Places to visit in Athens

Hello, Julie.

I am Japanese, living in Athens.
I had gone to "Central Market" with my family from Japan.

A lot of fishes, meats and  vegetable…
It was colorful, lively and grand.
We could learn about Greek local food material.

In Central Market, there is a Cafeteria.
At this Cafeteria, we can eat dishes made of fresh ingredients from Central Market.
It  is general dishes in Greece.
It was very nice experience.

But, in the area of Central Market(around Omonia station), please be careful about pickpockets, luggage lifter or purse snatcher .

I think you had better go there without valuables and dressed up.
And then, It is preferable to go with a small number of people because the group of foreigner is outstanding.

You had better go main street (back street may not be safe).

Have a nice trip!

Hi Julie,

So glad you posted this because I so enjoy sharing my knowledge on the wonderful city that is Athens!

I will do a breakdown for you by region/area

North Athens:

Kifissia: Great restaurants, shops, boutique shops, parks, cafes etc this is a posh area so expect to pay London prices. 'Salomaio' [might have spelt that wrong!] do eggs benedict...yum! 

Kefalari: Next to Kifissia just slightly higher also great for shopping, lunch/dinner etc and maybe take a walk around the neighbourhood...some gorgeous homes in the area.

Nea Erythrea: Next to Kifissia, has an amazing nightlife and a very up and coming area with lots of very good restaurants and bars popping up all the time. Try 'BarQ' good authentic steaks :-)

Politia: Very residential but has a great restaurant called 'Best Friends' they do a delicious Fish & Chips which I love.

Center of Athens:

Kolonaki: Reminds me of Paris, this was what Athens looked like pre-the knocking down of buildings. Try the italian restaurant 'Malconi's' or 'Capana' for some tasty pizzas or there is P-Box located in the Periscope hotel. Several Pan-Asian restaurants too very good quality. Boutique shops and quaint cafes and very near the heart of town.

The Hilton District: You have to try 'Vezene' restaurant!! O MY Goodness! Too delicious! Right next to The Hilton and actually try a cocktail at 'The galaxy Bar' on the top floor of the Hilton.

Syntagma Square: National Gardens are a must when in town! They have a small zoo where you can feed the animals, there are many roof top restaurants dotted around too with views of the Acropolis and a personal favourite of mine is a wine bar called 'By The Glass' about a 3 minute walk from the square. Delicious wine and tasty canapés.

Thessio: Great for sightseeing and feeling the old city, try Kuzina restaurant not very far from Thessio metro and the surrounding area has many cute shops and quaint houses a bit like Plaka but less crowded.

Plaka: Everyone must see the Original Athens and how beautiful it once was before the dictators of the 70's decided to pull down all the neo-classic buildings :-(

Gazi: Great nightlife and restaurants! Try 'Butcher Shop' and 'Nixons'. Nixons offer a great brunch and delicious burgers! Take a stroll around and you will stumble upon many little restaurants.

Acropolis Museum also a must!
South Athens AKA Athenian Riviera:

Glyfada: The recently opened 'PAULS' british bakery is delicious and I think it's nice to have some home comforts sometimes. Loads of shops and good restaurants dotted around though some are hard to find so explore explore explore! Try 'Molly's Pub' they have good pub grub and many international cuisine places are around too but look for them.

Vouliagmeni: Beaches galore!!!! I recommend Astir Beach with it's sandy beaches and blue waters...or there is Kavouri beach also sand and lovely waters. Athens has received the most Blue Flags in Europe for the cleanliness of it's beaches so that is a definate security of beach and sea health.

Many top notch restaurants too but expensive, Nobu, Viva Mare, Naftiko Ormilo etc...many foreign people don't know these places exist and there not advertised on sites as they're too expensive but they do exist.

Lake Vouliagmeni: Your friends will love this! It's a natural lake with healing properties in the water and many Gurra Rufa [doctor fish] live in the lake and will nibble and exfoliate your skin when you swim. Entrance is 8 EUR and they serve food too as does Astir Beach.

Don't forget the many hotels too offering a view of One of The Seven Wonders of The World aka Acropolis. e.g.. Grande Bretagne, Kind George Palace, NJV Athens Plaza, Electra Palace, Royal Olympic Hotel, The Hilton and many more....but again maybe do this sparingly as these restaurants are not cheap.

As Londoner who moved here last year I have discovered that Athens is a very underrated city with so so much to offer but too many people don't realize this. So know that I have the knowledge and passion for this city I love to share! If you are on Facebook 'like' some pages e.g. 1] Breathtaking Athens 2] Athens Daily Secret 3] My secret Athens etc. Very helpful.

Don't forget the beaches....too many people don't realize how close the beaches are to the main city! Literally a 25 minute drive from town and explore the North too you will like it a lot! But that's the trick...explore!!! Go right into the neighbourhoods and you will a very different opinion on Athens from how the world percieves her.

Please message me back if I can help further!!! Always happy to assist!

Have a great day!!

Costas

hello julie.The time of year that one takes a visit here is relevant,as in the height of summer it really is too hot to walk around much,only early morning or late evening.June or early july is good or september early october.I met a couple from the UK last may who were in athens for 1 week,a bit rainy,not so warm,but they wanted to walk around a lot so they didnt mind,they had found themselves a really great cheap deal in a hotel.I cannot emphasize to you how important it is to mind your money,personal belongings,a neighbor of mine had 100 euros stolen from his shorts,the long ones down to the knees that guys wear with lots of pockets,the money was in one of the pockets and as he was buying a metro ticket at moasteraki station they took it out without him understanding a thing,they are extremely skillful at what they do.I returned home one day after a metro trip and found my handbag had a perfect knife slit down one side,I guess they intended to put their hand in after slitting it,maybe I moved or something because nothing was gone.Of course these things can happen anywhere.I wear a bum bag now under my clothes.To tell you that the couple said that 1 week was a little too long a visit if one is staying just in athens,3 days  or 4 was enough,keep happy keep safe from concertina

Hi,

I'm 100% confident that the individuals who robbed yourself and the English couple were not Greek. Greeks don't really do this yet Athens has this reputation and though I can sympathise I can almost guarantee they were of Romanian, Pakistani or Albanian descent. Rude this may sound but true it is.

Greek taxi drives will rob you blind yes! This is true but the gypsies can spot non-Greeks a mile off and will work their magic on tourists until they get what they want.

Personally as an English man myself I've never really experienced this nor have I felt that I could only do Athens for "4 days" as you've mentioned. I still don't understand how people don't see how glorious Athens really is but then again I don't just stick to the city centre....

Anyway it's always good to be given a word of caution so thanks for the thumbs up.

hi bud,good to see your reply,I bear in mind what you say but I am unsure how you can be almost 100% certain they they were not Greeks as I did not see them, neither did the robbed man, neither did you.I dont know their nationality and that was not my point,the robbery itself was.And I said that crime can happen anywhere.The economic misery that Greeks now suffer has in fact led them to behave in ways which years back would have been abhorrent to them,such as a  very sweet looking old man in the open veg/fruit market waiting for a chance to steal my trolly full of food,he was probably hungry.But more sinister crime is popping up such as bus drivers from Pireas to the airport switching off the ticket machines so that tourists cannot swipe their tickets,then the police get on demanding a 700 euro fine,the tourists say no...no... no...the police pin them down,violence ensues and tourists loose their flights,their enthusiasm for Greece and their money.All a set up,all planned,they then share the loot between them,this I have read in the Athens News before it went down, from tourists who swore never to return.GREEK drivers Bud,GREEK police Bud.People who dont live here on a full time basis and do not tune in to information of this type cannot know these crimes.Athens is a great place to visit,I recommend it,I love to go down around Monasteraki but remember there is a lot of poverty here for Greek and non Greek and many drug addicts, Greek and non Greek, in the center of Athens who need money so that is why I try to help people by simply warning them of the possible dangers from any nationality, any colour and any religion.How many days people spend in Athens on holiday is a personal choice and all that any member of this forum can do do is recommend which is what I did.I hope that tourists will enjoy glorious Athens as you do,from concertina