A Walk around Kolonaki
This walk around the Kolonaki neighbourhood of Athens starts and ends in Syntagma Square and takes you to several museums, Kolonaki Square and Mount Lykabettos.
Start/end point: Syntagma Square
Distance: 3 kms (1.9 miles)
Time: 90 minutes without stops, 2–3 hours with stops, or all day if you also visit any of the museums.
Walk Around Kolonaki: Directions
From Syntagma Square walk up Vasilissis Sofias, the main road to the left of the imposing National Parliament building. At the fifth junction on your left, on the corner with Koumbari, stands the Benaki Museum. The museum houses the art collection of a wealthy Greek merchant, Antoine Benaki. See our full page about the Benaki Museum.
Kolonaki: Shopping & Fashion Hub
Home to designer stores (e.g., Louis Vuitton, Gucci) and local Greek fashion boutiques.
Voukourestiou Street is famous for its jewelry shops and luxury brands.
The weekly Kolonaki Flea Market (on Xenokratous Street) offers antiques, books, and vintage items.
To Kolonaki Square
Turn left by the museum, up Koumbari to Kolonáki Square. Kolonáki is one of the most fashionable districts of Athens, the kind of place where well-to-do Greek ladies walk their dogs. Kolonáki Square is surrounded by designer stores, cafés, and smart gift shops.
The area has a mix of bouzoukia clubs and upscale cocktail lounges.
To Mount Lykabettos
Cross the square and leave it at the far right corner along the main road, Patriarchou Ioakim. Cross two junctions; at the third, at the first set of traffic lights, turn left up Plutarchou.
This steep street leads towards Mount Lykabettos, visible at the top.
At the end of Plutarchou you may appreciate taking the funicular to the top of Mount Lykabettos. Enjoy the views over Athens: on a clear day you can see as far as the island of Aegina.
The Lycabettus Theater hosts concerts and performances with panoramic views.
To the Byzantine and Christian Museum
Take the zigzag path to the left, going down again through the lightly wooded slopes of the hill. If you ignore minor paths to left and right, you emerge on Aristippou, about 100m down from the funicular station. Head straight down Loukianou, another steep stepped Kolonáki Street, back down to Vasilissis Sofias, to emerge almost opposite the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Kolonaki houses several foreign embassies and diplomatic residences, adding to its cosmopolitan feel.
Back to Syntagma Square
Turning left here would take you to the War Museum and, a little further on, the National Gallery. If you have had enough walking for one day, turn right to go back down Vasilissis Sofias and return to Syntagma Square.
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