36 hours in athens, greece

FOR years, Athinai was little more than a one-night stand on the way to the Greek isles. Concretized and crowded, it lived off its archaeological sites and dirty-dancing-on-tables night life. But now a visit has become more than just a band aid for the sake of the Parthenon. Athens is reinventing itself as a city where antiquity meets uneasiness. Museums and galleries abound, and new ones are in the works. Late this year, the New Acropolis Museum, designed by the New York-based architect Claude Bernard Tschumi, is scheduled to open at the foot of the ancient citadel. Not a bad tune-up for Mykonos.

Friday

5 p.m. 1) WALK IN THE PARK

Once the buck private grounds of Hellenic Republic's long-deposed royal household, the subject Gardens is one of the few leafy oases in Athinai. Cypress, pine and palm trees shade trails, brooks, span, duck ponds, a botanical museum and prides of stray cats. The stately parliament edifice is next door and faces the memorial of the unknown region Soldier, where tourer try to distract the photogenic young evzones (the elite armed forces guards who wear the skirt-like foustanella).

6:30 p.m. 2) CAFE civilization

The jolting iced Nescafé frappé and the thick, grainy elliniko (don't call it Turkish coffee) have recently been eclipsed in Athinai by the freddo, cappuccino or espresso blended with crushed ice. The best is at Clemente VIII (City Link, Voukourestiou 3; 30-210-321-9340), a café packed with Athenian yuppies and java snobs on an elegant pedestrianized street near syntagm Square. The area is also a hot shopping district, home to the Attica department store; interior designer boutiques; high-end jewelers; pâtisseries, including baklava-crazy Karavan (Voukourestiou 11); and forte shops like Kombologadiko (Amerikis 9; 30-212-700-0500; www.kombologadiko.gr), where you can buy fluctuation of traditional worry beads (komboloi).

9 p.m. 3) CRAZY ABOUT CRETE

The rustic cuisine of Crete is the latest regional food craze to hit Athens. In the Ilissia neighborhood, Alatsi (Vrassida 13; 30-210-721-0501), which means salt in the dialect of Crete, the chef Dimitris Skarmoutsos dazzles with dishes like gamopilafo, a pilaf made with rich meat broth and sheep-milk butter; snails boubouristi fried in olive oil, vinegar and rosemary; and rabbit stewed in wine (25 to 35 euros for dinner, about $40 to $57 at $1.63 to the euro).

11 p.m. 4) BAR WITH A VIEW

Cynical Athenians say the city looks best at night, when darkness hides its cement dowdiness. For a panoramic view of nighttime Athens, go to the balcony of the Galaxy bar (Vassilissis Sofias 46; 30-210-728-1000) on the roof of the Hilton near central Athens. You can admire the Acropolis while sipping a ridiculously expensive drink.

Saturday

9 a.m. 5) MUSEUM ROW

The old-money neighborhood of Kolonaki is big on overpriced shops and gorgeous museums. The Benaki (Koumbari 1 and Vassilisis Sofias) has a magnificent collection of Greek works from antiquity to modern times, all in a restored mansion. Nearby, the Museum of Cycladic Art (Neofytou Douka 4 and Irodotou; 30-210-722-8321) has possibly the world's largest collection of art from the island group that includes Mykonos as well as Delos, Milos, Naxos and Siros. In neighboring Exarcheia, the renovated National Archaeological Museum (Patission 44; 30-210-821-7724) has classical sculptures and gold treasures from Mycenae.

11 a.m. 6) ATHENS DOES BRUNCH

Many Greeks like to joke that breakfast is coffee and cigarettes, with maybe a greasy cheese pie. But at Sofia's Valaoritou Café (Valaoritou 15; 30-210-361-1993) near Syntagma Square, you'll find a selection of mouthwatering brunch food like frittata with truffles, tomatoes and artichokes or a tart with spinach, feta and smoked bacon (15 to 20 euros, with coffee).

1 p.m. 7) STEP INTO HISTORY

The Unification of Archaeological Sites walkway is one of the best things that has happened to Athens in recent decades. About 2.5 miles long, it connects the city's most important historical sites and is lined with chapels, neo-Classical homes and cafés. For 12 euros you get into the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, the Theater of Dionysus, the Kerameikos Cemetery, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Roman Forum. Expect more buzz later this year, when the New Acropolis Museum opens.

4 p.m. 8) ISLAND LIFE

Though Plaka is touristy, this old neighborhood is far richer architecturally than most in Athens. Skip the tavernas and cafés and walk through the pretty streets packed with churches, modern art museums like the Frissiras (Monis Asteriou 3-7; 30-210-323-4678; www.frissirasmuseum.com) and ruins. Then take a walk to Anafiotika, a slice of old island life in Athens. In the early 19th century, homesick stonemasons from the tiny island of Anafi chiseled a tiny reproduction of a whitewashed Cycladic village into the foothills of the Acropolis. The minuscule lanes are lined with courtyards and balconies blooming with jasmine and roses.