5 unexpected things you absolutely have to do in Athens, Greece

Planning a trip to Athens, Greece is an absolute dream for most travelers. There’s a reason why millions of people head there every year. The history and culture that people find here cannot be overhyped, and never goes underappreciated.

But like most cities, Athens can get weird when you step away from the regular touristy spots. There are some super cool destinations in this place that often get overlooked by most tourists, and have the potential to take your visit to the next level.

The Wax Museum of Andreas Syggros

Okay, so this one of the more odd destinations not just in Athens but also the entirety of Greece. And it’s definitely not the kind of place that every traveler is going to decide to stop by. But anyone who does is guaranteed a truly unforgettable experience.

This museum is located in the Andreas Syggros hospital of dermatological and venereal diseases, right in the heart of the city. It literally contains more than 16,000 wax models of skin conditions and sexually transmitted diseases. There are people out there who will love this.

Syntagma Station of the Athens Metro

If you hold a tennis ball, spin in one spot ten times and throw said tennis ball in virtually any direction, you will hit a piece of history thousands of years old. Or you’ll hit a random Athenian. Maybe don’t do that. Some people living there already aren’t big fans of tourists.

As such, digging Athens’ first subway also became the city’s biggest archaeological dig of all time. Syntagma is the metro stop for the Greek Parliament, which is also worth checking out. But the station itself is actually housed in remnants of an ancient Greek necropolis.

Zappeion

Between the National Gardens of Athens and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, visitors to this incredible city will find the Zappeion. This building was first one to be constructed purely for the modern Olympic Games, opening its doors in the late 1800s.

But that doesn’t seem so unexpected, right? Well, there’s a man’s head in one of the walls. Specifically, it is the head of Evangelos Zappas, the Zappeion’s benefactor who did not live to see its completion. Just the fact that only his head is in one of the walls makes this an odd stop.

The Gennadius Library

Normally speaking, recommending that someone stops by a library while on their vacation doesn’t go over well. But this is Athens, and everything is coated in layers of history. That includes the Gennadius Library, aka the Gennadeion.

Opening its doors in 1926, the the Gennadeion houses more than 115,000 volumes. The wealth of information housed here is incomparable, making it a unique destination for anyone interested in Byzantine, Ottoman and contemporary Greece.

The Numismatic Museum of Athens

Exploring history takes a lot of forms, and coin collecting is certainly one of them. But the Numismatic Museum of Athens is coin collecting on steroids. This facility reputedly houses one of the most impressive and important collections of ancient and modern coins in the world.

It contains more than 600,000 artifacts going all the way back to the 6th Century BC. Despite being such an amazing museum, it often doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This isn’t your nephew’s coin collection. Stop by and have your mind blown.