Whether you’re going there to see the Parthenon or the New Acropolis Museum, Makriyianni can keep the entire family happy with plenty of things to do and see!
Any day of the week – but especially during the weekends, the Makryianni-Acropolis area is a bit of a hub and a wonderful place to go for a stroll with your kids. Unsurprisingly, because of the majestic beauty of the Parthenon overhead, and then there’s the pedestrian road of Dyionissiou Aeropagiotou with its neoclassical and modernist residences, greenery, and cobblestone pathways leading towards the historical hills of Filopappou and Pnyx. Jewellery-sellers, mimes, and musicians set up camp to entertain passersby in the hope of making an extra penny, and the hop-on hop-off Happy Train sets off from outside the New Acropolis Museum for a tour of the town. It’s busy, it’s buzzy and it’s scenic.
The New Acropolis Museum is in fact a good starting point if you’re looking for ways to breed a little bit of culture into your kids under the guise of fun. Little visitors are offered a bag with various museum-centered activities to engage them – a treasure hunt, colouring books, puzzles. The restaurant, which can be visited even by those who are not buying a museum ticket, is on a large outdoor terrace under the Acropolis and serves a good variety of Mediterranean dishes suited for all ages.
At the museum, you can also enjoy entering through the side entrance which has a metal ramp going all the way down that’s perfect for pushcarts or wheelchairs. Once on the museum level, there’s another side path across the way surrounded by more greenery that leads to the side exit.
From here you can head up the road to Kallisperi 2 where there is a playground. There are no swings and slides here, but the twirly-whirly rides are always entertaining for kids.
From there, head back up to Dyionissiou Aeropagitou for a scenic walk to Filopapou and Pnyx hills, where you can admire the view of the Acropolis and Lycabettus hill seemingly side by side and chill out on an ancient rock in the place where Democracy was devasted millennia ago.
If you return to Dyionissiou Aeropagitou and turn downwards you’ll find yourself walking around the Acropolis grounds on Apostolou Pavlou, where you’ll pass even more street musicians and a row of street sellers as well as several cafes where you can stop for coffee and ice cream. Here there is also a playground (Apostolou Pavlou 33) with plenty of rides to keep kids busy for a while.
Tip: From here you will also see a park-like entrance with an earth pathway, which if followed will lead you to Monastiraki – Plaka area. A little further down is the train station of Thisseio.
Cover image by IN+SIGHTS GREECE ©
