Athens Parliament
Built between 1836-1842 as a royal palace for king Otto I. The first king of modern Greece. The building was damaged by fire in 1909 and the king moved to another building. Now the presidential palace. In 1929 when the monarchy was abolished, the Greeks moved their parliament to this building and it has resided here since 1935.
Changing Of The Guards
Evzones stand guard in front of the tomb of the unknown soldier at the Parliament in Athens. They change the guards every hour of every day. It’s beautiful to watch. The guards do a small performance every time they change. The rest of the time the guards stand motionless unless you get too close. That’s when they smack their gun on the ground to warn you to step away.
What Are Evzones?
Evzones are an elite unit of the Greek army Presidential Guard. It is the highest honor to serve as an Evzones. They are hand-picked for their height (min 6.2 ft) and excellent physical condition. They stand expressionless and almost entirely motionless for an hour until the next changing of the guards.
Travel Secret
Sunday at 11 am the guards are dressed in their ceremonial white kilts instead of the tan outfit they wear the rest of the time.
Fun Facts
If you get too close to the parliament, the Evzones will give you a warning by knocking their gun on the ground.
The Greek kilt (foustenella) requires 30 m of fabric to make.
The kilt has 400 folds to represent the 400 years of Turkish rule over the Greeks.
The movements they perform are done in slow motion because the guards have been immobile for the past hour and they need to protect their blood circulation.
Tours
Tours are a great way to visit the Athens Parliament. The will pick you up at your hotel and drive you to the site. There is a driver and a guide and the guide will give you all sorts of information about history and culture. Once you arrive at the site, he will already have your entry tickets ready. He will give you a guided tour of the site pointing on special features that you may not have noticed on your own as well as tell you all about them. You will then have some free time to explore the site on your own after which you will be taken to a location for lunch and once the tour is over, they will take you back to your hotel.
From USD$242.85
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Duration:
6 hours
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Departs:
Athens, Greece
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Explore Athens with a private guide on a 6 hour tour and discover the …
From USD$34.86
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Duration:
3 hours
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Departs:
Athens, Greece
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Through our tour you will meet ancient sanctuaries dedicated to mystery …
From USD$197.53
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Duration:
2 days
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Departs:
Athens, Greece
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Enjoy a full day tour plus three of Athens’ must-see attractions for …
Accommodations
I don’t recommend accommodations near the parliament. Riots happen on a regular basis. You are much better off taking a room in another neighborhood and commuting to this site. It’s very easy to access by foot, taxi or metro.
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