Panathenaic Stadium

The Panathinaiko Stadium is the only stadium in the world built entirely of white marble and lies tucked into a narrow hollow at the edge of central Athens, opposite the Zappeion. It was rebuilt on the foundations of the ancient stadium that Lykourgos laid out around 330 BC for the Panathenaic Games, funded by the magnate Georgios Averoff for the first modern Olympic Games of 1896. Architect Anastasios Metaxas followed the antique horseshoe plan, which explains the unusually long straights and tight curves that make it almost unworkable for modern athletics. Today it is the destination of every Olympic torch lighting and the finish of the Athens Marathon; with a ticket you can walk across the infield, visit the small museum on Olympic history and enjoy the view from the upper tier.