Omonia Square is as plain in appearance as Syntagma is grand. Surrounded largely by functional blocks from the 1950s and 60s and no longer boasting its underground stalls, the square is now mostly frequented by immigrants and bargain shoppers. The most rewarding area to explore is to the south. Set off down Athinas Street, with the Acropolis gradually coming into focus in the distance, and you will get a sense of old commercial Athens, especially at the picturesque meat, fish and vegetable markets some way beyond the City Hall. The blocks to the west of Athinas are home to many Chinese and South Asian traders, adding a multicultural atmosphere to what was until the late 1990s a very homogenous society.