Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, known to everyone in Athens as the SNFCC, is the best thing to happen to the city's public space in a generation, and it is free. Designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano and opened in 2017, it stands on the coast at Faliro, about six kilometres south of the centre, on land that had long been a neglected racecourse and parking lot. The complex houses two national institutions, the Greek National Opera and the National Library of Greece, under one long building that rises gently out of a man-made hill. Most visitors come for the park, and for good reason. The Stavros Niarchos Park covers around 21 hectares, about 85 percent of the site, and is planted entirely with Mediterranean species: olive groves, aromatic herbs, cypress and pine, with a labyrinth, playgrounds, an outdoor gym, a running track and a cycle path. The park slopes upward toward the building, so as you walk you climb gradually until you reach the roof. At the base, a 400-metre canal, fed with filtered seawater, links the complex visually to the waterfront and hosts kayaking and sailing activities. At the top, the glass-walled Lighthouse sits beneath a huge solar canopy covered in photovoltaic panels, which generates electricity for the building and gives shade to the viewing deck. From up there the view takes in the whole basin of Athens, the Acropolis and Lycabettus, the port of Piraeus and the islands of the Saronic Gulf. The SNFCC is also one of the busiest cultural venues in the city. Opera and ballet performances, concerts, open-air film screenings, readings, festivals and sports events run through much of the year, many of them free, and the seasonal decorations and events draw huge local crowds. Visitors can join guided tours of the building, borrow bikes, picnic on the lawns or simply watch Athenians at play. It is the place where you see modern Athens enjoying itself.

Why it is worth the trip out of the centre: after days of marble and crowds, the SNFCC is a breath of fresh air, literally. It shows a confident, contemporary side of Athens that many visitors miss, and the scale of the park and the quality of the architecture are genuinely impressive. Families love it, with playgrounds, wide paths for scooters and bikes and plenty of space to run; couples come for the sunset from the Lighthouse; and anyone interested in architecture will enjoy studying Piano's details, from the floating canopy to the glass reading rooms of the library.

Getting there and practicalities: entry to the park and building and many activities is free; opera and concert tickets, bike rental and some other activities are paid. A free shuttle bus runs from Syntagma Square at the corner of Ermou Street, stopping at Syngrou-Fix metro station on the way and arriving on the south side of the canal. A taxi from the centre takes about fifteen minutes, and there is a large car park. The park opens from morning until late evening, with longer hours in summer; check the official schedule for events, guided tours and the shuttle timetable, which can change by season. There are cafes on site, including one in the Lighthouse, and plenty of benches and shaded spots.

Making a half-day of it: go in the late afternoon, wander up through the park to the Lighthouse for sunset over the Saronic Gulf, then stay for an evening performance or an outdoor event if one is on. Alternatively, combine it with the Faliro waterfront promenade, or continue south along the coast toward Glyfada and the Athens Riviera. In midsummer, avoid the middle of the day, when the park's young trees still give limited shade.