Inside the ancient site of Kerameikos lie the remains of the city wall built by Themistocles in 479 BC, then rebuilt by Konon in 394 BC. The wall is broken by the Sacred Gate, now visible just in its foundations. This gate spanned the Sacred Way (Iera Odos) and was the one by which pilgrims from Eleusis entered the city during the annual Eleusian procession
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.86 MILES
This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman…
0.63 MILES
Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's…
0.62 MILES
The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost…
0.08 MILES
This lush, tranquil site is named for the potters who settled it around 3000 BC. It was used as a cemetery through the 6th century AD. The grave markers…
0.29 MILES
The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…
1.44 MILES
This outstanding museum, based in the 1848 Villa Ilissia, offers exhibition halls, most of them underground, crammed with religious art. The exhibits go…
Benaki Museum of Greek Culture
1.2 MILES
In 1930 Antonis Benakis – a politician's son born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 19th century – endowed what is perhaps the finest museum in Greece…
National Archaeological Museum
1.07 MILES
Housing the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities in an enormous neoclassical building, this museum is one of Athens' top attractions. Treasures…
Nearby attractions
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Within Kerameikos, the Dipylon Gate, northeast of the Sacred Gate, was the main entrance to the ancient city of Athens, and the point where the…
0.05 MILES
Greek-American sculptor Deanna Maganias' concept for the city's memorial to the victims of the Holocaust is a fragmented Star of David, made from Egyptian…
0.08 MILES
This compact Romaniote synagogue, built in 1904 and renovated in 2010, is now used only for services on high holidays. The raised main hall is reached via…
0.08 MILES
This church has gone through several incarnations over the centuries and sits on the site of a former ancient monument. Just down the street is the oldest…
0.08 MILES
This lush, tranquil site is named for the potters who settled it around 3000 BC. It was used as a cemetery through the 6th century AD. The grave markers…
6. Museum of Traditional Pottery
0.08 MILES
If the Kerameikos site sparks your curiosity, head to this small museum around the corner. In a lovely neoclassical building, it's dedicated to the…
0.09 MILES
Athens' main synagogue is a handsome white marble building dating to 1935. Renovated in 1972, it has two stained-glass windows with abstract designs…
8. Archaeological Museum of Kerameikos
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Visit the small museum at Kerameikos to see the originals of some pieces that are shown in replica around the historical site: delicate grave stelae …