Greece - Korina Miller [81]
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FREE MUSEUMS
Athens has some interesting free museums. The Museum of Greek Popular Instruments (Map; 210 325 4119; Diogenous 1-3, Plaka; 10am-2pm Tue & Thu-Sun, noon-6pm Wed) has displays and recordings of a wide selection of traditional instruments, including those of the great masters of Greek music, as well as costumes worn during festivals. Concerts are held in the courtyard on weeknights in summer. A restored hammam in the gift store is one of the few surviving private Turkish baths in Athens.
The most significant collection of Greek inscriptions can be seen at the Epigraphical Museum (Map; 210 821 7637; Tositsa 1; 8.30am-3pm Tue-Sun), a veritable library of stone tablets next to the National Archaeological Museum.
The War Museum (Map; 210 725 2975; Rizari 2, cnr Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias; 9am-2pm Tue-Sun) is a relic of the junta years and an architectural statement of the times. All periods from the Mycenaean to the present day are covered, and displays include weapons, maps, armour and models.
The Centre of Folk Art & Tradition (Map; 210 324 3987; Hatzimihali Angelikis 6, Plaka; 9am-1pm & 5-9pm Tue-Fri, 9am-1pm Sat & Sun) is worth seeing for the stunning Plaka mansion as much as for its interesting periodic exhibitions.
The Maria Callas Museum (Map; 210 346 1589; Technopolis, Pireos 100, Gazi; 10am-3pm Mon-Fri) is dedicated to the revered opera diva and includes letters and unpublished photographs, as well as personal mementos, books and videos. It is located on the 2nd floor of the Sikelianos building in the superbly converted Athens gasworks complex, which also hosts multimedia exhibitions, concerts and special events.
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THEOHARAKIS ART & CULTURE CENTRE
This new art and culture centre (Map; 210 361 1206; www.thf.gr; Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias 9, Kolonaki; adult/concession €6/3; 10am-6pm Mon, Wed & Fri-Sun, 10am-10pm Thu) has three levels of exhibition space featuring local and international artists, a theatre, an art shop and a pleasant cafe. Music performances are held between September and May.
Hills of Athens
The Athens basin is surrounded by mountains, bounded to the north by Mt Parnitha, the northeast by Mt Pendeli, the west by Mt Egaleo and the east by Mt Ymittos. Downtown Athens is dominated by the much smaller hills of Lykavittos (277m) and the Acropolis (156m).
LYKAVITTOS HILL
The name Lykavittos means ‘Hill of Wolves’ and derives from ancient times when the hill was surrounded by countryside and its pine-covered slopes were inhabited by wolves. Today, the hill (Map) rises out of a sea of concrete to offer the finest panoramas in Athens. The dreaded nefos (pollution haze) permitting, there are panoramic views of the city, the Attic basin, the surrounding mountains, and the islands of Salamina and Aegina. A path leads to the summit from the top of Loukianou. Alternatively, you can take the funicular railway (Map; 210 721 0701; return €6; 9am-3am, half-hourly), referred to as the ‘teleferik’, from the top of Ploutarhou in Kolonaki.
Perched on the summit is the little Chapel of Agios Georgios (Map), floodlit like a beacon over the city at night. The summit cafe and upmarket restaurant (see Orizontes, Click here) have spectacular views. The open-air Lykavittos Theatre (Map), northeast of the summit, is used for concerts in summer.
WEST OF THE ACROPOLIS
Filopappou Hill (Map), also called the Hill of the Muses, is identifiable to the southwest of the Acropolis by the Monument of Filopappos (Map) at its summit. The monument was built between 114 and 116 in honour of Julius Antiochus Filopappos, who was a prominent Roman consul and administrator.
The pine-clad slopes are a pleasant place for a stroll, and offer good views of the plain and mountains of Attica and of the Saronic Gulf, and some of the best vantage points for photographing the Acropolis. There are small paths all over the hill, but the paved path to the top starts near the periptero (street kiosk) on Dionysiou Areopagitou. After 250m, the path passes the Church