The National Garden is a shaded, 15.5-hectare public park in central Athens, created between 1838 and 1840 on the order of Queen Amalia and originally reserved for the royal family as the “Royal Garden.”
German agronomist Frederick Schmidt planted the grounds with more than 500 plant species imported from Greece and abroad, including numerous tropical varieties, giving the garden an unusually lush, jungle-like feel for a Mediterranean capital. It was renamed the National Garden and opened fully to the public after the restoration of democracy in Greece in 1975.
The garden is open year-round from sunrise to sunset with no entrance fee, and its main entrance on Amalias Avenue sits within easy walking distance of Syntagma Square and the Syntagma metro station, making it a convenient shaded break between sightseeing stops.
