National Garden, Athens Park

Address: National Garden (Ethnikos Kipos), Vasilissis Amalias Ave., Athens, Greece (adjacent to the Hellenic Parliament / Syntagma)

Hours: Daily 7:00am-7:00pm (hours vary seasonally)

Admission: Free admission (public garden)

The National Garden in Athens is a public park in the center of the city established in the 19th century as a landscaped garden for the royal palace. It serves as a leafy municipal park with botanical collections and shaded walks.

Paths, flower beds, ponds and small collections of trees and shrubs are arranged across the garden, and visitors can find quiet lanes and planted areas within walking distance of central Athens. The garden was laid out in the early to mid 19th century and remains one of the city’s main public green spaces.

It sits immediately behind the Greek Parliament building at Syntagma Square, providing an urban refuge in central Athens.

• Founding and size: Founded in the 19th century by Queen Amalia and covering roughly 15 hectares, it offers shaded paths, botanical beds and a small zoo and botanical pavilion.
• Central location: Directly adjacent to the Hellenic Parliament and Syntagma Square in central Athens, making it an urban green space in the heart of the city.

The National Garden is in central Athens adjacent to Syntagma Square. It is a very short walk (around 5 minutes) from Syntagma metro station (central Athens metro lines), so use the Syntagma exit and cross into the garden from the square.

• Visit early morning or late afternoon to avoid the midday heat and the biggest tourist flows from Syntagma Square.
• Enter from Vasilissis Amalias Avenue or the Syntagma/Parliament end for the most direct access from the metro and to see the guard-changing area nearby.
• Take time to follow the quieter shaded paths and look for small archaeological remains and statues scattered through the garden - these are easy to miss if you only pass through.