Must See in Athens: The Panathenaic Stadium

This weekend (October 9th) is the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. While we were vacationing through Greece, I had the honor (and pain, it was very hilly) of being able to train for the Chicago marathon in Athens, right in the country where the marathon first originated. In Greece, every year the Athens Classic Marathon ends in the Panathenaic Stadium, which is accessible to tourists and a must-see on any trip to Athens. We highly recommend putting this on your itinerary for a visit to Athens, so we put together this guide on everything to know in advance. If you’re curious on how to fit this into an Athens itinerary, check out our post 1 Day in Athens: Full Itinerary With No Regrets!

Entrance

Entrance to the Panathenaic Stadium is 10 Euros (or less for students and seniors) and includes an audio guide. Probably half of the tourists will stand outside the gate, snap a few pics, and move along. Don’t do that, go in! It’s worth the 10 Euros! If you are trying to save the 10 Euros, the stadium is empty before it opens at 8am. So, go early if you want privacy and a picture without tourists in the background.

But in case you need convincing to go in, here’s some cool things about the stadium:

Olympic History in the Panathenaic Stadium

You’ll notice a mix of Greek and Olympic flags at the front of the stadium. The Panathenaic Stadium was used in 1896 for the revival of the Modern Olympic Games. The stadium was used for the opening and closing ceremonies in 1896, and again in 2004. The 1896 Olympics was actually the first organized marathon (more on the history of the marathon below), which had (and still has) great historical significance in Greece.

Fun fact, if you’re motivated enough to run the Athens Classic Marathon, you’ll end the painful race inside the stadium.

A Stadium Made Entirely of Marble

The Panathenaic Stadium is the only stadium in the world constructed entirely of marble. Which is another reason you need to go in – you can’t appreciate all the marble from far away, you need to be up close.

History of the Marathon

One of the gates around the edge of the stadium gives you access to a tunnel under the stands. Within it, you’ll be able to explore the inside of the stadium. Additionally, they’ve added a bit of info on the history around the origin of the marathon.

Unfortunately, the history around the marathon is not a happy one. Legend has it that a soldier named Pheidippides ran around 25 miles from a battlefield in Marathon, Greece, all the way to Athens, to announce they had won the battle. After declaring victory, he apparently died. That was in 490 B.C. Now, we have people who properly train for marathons (and more). Greece created The organized marathon to commemorate this poor guy who was definitely not trained to run 25+ miles. Remember to hydrate!

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