However, they carry an aura, that reflects the mood, the air, the culture, and the trends of the city. These are the "must-sees" you have to see in every city.
What follows are the ten most Athenian things you must see when you visit Athens.
The experience of the Acropolis is shocking for the people who can understand it, and who appreciate it. The architectural marvel of the Parthenon, which was built in less than a decade (and we have needed four to restore it), is undeniably astonishing. Try to capture how many thousands of years ago people were sitting and watching performances in the marble Theater of Dionysus.
The flea market of Abyssinia Square, more correctly: Also known as Yusurum, the one that is set up every Sunday in the square by the antique dealers, flooding the world that wanders with collectors and retro-maniacs. On its benches, porcelains meet glass and bronze household items, trumpets and saxophones stand proudly next to the framed royal family, and the latter in turn accompanies the poster with the Phoenix that reads "Long live April 21st". A century of history and absurdity, crammed into a hundred square meters.
The magnificent building designed by Ziller in St. Constantine has become the setting for some of the most interesting Athenian stories. Even if it were not so, its main stage is one of the most beautiful theater stages in Europe, and - in most cases at least - the performances it hosts are interesting and well done.
The absolutely Cycladic corner of Athens is perhaps the only Athenian neighborhood that is more beautiful than Plaka. The all-white whitewashed houses of the craftsmen from Anafi that were built secretly under the rock of the Acropolis when the palace of Otto - the current Parliament - was still in concrete, is today the most peaceful, the most romantic, districts of the center.
Those who tell us - as a rule in a grumpy tone - that Athens has no green spaces, we take them by the hand and take them for a walk in the 155 wonderful, green acres of the National Garden.
One of the first two roads that were drawn when Athens became the capital of the newly formed Greek state, runs through about twenty centuries of history from one end to the other: It starts from the Clock of the Lord, at the edge of the Roman market, and ends in Chafteia. Omonia, having passed in front of historic churches, trendy squares, a bright city hall, and the remains of the ancient walls of Themistocles. Not bad for a single road, right?
Forget the crowds, the unsightly decibels, and the mainstream slump. Gazi during the day is a completely different neighborhood, completely quiet and completely earthy, full of children playing in the streets and neighbors chatting outside their doors. And besides all this, the former gas factory, which gave the area its name, is one of the most important industrial monuments in Athens - and houses a very explanatory museum that chronicles what our big small town was like before electricity.
There is probably no more favorite Athenian image (at least if you ask social media) than the steps of Yasemi in the tiled Mnisikleous flooded world on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Only come armed with patience, because many believe this, so it may be a little difficult to find a table.
Few European capitals are bathed by the sea. That is why the Athenian Riviera, which starts from Faliro to Glyfada is one of the most "must-see" places for your Athenian walks. Extra points, if you do it by bike on a slightly grayish autumn afternoon, because during the summer, the heat might get the best of you.
Their special architecture. Their atmospheric (up to incomplete in some cases) lighting. Their retro aesthetics. The aroma of old Athens that almost all exude. The proof that the architectural creation in Greece did not die together with Pericles. The reasons why the Athenian gallerias exert a certain charm on most of us are many - and different for each.
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