If you take a walk on "Queen Sofia" Avenue on your way from "Constitution" square to Hilton hotel, you will pass by some of the most interesting museums in Athens. Opposite the National Park is the neoclassical building of Benaki musem. The museum was founded in 1930 by Antonis Benakis and presents the historical and cultural development of the Greek nation. In the main collection you can observe more than 40 000 exhibits, illustrating Greek development from ancient times to Byzantium in the Middle Ages; from the conquering of Constantinople and the Turkish occupation to the Independence war in 1821; and from the creation of modern Greece (1830) to 1922 when the Greek fugitives leave the Middle East. On the last floor of the museum there is a cafeteria- restaurant with affordable prices from which a beautiful view over the whole Athens downtown is revealed.

After the Benaki museum you can visit the Gulandris Foundation. This is a Cycladic art museum, just two blocks away, housing a private collection of prehistoric sculptures and artifacts. The collection consists of around 3,000 works of art from the Cyclades, Cyprus and ancient Greece.

In the Benaki and Cycladic museum proximity is located the Byzantium Museum. Its building, built in 1848 by architect Stamatis Kleantes, is the former residence of the Duchess of Plakentia. The collection depicts the development of Greek art between 4^th and 19 century, emphasizing on the major stages in the history of Byzantium art.

Right across Hilton hotel is located the National Art Gallery. It is devoted to history of art of the country and Western Europe. It exists in its current state since 1976. Its main collection consists of typical representations of paining and sculpture all over the world but the visiting exhibitions are of a greater interest. The gallery is aiming at being the top one in the area of fine arts and its schedule is normally full of events. In addition, its souvenir store is one of the best in Athens.

While walking from "Constitution" square to Hilton you must have noticed the Lykavitos hill on your left. It is 277 meters high- the highest point in Athens downtown. It is famous among the tourists because of the theater located on the top where a lot of concerts are taking place. In addition, there is a magnificent view that is revealed from the top towards the Acropolis and Pirea port. The most appropriate way to reach Lykavitos is to use the chair lift or a taxi, I don't recommend going with your own car since parking is hell. You can reach the top also on foot through the central neighborhood of Kolonaki, famous for its expensive stores, art galleries and lively cafeterias and restaurants, a meeting place for a lot of artists, politicians, journalists, lawyers and sportsmen.

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