At a glance
🚇 Monastiraki
Line 1, two stops. Then ten minutes uphill.
🏝️ Anafi
The builders came from there, in the 19th century.
🏠 About 45 houses
That’s how many survive today.
🤫 People live here
Speak softly, don’t walk into courtyards.
Builders from Anafi
When Athens became the capital, King Otto brought craftsmen from the Cyclades to build the palace, today’s Parliament, and the other buildings of the new city. Many came from the small island of Anafi. They had nowhere to live, so they built houses on the north slope of the Acropolis the way they knew from their island: low, white, pressed up against each other.
Tradition says they built them in a single night, because an old law didn’t allow a house to be demolished if it had a roof before sunrise. The authorities turned a blind eye. In the 20th century many houses were demolished for the excavations around the Acropolis. Today about 45 survive, and people still live in many of them.
The houses lean against the Acropolis rock.
Passages just wide enough for one person.
The whitewash reaches all the way to the ground.
A little colour on the whitewash.
In summer, everything turns fuchsia.
Photos: C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0), Zde (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
🗺️ The walk: from Monastiraki, through Anafiotika
The route climbs steps up to Anafiotika and then continues on the level along the path below the Acropolis. Do it early in the morning, before it gets hot and before the groups arrive.
- Monastiraki station. Take Pandrosou Street, then walk up towards the Roman Agora.
- Tower of the Winds. The Roman tower of the winds, in the Roman Agora.
- Agios Nikolaos Rangavas. The Byzantine church of Upper Plaka, from the 11th century.
- Agios Georgios tou Vrachou. The little church at the entrance to Anafiotika.
- Anafiotika. Get lost in the lanes, climbing towards the rock.
- Agios Symeon. The second little church, at the top of the neighbourhood.
- Theorias. The paved path below the rock, with views over the city.
- Thiseio station. Walk down Apostolou Pavlou, Line 1 to Victoria.
🗺️ The Anafiotika walk, stop by stop
From Monastiraki, through Upper Plaka and the lanes of Anafiotika, to the Theorias path and Thiseio station: about 2.3 kilometres, 40 minutes on foot without stops, with steps. Tap each number to see what it is.
The two churches
Two small churches hold the neighbourhood together. Agios Georgios tou Vrachou stands at the entrance and Agios Symeon at the top. They were here before the Anafiots, who repaired them and made them their own. They’re usually closed, but their whitewashed courtyards and bell towers are part of the picture.
The little church at the entrance to the neighbourhood.
Roof tiles, a bell tower and the city to the horizon.
Photos: C messier (CC BY-SA 4.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Views, cats and quiet
From the highest points you see the tiled roofs of Plaka, Lycabettus and the city all the way to the mountains. Above you rises the Acropolis rock. And everywhere you’ll find cats, lying in the sun on walls and steps.
The white houses stand out among the roof tiles.
The Acropolis, right above you.
The permanent residents you’re sure to meet.
Photos: Davide Mauro (CC BY-SA 4.0), Eberhard Kern (public domain), GeorgeMel (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
How to behave: people live here
- Courtyards: don’t walk into courtyards or onto roof terraces. They look open, but they’re homes.
- Voices: speak softly. Sound echoes in the narrow lanes.
- Photos: photograph the lanes, not through windows and doors.
- Hours: late in the evening, let the neighbourhood rest.
Practical tips
- Best time: early in the morning, before 10:00. The afternoon has lovely light but more people.
- Summer: avoid midday. There’s no shade and the steps burn.
- Shoes: the steps are narrow and slippery. No flip-flops.
- Wheelchair and pushchair: they won’t get through. Anafiotika has only steps.
🚇 How to get there from Ioulianou 50
- Ioulianou 50 → Victoria station: 3 minutes on foot.
- Line 1 (green), towards Piraeus: two stops to Monastiraki.
- Monastiraki: about ten minutes uphill to Agios Georgios tou Vrachou.
To get back: from Thiseio, Line 1 straight to Victoria, three stops.
🚇 Ioulianou 50 → Anafiotika by metro
Line 1 from Victoria, two stops to Monastiraki. From there, about ten minutes uphill to Anafiotika.
Where it is in relation to the apartment
📍 From Angels Athens to the «Anafiotika» 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
How long does Anafiotika take?
You can walk the lanes in a quarter of an hour. Allow half an hour with photos and stops, or longer if you combine it with Plaka.
Can I go up to the Acropolis from here?
Not directly. The Acropolis entrance is on the west side. From Theorias it’s about a ten-minute walk.
Where should I go next?
Right below lies Plaka with its Byzantine churches and tavernas.
— Kathy
