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The Zappeion Gardens are surrounded by the streets Irodou Attikou, Vasileos Konstantinou, Vasilissis Olgas, and Vasilissis Amalias and the National Gardens. The Zappeion Gardens are comprised of:
* 83.000 square meters of planted area
* 41.000 square meters of paved surfaces
* 2400 square meters of atriums and patios
The hills of Ardittos and Agras which surround the Panathinaic Stadium, are also controlled and maintained by the Olympia and Bequests Committee. The hills are woodlands of approximately 70.000 square meters. In 1907, the Panathinaic Stadium, the property of the Olympia and Bequests Committee, was rendered to the Olympic Games Committee (today's Greek Olympic Committee) for its' use.

The first trees in the Zappeion Gardens were planted in 1857. The architect Theodore Hansen, while revising the drawings for the Zappeion Exhibition Hall, also designed the layout of the gardens. According to architectural historian Constantine E. Biris, the design was executed by the French Architect Desire Matton incorporating some changes.
The Zappeion Gardens, initially in French geometrical style, were later redesigned in the free curved lines of the English garden. The planting was supervised by the Athenian agriculturist Antionios Schmitt, son of the Bavarian chief-gardener of the King's Garden Frederik Schmitt.
The wish of Evangelis Zappas was to bring out the beauty of the idyllic and historical landscape of the Ilissos riverside area. Initially almost 200 plane trees were planted together with several eucalyptus. The irrigation of the gardens was established in 1932 by the American company Ulen, then responsible for the construction of the Marathon Dam. To commemorate the inauguration of the Dam, Ulen donated the impressive fountain at the centre of the garden square in front of the Zappeion Exhibition Hall. The distinguished sculptor G. Dimitriades completed the decoration of the gardens with waterworks, statues and cast-iron lamp-posts. more