The Ancient Agora of Athens

If the Acropolis was where Athenians worshipped, the Agora was where they lived. This broad, green, rambling site below the north-west slope of the Acropolis was the marketplace, law court, council chamber and public square of the ancient city for centuries: citizens shopped, voted, gossiped and argued here, Socrates questioned anyone who would listen, and the Panathenaic Way, the processional road to the Acropolis, cut diagonally across it. Today it is one of the most relaxing and rewarding sites in Athens, shaded by trees and far less crowded than the rock above. Its two great showpieces sit at either end. On a low hill to the west stands the Temple of Hephaestus, built in the fifth century BC and so complete that it still has its roof — it survived because it was converted into a church — making it the best-preserved Doric temple anywhere in Greece and the easiest place to imagine what the Parthenon once looked like. On the east side runs the Stoa of Attalos, a long two-storey colonnade originally given to the city by a king of Pergamon and rebuilt in the 1950s by the American School of Classical Studies; it now houses the Agora Museum, whose small but fascinating collection shows the everyday machinery of democracy, including bronze ballots and a kleroterion, the allotment machine used to choose jurors at random. Between them lie the foundations of council buildings, temples and law courts, the Odeon of Agrippa with its giant statues, and the lovely tenth-century Church of the Holy Apostles with its Byzantine frescoes. The Agora has its own ticket, separate from the Acropolis since the combined ticket ended.

Getting the most out of it: enter from Adrianou Street near Monastiraki or from the Thissio side, and start at the Stoa of Attalos so the museum can set the scene before you wander the ruins. Then follow the Panathenaic Way south toward the Acropolis, detour to the Church of the Holy Apostles, and finish by climbing to the Temple of Hephaestus, where the view back across the site to the Acropolis is one of the best in Athens. The upper colonnade of the Stoa often has a lovely shaded gallery of portrait sculpture and a view over the whole site. Allow about two hours; the ground is uneven and dusty in summer, so wear sensible shoes.

Tickets and combinations: the Agora sells its own ticket, which includes the museum in the Stoa of Attalos. With the old combined ticket discontinued, it pays to think in pairs: Tiqets sells bundles of the Acropolis with the Agora (including guided options that link the two), and the Agora with the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Hours are long in summer and shorter in winter. Free entry applies on the national free-entry days, including some winter Sundays, and young visitors and children often enter free with ID.

Why it is worth your time: many first-timers skip the Agora after the Acropolis, and it is a mistake. It is the place where the history of democracy, philosophy and law becomes tangible, the crowds are a fraction of those on the hill, and the shade and greenery make it a pleasant place to slow down. It is also in the perfect spot: Monastiraki's flea market, souvlaki and rooftop bars are on one side, and the cafe terraces of Thissio, facing the Acropolis across Apostolou Pavlou, are on the other. For families, it is the best ancient site in Athens for children to roam.