The city centre’s << green lung>>, the National Garden, is located at the heart of the city very close to Syntagma Square.

Right next to the Greek Parliament and it is the favourite urban park for the locals who go there to sunbathe, have picnics, or exercise.

The National Garden was originally designed and created in the 19th century by Queen Amalia. The park was opened to the public and renamed National Garden in 1927. More than 7,000 trees, 40,000 bushes and other plants, live on the grounds, including a fine collection of  unusual varieties and a few stately specimens dating back to the 19th century, when Garden founder Queen Amalia planted them.

There are quite a few appealing and interesting features throughout the Garden; the sundial, numerous statue busts, ancient ruins, a children’s library, and a beautiful always shady traditional coffee shop are just some of the sites of interest that are worth seeking out when you visit this popular park. It is one of the most peaceful spots in the entire city, a great place for a day visit to have a long, laid-back picnic lunch and spend the day strolling, cycling and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

At the southern side of the Gardens, you’ll find Zappeio Mansion, a donation of the wealthy Konstantinos Zappas in the 19^th century, today used as a conference and exhibition centre.

Situated in close proximity to National Garden, to the east of the Zappeio, is the Panathenaic Stadium, also known as Kallimarmaro, one of the main historic attractions of Athens. It is the only stadium in the world built entirely of marble. In the antiquity, it was used to host the Panathenaic Games (also known as the Panathenea). The stadium held the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1896 Olympics. The 1896 Summer Olympics officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was the first international Olympic Games held in modern history.

The latest offering on Athens’s museum scene is the Goulandris Museum of Contemporary Art in Pagrati. Cycle around the Stadium and then turn onto Eratosthenous str., you will find the museum on number 13.The new museum was designed from the onset to house the collection of the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation. The collection focuses on modern and contemporary art by Greek and foreign artists, including rare works by masters of the European avant-garde such as Cézanne, van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet, Degas, Rodin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Bonnard, Picasso, Braque, Léger, Miró, Giacometti, Balthus, as well as works by distinguished modern Greek painters including Parthenis, Bouzianis, Vasileiou, Hadjikyriakos-Ghika, Tsarouchis, Moralis, Tetsis and others.

If you want to finish your day a little off the tourist path head to Platia Varnava. A small square in the beautiful and trendy neighbourhood of Pagrati, a quite popular place among the locals. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants with outdoor seating, serving delicious food, where you can enjoy an affordable meal before a night out in Athens city centre.