At a glance
🚇 Evangelismos
Line 3. Then ten minutes on foot.
🏟️ Kallimarmaro
The marble stadium, at the edge of the neighbourhood.
☕ Varnava Square
Coffee by day, drinks in the evening.
🥬 Street market
Every Friday, on Archimidous Street.
A neighbourhood named after an ancient sanctuary
Pangrati takes its name from an ancient sanctuary of Herakles Pankrates, meaning “all-powerful”. The sanctuary was found in excavations in the 1950s, next to the old bed of the Ilissos river, under today’s Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue.
Today’s neighbourhood was built mostly in the 20th century, with apartment blocks, small shops and squares with churches. It has no big sights in the middle. What makes the walk is everyday life: the bakery, the kafeneio, children in the squares, neighbours on their balconies.
The main street, with the neighbourhood’s shops.
A few steps from the avenue, quiet.
Houses like this still stand between the apartment blocks.
Photos: Badseed (CC BY-SA 3.0), Dimorsitanos (CC BY-SA 3.0, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🗺️ The walk: from Evangelismos to the Kallimarmaro
The route climbs a little towards Profitis Ilias and then goes downhill. Do it in the morning or late afternoon, and stop for coffee wherever you like.
- Evangelismos station. Cross Vasileos Konstantinou Avenue and you’re in Pangrati.
- Proskopon Square. A quiet square with cafés and trees.
- Pangrati Grove. A small park with pine trees, for a bit of shade.
- Profitis Ilias. The neighbourhood’s big church, up on the rise.
- Varnava Square. The liveliest square, with cafés and bars in the surrounding streets.
- Plastira Square. The biggest square, with cafés on every side.
- Goulandris Foundation. A painting museum, on Agios Spyridon Square.
- Kallimarmaro. The Panathenaic Stadium. From here Syntagma is 15 minutes on foot, through the National Garden.
🗺️ The Pangrati walk, stop by stop
From Evangelismos station, through the neighbourhood’s squares, to the Goulandris Foundation and the Kallimarmaro: about 2.7 kilometres, 40 minutes on foot without stops. Tap each number to see what it is.
The squares of Pangrati
Life in the neighbourhood goes through its squares. Plastira Square is the biggest, with cafés on every side. A little further south, Varnava Square is the liveliest: people sit in the cafés and bars of the surrounding streets from morning until late at night. Proskopon Square, further north, is quieter.
Higher up, Profitis Ilias is Pangrati’s big church, with a square and a playground in front. A little lower down, Pangrati Grove is a small park with pine trees and benches. It isn’t a destination, but in summer its shade is worth it.
The big church, on the square of the same name.
Shade and benches, in the middle of the neighbourhood.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC BY-SA 4.0), Tolisr (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
The Goulandris Foundation: Van Gogh in the neighbourhood
On Agios Spyridon Square, next to the church, is the Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation. It opened in October 2019, at 13 Eratosthenous Street, to show the collection of shipowner Basil Goulandris and his wife Elise. You’ll see works by Cézanne, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Monet and Picasso, as well as Greek painters such as Tsarouchis, Moralis and Ghikas.
If you have an hour, it’s the reason to come to Pangrati even when it rains. There’s a café inside too. Check opening hours and tickets on the foundation’s website before you go.
The church and the Goulandris Foundation, side by side.
A neoclassical façade in front of a new building.
Photos: Tolisr (CC BY-SA 4.0), Rlbberlin (CC0) · Wikimedia Commons
The Kallimarmaro and Ardittos Hill
The walk ends at the Panathenaic Stadium, the Kallimarmaro. It’s built entirely of marble, and the first modern Olympic Games were held here in 1896. From the square at the entrance you can see the whole horseshoe without a ticket. To go inside, see our guide to the Kallimarmaro.
Above the stadium rises Ardittos, a 133-metre hill with pine trees. In ancient times it had sanctuaries, among them a temple of Tyche, of which only a few traces remain. From the top you can see the stadium, the Acropolis and Lycabettus.
From the square you can see the whole horseshoe, without a ticket.
After sunset the stadium is lit up.
The stadium from above, with Lycabettus in the background.
The Acropolis above the trees.
Only a few stones are left of the temple.
Photos: George E. Koronaios (CC0, CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Coffee and food
- Coffee: around Varnava and Plastira squares you’ll find everything from old kafeneia to specialty coffee places.
- Meze: Mavro Provato is one of the best-known meze restaurants in the neighbourhood. Book a table for evenings and weekends.
- For a special occasion: Spondi, a restaurant with Michelin stars for many years. Expensive, booking required.
- Street market: every Friday on Archimidous Street, with fruit, vegetables and cheese.
Practical tips
- Best time: morning for the street market and the Goulandris Foundation, afternoon and evening for the squares.
- Slopes: the area around Profitis Ilias goes uphill. Wear comfortable shoes.
- Safety: a quiet neighbourhood, with people in the squares until late.
- Wheelchair: the squares are flat, but the pavements are often narrow, with cars parked on them.
🚇 How to get there from Ioulianou 50
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green), towards Piraeus: two stops to Monastiraki.
- Line 3 (blue), towards Airport or Doukissis Plakentias: two stops to Evangelismos.
- Evangelismos: ten minutes on foot to Proskopon Square.
To get back: from the Kallimarmaro walk to Syntagma, 15 minutes through the National Garden, then take Line 2 to Omonia and Line 1 to Victoria. Late at night, a taxi to Ioulianou takes about fifteen minutes.
🚇 Ioulianou 50 → Pangrati by metro
Line 1 to Monastiraki, change to Line 3, two stops to Evangelismos. From there, ten minutes on foot to Proskopon Square.
Where it is in relation to the apartment
📍 From Angels Athens to the «Pangrati» neighbourhood
See at a glance how to get from the apartment at Ioulianou 50 to the heart of the neighbourhood. Drag the map and zoom in for details.
Frequently asked questions
Is Pangrati worth it if I only have a few days in Athens?
Yes, if you want to see how Athenians live. Combine it with the Kallimarmaro and the Goulandris Foundation in half a morning.
How far is it from the Acropolis?
About 25–30 minutes on foot, through the Zappeion and the National Garden.
When is the street market?
Every Friday, on Archimidous Street. Go in the morning, as it closes early in the afternoon.
Where should I go next?
Right next door, to the south-west, Mets has quiet streets with steps and old houses.
— Kathy
