instance Stella with Melina Merkouri and George Fountas.Plaka was the most important place to be during the annual Carnival, where thousands of Athenians, with costumes, used to walk up and down the streets throwing confetti and singing.Finally, in the 60’s Plaka became the birth place of the Greek new wave music, with the small live music clubs, known as boites. Many famous Greek artists made their debut there, such as Gianni Hatzis and George Zographos… 

ANAFIOTIKA

The most surprising place in the region of Plaka is the so-called Anafiotika, (Αναφιώτικα). It is located under the north ection of the Acropolis, giving to the visitor the impression of being on a Greek island. The neighbourhood with the white houses, blue doors and paved alleys, looks like a miniature Cycladic settlement.The name Anafiotika derives from the original inhabitants who came from the island of Anafi, in order to build Athens in the mid. 19^th century. Those stone skilled workers managed to build their simple homes during the night, without copying the neo-classical structures they built during the day.

It is said that the Delphic oracle forbade the entire area of being built, however many were those, (besides the workers from Anafi), who sought shelter in the traditional neighbourhood, such as the refugees from the Peloponnesian War in antiquity, or even Ethiopian slaves who hid in caves during the Ottoman occupation.Today, the area of Anafiotika is a popular destination for all visitors. Take a long, romantic walk, enjoy the outstanding view or do some shopping in the small traditional souvenir shops… 

MUSEUMS, ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES

• «Children’s Museum» Children’s Museum was established in 1987, in order to « encourage every child to understand and enjoy the world in which s(he) lives».The Museum is housed in a neo-classical mansion, built in 1900, consisting of three levels, an attic and a court-yard. Children up to 12 years old can participate at the activities, which include several educational programs. All children are given the opportunity to observe, think, examine, play, experiment and create.
• Note:Address: 14, Kydathineon Street
  Telephone: 210-3312995
  Operation hours: Tuesday-Friday  (10.00-14.00)
                              Saturday-Sunday (10.00-15.00)

 «Jewish Museum of Greece»The Jewish Museum was established in 1977 and renovated in the year of 1997. An area of 800 sq. m. houses a collection of more than 8,000 objects, most of which are rare religious and domestic artifacts which record the history and tradition of the Greek Jews. Those artifacts include military uniforms, memorabilia, Holocaust collections, synagogugual textiles, documents etc.Besides artifacts, the Jewish Museum has a rich library, (of approximately 3,500 titles), a photographic archive and a conservation laboratory. Each, year it receives around 12-15 thousands visitors. 

Note:Address: 39, Nikis Street
Telephone: 210-3225582
Operation hours: Monday-Friday  (09.00-14.30)
                            Sunday (10.00-14.00)
Admission: Standard 6 euros          Reduced 3 euros

• «Frissiras Museum» 

The building of Fissiras Museum is one of the first neo-classical houses of Athens, built in 1860 and restored by the Fissiras family in 1998-1999.It is the only museum of Contemporary European Painting in Greece, holding a collection of 3,500 art works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures and engravings of major European artists. Among the exhibits are works by Hockney, Blake, Rego, Diamantopoulos, Moralis, Vyzantios, Daskalakis and many others.

The Cfe and Art shop are available for the visitors.
Note:Address: 3, Monis Asteriou Street

Telephone: 210-3234678
Operation hours: Wednesday-Friday  (10.00-17.00)

                            Saturday-Sunday (11.00-17.00)
Admission: Standard 6 euros

                   Reduced 3 euros

• «Museum of Greek Folk Art»
  The Museum of Greek Folk Art was founded in 1918 as the Museum of Greek Handicrafts in the Tsisdarakis Misque in Monastiraki, while in 1959 it obtained its current name.

The Museum owns a rich collection of folk art objects, such as embroidery, weaving, costumes, silver work, metalwork, pottery, folk painting, (works of  Theophilos Hatzimichail), and stone carving. The collection dates from 1650 up today.

Every year, the Museum organizes educational programs, children’s workshops, pottery classes and shadow theatre performances, while it houses a library of 5,000 volumes on folk art, ethnology and museology. In addition, it has a great collection of photographic films and sound archives. 

Sections:
Ground Floor: It is dedicated to embroidery exhibits. There is, also, a small pottery collection from Syros, as well as, metalwork artifacts. Additionally, there are five costumes from masquerade celebrations from the regions of Kavala, Drama, Thessaloniki, Naoussa and Skyros.
First Floor: It is dedicated to temporary exhibitions, while the rest of the floor houses an exhibition of works of the modern Greek naïve painter, Theophilos Hatzimichail, (1868-1934).
Second Floor: It houses silverwork, secular objects, (trays, belts, shrines etc) and women’s jewelry.
Highest Floor: It is dedicated to traditional male and female costumes from all over Greece.

 Note:

Address: 17, Kydathinaion Street
Operation hours: Tuesday-Sunday (09.00-14.00)
Admission: Standard: 1 euro

                   Free for students and minors

• «Museum of Popular Music Instruments»
  The Museum of Popular Instruments is housed in the historical Lassanis mansion, built in the year of 1842, close to the Roman Agora.It is a Museum and Research Center for Ethnomusicology, (MELMOKE), with a collection of about 1,200 Greek musical instruments, (daoulia, defia, laghouta, zournades etc.), from the last 300 years. 

The permanent exhibition is spread over three floors which are divided into four sections: 

• Membranophones (ground floor): touberlekia, daoulia, defia etc.
• Aerophones (ground floor): flogeres, souravlia, mandoures etc.
• Chordophones (1^st floor): tambourades. Outia, mandolins etc.
• Idiophones: koudounia, massies etc.

Every year, the Museum organizes traditional music lessons, educational programs and seminars.

Note:Address: 1-3, Diogenous Street
Telephone: 210-3250198

Operation hours: Tuesday, Thursday-Sunday (10.00-14.00)

                            Wednesday (12.00-18.00)

Admission: Free

• «Museum of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulou» 

The Museum of antiquities was founded in 1976, consisting of the private collection of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulou, donated to the Greek state. It is housed in the neoclassical mansion of the Michalea family, built in 1864, situated on the north slope of the Acropolis. 

The collections of the Museum, (6,000 artifacts), include: 

• Clay and stone vases and figurines, jewellery, weapons of the Cycladic, Minoan and Mycenaean civilization (3,000-1,200 c. BC.) 
• Clay vases and figurines from Attica, the Cyclades and Cyprus from the Geometric period, (1,000-700 c. BC.) 
• Clay vases, figurines and busts, jewellery, weapons and vessels from Attica, Corinth, Crete, Boeotia and the Aegean islands from the Archaic period, (7^th-6^th c. BC.) 
• Black-figure and red-figure vases and white lekythoi from Attica and Boeotia, (6^th-5^th c. BC.) 
• Gold jewellery, sealstones and coins from Greek cities, (6^th c. BC.- 4^th c. AD.) 
• Clay statuettes of New Comedy, (5^th c. BC.), Tanagraias, (4^th-3^rd c. BC.) 
• Lamps, bronze figurines, vases, (4^th c. BC.- 3^rd c. AD.) 
• Sculptures and inscriptions of the Classical, Hellenistic and Roman period,
              (5^th c. BC.- 3^rd c. AD.)
• Funerary masks from Fayum, (2^nd-4^th c. AD.), Coptic fabrics, (6^th-12^th c. AD.)

• Gold jewellery, bronze crosses, vases and lamps from the Byzantine period,                                   

(6^th-12^th c. AD.) 

• Byzantine coins and leadsealings
  Liturgical vessels and wood carvings of the Byzantine and post-Byzantine period, (9^th-10^th c.)

 Icons, (14^th-19^th c.)
Folk art and jewellery, fabrics and elements of the garments and weapons,

(18^th-19^th c.)
Note:

Address: 12, Theorias Street and Panos Street (Anafiotika)

Telephone: 210-3212313

Admission: Standard 2 euros

                   Reduced 1 euro

• «Athens University Museum» 

The Athens University Museum is situated on the northern side of the Acropolis. It is housed in the historical building of Cleanthis Residence, also known as the Old University, where the first University of the Greek Independent State operated during the period of 1837 to 1841.The first reference of the building is found in an oil-painting canvas of the painter

 J. Currey, dated in 1674. 

The prime exhibit of the Museum is the building itself. The collections include: hand-written books, pamphlets, (newspapers, journals), portraits of University’s professors, letters, diplomas, manuscripts, medallions, (military and souvenir medals), as well as old scientific instruments of medicine, physics and chemistry.Of great significance is the exhibition of the University’s Flag, (textile in golden color depicting goddess Athena holding a lance on her right hand and a shield on the left), a work by Nikolaos Gyzis made in Munich for the occasion of the 50 years since the foundation of the University in 1887.

Note:

Address: 5, Tholou Street

Telephone: 210-3689502

Operation hours: Monday-Friday  (09.30-14.30)

• «Museum of Katina Paxinou and Alexis Minotis» 

The small theatre museum is housed on the ground floor of the neoclassical Eynardos mansion. Temporary exhibitions and various cultural events are organized by the Educational Foundation of the National Bank in the rest of the rooms of the building. 

The Museum’s collection includes: furniture, paintings, books and personal items of the great tragedian Katina Paxinou, (1900-1973), as well as, medals, honorary diplomas and costumes of roles from historical performances, (Oedipus Rex, Hamlet etc). One small room has been set up as Paxinou’s dressing room and ther the visitor can admire her portrait drawn by Tsarouchis.Of great significance is the Oscar awarded to the actress for her part as Pilar in the film For whom the bell tolls.

The Museum, also, owns the library and archive of Minotis with more than 180 files with press clippings, photographs, letters, texts, scenarios, roles and theatre programs. That archive inspired the creation of a theatrical library in the centre of Athens, opposite the National Theatre.

Note:

Address: 52 Menandrou and Agiou Konstantinou Street

Telephone: 210-5221420

Operation hours: by appointment only

Admission: free