Plaka is the romantic Athens neighborhood most visitors explore first but sometimes never truly get to know. It sits below the Acropolis, between Syntagma, Monastiraki, Thiseio and the ancient archaeological zone, which means nearly every visitor passes through it at some point, usually deliberately. Remember the postcard version: souvenir shops, bougainvillea, tavernas, marble steps, cinematic views of the Parthenon? Well that’s all there, but there’s also so much more.

Plaka is old, singular in its identity and appearance and very layered. It is made up of ancient Athens, Byzantine chapels, Ottoman-era elements, 19th-century neoclassical houses, old family businesses that have survived many changes, shops and stops of every kind, and some of the most enticing venues in the city. It may have been photographed into cliché (with a bouzouki soundtrack), but it remains one of the few places in Athens where the city’s long history can still be digested while traipsing along.

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