5 Of The Less Obvious Attractions Not To Miss On Your Charter To Athens

by Liz Seyi Digital marketing manager

With Athens just one of the many embarkation ports (or yacht bases) that we offer for Yacht Charter In Greece, we felt we just had to outline some of the reasons you should spend more time in this cradle of Western civilisation.

Far from simply a living museum, however, Athens is a globally significant city with many lesser-known attractions beyond the iconic Parthenon and Acropolis. Here are just five of them.

1. Museum of Cycladic Art

This remarkable private museum is home to the iconic minimalist marble Cycladic figurines that date from as far back as 3000 BC and inspired 20^th-century artists ranging from Modigliani to Picasso.

Their simple, pure forms make this unsurprising, although they may be smaller than you expect given their influence, even if one is almost human size.

2. Tower of the Winds

Athens offers such a wealth of exceptional monuments that the casual visitor may easily under-appreciate this Pentelic marble tower.

Widely thought to have been built in the 2^nd century BC, the Tower of the Winds is an ancient time-and-weather station aligned with the four cardinal directions, with each of its eight sides constituting a compass point illustrated with a figure representing the wind from that direction.

3. Athens’ First Cemetery

With the Greeks under Ottoman rule having buried their dead at their local church, it took until 1821 – after independence – for this city cemetery to be established.

Enchanting neoclassical sculptures, such as Yannoulis Chalepas’ Sleeping Maiden, grace a tranquil setting that begs for exploration, not least with such famous individuals as Heinrich Schliemann (1822-90) and the Benaki family having been buried here.

4. National Museum of Contemporary Art

Greece may not be the first part of the world that you consider to be a hive of contemporary art production. However, there are certainly fascinating signs of such a scene developing, and many of them can be found here, in the former Fix Brewery.

Both Greek and international art across the range of current media is exhibited here, including thought-provoking paintings, videos and experimental architecture.

5. Church of Sotira Lykodimou

While Athens does not lack splendid churches, this 11^th-century Byzantine church – now the Russian Orthodox Cathedral – is open more often than a lot of others in the city.

Don’t be overwhelmed on first sight of its modest dimensions – on the inside, it is quite the attraction, its high dome enabling a soaring, spectacular view glittering with gold stars and icons.

We could have mentioned so many more unsung attractions in Athens, but suspect that it may be best for you to discover at least some of them for yourself.

With that in mind, why hesitate to enquire to Sail Puppy today about yacht charter in Greece that you will remember for all of the right reasons?