The Panathenaic Stadium and Mets: marble and the quiet streets

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

1. 01

   1

   Zappeion and the gardens

   Start at the Zappeion, the elegant exhibition hall set in its own gardens, and walk out through the trees toward the stadium. The shaded paths are the gentlest possible warm-up. Come early, before the heat finds the open ground ahead.

   01

   Zappeion and the gardens

   Start at the Zappeion, the elegant exhibition hall set in its own gardens, and walk out through the trees toward the stadium. The shaded paths are the gentlest possible warm-up. Come early, before the heat finds the open ground ahead.

   ◉Street View
2. 02

   2

   Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro)

   The horseshoe of white Pentelic marble that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896 — the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. You can pay in and run the track if you like, or read the whole thing from the rail outside for nothing.

   02

   Panathenaic Stadium (Kallimarmaro)

   The horseshoe of white Pentelic marble that hosted the first modern Olympics in 1896 — the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. You can pay in and run the track if you like, or read the whole thing from the rail outside for nothing.

   ◉Street View
3. 03

   3

   Ardittos Hill

   Behind the stadium, a low pine-covered hill almost nobody climbs. Five minutes up and you get the stadium from above, the marble glowing, the city beyond. Quiet, free, and the best angle on the *Kallimarmaro* there is.

   03

   Ardittos Hill

   Behind the stadium, a low pine-covered hill almost nobody climbs. Five minutes up and you get the stadium from above, the marble glowing, the city beyond. Quiet, free, and the best angle on the *Kallimarmaro* there is.

   ◉Street View
4. 04

   4

   Proto Nekrotafeio (First Cemetery) gate

   The grand 19th-century cemetery, an open-air museum of neoclassical sculpture and the resting place of half of modern Greece's worthies. Walk in past the gate for the marble *Sleeping Maiden* and the cypress avenues. A donation box stands at the entrance; the calm inside is total.

   04

   Proto Nekrotafeio (First Cemetery) gate

   The grand 19th-century cemetery, an open-air museum of neoclassical sculpture and the resting place of half of modern Greece's worthies. Walk in past the gate for the marble *Sleeping Maiden* and the cypress avenues. A donation box stands at the entrance; the calm inside is total.

   ◉Street View
5. 05

   5

   The quiet streets of Mets

   Climb back up into *Mets*, the pocket of low neoclassical houses on the slope — painted façades, bougainvillea, almost no traffic. This is residential Athens at its most composed. Wander without a map; you can't get lost for long.

   05

   The quiet streets of Mets

   Climb back up into *Mets*, the pocket of low neoclassical houses on the slope — painted façades, bougainvillea, almost no traffic. This is residential Athens at its most composed. Wander without a map; you can't get lost for long.

   ◉Street View
6. 06

   6

   Down to Syntagma

   Drop back down through the National Garden toward Syntagma, the city's grand square and the Metro home. The shaded paths through the garden are the right way to end a hot morning's walk.

   06

   Down to Syntagma

   Drop back down through the National Garden toward Syntagma, the city's grand square and the Metro home. The shaded paths through the garden are the right way to end a hot morning's walk.

   ◉Street View