The National Garden of Athens is the best place to escape the city and with the areas of Plaka, Acropolis, Thission, Monastiraki and Psiri all connected by pedestrian streets and parks, you barely have to go through Athens to get there.
Behind the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Amalias street, at the top of Syntagma (Constitution) Square, it is what we call "Athens greatest treasure". Formerly The King’s Garden, since it used to be the private garden of the king, now the National Garden is like a tropical paradise right in the middle of the city of Athens.
The Royal Garden was commissioned by Queen Amalia in 1838 and completed by 1840. It was designed by the German agronomist Frederick Schmidt who imported over 500 species of plants and a variety of animals including peacocks, ducks, and turtles. You can spend hours wandering around the shaded pathways past flowers and trees. There is also a playground for kids with swings and see-saws and other fun devices.
The Garden also encloses some ancient ruins, tambourines and Corinthian capitals of columns, mosaics, and other features.