Plaka is the picturesque old historical neighbourhood of Athens, clustered around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis, and incorporating labyrinthine streets and neoclassical architecture. Plaka is built on top of the residential areas of the ancient town of Athens. Until the early 20th century Plaka was known as the Arvanite quarter of Athens.
The derivation of the name Plaka is uncertain: it has been theorized to come from Arvanitika "Pliak Athena", meaning "Old Athens", or from the presence of a "plaque" which once marked its central intersection. Plaka is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, being the only neighborhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunneling. Motor vehicles are not allowed in Plaka, and most streets are too narrow, thus not being able to accommodate them anyway.
Museums in Plaka include the new Jewish Museum of Greece, the Museum of Greek Folk Art, an annex of which is the Old Public Baths building, the Frissiras Museum, the Museum of Popular Music Instruments, the Museum of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulou and the Athens University Museum. Excavations have proven that Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in continuous use with the exact same layout since antiquity. Of special interest is the neighborhood of Anafiotika, the part of Plaka that is built against the northern slope of the Acropolis; built by settlers from the Aegean island of Anafi in the early 19th century, it features traditional Cycladic architecture.
Conveniently situated in the old commercial district of Athens, between Syntagma and Monastiraki metro stations, this strategic location of Hotel Carolina makes for an easy walking access to the following sights:
- Acropolis & Parthenon (15min. away)
- Plaka (old town) (5 min. away)
- Acropolis Museum (20min. away)
- Ancient Greek Agora & its museum (15min. away)
- Ancient Roman Agora (10min away)
- Kerameikos archeological site & its museum (15min. away)
- Parliament & its change of guards (10min. away)
- “Kallimarmaro” ancient stadium and host of the first modern Olympic games (15.min away)
- Athens Gate (Hadrian’s arch) (15 min. away)
- Temple & Columns of Zeus (15 min. away)
- Lecabettus Hill (20 min. away)
- Ermou shopping district & its pedestrian street (5 min. away)
- Psirri nightlife district (5 min. away)
- Kolonaki shopping district (15 min. away)
For information regarding timetables of museums and archeological sights, admission prices, opening days and information on all archeological sights and museums please visit the following links:
http://www.culture.gr/
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/
The derivation of the name Plaka is uncertain: it has been theorized to come from Arvanitika "Pliak Athena", meaning "Old Athens", or from the presence of a "plaque" which once marked its central intersection. Plaka is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists around the year, and is under strict zoning and conservation regulations, being the only neighborhood in Athens where all utilities (water, power, cable television, telephone, internet, and sewage) lie underground in fully accessible, custom-made tunneling. Motor vehicles are not allowed in Plaka, and most streets are too narrow, thus not being able to accommodate them anyway.
Museums in Plaka include the new Jewish Museum of Greece, the Museum of Greek Folk Art, an annex of which is the Old Public Baths building, the Frissiras Museum, the Museum of Popular Music Instruments, the Museum of Pavlos and Alexandra Kanellopoulou and the Athens University Museum. Excavations have proven that Adrianou Street is the oldest street in Athens still in continuous use with the exact same layout since antiquity. Of special interest is the neighborhood of Anafiotika, the part of Plaka that is built against the northern slope of the Acropolis; built by settlers from the Aegean island of Anafi in the early 19th century, it features traditional Cycladic architecture.
Conveniently situated in the old commercial district of Athens, between Syntagma and Monastiraki metro stations, this strategic location of Hotel Carolina makes for an easy walking access to the following sights:
- Acropolis & Parthenon (15min. away)
- Plaka (old town) (5 min. away)
- Acropolis Museum (20min. away)
- Ancient Greek Agora & its museum (15min. away)
- Ancient Roman Agora (10min away)
- Kerameikos archeological site & its museum (15min. away)
- Parliament & its change of guards (10min. away)
- “Kallimarmaro” ancient stadium and host of the first modern Olympic games (15.min away)
- Athens Gate (Hadrian’s arch) (15 min. away)
- Temple & Columns of Zeus (15 min. away)
- Lecabettus Hill (20 min. away)
- Ermou shopping district & its pedestrian street (5 min. away)
- Psirri nightlife district (5 min. away)
- Kolonaki shopping district (15 min. away)
For information regarding timetables of museums and archeological sights, admission prices, opening days and information on all archeological sights and museums please visit the following links:
http://www.culture.gr/
http://www.theacropolismuseum.gr/
