Cultural routes in Athens
It goes without saying that the main tourist attractions in the city of Athens are the sacred Rock of the Acropolis, the Parthenon and the Acropolis Museum. Myriads of foreign visitors swarm the city’s historic centre! Attica’s Ancient history and civilization act as a magnet, particularly for those visiting the region for the first time. After all, due to these assets Greece ranks among the top five history and culture destinations in the world.
However, new and state-of-the-art cultural infrastructure has been introduced, broadening and shifting local and foreign visitors’ interest, by presenting new aspects of modern Greek culture and creativity.
The Technopolis, the Benaki Museum, the Cultural Center Hellenic Cosmos on Pireos street and the Onassis Cultural Centre-Athens on Syngrou Avenue, as well as the cultural flagship of Athens, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in Faliro, are the new city hubs that spread beyond the historic centre of Athens.
Culture lovers who visit Attica have a wide range of options, outside of the ordinary, which offer unique and customized experiences, for all ages throughout the year!
In the last few decades, Technopolis city of Athens, in Gazi area, has become a multi-purpose venue for both entertainment and culture. It hosts live music concerts, exhibitions, a multitude of events, as well as educational and training activities for young entrepreneurs, like “INNOVATHENS”. Thus, it has been established as a vibrant attraction pole, adding a buzzing vibe to the neighborhood! A recent addition to the Technopolis is the Industrial Gas Museum, which was launched in 2013, aiming to promote and protect the old Athens Gasworks plant, an industrial heritage monument that supplied energy and lighting in the Athens metropolitan area for about 130 years.
Not far from Technopolis, lies the new Benaki Museum, on Pireos street. This great new project came to expand the existing activities of the renowned cultural institution into modern artistic productions. Here, you will have the opportunity to see significant periodic exhibitions, that cover the whole spectrum of Greek culture of the last two centuries. After a tour in the Benaki Museum, visit its incredible sales point and discover modern Greek artistic creations, such as jewellery and decorative accessories.
Further down on Pireos street, the road that links the centre of Athens with Piraeus port, you will find yourselves in the welcoming Cultural Centre Hellenic Cosmos. Welcoming all ages, but primarily young visitors, the Centre organizes activities that range from interactive exhibitions and art events to educational programs. The highlight of the Hellenic Cosmos experience, are the fascinating Virtual Reality Tours on Greek culture that take place in the “Tholos”, the new dome-shaped VR Theatre. This is the ultimate experience of interactive “edutainment” for the whole family!
Syngrou Avenue, which connects the city centre with the sea coast, has become another major cultural axis of Attica, recently featuring world-class cultural infrastructure, which can establish Athens’ place in the international modern cultural scene.
The former Fix brewery, now hosts the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Athens (EMST). The museum’s constantly growing collection is formed around a very important “nucleus” of artwork by Greek and international artists. Furthermore, in collaboration with a number of foreign museums, its exhibitions have already traveled abroad.
The Onassis Cultural Centre produces and hosts inspired theatre, dance and music shows and world-class exhibitions, which attract a sophisticated, demanding young audience, that seeks quality and experimentation.
The Eugenides Foundation with its “Planetarium” opens up a new window to the world of astronomy and introduces science to youngsters, in an enjoyable and effective way.
Children are the main audience of the new Benaki Toy Museum. A fairytale, castle-like edifice, located in Attica’s southern suburb of Palaio Faliro, presents to its visitors an amazing collection of toys, captivating the little ones and taking the older ones back to the wonder world of childhood!
The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) is the new great asset, a true “jewel” for Attica and its modern culture. The iconic building designed by the renowned architect Renzo Piano, overlooks the beautiful area of Faliron Delta. The SNFCC houses the National Library of Greece and the Greek National Opera, offering a broad, comprehensive program of cultural activities and events throughout the year. The Centre has already become a landmark in the city, attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors, international and local. The absolutely wonderful Mediterranean Garden of the SNFCC, which was recently honored with the 1st Prize of the European Garden Award 2018/2019 for the category of “Innovative Contemporary Design of a Park or Garden”, is a memorable place of delight for visitors of all ages.
Without a doubt, the southern part of Attica and its coastline have become dynamic cultural centres of international importance, which attract visitors from all around the world and offer them unforgettable artistic and educational experiences. The historic centre of Athens and its all-time-classic attractions are now enhanced and complemented with new aspects of modern culture, projecting contemporary Greek creativity. A definite addition to your visit!
