Kid Friendly Athens

Description:

For a zoo that is only ten years old, Greece's first and only zoo sure has made a name for itself. Started by a Frenchman, Jean-Jacques Lesueur, the park's first claim to fame was their bird collection, the third largest in the world. Year by year it has grown into two thousand varieties of birds living in walk-in aviaries, a reptile house, fauna from four continents including brown bears, white tigers, giraffes, monkeys, lions, hippos, free-range rabbits, a petting zoo, an upcoming dinosaur park and aquarium of "international stature," and the newly installed dolphinarium, the only one of its kind in Greece.

Four dolphins and two sea lions are some of the latest addition to the park and are currently being trained for special shows that will take place in the near future. For now they're being studied by researchers working with the Catalonian Polytechnic and the SaveWave company, both working to better understand the dolphins' auditory perception as well as possible therapeutic relationships between dolphins and children with autism.

Educational presentations in the dolphinarium are offered two to three times a day for an extra three euros on top of the park's admission. Check their... read more

Description:

Enjoy a 360-degree, 3-D view of space at the Athens Planetarium. Located in Paleo Faliro, this 280-seat interactive digital planetarium is the biggest of its kind in the world and is equipped with the latest technology. Enjoy a closer look at space from the comfort of your chair! The high-budget IMAX and OMNIMAX film productions will also be aired here on huge screens that are ten times the average size!

Description:

Part of this track is the oldest in Athens, dating back to 1869. It runs the length of the Port of Piraeus to lush and pricey Kifissia, with twenty two stops in between. Among the stops, some of the more interesting include the Faliro stop, running directly underneath home to popular Olympiakos football club, Karaiskakis stadium , the Monastriaki and Thissiou stations that lead immediately to the Ancient and Roman agoras and popular flea markets, and the Victoria station, the nearest station to the Archaeological museum.

The Piraeus Station is housed in a nineteenth century building that was restored for the Olympic Games. It gives access to the train museum and the Piraeus Archaeological Museum. The Kifissia Station gives access to the Goulandris natural museum.

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Description:

The Karaiskaki Stadium, with a seating capacity of 33,000, is one of the largest football stadiums in Greece and the second largest stadium in Athens. A completely modern football stadium, it is home to one of Greece's most prestigious clubs-Olimpiacos. Karaiskaki was built in 1895 as a velodrome for the first Olympic Games that took place in 1896. The stadium is located south of the city center in Neo Faliro. Only the museum is open to visitors.

Description:

The Hellenic Children's museum was founded in 1987 by a group of experts in child development with the philosophy that direct experiences and entertainment support learning. Located in a restored neoclassical building in historic Plaka, it is dedicated to children from four to twelve years of age with a large number of hands-on interactive exhibits. While much of the written information is in Greek, there's plenty of activities that require no language at all and allow kids to play, research, think, experiment, create and observe.

*Read the NileGuide Local Flavor Blog featuring the Hellenic Children's Museum's start of the 2010/2011 season for a more in-depth look at what they do.

Our Local Expert Says:

A family's best friend for seeing the city center.

Description:

The little blue and white "Sunshine Express" is the best way to get an overview of the historical section of Athens without ruining your Greek sandals. It runs all along Aeropagitou street, the pedestrian road circling the base of the Acropolis, through the quaint neighborhood of Plaka, the flea market of Monistiraki, past the Roman and ancient Agoras, the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum. Raise your hand to get on, flag the attention of the driver to get off... it's Greece. The rules are flexible. Five euros for adults for a one hour ride (hop on and off service) and free for small children (who really really love it.) Short commentary is offered over a loudspeaker in five languages.

Description:

Picasso said, "It took me four years to paint like Raphael and a lifetime to paint like a child." Two museums in the world were among the first in recognizing the value of children's art to the extent of making it the focus of their collection, and one of those is in Athens, Greece. The aim of the museum is to preserve, study, and promote children's art as well as encouraging development in the young artists and art educators.

Children will enjoy seeing work of other children their own age. There are also activity workshops most months of the year held every Sunday from 10am to 11:30. While most classes are in Greek, bilingual instructors can assist English speaking children.

Description:

Anyone who appreciates attention to detail, artistry and craftsmanship will enjoy a visit to one of the world's only jewelry museums where 4,000 creations of its founder, Ilias Lalounis, gleam brilliantly from display cases. You'll see all of the cultural and historical points of reference from which he drew inspiration, such as earrings inspired by an ivory plaque from Samaria, decorated with the motif of the sacred tree of life, or a pendant taken from the folds of a "chiton" an ancient Greek garments. The third level is given to temporary exhibitions by local artists and the first level has a protected courtyard for refreshments, rooms for special workshops (some directed specifically toward children) and a gift shop that sells fashion books, children's books, hats, t shirts, ceramics, silk scarves, and, hm... oh yes! World class jewelry.

Hours are 9-9 on Wednesday
Thr, Fri, Sat 8:30-4
Sunday 11-4
closed on Mondays

Acropolis Metro is a two minute walk. Located on Karyatidon and Kallisperi streets, just off of Dionysiou Areopagitou St.

Description:

Hard Rock Cafes all over the world are well known for the style and extravagant interiors, suited for a rock cafe. Wood is an essential element in the interiors and the florid walls show off memorabilia of the legendary rock stars. It's a spacious three storeyed cafe with a restaurant and an elaborate American and Mexican fusion menu. Nachos, quesadillas, fajitas, burgers, barbecue and of course spirits and wines. The spaces are available for private parties, events and performances as well. Like every Hard Rock Cafe around the world, there's a Rock Merchandise shop where souvenirs and gifts can be bought. The restaurant is open daily from 10a.

Description:

A wealth of information on the natural history of Greece can be found in this museum situated in the northern suburb of Kifissia. Its aim is not just to educate school students and adults about the evolution of life and the environmental changes observed over thousands of years but also to raise the public's ecological awareness. Most interesting is the museum's collection of fossils, mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and shells as well as the great variety of rocks and minerals on display. Among the 200,000 plant species exhibited here are 145 species which were discovered by the museum's own researchers.

Description:

Greece has a long tradition of shadow theatre or Karagiozis, which is played out using transparent puppets against white screens. This art form has entertained many generations with its funny stories and political satire, with children possibly enjoying the performances the most. The museum-which is located in the northern suburb of Maroussi-features a rich collection of puppets made by members of the Spatharis family who are renowned Karagiozis players. The museum's collection also includes puppets from Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and China-where this form of entertainment originated. Unfortunately, Karagiozis performances are not held at the museum, but it does hosts a 5-day festival every September.

Description:

Watch out, golden arches. Thanks to Goody's, the people of Greece have "fast" food that is based on their traditional diet of olive oil, vegetables, and trustworthy meat. While the menu has all of the usual suspects you would expect from a fast food restaurant, (cheeseburgers, chicken tenders, fries, kids meals) Goody's prides itself on quality. Based on the crowds at any given time of the day, it seems that it's working.

Some of the best features include a self service salad bar with big blocks of feta cheese and a bottle of olive oil to use at your discretion, freshly baked bread, the aforementioned kids meals and occasionally, play areas for the kids.

There are 172 restaurants all over Greece. 72 of them are in Attica, four directly in the heart of the city center in four major squares:

Monastiraki Square on Ermou Street
Kolonaki Square on Irodotou Street
17 Stadiou Street just down from Kolokotroni Square
and Omonia Square in a restored neoclassical building.

There is also one just next to the Ledra Marriott again across from the Syngrou-Fix metro station, both on Syngrou Avenue.

Our Local Expert Says:

Self-described "ultra-modern, living museum of Hellenism."

Description:

New at Hellenic Cosmos is the Tholos - a dome-shaped virtual reality theater with a 130 person seating capacity. Virtual reality technology is employed at this cultural centre to recreate scenes from antiquity. Visitors can walk through several virtual reality presentations which will take them back to cities of the Ancient World. They could choose to visit the majestic Zeus Temple in Ancient Olympia or else a Byzantine palace. Visitors can also look around exhibitions, stop by the museum shop or relax at the Internet café. Call or visit the website for show schedules.

Description:

An amusement park, pure and simple. Go play the classics, the things that light up when you hit them with mallets, carousels, roller coasters, or go shopping in some of the name brand shops. Several franchised coffee places and eateries are there if you don't feel like leaving. There's a fantastic, super stereo, mega-huge screen featuring major films (mostly English speaking with Greek subtitles) and a special park for the kiddoes aged 3-8 called "The Kidom." Open from 5pm until 12/1 on weekdays and 10am to same on weekends. Take the B18, Γ18 bus or 21 trolley from Omonia Square or several buses from Piraeus (420,703,801,802,803, 804, 828,831,845,909)

Description:

Ever walked into a hotel to be greeted by stuffed monkeys swinging from paper vines? What about finding the receptionist sitting behind a full size MiniCooper, retrofitted to serve as a desk? The Classical Baby Grand Hotel has a wildly unique vision, filling each of its 76 rooms with unexpected touches. The "Graffiti" rooms have original artwork painted directly on the walls by ten international Graffiti artists. Kids are made welcome with many amenities directed toward parents, including the use of Bugaboo strollers and Stokke baby cots. The colorful breakfast room and indoor swimming pool are also popular with the younger generation. There's even a Spiderman room.

Classical Baby Grand is part of the Classical Chain of hotels, operated by well-established Grecotel.

Location.
In Athens's Omonia neighborhood, this hotel is close to Athens City Hall, Kotzia Square, and Omonia Square. Also nearby are National Archaeological Museum of Athens and Roman Agora.

Description:

The AVA Hotel, Apartments & Suites underwent a major renovation in January 2010. Its outstanding neo-classic Greek architecture blends perfectly with the tranquil and exclusive district of Plaka and its surroundings. The hotel was built with flavour and flair for the discerning visitor to Athens, offering all the amenities, comfort and services of a deluxe hotel, plus the exclusiveness and privacy of a private home. Hotel AVA is located in the Plaka area of Athens, one of the city's most exclusive districts, just below the Acropolis and only a few steps from the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus, Hadrian's Arch and the other exquisite monuments of Greek civilization. Only minutes away are the Greek Parliament, Old Olympic Stadium, National Gardens and Athens' top shopping areas. Popular with business and leisure travellers seeking personalized care and 'home away from home' qualities, AVA Hotel guarantees a comfortable stay in a private and discreet environment. Being self contained, all apartments and suites are ideal for pleasant short or long stays in Athens. Please note that smoking is not allowed in all public areas and that all apartments and suites are non-smoking.

Description:

A museum for train enthusiasts, lovers of old things, clock-punk Victoriana types and anyone with a little time to kill before their ferry to the islands departs. 19th century tools, gears, uniforms and tickets, restored and stuffed into the former steel workshop of the then Peloponnese Railway in Piraeus. See old steam engines, wagons for royalty, and the impressive smoking car of the Sultan Abdul Aziz of the Ottoman Empire, a gift from a French queen and taken as a trophy by the Greeks in the Balkan Wars.

Metro: Piraeus Station
Admission Free

Tuesday-Friday: 09.00-13.00
Monday: Closed
Saturday-Sunday: 10.00-13.00