Mike's review
Anafiotika is a small 19th-century neighborhood on the north slope of the Acropolis. Builders and craftsmen from Anafi came to Athens during the reconstruction of the new capital and built houses here in a Cycladic style: white walls, tight lanes, steps, and very small plots.
It is still residential, so the best way to see it is quietly. Use it as a short walk between Plaka and the Acropolis rather than a photo hunt. The interest is the odd fit: island village architecture pressed into the rock below Athens' most formal ancient site.
From the source
Anafiotika is a small residential quarter on the north slope of the Acropolis, above Plaka. Masons from the Cycladic island of Anafi built its first whitewashed houses in the mid-nineteenth century after coming to Athens to work on King Otto's palace. Narrow lanes, exterior stairs, and low cubic houses preserve that island building pattern within the center of Athens.
The lanes are public, but the buildings remain homes rather than an open-air museum. The neighborhood sits on a steep slope with uneven steps and tight passages. Access is on foot from Plaka, and there is no separate entrance or admission charge.
Supporting source: Legacy import provenance
Plan your visit
Features & amenities
What to bring
- Water
- comfortable shoes
In my guides
Where Anafiotika comes up in my writing.
More near here
Other pins within walking distance of Anafiotika.
Planning Athens
The rest of my Athens saves, on the city's planning pages.