Fifteen minutes walk from the Acropolis is Hadrian's Roman Arch, the lovely, oft overlooked monument of Lysikrates (dated 335bc) and the few remains of enormous Zeus' Temple. Further along is one of Athens' most famous landmarks, the Panathenaic Stadium, used for the original Olympics in 1896. Other attractions include the National Archaeological Museum, which houses magnificent gold artefacts from Mycenae and spectacular Minoan frescoes from Santorini (Thira), among other exquisite objects and antiquities; and the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic and ancient Greek art, with a collection of the elegant marble figurines. Within easy reach by car is the Peloponnese on Greece's southern peninsula, rich in history and scenically diverse. Packed into its northeastern corner are the ancient sites of Epidaurus, Corinth and Mycenae, as well as the ghostly city of Mystras perched on the the slopes of Mt Taygetos. If you're tired of ancient history, Mani is a region of bleak mountains and barren landscapes.

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