As the title states, finding the entrance was a pain. Lack of signage and not the greatest entrance made this traveler wander around for an hour trying to enter this magnificent site. Once inside, it is stunning to see everything inside. While your there, remind yourself who walked the same grounds as you are walking on right now.

The Ancient Agora of Athens, which includes many historic buildings and ruins, such as the Temple of Hephaestus, street of the marble workers, and the Church of the Holy Apostles, is another must-do in Athens. It's an easy walk from the Acropolis and Slopes, and pays for itself if you choose to get an Athena's Combo Ticket from Hellenic Heritage. While you're here, be sure to walk through both floors of the Stoa of Attalos. It's a beautiful building with interesting statues, artwork, and exhibits.

Lovely site. A park full of archaeology. Learned loads. Loved the beauty. Good counterpoint to the Acropolis - the business centre of ancient Athens compared to the religious centre. Unexpected highlights: modern statues of Confucius meeting Socrates and wild tortoises! Used our Athens Pass for this - good value.

As we are not fit enough to climb the Acropolis I had chosen to visit this large site, which we had read was very interesting, and much less visited, so more comfortable to explore. We had asked the guide who escorted our transfer bus from Piraeus for a recommended walking route to it from our drop off point, opposite the Arch of Hadrian. He directed us to the most scenic circular route which gave excellent views of the Acropolis via a wide pedestrian paved walkway which was very pleasant and well away from the crowds but rather a long way round, as by the time we found the only entrance to the Agora, which is on Adrianou Street, we were very tired! (In our 70’s walking with sticks) Too tired to climb up to the Temple of Hephaestus, but still a quiet and pleasant exploration among various ruins. We visited the portico of the Stoa where there were a number of marvellous statues and small monuments, clearly labelled as to which are original and which are reproduction. Public loos are there too. We did not have time to go into the museum itself but if we go back to Athens would revisit the site via Adrianou Street (narrow and crowded, a paradise for shopping if that’s your thing.

You need to allow at least a couple of hours at least to cover the Ancient Agora and its museum. Don’t make the mistake we did and try to do both the Acropolis and the Agora in the one day. Big mistake. Even in June (which is not half as hot as July & August), I started to flag as we walked around the Agora and found it hard to keep going, let alone appreciate what I was seeing. The best starting point to explore the Agora is the reconstructed Attalos Stoa. Seeing the Stoa first gave me a better idea of what many of the ruins might have looked like once upon a time. It also houses the museum which gave me some context and background to the ruins. The highlights here are the Attalos Stoa, the Agora Museum, the Temple of Hephaestus and the Odeon of Agrippa. If you only have limited time, don’t miss these four. Little remains of the other structures. They are well marked but it takes a lot of imagination to reconcile the ruins that you see with the grand buildings and temples that once stood here. Luckily, the information panels beside each of the ruins were very helpful. I’d often have been lost without them. It is worth noting that there’s nowhere to buy drinks or food inside the agora. There are some shady spots but mostly, you are walking around in quite an exposed, hot and dusty area so it’s a good idea to bring a water bottle. Also, the only toilets are on the ground floor of the Attalos Stoa, at the far left of the building. TIPS: * The combo ticket is excellent value. It includes entry to both the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis as well as 5 other sites. At €30, it is well worth it (entry to the Agora on its own is €10 and the Acropolis is €20). In winter, most sites are half price so the combo ticket is not such good value then. * Don’t confuse agoras. There are two in Athens - the Ancient Agora and the tiny Roman Forum. The Ancient Agora is by far the most impressive and most popular of the two. * There is nowhere to buy drinks or food once you’re inside the agora. There are some shady spots but mostly, you are walking around in quite an exposed, hot and dusty area so it’s a good idea to bring a water bottle. * The only toilets are on the ground floor of the Attalos Stoa, at the far left of the building.

What a great place! It is in fact an enormous park with lots of remains of temples and other buildings. The temple of Hephaistos is largely still standing and offers a great view. The stoa is a reconstruction true to the original which offers nice shade. You can imagine the old philosophes walking here! And as most sites in Greece the entrace prices are low. Bring something to eat and drink and you can spend hours here, for there are lots of benches in the shade. The view on the Akropolis from here is great. Closeby, just outside the gate, are lots of nice restaurants on the Odos Adrianou with a great view on the agora.

After the Acropolis, this is second most important archaeological site in Athens. In my opinion. on a visit to Athens it's sufficient to visit only two archaeological sites - the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora. You don't need more than one hour at the Ancient Agora - they main reason you should visit here is to see the largest best preserve ancient temple in Greece. A guided tour of this site isn't really necessary.

We went early in the morning and it was such a peaceful experience compared to the acropolis. You can get closer to the temple and other buildings and the on-site museum had an interesting collection of artefacts. We had purchased the combination ticket which is well worth the price if you are in Athens for a couple of days.

Stunning place to visit and I am really glad I got to see it. Unfortunately as I reached the top end and was about to head back to the entrance to leave, two men came out of the trees (I assume they jumped the back fence) and tried to rob me. One hit my arm and tried to steal my phone and when that failed he came at me. Thankfully shouting for help (that did not come) scared them off. The guard on exit said it happens every day and had happened three times the day before. As a solo female traveller I do not regret visiting such a beautiful area, but please be really careful, especially if you are visiting alone. Rating the experience as very good because the place itself was excellent, even if the experience was somewhat overshadowed by the attempted mugging.

Even more than the Parthenon, this represents the social heart of Ancient Athens. The Temple of Hephaestus rates is both splendid and probably the most complete 'ruin' in the city. It's a fantastic introduction to Athens. It's a site where you can be sure heroes, philosophers, and famous artisans have lived and changed the world. On a catious: On a hot summer day, be sure that you cover up and take water. Otherwise, breathe the history!