Plaka When the Acropolis Watches Over Your Coffee

Plaka is the oldest neighborhood in Athens -- a labyrinth of pedestrian streets beneath the Acropolis where neoclassical houses are painted in faded yellows and pinks and bougainvillea spills over every wall. Adrianou Street is the main artery, lined with tavernas and cafes where the coffee arrives with a glass of water and the waiter expects you to stay two hours because this is Greece and rushing is an insult.

Anafiotika -- a tiny cluster of whitewashed houses built by Anafi island craftsmen in the 1840s -- is hidden on the Acropolis slope above Plaka and looks like a Cycladic village teleported to the center of a capital.

Insider tip: Walk Plaka at night when the Acropolis is illuminated above and the streets empty of tour groups. The Parthenon glowing against the dark sky, framed by the rooftops below, is Athens at its most eternal.