Plaka
Plaka is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Athens audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~90 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~90 min
- Athens Athens guide
About Plaka
A maze of car-free lanes and neoclassical houses climbs the Acropolis slope, hiding an island village, a thousand-year-old church and the earliest Corinthian columns on a facade.
Plaka is one of the oldest quarters of Athens, spread over the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis and inhabited continuously since antiquity. Nicknamed the 'Neighbourhood of the Gods' for its position beneath the sacred rock, its largely pedestrianised maze of lanes is lined with nineteenth-century neoclassical houses and overlies the residential districts of the ancient city. Small Byzantine churches, some dating to the eleventh and twelfth centuries, survive among them.
Within Plaka stands the Choragic Monument of Lysicrates (334 BC), the earliest known use of the Corinthian order on the exterior of a building. On the higher slopes lies Anafiotika, a cluster of whitewashed Cycladic-style cottages built in the nineteenth century by stonemasons from the island of Anafi who had come to build King Otto's palace. From the 1970s the district was protected, largely closed to traffic, and cleared of unauthorised modern structures. The origin of the name Plaka remains uncertain.
Did you know? Plaka is often called the oldest continuously inhabited neighbourhood in Europe. It is genuinely ancient, built over the houses of the classical city, but that particular superlative is a tourist-brochure boast nobody has ever actually proven.
How long should you spend at Plaka?
Plan about ~90 min at Plaka. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is Plaka worth visiting?
Plaka is one of the 35 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Athens, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Athens
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Plaka and read more:
Day 2 of the Athens in 2 days itinerary →Day 2 of the Athens in 3 days itinerary →
Updated: