The Acropolis of Athens is a rocky hill above the city crowned by ancient temples built in the 5th century BC under Pericles. Its monuments include the Parthenon, the Erechtheion with its Porch of the Caryatids, the Temple of Athena Nike and the Propylaea gateway. It is the symbol of ancient Greece and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Parthenon is the great temple of Athena on the Acropolis of Athens, built between 447 and 432 BC. It is the most famous building of ancient Greece and a masterpiece of the Doric order. Its sculptures by Phidias showed gods and myths. It was later a church, a mosque and a gunpowder store, which exploded in 1687.

The Acropolis Museum opened in 2009 at the foot of the Acropolis. Designed by Bernard Tschumi, it shows finds from the Acropolis, including the original Caryatids and sculptures of the Parthenon frieze. The top-floor gallery is aligned with the Parthenon itself, visible through glass walls. Glass floors show an ancient neighbourhood beneath.

Plaka is the old neighbourhood of Athens at the foot of the Acropolis. Its narrow streets are lined with neoclassical houses, shops, tavernas and small Byzantine churches. Anafiotika, a tiny area of white island-style houses, climbs the slope of the Acropolis. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas of the city.

The National Archaeological Museum in Athens is the largest museum in Greece, founded in 1829. It holds one of the richest collections of ancient Greek art, including the golden Mask of Agamemnon from Mycenae, the bronze statue of Zeus or Poseidon from Artemision, and the Antikythera mechanism, an ancient analogue computer.

The Ancient Agora of Athens was the heart of public life in the ancient city, a place for markets, politics and philosophy. Socrates taught here. The best preserved building is the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the most complete Greek temples. The rebuilt Stoa of Attalos houses a museum of finds from the site.

Syntagma Square is the central square of Athens, in front of the Hellenic Parliament, the former royal palace. At the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Evzones, presidential guards in traditional uniforms, perform a changing of the guard every hour. The square is a meeting point and the scene of political gatherings.

Mount Lycabettus is a limestone hill rising about 277 metres in the centre of Athens. A funicular railway climbs through a tunnel to the top, where the white Chapel of Saint George stands. It gives the best panoramic view of Athens, the Acropolis and the sea. It is a popular place to watch the sunset.

Mycenae was the centre of a powerful Bronze Age civilisation and, in legend, the city of King Agamemnon. Its citadel is entered through the Lion Gate, carved around 1250 BC. Nearby is the Treasury of Atreus, a huge beehive tomb. Heinrich Schliemann found rich gold treasures here in 1876. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Theatre of Epidaurus was built in the 4th century BC as part of the sanctuary of Asclepius, the god of healing. It held about 14,000 spectators and is famous for its excellent acoustics; a whisper on stage can be heard in the top rows. It is still used for summer drama festivals. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nafplio is a seaside town in the Peloponnese and was the first capital of modern Greece. Its old town has Venetian and neoclassical buildings and narrow streets. The Palamidi fortress sits high above, reached by about 900 steps, and the small Bourtzi castle stands on an island in the harbour.

Monemvasia is a medieval town built on a rocky island off the east coast of the Peloponnese, linked to the mainland by a causeway. Its lower town has stone houses, churches and narrow lanes within walls, while the upper town on the rock is in ruins except for the Church of Hagia Sophia. Its name means single entrance.

Ancient Olympia in the western Peloponnese was the site of the ancient Olympic Games, held from 776 BC. Its ruins include the Temple of Zeus, which held one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Temple of Hera and the stadium. The Olympic flame for the modern Games is lit here. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Delphi was the most important religious site of ancient Greece, home to the Oracle of Apollo. It lies on the slopes of Mount Parnassus above a valley of olive trees. Its ruins include the Temple of Apollo, a theatre, a stadium and the round Tholos of Athena Pronaia. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.