The Evzones are the soldiers of the Greek Presidential Guard who stand watch at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, below the Hellenic Parliament on Syntagma Square in Athens. They guard it day and night, in all weather, and change every hour on the hour with a slow, high-stepping drill. Their uniform, with a white kilt of 400 pleats and red clogs studded with nails, comes from the dress of the Greek fighters of the 19th century.
The Evzones at a glance
- Where: the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on the forecourt of the Parliament building facing Syntagma Square, in central Athens. Evzones also guard the Presidential Mansion and their own barracks on Irodou Attikou Street.
- Founded: 1868, as an elite unit of the Greek army; it has been called the Presidential Guard since 1974.
- What it is today: a ceremonial unit supervised by the Military Office of the President of the Republic.
- Time needed: 10–15 minutes for an hourly change; about an hour for the grand changing on Sunday morning.
From royal guard to Presidential Guard
The word evzonos means 'well-girded' in Greek and was used for light infantrymen. The unit that became today's guard was set up in 1868 as both a fighting and a ceremonial force. It was renamed the Palace Guard in 1914 and changed its name several more times as Greece moved between monarchy and republic, before becoming the Presidential Guard in 1974, when democracy was restored after the military dictatorship.
The tomb they guard sits in front of the Old Royal Palace, built in the 1830s and 1840s for King Otto and home of the Greek Parliament since the 1930s. It was designed by the architect Emmanuel Lazaridis, with a relief by the sculptor Fokion Rok, and unveiled on 25 March 1932, Greek Independence Day. The relief shows a naked warrior lying on the ground with a round shield and an ancient helmet. The two inscriptions come from the funeral speech of Pericles as recorded by Thucydides, including 'The whole earth is the tomb of famous men'.
What to look for
- The fustanella: the white kilt is made from about 30 metres of cloth and has 400 pleats, said to stand for the roughly 400 years of Ottoman rule.
- The tsarouchia: hand-made red leather clogs, each pair weighing about 3 kilos, with around 120 nails in the sole and a large black pompom on the toe.
- The farion: the red cap with a long black silk tassel, which is said to symbolise tears and mourning.
- The change itself: the two guards move in mirror image, raising their legs slowly and striking the ground with their nailed soles, while an officer accompanies them.
- The wall of the tomb: look for the names of battles from the Balkan Wars to the Second World War carved on either side of the relief.
Made by hand
From Monday to Saturday the Evzones wear a khaki uniform in summer and a dark one in winter. The white fustanella with the embroidered vest is kept for Sundays and national days. Every Sunday at 11:00 a detachment with a military band marches from the barracks to the tomb and back for the grand changing of the guard. The uniforms are made by hand in the Presidential Guard's own workshops, and a single fustanella takes weeks of work.
Tips for your visit
- Arrive a few minutes before the hour and stand along the forecourt railing for a clear view of the drill.
- For the Sunday grand changing, come by about 10:30: the crowd builds quickly and the march with the band arrives along Vasilissis Sofias Avenue.
- Photos are fine, but don't touch the guards, stand in their path or pose too close: they are on duty at a war memorial.
Nearby
- Syntagma Square: the city's main square, across the road. Inside Syntagma metro station, glass cases show finds from the excavations made when the line was built.
- National Garden: the shady park behind the Parliament, laid out as the royal garden for Queen Amalia in the 1840s.
- Zappeion: the neoclassical exhibition hall at the southern end of the National Garden, opened in 1888.
- Panathenaic Stadium: the marble stadium of the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, a pleasant walk through the National Garden.
See Athens with World City Trail
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Facts checked in October 2026.