The Changing of the Guard at Syntagma

The hourly change

The Presidency's own page is unambiguous: the Evzones guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier around the clock and in any weather, and the pairs change every hour, on the hour. So there is no schedule to plan around — walk past Syntagma at any o'clock and you will see it. It takes about ten minutes, involves four men and no music, and the slow high-stepping march is the same as in the big version.

The Sunday ceremony at 11:00

Every Sunday at 11:00 a large contingent of Evzones, accompanied by a military band, marches from the Presidential Guard camp to the Tomb, and the official changing ceremony takes place there. This is the one with the crowd, the flags and the drums, and it runs about three-quarters of an hour from the first sound of the band. It is not cancelled for weather.

The unit is a volunteer body from the infantry that has guarded the Tomb since 1929, when the monument was begun and a company of Evzones took over the duty. Rain, heat or cold make no difference to the march, so dress for the season rather than for the forecast. Arrive early, because the Sunday version draws the biggest gathering of the week and latecomers end up well back from the steps.

And the one nobody watches

The same unit raises and lowers the flag on the Acropolis on Sundays and official holidays. It is a small detail of men walking up the rock in uniform, it is on the Presidency's list of the guard's duties, and if you have an early Sunday ticket for the Acropolis you may see it. Most visitors never do, because they arrive after midday or pick a weekday.

The unit has held ceremonial duties across the city since long before the current name, and guarding the national flag on the sacred rock sits alongside the Tomb in its list of posts. There is no crowd barrier and no band for this one, so you simply meet it on your way round. An early slot also helps in summer, before the midday closures announced during heatwaves.

For the hourly change: the low chain, front left

The Tomb faces the square from the terrace below Parliament, up a broad flight of steps. Stand at the chain on the left as you look up: the relieving pair comes in from that side, so you see the approach march as well as the change itself. At most hours of the day there will be a dozen people there and you can walk straight to the front.

The change happens on the hour and takes only a few minutes, so arrive five or ten early to settle your spot. The Evzones march in slow, deliberate movements whose stamp comes from the nailed clogs, and much of the interest is in the synchronised routine rather than the swap itself. Keep behind the chain and you will not be moved on.

For the Sunday ceremony: Amalias side, by 10:40

The contingent marches in along Vasilissis Sofias from the camp behind Parliament. For the march itself, stand on the pavement along that avenue. For the ceremony at the Tomb, be at the chain by twenty to eleven, because after about ten to the front two rows are gone and you will be photographing over heads.

The Sunday event runs roughly three-quarters of an hour from the first sound of the band, so decide early whether you want the parade or the formal change, since you cannot easily have both. The route down Vasilissis Sofias is the better pick for families with children, who can see over the kerb without pushing. Bring water in summer, as the ceremony goes ahead regardless of temperature.

The mistake

Standing directly behind the guards for a photograph and then reaching past the chain. There is a soldier on duty in ordinary uniform whose job is to keep the space clear, and he will move you. Photographs are entirely welcome, and the Evzones do not react, because not reacting is the whole discipline of the post.

The relief pair comes past the chain on the left of the terrace, so that is where the movement is, and the sentries at the two boxes stay fixed while the change runs. Do not step over the low chain for a closer shot, do not touch the uniforms, and keep bags off the terrace edge. The soldiers in the fustanella will hold their position through noise, flashes and silly poses.

The supervising soldier, not the ceremonial pair, handles anyone who crosses the line.

The fustanella and its 400 pleats

The white kilt is made from about thirty metres of cloth and carries 400 pleats, one for each year of Ottoman rule. It is white, like the shirt, for the purity of the independence struggle. The whole uniform is handmade, and the officers' version differs slightly from the privates'.

The pleats are the detail people remember once they hear the number, because the cloth is folded by hand and the count is deliberate rather than decorative. The fustanella was the field dress of Greek mountain fighters in the war of independence, which is why the ceremonial unit kept it after taking over guard duty in 1929. It comes out for Sundays and formal occasions.

On ordinary days you will see the plainer daily uniform instead, so do not assume a kilt-less guard means a cancelled ceremony.

The tsarouchi

The red leather clog with the black pompom weighs about three kilograms a pair and carries 120 nails in the sole, which is what makes the stamp audible across the square. Tradition has it that the large tassel concealed a blade for close combat. Each guard stamps the sole in the slow ceremonial rhythm, and the nailed heel is the reason you hear the change from the far side of Syntagma rather than only at the chain.

The weight matters for the wearer, since a full change involves marching in step with three kilos on each foot under a wool kilt in summer heat. The clogs are handmade like the rest of the kit. Watch the feet as well as the faces, because the precise, deliberate footwork is most of the show and photographs miss the sound entirely.

The rest of it

The red pharion cap carries the national emblem and stands for the blood of the liberation struggles. Its black silk tassel is mourning. The fermeli, the hand-embroidered waistcoat, is the hardest piece to make.

The blue and white fringes are the flag. The belt gives the unit its name, euzonos, well-girdled. Every element carries a meaning fixed in the unit's tradition, so the uniform reads as a page of history rather than stage costume.

The embroidery on the fermeli is the slowest work in the whole outfit, done by hand, which is why officers and privates wear versions that differ. If you watch the Sunday ceremony with the band, the full dress with all these pieces is on show. The colours also explain the photographs: white kilt, red cap, dark waistcoat, flag fringes.

The other uniforms

The fustanella is not worn every day. In winter the Evzones wear the navy-blue doulamas of the Macedonian struggle, and in summer the khaki doulamas of the Balkan Wars. If you see guards in plain dark or khaki overcoats rather than kilts, that is the daily uniform and not a lesser event.

The fustanella comes out for Sundays and ceremonies. The two doulamas are battle dress tied to particular campaigns, so the wardrobe itself is a short history of modern Greece. The changeover follows the season rather than the calendar of events, so a weekday visit in a cold month will show the blue version.

The hourly routine is identical whichever kit is worn, including the nailed clogs and the slow stamp. If the uniform matters to you, plan for a Sunday at 11:00.

Who they are

Volunteers from the Hellenic Army's infantry, in a unit that traces itself to 1868 and has guarded the Tomb since 1929. Its name has changed with every change of regime. Palace Guard, Royal Guard, Flag Guard, and since 1974 the Presidential Guard, with a purely ceremonial role.

The soldiers are volunteers, selected from the infantry, and the unit's duties have outlasted the monarchy, the dictatorships and the republics it served under different titles. Guarding the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier became its defining task when the monument was laid out in 1929. Since 1974 the role has been entirely ceremonial, with no operational function, so the men you see are serving soldiers on a formal posting rather than a police detail.

Every hour, all night and in all weather, the post is held. Because the Presidential Guard's ceremony is only one small piece of what Syntagma and the streets around it hold, Athens guided tours are the natural way to keep going from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier into the rest of the square and the city beyond.