Otto of Greece

The 13th Athens Energy Summit is taking place on Thursday and Friday this week at Hotel Grande Bretagne, at Syntagma Square. 

Opening proceedings on Thursday will be a speech by Greece's Environment and Energy Minister Thodoros Skylakakis. 

For more information visit athensenergysummit.gr.

If you are traveling to Athens this summer and on a budget, don't worry, there are plenty of fun sights to see and activities to participate in that are free. Kathimerini Engish Edition has compiled a broad list of free things to do in the city.

Whether you are a history buff, love sightseeing, or simply want to sit back and watch a movie, this list has got you covered.

Main roads in Athens center are closed as various groups hold a protest march on Friday for the one-year anniversary of the deadly shipwreck in Pylos.

At the moment there is heavy traffic on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, while Vasilissis Amalias Avenue on the upper side of Syntagma square is closed.

The royal regalia of Otto, the Bavarian prince who ruled as king of Greece from 1832 to 1862, has gone on display in Parliament.

The artefacts, which include the king's crown, scepter and sword, were found by the Culture Ministry in the former royal summer palace in Tatoi in 2023.

Like a cut in the Athenian fabric, there's a narrow street stretching from Syntagma Square to Athinas Street that changes name four times along the way: From Karagiorgi Servias to Perikleous after crossing Lekka, to Athinaidos after Evangelistrias, and then to Agias Irinis on the last leg, after Aiolou Street.

The center of Athens will be mostly closed to traffic on Wednesday (May 1) due to announced rallies related to Labor Day.

Restrictions will be implemented gradually as o 9.30 a.m. in the streets around Propylea on Panepistimiou Street, Omonia Square, Syntagma Square, and roads leading to and from Panepistimiou and Stadiou Streets.

As night descends, Omonia Square bustles with activity, its circular junction adorned with the vibrant hues of yellow taxis, amid the constant flow of cars and pedestrians. The glow of the fountain and the imposing facades of the surrounding hotels add to the scene's allure. However, in the adjacent side streets, a somber ambiance prevails.

The statue of Panagis Vallianos outside the National Library building, the Vallianeio Megaron, on Panepistimiou Street in the heart of Athens, was vandalized, with red paint sprayed on its base.

The annual parade of the Armed Forces for Greece's March 25th Independence Day concluded on Monday after passing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of Parliament at Syntagma Square, where President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and political and military officials were gathered.

The parade also drew a crowd of thousands of onlookers waving Greek flags and cheering the troops on.

Students will be taking part in parades all over Greece on Monday to mark the 203rd anniversary of the 1821 revolution against Ottoman rule.