The National Garden is a 15.5 hectare park in the center of Athens and adding the Zappeion garden with an area of ​​13 hectares the park has an area of ​​28.5 hectares (285 acres). Its first name until 1974 was “Royal Garden”.The park is located next to the Hellenic Parliament and extends to the south where the Zappeian palace is located opposite the Panathenaic stadium where the first Modern Olympic games were held in 1896. The garden still houses ancient ruins, columns, mosaics, etc.It is open to the public from the East to the West of the Sun. The main entrance to the park is from the Avenue which was renamed Amalias in her honor, since she envisioned the garden.There are six other entrances to the garden: one from Vasilissis Sofias Street, three from Herodou Attikou Street (one is locked with a chain) and two from the Zappeion Park area. In the garden there are ponds with ducks, a small zoo, a cafe, the children’s library and a playground.