A staple of Athens walking and hop-on-hop-off bus tours, Kotzia Square is also a main stop on many food tours of the city, thanks to its location in the heart of the local dining and imbibing scene. This inviting square was built in 1874 and, in addition to its grand neoclassical architecture, is home to a captivating collection of ancient ruins unearthed here during its construction. Admire the remains of tombs and the former aqueduct before continuing on to the nearby restaurants and cafés for a Greek meal.
Set between Omonoia Square and Monastiraki Square, Kotzia Square is bordered by four of Athens’ main streets: Efpolidos Street, Athinas Street, Kratinou Street, and Aiolou Street. You can walk to the square from many of the city’s main sights, or take the metro to Omonoia Square a few minutes south.
Temperatures soar in Kotzia Square during the midday hours, so go in the early morning or late afternoon if you’re visiting in the summer. The surrounding area is particularly buzzy after sunset when the neighborhood bars and restaurants are teeming with patrons, so take in the ancient ruins and 19th-century architecture in the square, then continue on for an evening out on the town.
The most important building in the square is the historic city hall, built in the late 1800s and decorated with busts of ancient Athenians and works by 19th-century Greek painters. The square is also home to the neoclassical National Bank of Greece and the Melas Mansion, which today houses the Cultural Center of the National Bank of Greece; nearby, the bank’s contemporary administration building is one of the premier examples of 21st-century architecture in the city, and visitors can glimpse a section of the ancient Acharnai road on the ground floor.
