General information
| Destination |
|---|
| Athens, Greece |
Program details
Stroll the historic neighborhoods of Makrygianni, Plaka, Anafiotika and Philoppapos Hill and marvel at ancient monuments and neo-Classical mansions. Savor freshly baked pastries and homemade sweet bread at a family-owned bakery and a neo-Classical gem. Boost your energy with a freddo espresso or frappé coffee, the famous Greek-style iced coffees. Dig into the country’s largest open-air market for undiscovered “antiques.” New York Times Exclusives Behind the Scenes Access: Go behind the scenes at Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum, and learn about the adaptation of traditional techniques of metalsmithing as well as decorative arts like ceramics, woodcarving, ivory and ceramics, using industrial materials like acrylic or plastic. Hands-on Element: Try at wrapping your own gyros, at one of the city’s oldest establishments. Local Interactions: Meet local shop owners who have been continuing their family businesses, including a sandal maker who is also a poet and who has had customers such as the Beatles, Barbra Streisand, Lily Tomlin and Sarah Jessica Parker.
Begin just off the Acropolis Metro Station in Makrygianni, where you can see 5,000-year-old city remnants nestled beneath the new Acropolis Museum. Stroll around Koukaki, one of Athens’s hippest and liveliest neighborhoods. Stop at Taki’s Bakery, which has been satiating neighbors since 1962, for a koulouri sesame ring or tsoureki, sweet Greek bread. Immerse yourself in Athenian coffee culture by sipping a freddo espresso or frappé coffee. In Greece, iced coffee drinks are popular year round. Next, go behind the scenes at Ilias Lalaounis Jewelry Museum. Take a lesson on traditional techniques of metalsmithing and decorative art, combined with industrial materials like acrylic or plastic. Then, head to Philopappos Hill. Follow the trail with the marble monument of Philopappos, completed in 119 A.D., and the monument of Pnyx, where ancient Athenians like Pericles and Themistocles spoke. There’s a great view of the Acropolis.More great views await as you stroll Anafiotika, with its cobblestone alleys and the white-washed homes nearly stacked on top of one another. Wander around the historical neighborhood of Plaka and stop for a delicious variety of local pites, or Greek homemade savory pies. Continue to the country’s largest open-air market for treasures, some billed as “antiques” but probably not. Meet a sandal artisan and poet in his workshop.
Three generations of his family have served celebrities like Sarah Jessica Parker, the Beatles and Barbra Streisand. Perhaps order a pair for yourself. Then, try wrapping your own gyros at one of the city’s oldest establishments. It’s not so easy to get the pita filled with meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie, tomato, onion, tzatziki sauce and, sometimes, French fries. It’s cocktail hour, so we'll finish up at a hipster bar’s rooftop which has breathtaking views of the Acropolis, the Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library. It’s a perfect spot to say “yiamas” to your new friends. The New York Times Reading List: Great Retsina, an Oxymoron No More From Wine to Sweets, Greek Goodies at a New Athens Market Athens, Rising Five Places to Go in Athens Stelios Faitakis: How Greece Inspires His Art.
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