Changing of the guard of the Evzones at Syntagma

What it is

The Evzones are the Greek Presidential Guard, an infantry unit that keeps permanent watch in front of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, in Syntagma Square, at the foot of Parliament. Two soldiers stand motionless in front of the monument, each beside his sentry box, and the changeover is done with a slow, very marked step, with kicks in the air and boot stamps on the ground, which is what people come to see.

The uniform is part of the show. The white skirt, the fustanella, takes about 30 metres of cloth and has about 400 pleats, which according to tradition recall the 400 years of Ottoman rule. The red shoes with a black pom-pom, the tsarouchia, have between 60 and 120 nails in the sole and weigh about a kilo and a half each. To join the guard you have to be at least 1.87 m tall.

When to see it

Every hour on the hour, every day, there is a short changeover: two new guards arrive with a corporal, swap places with those going off and leave. It lasts a few minutes. In addition, the sentries change position every quarter of an hour, with a shorter movement.

On Sunday at 11:00 the big changing takes place: the whole guard comes out, with officers and a band, from the barracks to the tomb and back. On that day and on national holidays the Evzones wear full dress uniform. It is the moment with the biggest crowd: if you want the front row, arrive at 10:30.

Where to stand

The tomb is in the upper part of the square, between Amalias Avenue and Parliament, separated from the square by the street. For the hourly changing you can stand on the pavement in front of the monument, without going past the limit the police indicate. From the steps of Syntagma Square, across the traffic, you see it all but from far away. Don't touch or get in the way of the guards: the police around will warn you if you get too close.

How to get there

Syntagma metro station, on lines 2 and 3, comes out in the square itself. It is also the stop for the X95 express bus from the airport, which you have on the how to get from the airport to the centre page. From Plaka or Monastiraki you can walk there in ten minutes along Ermou or Mitropoleos Street.

Price, time and with children

It is free and no booking is needed. A quarter of an hour is more than enough for the hourly changeover; the Sunday one, with the arrival of the guard and the band, takes longer.

Small children love the guards' step and the noise of the nails on the ground. Stand at the front with them, in the shade if you can: in summer the pavement is in the sun for a good part of the day. Just behind, along Amalias Avenue, is the National Garden, with shade, a playground and a duck pond, for the break afterwards.

If you are staying nearby, the Electra Metropolis Athens is a few steps from Syntagma, at the start of Mitropoleos Street.