Kerameikos, the stadium and Philopappos Hill: four places beyond the six main sights
An ancient cemetery older than the Acropolis looking down on it, the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble, a hill with a view of the rock and no queue, and a guard that changes stance every hour — four stops outside the hub page's top six.
- Philopappos Hill
- Free entry
- The guard change
- Every hour outside Parliament
A cemetery, a stadium, a hill and a guard hold what the six main sights don't cover: Kerameikos keeps burials older than classical Athens, the Panathenaic Stadium is the only one in the world built entirely of marble, Philopappos Hill looks across the valley at the Acropolis with no queue for a ticket, and outside Parliament the guard changes every hour, all year round.
Kerameikos — a cemetery older than the rock looking down on it
Kerameikos is Athens's main ancient cemetery, beside the former Eridanos stream and part of the old potters' quarter it takes its name from. Burials here begin in the 12th century BC and continue through the whole of antiquity. Part of the Themistoclean city wall, thrown up hastily in 479 BC after the Persian Wars, runs through the site, with the Dipylon and Sacred Gates as the main entrances to the ancient city. The finest marble grave stelae, including the Stele of Hegeso, one of the best Attic reliefs, from around 400 BC, now stand in the National Archaeological Museum; a small museum at the entrance keeps the rest of the collection.
Panathenaic Stadium — the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble
The stadium stands on the site of an ancient one from the 4th century BC, built on the orders of the orator Lycurgus; around 144 AD the Roman senator Herodes Atticus faced it entirely in marble. It lay buried for centuries until its foundations were dug up in 1869–70. Once Athens was chosen to host the first modern Olympics in 1896, the Greek industrialist Georgios Averoff funded its rebuilding, and architects Anastasios Metaxas and Ernst Ziller restored its marble form. It hosted the marathon finish at the 2004 Olympics; today's ticket includes an audio guide and a small museum of Olympic torches.
Philopappos Hill — a view of the Acropolis with no queue
The hill sits south-west of the rock, across the valley from the Acropolis. At the top stands a marble mausoleum built around 116 AD in honour of Gaius Julius Antiochus Philopappos, a Roman consul and grandson of the last king of Commagene, whom the Athenians buried here after his death and made an honorary citizen. Entry is free, the paths are shaded — unlike the rock itself — and most people come near sunset, when the whole Acropolis is visible across the valley.
The guard change outside Parliament
The Evzones, a unit dating to 1824 and made an elite guard in 1864, change every hour, all year round, outside the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Parliament building at Syntagma. On Sundays at 11am the full ceremony arrives: a band and the whole unit in dress white uniform march down Vasilissis Sofias, then down Vasilisis Amalias to the square. The kilt's skirt carries 400 pleats, one for each year of Ottoman rule over Greece. Watching is free and needs no ticket or booking.
An order that makes sense
Kerameikos is close to Monastiraki and Thissio, so it naturally follows on from a second day in the centre. Philopappos Hill borders Koukaki and adds easily to the end of a day once the Acropolis is done. The Panathenaic Stadium is further east, closer to the National Garden, and needs a trip of its own; the guard change at Syntagma is watched in passing, with no planning, while crossing the centre on the hour.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What is Kerameikos?
Athens's main ancient cemetery, with burials from the 12th century BC and part of the Themistoclean city wall from 479 BC — the Dipylon and Sacred Gates are the site's main entrances.
Why is the Panathenaic Stadium special?
It's the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble — rebuilt in 1895–96 for the first modern Olympics, on the foundations of a 4th-century-BC original.
Is the guard change at Syntagma free to watch?
Yes. Watching is free every hour, all year round; the full ceremony with the band is on Sundays at 11am.
Ready for Athens?
Where to next
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→An Old Town below Acronafplia, Palamidi fortress on the hill and Bourtzi on an islet in the harbour — all on foot, with a second day left for Epidaurus or Mycenae.
How well does Athens suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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