From the Agora to Omonia Square

Beyond the Athens Market on Athinas street is the Platia of the Dimarcheo, or City Hall Square, the government center for Athens. The square until recently was a total disaster. When they were building a parking lot they discovered antiquities.

The archaeologists rushed in, excavated it and then left it for years as a giant fenced in pit for people to throw their garbage in. But now it has been covered up and is one of the most beautiful squares in Greece, surrounded by some beautiful neo-classic buildings from the turn of the century.

Unfortunately it became a hangout for drug dealers and junkies at night, but it was always perfectly safe by day since it is in the primary shopping area of Athens and now they have moved all the undesirables to the area by the train station.

The plans are to have them completely out of Athens by the Olympics, to where, nobody knows for sure. Be sure to check out the sculptures on display here

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If you continue down Athinas street from the marketplace, you will come to Omonia square, Athens oldest. It's worth a trip, just as you can't go to New York without taking a peak at 42nd street. Omonia is much tamer.

It's surrounded with fast-food stores and the enormous old cafeneon has been turned into a Cafe-Neon, sort of a cafeteria where you can get just about anything.

The pedestrian streets on the other side of the square are interesting. The food is not bad and some old guys still hang out there. There are several major hotels that have been brought up by big hotel companies and rennovated and the whole area is undergroing renewal.

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Omonia square was at one time quite beautiful and if you go downstairs into the metro station you can see old photos of it in the glory days. When Athens embraced the automobile, Omonia was one of the major casualties and the square became less people friendly and eventually it was not even automobile friendly as cars converged on it from all directions.

If you walk back up Panipistimiou from Omonia you will pass the University of Athens and the Home of Henrich Schlieman on your left and the giant Eleftherodakis English language bookstore on the right. If you walk up Stadiou street from Omonia you will pass Virgin Records Superstore on your right. Also the OTE building where you can call home if you want. Either road will take you to Syntagma square. You will also pass Amerikis street and you can stop in at the Greek National Tourism Office and pick up ferry schedules.

Used with permission from Matt Barrett's Athens Survival Guide