5-Day Athens Itinerary (Part II), Athens, Greece

The third day of this Athens itinerary takes you to the Monastiraki neighbourhood and the archaeological sites in the area, before ending the day at the Philopappos Hill.

Start the day at Monastiraki Square, in front of the Monastiraki metro station. This beautifully tiled square can be rather busy, and not only has good views of the Acropolis but also is surrounded by a flea market. This is a busy and popular place for tourists so do watch out for pickpockets in the area!

Here in the flea market of Monastiraki, you can find some of the quirkiest items and the oldest antiques. Particularly on Sundays, the Avissynias Square comes alive for the Sunday market.

Afterwards, when you are ready for more archaeological history, head to the Hadrian’s Library, just next to Monastiraki Square.

Built in AD 132, this was one of the largest buildings constructed by Roman Emperor Hadrian. As the name suggests, it used to serve as a library, equipped with reading rooms as well as auditoriums. The site also houses the ruins of the early churches that once stood on the site.

The main feature of this site has to be the seven Corinthian columns on the west wall, which also was the entrance to the library. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).