Hills of Ancient Athens and Herakleidon Museum (Walking Tour)

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Philopappos Hill, Athens 105 55 Greece

Meet your guide in the Acropolis Metro station and walk along the pedestrian area which lies at the bottom of the Acropolis. Listen to the history of Athens and the Acropolis while walking, until you get Philopappus Hill (or Hill of Muses). Before you climb up the hill, have a look at the old church of Saint Demetris (Loumbardiaris). Then walk up the beautifully decorated pathways to the top of Philopappus Hill. You will see there the so called Socrates’ Prison, the funeral Monument of Philopappus, the ancient Sanctuary of the Muses, ruins of ancient fortification, the Seven Throne Sanctuary and the Deaf Man Cave. Climb down and on the way to the Hill of Pnyx you will pass by ancient roads and graves. On the top of Pnyx your guide will point out the place where the citizens of ancient Athens gathered to vote and take the decisions and where the speakers stood to address the crowd. Enjoy the breathtaking view and leisurely proceed to Apostle Paul Street, which leads to Thisseion, another picturesque neighborhood of Athens.

Duration: 1 hour 45 minutes

Stop At: Museum Herakleidon, 16, Herakleidon str., Thisseio, Athens 118 51 Greece

There lies the Herakleidon Museum, where you will be introduced to the wonders of the Ancient Greek Technology. Among the exhibits you will have the chance to take a close look at a model of the world-famous Antikythera Mechanism, an analog computer constructed about 2000 yeas ago, which calculated the position of the celestial bodies in the sky. It could also calculate the phases of the moon and predict the moon and sun eclipses. But the Antikythera Mechanism is not the only ancient technological achievement that will surprise you. Greeks had developed reliable telecommunication systems, too. Such a system is on display in the museum. It is an optical telegraph of the 3rd century B.C, which was used for transmitting messages with torches at long distances. Besides telecommunication, shipbuilding was another field, in which ancient Greeks innovated. The best known ancient Greek warship was undoubtedly the Athenian Trireme that ruled over the Eastern Mediterranean for more than three centuries. The Trireme itself was the main weapon, as it was equipped with an iron ram fitted on the prow. While in the museum do not neglect to see the Automata section. Automata were mechanisms invented by ancient Greeks that operated on their own, such as the moving automatic servant of Philo, the automatic slot machine and Ktesibios’ musical mirror. After the end of the museum tour you can either linger in Thisseion or you can follow your guide to Monastiraki.

Duration: 1 hour 15 minutes