Things to see in Athens

The Acropolis (upper city) dominates both the city's skyline and any tourist's itinerary. The name refers to the rocky outcrop that formed the site of the original settlement in Athens. Foundations for a temple dedicated to Athena were laid in 490BC, however, work did not begin in earnest until the Golden Age of Pericles (461-429BC). The Acropolis site includes the Acropolis Museum and four sacred buildings, all from the fifth century BC. The steep ascent to the summit leads to the Propylaea, a monumental gateway in the Ionic and Doric styles, which serves as the entrance to the site. The Temple of Athena Nike is to the left of the Propylaea - the original was destroyed by Turkish forces in the 17th century but has been beautifully restored.

The Parthenon is the largest building on the Acropolis and an icon of Western civilisation. Built entirely from marble, the Parthenon was intended as a sanctuary for Athena and housed a statue (no longer in existence) of the goddess. Despite the tourists, the perfect harmony of the structure is still awe-inspiring. The Erechtheion temple is a dual shrine to Athena and Poseidon-Erechtheus and was built on the site of the mythical battle between the two deities. The south side features a series of six support columns designed as maidens or caryatids. Due to severe environmental damage, the caryatids have been replaced by models. Acropolis Hill, centre of Athens

Housed in a late 19th-century building, the renovated Archaeological Museum is undoubtedly the best museum in Greece with one of the finest collections of ancient and classical Greek artefacts. Fascinating pieces include the Mycenaen Collection featuring hordes of finely crafted gold work dating from between the 16th and 11th centuries BC, and the Bronze Collection, including an imposing bronze statue of Poseidon from 460BC. Refreshments are available in the museum café overlooking the internal sculpture garden.

Lying on the edge of Pláka, this museum displays a vast and colourful collection of folk art that dates from 1650 onwards. Works are divided into specific sections devoted to costumes, embroidery, weaving, gold and silver jewellery, woodwork, weaponry, Greek shadow theatre and hand-painted ceramics. The highlights are the traditional costumes, set off against suggestive reconstructions of houses relating to their specific regions. Another highlight is the Theofilis Room, the reconstruction of a house on the island of Lesvos, which was frescoed by Theofilis Hadjimichael (1868-1934).

The museum houses the private collection of Nikolas P Goulandris. Beautiful exhibits from the Cycladic civilisation (3000-2000BC) form the focus of the collection but other artefacts cover the pre-Minoan Bronze Age and the post-Mycenaen age up to 700BC, and a collection of Ancient Cypriot Art was added in 2004. The museum shop offers an excellent selection of quality reproduction pieces, while the light and airy atrium café is a good place for coffee or a light lunch.

Lying close to the National Gardens and Pláka, this was one of largest temples in the ancient world, being dedicated to the god of all gods, Zeus. Building work began in 515BC, but was only completed some 700 years later in AD131 under the Roman Emperor Hadrian. Today, 16 of the original 104 marble columns, which are 17m (56ft) high, survive. On the edge of the site stands the triumphal arch named Hadrian's Arch.

On the southern slopes of the Acropolis Hill, the Théatro Dionysou was home to the original performances of the tragedies of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripedes and the comedies of Aristophanes. This stone auditorium, from the fourth century BC, held 17,000 spectators and the ruins remain one of the most atmospheric of Athens' ancient sites.