Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
#9of 10 places to visit in AthensAthens, Attica, Greece
Also known as Plateia Syntagmatos · Constitution Square
Quick answer
Opening hours: Hourly guard change on the hour. Entry is free. Allow 30 min. Best time: Sunday at 11:00.
Updated · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read
- Opening hours
- Hourly guard change on the hour
- Every day, in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the extended ceremonial change with full band and platoon takes place Sundays at 11:00
- Entry fee
- Free
- Time needed
- 30 min
- Best time of day
- Sunday at 11:00
- Best months
- Apr – Jun, Sep – Oct
- Address
- Syntagma Square, in front of the Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace), 10561 Athens, Greece
About Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
Syntagma Square sits directly in front of the Hellenic Parliament building, itself the former royal palace completed in 1843 for Greece's first king, Otto of Bavaria, and the square takes its name — meaning 'Constitution Square' — from the 1843 uprising that forced Otto to grant Greece its first constitution. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, a carved marble relief set into the base of the Parliament building since 1932, is guarded around the clock by the Evzones, the Presidential Guard unit recognisable by its pleated white fustanella skirt (containing exactly 400 pleats, one for each year of Ottoman occupation of Greece, according to the unit's own official explanation) and red pom-pom clogs called tsarouchia.
Best time of day: Sunday at 11:00. For the full ceremonial change with marching band and 200-metre parade route; any hourly change on other days for a shorter, five-minute version with two guards.
Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard timings
- Opening hours
- Hourly guard change on the hour
- Every day, in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; the extended ceremonial change with full band and platoon takes place Sundays at 11:00
- Closed on
- Open every day
Opening hours compiled from hellenicparliament.gr and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard ticket price
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard ticket | Free |
| Concession (student / senior) | Free |
| Children | Free |
Free to view at all times; the Changing of the Guard is a public ceremony performed by the Hellenic Presidential Guard with no ticket or reservation required.
Prices compiled from hellenicparliament.gr and public records, last updated . They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides
Best time to visit Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Very busy
Weekday hourly changes
Standard ChangeBest time to go
A modest cluster of onlookers gathers a few minutes before each hourly change; the ceremony itself lasts about five minutes with two Evzones.
QuietSunday 10:30 – 11:30
Grand Sunday Ceremony
The largest crowd of the week lines the parade route on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue for the full band-and-platoon ceremony.
Very busy12:00 – 18:00 daily
General Square Traffic
The square functions as a transit and gathering hub throughout the day independent of guard-change timing.
Moderate20:00 – 22:00
Evening
Foot traffic thins after dinner hour, though the tomb remains lit and guarded overnight.
Quiet
History of Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
The square and palace complex date to the earliest years of the modern Greek state, when Bavarian-trained architects designed a royal residence in a restrained neoclassical style intended to project continuity with ancient Greek civic architecture rather than the more ornate baroque common among contemporary European monarchies. The building ceased to be a royal residence after a fire in 1909 and was converted to house the Greek Parliament in 1929, a use it retains today. The Evzones as a ceremonial guard unit trace their uniform and name to 19th-century light infantry regiments from the Greek War of Independence era, and the unit has guarded the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier continuously since the monument's dedication in 1932, with only brief interruptions during the Axis occupation of Greece in the 1940s. Syntagma Square has also served repeatedly as the site of major political demonstrations, most visibly during Greece's sovereign debt crisis protests between 2010 and 2015, cementing its role as the country's default civic gathering point.
Rules & etiquette at Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
Standing close to the guards during the hourly change is permitted, but touching them, imitating their high, slow-motion marching step, or attempting to make them break formation is treated as a serious breach and can prompt intervention from accompanying officers — this has happened often enough to tourists that it is now flagged specifically in Athens visitor guidance. Photography is unrestricted and encouraged; the guards themselves are trained to remain motionless regardless of camera flashes or close approach. The Sunday 11:00 ceremony draws a genuinely large crowd along the parade route down Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, so arriving 20-30 minutes early to claim a viewing spot along the barrier is advisable.
Tips for visiting Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
- 1
The hourly weekday change is brief — about five minutes — and easy to catch opportunistically while passing through the square en route to Plaka or the National Garden, both a short walk away. The Sunday ceremony is a considerably bigger production, with a full military band and around 150 additional Evzones marching from their barracks near the Presidential Mansion, and is worth planning a visit around specifically if the date allows. The square itself, apart from the ceremony, is a functional transit hub with the metro entrance, tram stops, and bus connections converging here, so it naturally anchors the start or end of a walking day through central Athens. A small, easily missed clock in the square marks Athens's official Greenwich-relative time reference point, a detail most visitors walk past without noticing.
How to reach Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
The red star is Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard; the numbered pins are the 8 nearest places in our guides, each showing its rank in its city. Tap a pin for details.
Syntagma Square, in front of the Hellenic Parliament (Old Royal Palace), 10561 Athens, GreeceDirections in Google Maps
From Athens International Airport (ATH)
32 km · 40-50 min
€9 single airport fare
From Piraeus Port
10 km · 35-45 min
€1.20 standard metro fare
From Akropoli metro station
1.5 km · 10 min
€1.20 standard metro fare
Nearest airport
From Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH)
32 km, approximately 40–50 minutes via metro Line 3, direct to Syntagma station.
Nearest station
From Syntagma metro station (Lines 2 and 3)
directly beneath the square.
Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard FAQs
Is the Changing of the Guard free to watch?
Yes, it is a public military ceremony with no ticket, reservation, or fee required. Anyone can stand along the square's edge in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to watch.
What is the difference between the hourly change and the Sunday ceremony?
The hourly change, performed every day on the hour, involves two Evzones and lasts about five minutes. The Sunday ceremony at 11:00 is far larger, with a full military band and roughly 150 additional guards marching in from nearby barracks along Vasilissis Sofias Avenue.
Why do the Evzones wear a skirt with 400 pleats?
The pleated fustanella is the traditional uniform of 19th-century Greek light infantry, and the Presidential Guard's own official explanation states the 400 pleats represent the years of Ottoman occupation of Greece, though this figure is a symbolic tradition rather than a precisely documented historical count.
Can I touch or interact with the guards?
No, touching the guards or attempting to distract them is not tolerated and can prompt intervention from supervising officers. Photographing them from a respectful distance is fine and expected.
Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated . How we rank and check places
Places to visit near Syntagma Square & Changing of the Guard
Straight-line distances from our map; times are estimates.
