Dominating the Athenian skyline, this beautiful, world-renowned monument is dedicated to Goddess Athena, the virgin patron of Athens. Constructed in 438 B.C. by Ictinus, Callicrates and Carpion, under the supervision of Phidias, the Parthenon is the most important surviving monument of the ancient world and stands as an enduring symbol of Ancient Greece and the Athenian Democracy.
The Temple of Poseidon, at Sounion, the tip of the Attica peninsula (45 miles southeast of Athens), was built in 440 B.C. However, archaeological findings show the area was a site of worship as far as 700 B.C. Carved into the base of one of the columns of the Temple of Poseidon is the name of the famous romantic poet Lord Byron. It is possible he made the inscription during his first visit to Greece.
The pass of Thermopylae is the historical site of the battle that took place in 480 B.C. between the Greeks and the Persians. Under the command of King Leonidas of Sparta, the greatly outnumbered Greek army remained in the pass to prevent Xerxes’ vast cavalry and infantry force further invading the land. They held ground for three days before being outflanked via a hidden goat path, which according to legend, was shown to the Persians by a traitor named Ephialtes. However, their feat gave the Greek army enough time to reassemble and successfully combat the Persians in following battles. The epigram on the monuments reads :Oh stranger, tell the Lacedaemonians (Spartans), that we lie here, obedient to their words.
Half-day Athens tour starts with a visit to the Acropolis where you see the Parthenon, the temple on top of the sacred rock devoted to Goddess Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, the Propylea, the entrance to the sacred rock, the Temple of Wingless Victory which was devoted to Goddess Athena-Nike, the Erechtheum, the most sacred and mythical of all the temples of Athens with its famous Caryatides (female featured statues), the 5000-seat Odeon of Herodes Atticus which was carved into the rock and is still used for music festivals, the 13000-seat theatre of Dionysus where the Athenians listened to the immortal works of Sophocles, Aeschylus, Euripides and Aristophanes.
We continue our tour by visiting the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Panathinaic Stadium (where the Olympic Games were held for the first time in modern Athens in 1896), the Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the changing of the guards.
Then we drive through University Street that connects Constitution (Syntagma) Square with Concord (Omonia) Square - the second most important square in Athens and see the Academy, the University and the National Library followed by a drive up to Lycabettus Hill (highest point of Athens) where you can enjoy a panoramic view of the city.
Our last visit will either be to the oldest part of Athens (the Plaka district), ending at the Roman Agora and the Tower of the Winds or the new Acropolis museum.
The new Acropolis museum is under the south slope of the Acropolis and contains mostly pediment sculpture, reliefs and statues found on the sacred rock of Acropolis, which formed most of its decoration. Among these statues, the well-known female figures with the characteristic archaic smile called "Korai" such as the Kore of Naxos, the Kore of Chios and the Kore of Lyons etc. There are also sphinxes, consecrated reliefs such as the Athena in Medication and consecrated sculptures such as the Moschoforos (a man who is carrying a calf across his shoulders), the Boy of Kritias etc.
The duration of the tour is approximately 5 hours.
Please take a look at the right of the page for additional tour information.
