...catch a glimpse of the top sightseeing spots of Athens

When coming to a new city, you always want to research the area that you will be staying in and what spectacular sights are near by.

O&B Athens Boutique Hotel has created this section of the site as a small guide to the areas around the hotel and the significant sites of Athens. The O&B Team is always more than willing to provide additional information and recommendations for your stay in Athens and tailor your program according to your needs and wishes.

O&B Athens Boutique Hotel is located in the historical center of Athens, in one of the most upcoming and authentic neighborhoods of the city and now one of the liveliest hip spots of the metropolitan city.

With a short stroll, you find yourself at the gates of Acropolis and moments away from Syntagma Square, Monastiraki, Keramikos, the Ancient Agora and Plaka, the old city of Athens.

Located between the most important archaeological sites of Athens, in one of the most original and full of life areas of the city, O&B Athens Boutique Hotel is the perfect starting point for exploring the Greek capital. Walk the pedestrian street Apostolou Pavlou all the way up to Acropolis and the Parthenon, visit the most interesting museums of Athens, do some shopping at Ermou street, walk throughout the narrow streets of Plaka and enjoy the intense nightlife of Psiri and Gazi.

Psiri 
 
Psiri area can only be compared to a rough diamond, since it looks a bit worn out on the outside, but hides gems that only the locals know of. The area is very safe and has now become one of the most fashionable and trendy choices in the center of Athens for accommodation, entertainment and food hospitality.

In Psiri you can find a large variety of restaurants, taverns and bars for every taste and mood. Especially if you wish to try local dishes, there are plenty of casual Greek taverns and restaurants to choose from.

Psiri is also a meeting point for artists since there are plenty of theaters as well as several art galleries in the area. 

A little bit of Psiri history
 
Psiri was the area of Greeks deriving mostly from Naxos island that were known as “Koutsavakides” or “Manges” in which they created and ruled the underground world of Athens. They could be identified by the outfit as they always wore the jacket with one sleeve on, their pointy boots and their long moustaches. They terrorized Athens using Psiri as their base for 50 years. It was because of Prime Minister Harilaos Tripkoupis in 1893, that Psiri became a safe area for all the citizens of Athens, by sending the “Koutsavakides” back home in shame by having them shave their moustache & cutting the points of their shoes.

Psiri turned in the home of leather workshops & small factories, basically a neighborhood for the working class. It was also the “home” of the well known poem “Maid in Athens” by Lord Byron which was about a young lady whose family was accommodating him. The house of Lord Byron is located on the corner of Ag. Theklas & Papanikolis Street. 

 
Maid of Athens, by Lord Byron
 
Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Hear my vow before I go,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ.
 
By those tresses unconfined,
Wooed by each Aegean wind;
By those lids whose jetty fringe
Kiss thy soft cheeks' blooming tinge;
By those wild eyes like the roe,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ.
 
By that lip I long to taste;
By that zone-encircled waist;
By all the token-flowers that tell
What words can never speak so well;
By love's alternate joy and woe,
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ.
 
Maid of Athens! I am gone:
Think of me, sweet! when alone.
Though I fly to Istambol,
Athens holds my heart and soul:
Can I cease to love thee? No!
Ζωή μου, σᾶς ἀγαπῶ.

Walking from the hotel and in not more than 10 minutes, you find yourself in Plaka. Plaka is the old historical neighborhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis 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.

Plaka is the best place in Athens to enjoy a cup of coffee or do a little souvenir shopping.

Monastiraki means “The little monastery”. It is a flea market neighborhood in the old town of Athens and is one of the principal shopping districts of Athens.

The area is home to different shops from clothing to souvenirs and antiques and is a major tourist attraction for bargain shopping.

At Monastiraki square, just 5 minutes walking from the hotel, you will find the Metro station that can either take you to the port of Piraeus (line 1) or directly to the airport (line 3).

The name that comes from the ancient times and derives from the Temple of Hephaestus, also known as Thisio (pronounced [θiˈsio]), as it was, in earlier times, considered a Temple of Theseus.

It homes very significant archeological sites, such as the Ancient Greek and Roman Agora.

Thisio is a famous meeting point in the city center. Its pedestrians are beautiful to walk and are full of cafes, bars and taverns.

At Thisio, you can also find Cine Thisio, which is an open air cinema with view to the Acropolis, open during the summer and was voted one of the world's best by CNN Go travel website.

The Acropolis is the hill on which one of the most ancient buildings stands, The Parthenon. The Parthenon was built in the 5th century B.C. and part of it exists until today. It was a temple dedicated to the ancient Greek goddess Athina.

“Acropolis” means “Edge of the city” and every city had one in ancient times for strategic reasons, so that the enemy was seen from far away. It is also called the “Sacred Rock".

Acropolis of Athens is only a 15 minute walk from the hotel. Just take the walkway Apostolou Pavlou Street walking through Thisio and its café bars and enjoy the scenery as you get closer so does the Acropolis.

The Acropolis is open everyday and there are a few National Holidays where the entrance is free. Please note that winter and summer working hours vary so please ask the Front Desk before heading to the Acropolis.

The Acropolis Museum opened its gates in 2009 and presents artifacts and findings from the Parthenon and the slopes of the Acropolis hill as well as findings of the area dated from the 5th century B.C. to the 5th century A.D.

The Acropolis Museum is only a 20 minute walk from the O&B Athens Boutique Hotel. The same walkway that you will take for the Acropolis is the same going to the New Acropolis Museum. Their gates are adjacent from each other. It is suggested that you visit the museum first then visit the Acropolis so as to get a better understanding of its history.

The Agora was in Ancient times, the “downtown” area of Athens where political issues, commercial and social activities took place. It was where the city council members would meet and discuss a variety of issues. It was also the center for religious & cultural issues.

The Agora of Athens was the home of the Athenian courts as well as a residential and burial area. It was said that if anyone was in Agora at the time of a trial would be forced to become a juror.

The Ancient Agora is just 5 minutes from the hotel, just by crossing Ermou street and walking across Monastiraki. To enter, you can use the combined ticket from the Acropolis since the ticket grants you the entrance in 5 different major historical sites in Athens.

Keramikos is another unique neighborhood in the center of Athens at a 10-minute walking distance from the hotel. Keramikos is the Greek word for “ceramic”.

The "Inner Kerameikos" was the former "potters' quarter" within the city and "Outer Kerameikos" covers the cemetery and also the public graveyard just outside the city walls, where Pericles delivered hisfuneral oration in 431 BC.

The Keramikos Archaeological Museum houses the most extensive collection of burial-related artifacts in Greece.