As you stroll through Athens, you'll discover scores of charming churches. Many date from the Byzantine era of A.D. 330 to A.D. 1453 -- although virtually nothing survives from the early centuries of that Christian empire. Alas, vandals and thieves have forced many churches to lock their doors, so you may not be able to go inside unless a caretaker is present. If you do go inside, remember to dress suitably: Shorts, miniskirts, and sleeveless shirts cause offense. If you wish, you can leave a donation in the collection boxes. Below we list a few churches to keep an eye out for.

Athens's 19th-century Greek Orthodox Cathedral (Metropolis) on Mitropoleos gets almost universally bad press: too big, too new, too . . . well, ugly. It also suffers terribly in comparison with the adjacent 12th-century Little Metropolis, with the wonderful name of the Panayia Gorgoepikoos ("the Virgin Who Answers Prayers Quickly"). The little church has a number of fragments of classical masonry, including inscriptions, built into its walls that create a delightful crazy-quilt effect.

The square in front of the cathedral is a great place to people-watch on summer weekends, when nonstop weddings often take place, usually in the evening. As one bride leaves the church, the next one (and her flowers, attendants, and guests) are poised to enter. It's a very Greek assembly line, with limousines pulling up, horns blaring, and everyone having a fantastic time.

Also on Mitropoleos, crouched on the sidewalk below an ugly modern building, is the minuscule chapel of Ayia Dynamis, a good place for women to light a candle if they want to become pregnant.

If you like spying (from a respectful distance) on weddings and baptisms, continue on to the 12th-century Church of Ayia Aikaterini, in the little square off Frinihou. The church sits well below ground level, an indication of just how Athens has grown over the centuries. You'll notice some ancient columns strewn around the courtyard, and may even decide to sit on one while you watch the comings and goings.

If you walk from Syntagma to Monastiraki Square, you can take in a few more churches. A few blocks from Syntagma Square, on Skouleniou, the little 11th-century Church of St. Theodore is also below street level, another reminder of how the ground level has risen over the centuries. Over on Hrissopileotissis, the small Church of the Virgin is a good place to stop and buy some incense from one of the street vendors usually here. At the Square of St. Irene, off Eolou, there's a very nice flower market in front of the church, and on Monastiraki Square, the Church of the Pantanassa is all that remains of a convent on this spot. A short walk away on busy Ermou, the 11th-century Kapnikarea Church sits right in the middle of the road.

If you're walking along busy Leoforos Vas. Sofias, you may want to sit for a bit and rest in the courtyard of the Church of Ayios Nikolaos. A few blocks further along on Gennadius, the 12th-century Church of the Taxarchi is set in a small park.

Beth Shalom, the Athens synagogue, on Melidoni, stands in what was, before World War II, a vibrant Jewish neighborhood. Across the street from Beth Shalom is the old synagogue, which Beth Shalom, with its marble facade, replaced. You can get information on visiting the synagogue and on services from the Jewish Museum, 39 Nikis (tel. 210/322-5582; fax 210/323-1577).