Gazi & Kerameikos: the gasworks and the Sacred Way

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

1. 01

   1

   Technopolis (the old gasworks)

   Start where Athens kept its industry instead of clearing it: the 19th-century gasworks, now an arts complex. The brick retorts and the two gasometers still stand, lit at night. Walk the yard between the furnaces even if nothing's on.

   01

   Technopolis (the old gasworks)

   Start where Athens kept its industry instead of clearing it: the 19th-century gasworks, now an arts complex. The brick retorts and the two gasometers still stand, lit at night. Walk the yard between the furnaces even if nothing's on.

   ◉Street View
2. 02

   2

   Plateia Asomaton and the Gazi bars

   The square where Gazi's nightlife gathers — bars, late kitchens, the crowd that the metro brought when it arrived in 2007. Best after dark; come back for a drink once you've done the ruins, or start here and reverse the walk.

   02

   Plateia Asomaton and the Gazi bars

   The square where Gazi's nightlife gathers — bars, late kitchens, the crowd that the metro brought when it arrived in 2007. Best after dark; come back for a drink once you've done the ruins, or start here and reverse the walk.

   ◉Street View
3. 03

   3

   Kerameikos archaeological site

   The ancient potters' quarter and the city's main burial ground for centuries — grave markers, the Street of Tombs, terrapins in the stream. The least-visited great site in Athens. Pay the small entry; you'll often have the tombs to yourself.

   03

   Kerameikos archaeological site

   The ancient potters' quarter and the city's main burial ground for centuries — grave markers, the Street of Tombs, terrapins in the stream. The least-visited great site in Athens. Pay the small entry; you'll often have the tombs to yourself.

   ◉Street View
4. 04

   4

   The Dipylon and the Sacred Gate

   Inside the site, find the foundations of the two great gates in the ancient city wall. From the Sacred Gate, the *Iera Odos* (Sacred Way) ran to Eleusis for the mystery processions. Stand at the threshold and look west down the line of the old road.

   04

   The Dipylon and the Sacred Gate

   Inside the site, find the foundations of the two great gates in the ancient city wall. From the Sacred Gate, the *Iera Odos* (Sacred Way) ran to Eleusis for the mystery processions. Stand at the threshold and look west down the line of the old road.

   ◉Street View
5. 05

   5

   Kerameikos Archaeological Museum

   The small site museum holds the finds — the marble bull from Dionysios's tomb, grave stelae, painted pottery from the workshops that named the quarter. Twenty quiet minutes; the bull alone is worth the door.

   05

   Kerameikos Archaeological Museum

   The small site museum holds the finds — the marble bull from Dionysios's tomb, grave stelae, painted pottery from the workshops that named the quarter. Twenty quiet minutes; the bull alone is worth the door.

   ◉Street View
6. 06

   6

   Ermou's quiet end toward Thiseio

   Leave east along the unfashionable lower stretch of Ermou — flower stalls, the church of Agioi Asomatoi — toward Thiseio, where the old Metro 1 station and the Acropolis view wait. End with a drink on a Thiseio terrace if the evening's gone well.

   06

   Ermou's quiet end toward Thiseio

   Leave east along the unfashionable lower stretch of Ermou — flower stalls, the church of Agioi Asomatoi — toward Thiseio, where the old Metro 1 station and the Acropolis view wait. End with a drink on a Thiseio terrace if the evening's gone well.

   ◉Street View