National Theatre - Rex
Athens’ first New York-style skyscraper, this massive building originally housed a cinema, theatre and ballroom, before becoming one of the National Theatre’s main stages. Its striking façade and Art Deco elements have earned the Rex a place as one of Athens’ most cherished architectural landmarks.
Some of the stages are not accessible. We recommend that you contact the venue before purchasing tickets.
We continue our itinerary from the Great Walk until the next perpendicular street, Emmanouil Benaki Street. This is where we will use the ramp to get onto the pavement, since the Great Walk follows different specifications from now on, and it is possible that we might be bothered by illegally parked cars and the lack of ramp at its end.
We continue our stroll on the right pavement of Panepistimiou Street and we cross the Themistokleous pedestrian street. At the next junction with 28 Oktovriou Street, we will turn right heading towards the Archaeological Museum.
At this point we encounter Omonia Square and the metro station in front of us, which we can use to depart if we do not wish to proceed with the itinerary. Additionally, we can begin from this point if our only goal is to visit the Archaeological Museum and/or the National Technical University of Athens.
At the junction of Panepistimiou Street and 28 Oktovriou Street we turn right. There is no Great Walk anymore, so we move onto the pavement which features a ramp at every crossroad. The ramps are relatively well constructed for independent use.
After quite some metres, we will meet Stournari Street with its marble inscription. On our right, the famous neighbourhood of Exarchia now begins.
To conclude the itinerary, we will return to the junction of 28 Oktovriou Street and Panepistimiou Street via the same route, at the end point of the Great Walk.
At this corner we will cross 28 Oktovriou Street from the pedestrian crossing. A few metres later, we will find the pelican crossing to turn left and cross Panepistimiou Street, to reach the heart of Omonia Square.
The ramps at these pelican crossings are fordable.
Omonia Square
Emblematic Omonia Square is not just a traffic thoroughfare but a social one too: it’s the nostalgic symbol of the modern city, where migrants from the provinces arrived, and football fans celebrate their team’s championship victory. This popular meet-up point has had many makeovers over the decades and its last redesign was May 2020 when its iconic fountain was restored.
To leave the square, we once again cross via the pelican crossing of Panepistimiou. On our left we have the elevator of the Omonia metro station, which belongs to the lines red (line 2 “Anthoupoli - Elliniko”) and green (line 1 “Pireas - Kifisia”). This specific station has more than one elevator.
Omonia Metro Station
Lines 1&2
- The Omonia metro station has many exits with elevators. For this specific itinerary we use the Panepistimiou exit and its elevator.
- Wheelchair boarding is possible from the first or last car of the train on the red line 2 and from the first door of the first car on the green line 1.
- It is fully accessible.
- It is equipped with an adapted toilet, which can be opened upon request.
