Athens takes Proud Steps to Become More Accessible to All

There’s little point denying it. Athens might be a city literally paved with ancient wonders – but it can be a daunting obstacle course for those with limited mobility or sight. 

Improving the accessibility of our legendary metropolis, so it can be better enjoyed by all, is an issue close to our hearts and conscience. 

That’s why the Municipality of Athens and This Is Athens have teamed up with the social enterprise Me Alla Matia to create exciting new visitor itineraries, especially tailored for people with visual and mobility impairments. Me Alla Matia (it means “with another eye”) have spent months painstakingly tracing our captivating capital step by step, street by street, with a focus group of disabled people with visual and mobility impairments, to provide reliable tourist routes, based on their personal experience. 

The 4 new itineraries that make up the pilot project were crafted to highlight as many points of historic and cultural interest as possible, with the least amount of obstacles and limitations.

We’re delighted to announce that all 4 Accessible Athens routes are now available to view and download in PDF form with easy to follow maps on our website, along with our other city itineraries. In addition, each of the Accessible Athens routes comes in two versions: one for vision impaired visitors; and one for mobility impaired. 

We’ll tell you all about the cultural significance of each route and its general accessibility, as well as arm you with lots of colour about our designated points of interest, and, of course, provide a detailed breakdown of the course.   

What are our 4 new Accessible Athens Itineraries?

Itinerary 1 - Historic Heart to Urban Soul of Athens

Main landmarks: Syntagma Square, Ermou Street, Church of Panagia Kapnikarea, Monastiraki Square, Thissio, Gazi

Itinerary 2 - Ancient Athens Uncovered 

Main landmarks: Dionysiou Areopagitou Pedestrian Area, The Acropolis Museum, Odeon Herodes Atticus, The Acropolis

Itinerary 3 - Origins of Modern Athens 

Main landmarks: Athens Academy, National University of Athens, National Library, Polytechnic

Itinerary 4 - National Garden of Athens and Surrounding Highlights 

Main landmarks: National Garden, Zappeion Mansion, Olympieion, Panathenaic Stadium, Hellenic Parliament, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

* The social enterprise “Me Alla Matia” is a non-profit organization founded and organized by disabled people. It takes action in accessibility consulting in digital and structured environments, as well as in psychosocial support and education of the disabled, their families and professionals of the respective field.