opening led to the creation of satellite museums that focused on specific collections, allowing the main museum to focus on Greek culture over the span of the country's history.
14. Museum of Cycladic Art
The Museum of Cycladic Art is dedicated to the study and promotion of ancient cultures of the Aegean and Cyprus, with special emphasis on Cycladic Art of the 3rd millennium BC. It was founded in 1986, to house the collection of Nicholas and Dolly Goulandris. Since then it has grown in size to accommodate new acquisitions, obtained either through direct purchases or through donations by important collectors and institutions.
15. National Archaeological Museum
The National Archaeological Museum in Athens houses some of the most important artifacts from a variety of archaeological locations around Greece from prehistory to late antiquity. It is considered one of the great museums in the world and contains the richest collection of artifacts from Greek antiquity worldwide. It is situated in the Exarcheia area in central Athens between Epirus Street, Bouboulinas Street and Tositsas Street while its entrance is on the Patission street adjacent to the historical building of the Athens Polytechnic university.
16. Byzantine and Christian Museum
The Byzantine and Christian Museum, which is based in Athens, is one of Greece’s national museums. Its areas of competency are centred on – but not limited to – religious artefacts of the Early Christian, Byzantine, Medieval, post-Byzantine and later periods which it exhibits, but also acquires, receives, preserves, conserves, records, documents, researches, studies, publishes and raises awareness of. The museum has over 25,000 artefacts in its possession. The artefacts date from between the 3rd and 20th century AD, and their provenance encompasses the entire Greek world, as well as regions in which Hellenism flourished. The size and range of the collections and value of the exhibits makes the Museum a veritable treasury of Byzantine and post-Byzantine art and culture.
17. Museum of Traditional Pottery
The Centre for the Study of Traditional Pottery, also known as Psaropoulos Museum of Traditional Pottery and as Study Centre for Contemporary Ceramics is a museum in Athens Greece. The study centre was established in 1987 to research, preserve and promote the production of traditional Greek ceramics. Since 1999 it has been located in a neo-classical building at 8 Hepitou Street in Plaka and was officially inaugurated on May 18, 2000, International Museum Day. The museums' collection, consists of some 4500 vases and tools from all over the country.
18. Panathenaic Stadium
The Panathenaic Stadium or Panathinaiko , also known as the Kallimarmaro (meaning the "beautifully marbled"), is the most ancient stadium in use in the world, is an athletic stadium in Athens that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896. Reconstructed from the remains of an ancient Greek stadium, the Panathenaic is the only major stadium in the world built entirely of white marble (from Mount Penteli) and is one of the oldest in the world.
19. Greek cruiser Georgios Averof
Georgios Averof is a Greek warship which served as the flagship of theRoyal Hellenic Navy during most of the first half of the 20th Century. Although popularly known as a battleship (θωρηκτό), it is in fact an armored cruiser, the only one of its type worldwide still in existence.
