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Athens · History

Before Athens was Athens: theatres, courts and emperors

In just over a mile and a half you skirt the sacred rock where Pericles, Sophocles and Saint Paul once walked. You'll see where the great tragedies premiered, the hill where murderers stood trial and the colonnade, rebuilt stone by stone, where Athenians went shopping.

  • 6 stops
  • 1.6 km
  • 1 h 45 min
  • Free
Start with GPS Read about this stop 1
Remains of the Theatre of Dionysus below the Acropolis wall

The route

Stop by stop

  1. 1 Arch of HadrianA marble gateway that used two carved sentences to announce that the city of Theseus had a new master.
  2. 2 Choragic Monument of LysicratesA 2,300-year-old theatre trophy that survived hidden inside a monastery where Lord Byron once stayed.
  3. 3 Theatre of DionysusThe seats where Athens first watched Oedipus, Medea and Aristophanes' frogs.
  4. 4 Odeon of Herodes AtticusA millionaire's gift to his wife's memory that still fills with audiences almost two thousand years later.
  5. 5 The AreopagusA rock polished by millions of footsteps, where murderers stood trial and Saint Paul addressed the Athenians.
  6. 6 Stoa of AttalosThe shopping arcade of Hellenistic Athens, a king's gift rebuilt in the 20th century with the same marble.

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Start with GPS

Guide mode

Walk it with GPS.

Open guide mode on your phone: you’ll see your position and the distance to each stop, and we’ll let you know when you arrive. Then read or listen.

Start with GPS

  1. Turn on your location

  2. Walk to the spot

  3. Check the photo and listen

What you’ll discover

Before Athens was Athens: theatres, courts and emperors

The cradle of theatre

Look into the site where plays by Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Aristophanes were first performed.

A thousand years of power

From the 5th century BC to Emperor Hadrian: how every era wanted to leave its mark beside the Acropolis.

Stones that speak

Inscriptions, reliefs and rock-cut steps that hardly anyone stops to read.

Keep exploring

More routes in Athens

Back to Athens
Mysteries & legendsCurses, dervishes and a prison without a prisoner MixedFrom Syntagma to the Parthenon: the must-see Athens

Itineraries

How many days do you have in Athens?

We’ve planned it day by day for you: which routes to walk and in what order, what else to see and where to eat.

1

Athens in 1 day

All three routes in one full day: the highlights, the history and the legends at dusk.

See the itinerary 2

Athens in 2 days

A gentler pace: the three routes over two days, plus extra sights and where to eat.

See the itinerary 3

Athens in 3 days

The city in depth: one route a day, extra museums and neighbourhoods, and a day for good food.

See the itinerary