Athens is a multifaceted city with a rich history and honorable statuses, such as the birthplace of democracy, philosophy, theater, the modern Olympic Games and with an ancient heart – the Acropolis. The Greek capital is contrasting and temperamental, just like its local residents. Athens is a city outside of time and space, full of wonderful places and pleasant discoveries.
Interesting excursions from local residents in Athens
Zhanna Kutepova has been living permanently in Athens since 2013. In this article, she talks about secret and cozy places in the city that only locals know about.
Which area to choose for living
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The historical city center is compact. All the main attractions are close to each other and can be reached on foot if you live in one of the areas such as Plaka, Thissio, Koukaki, Makriyanni, Syntagma, Monastiraki, Kolonaki. With clear planning and a leisurely vacation, all significant historical monuments can be seen and visited in 2-3 days.
During long trips in the warm season, and especially in the hot months (from mid-June to mid-September),
in Athens it is better to relax according to the following scheme: the center with sights for a couple of days and a sea holiday in the southern regions of Athens for the remaining days. Few people know that Athens is the only European capital with access to the open sea, with city beaches and a huge promenade called the Attic Riviera, almost 70 kilometers long. In this case, the areas of Palio Faliro, Alimos, Glyfada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, Varkiza are suitable for relaxing by the sea. For a quiet and secluded holiday – Anavyssos and Saronida.
Hotels:
hotel 2* Bedbox Hostel – accommodation from 1,126 rubles/day;
3* Hotel Pythagorion – accommodation from 2,842 rubles/day;
3* hotel Centrotel Hotel – accommodation from 2,895 rubles/day;
4* hotel on Syntagma Square Amalia Hotel – accommodation from 7,730 rubles/day;
4* hotel Coco-Mat Hotel Nafsika – accommodation from 8,060 rubles/day;
5* hotel with a view Acropolis Electra Metropolis – accommodation from 12,019 rubles/day;
cozy boutique hotel Sweet Home Hotel – accommodation from 5,743 rubles/day.
Along with the list of the best areas, there is an unofficial list of the worst areas in which it is advisable NOT to stay because of the unpretentious side of life: Omonia, Exarchia, Neapoli, Victoria, Kato Patissia and near the Larissis railway station.
Where to eat
Most Greeks have a cup of coffee instead of breakfast, and cold coffee at that. Frappe is served in a tall glass with a straw. A tonic coffee drink originally from the Greek city of Thessaloniki, it is ideal in the summer heat. At other times of the year, Greeks prefer a cold Fredo cappuccino. Traditional Greek coffee is prepared in a Turkish coffee pot and on hot sand.
Delicious coffee of different types can be tasted at Mokka (Athinas, 44). Cost from 1.5 euros per cup; in addition to the Greek coffee, a piece of handmade Turkish delight is served (with the taste of rose and mastikha – delicious!).
Greeks usually buy coffee to go in local establishments: Mikel, Everest, Grygoris, Coffee Island at prices starting from 1 euro per paper cup with a drink.
In the morning before work, Athenians can indulge in a kulouri, a sesame bagel, while running. Sold at a fixed price – 50 cents apiece right on the street.
However, the freshest, hot koulouri, fresh out of the oven, can be bought at the To koulouri tou Psirri bakery (Karaiskaki, 23). By the way, this is one of the few stores operating 24 hours a day in Athens, offering delivery of bagels to homes and offices on branded mopeds.
For a snack, locals choose pies made from thin phyllo dough, called pitas in Greece. Spanakopita – spinach pie, tiropita – with cheese, kotopita – with chicken. Cost from 1.2 euros for a huge piece of pie.
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Nourishing and fresh ones are sold on Ermou Street, 98 in the Cardia café juice bar. The owner, Greek Vasilis, also offers freshly squeezed juices from 80 cents per glass.
The best place to experience the taste of authentic Greek Mediterranean cuisine with fish and seafood is at the central market of Varvakios (Athinas, 42). A huge selection of fresh seafood delicacies – octopus, squid, mussels, shrimp. For gourmets – oysters, local shellfish, sea urchin caviar. The advantage is that there are taverns near the market where you can taste all this: grilled dorado fish, charcoal octopus, squid rings, king prawns, mussels in olive-garlic sauce.
Pay attention to the OI FILOI tavern, where the owner, Greek Anna, treats you to sweet compliments at the end of the meal. The portions are large, it is better to take one dish for two. The average bill for one is from 15 euros. Please note that opening hours are daily from Monday to Saturday, from 7 am to 5 pm.
Greek cuisine does not provide for the preparation of first hot courses. If you really want soup, then for magiritsa made from giblets or rich patzas at a price of 8 euros per serving, you should go to the Epirus tavern (in the Varvakios market).
Delicious soups from pumpkin, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes are prepared in the vegetarian cafe Avocado (Nikis, 30) at a price of 6 euros per serving.
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For the Greeks, the main meal of the day is a late dinner, which begins no earlier than 21:00. Until this time, light snacks in the form of a Greek salad are welcome at lunch and afternoon tea, and in Greek the salad is called “country” – Khoriatiki.
Athenians eat Greek yoghurt with a sweet filling of jam and marmalade. Be sure to try a smoothie based on goat yogurt (without a specific smell) with hazelnuts. An awesome and unique taste is made at the Fresko Yogurt Bar Acropoli at Dionysiou Areopagitou, 3. A glass of smoothie costs from 4.5 euros.
Be in Athens and not try a hearty gyros (chopped meat removed from a spit with a knife, with the addition of French fries, onions, tomatoes and cucumber-garlic tzatziki sauce, all wrapped in a flatbread)? The most delicious gyros are prepared on Monastiraki Square in kebab shops Thanassis, Savvas, Bairaktaris. Gyros cost from 2 euros.
Delicious ice cream in the center of Athens: at Le Greche (Mitropoleos, 16A) be sure to try the mojito flavor, at DaVinci (Adrianou, 50) choose from more than thirty different flavors, and at the small homemade gelateria Cremino (Nikis , 50 A) offer ice cream with natural and rare flavors. A scoop of ice cream costs from 2 euros.
From a bird’s eye view, Athens appears to be an even more majestic and vast white city with dense buildings. An enchanting view of Monastiraki Square, the old town of Plaka and the Acropolis Hill can be seen from the panoramic rooftop of the A for Athens Hotel. On the top floor there is a two-tier café-bar and a restaurant with an amazing cocktail menu and cold appetizers, and the view from there is simply a sight to behold (Miaouli, 2). During the daytime, cocktails cost from 6 euros.
Gourmets and connoisseurs of Greek cuisine should go to Kuzina restaurants (Adrianou, 9),
Kiouzin (Likavittou, 16),
Avissinia (Kinetou, 7). Average bill from 50 euros.
Greek wines are not inferior to French and Georgian. A huge selection of local dry wines is available in tasting cavas: Vintage Wine Bar& Bistro (Mitropoleos, 66),
Oinoscent (Voulis 45-47),
Yoleni’s Greek Gastronomy Center (Solonos, 9). From red dry ones, order agiorgitiko and mavrodaphne, from white ones – malaguzia and assyrtiko. A tasting glass costs from 3 euros.
What to see (non-tourist places, unusual places)
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The National Botanical Garden is located in the very center of the city next to Syntagma Square. The former royal garden was artificially laid out in the mid-19th century; seedlings of trees and shrubs were brought from all over the world. Nowadays, for local residents, the garden serves as a refuge in the sultry heat and from the bustle of the city. A pond with turtles and goldfish, geese and ducks, enclosures with deer and rabbits, peacocks and parrots transport you into the world of wild nature. The palm alley and sundial are the pride of the park. The botanical garden is open all day long – from dawn to dusk.
Picturesque and miniature Church of St. Demetrius of Lumbardy(Church of Agios Demetrios Loumbardiaris) was built in the 17th century in the greenery on the slope of Philopappou Hill. A special and very quiet place transports you to another era; you don’t feel the frantic rhythm of the city there, but only silence and harmony.
Kalimarmaro Stadium. The marble “horseshoe” was built for the modern Olympic Games in 1896 and can accommodate up to 50 thousand spectators. This is the only place where there is an audio guide, including in Russian, but most tourists inside the unit prefer to look at the stadium from the outside. Few people know that on the territory of the stadium there is a cave that leads to the Museum of the Olympic Movement, where posters and torches are stored, including from the Moscow Summer Olympics of the 80th year, from the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. Entrance fee: 5 euros.
Thisio Ancient Districtwith old mansions, it is in no way inferior to the tourist area of Plaka, but mostly locals walk there. One of the first open-air cinemas, a working observatory, the Church of St. Marina – these are just some of the objects that can be seen in Thisio. The main thing is to wander through the streets of the city and sit down at a table in any of the cafes you like.
Anafiotika is an island-type residential area located at the very foot of the Acropolis. The descendants of builders from the Cycladic archipelago live in closets surrounded by lemon and fig trees, and well-fed cats walk among the whitewashed narrow streets. Two dozen residential houses have been preserved in this area, and the “balcony” of Anafiotika offers one of the best views of the city.
Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centeropened its doors at the beginning of 2017. The complex, built with the latest technology on the site of a former hippodrome, consists of the buildings of the National Library and the National Theater. An ideal place for walks with children and for going to the sea. Nearby is the picturesque Marina Flizvu Bay, where the military battleship Aferof is moored – an operating museum on the water.
The OAKA Sports Complex is located in the north of the city in the Athens suburb of Maroussi. It was here that the Summer Olympic Games took place in 2004. The objects on the territory of the complex are functional and have bizarre shapes. On the way to OAKA by commuter train (green metro line), you have the opportunity to see how and what the northern Athenians live; almost the entire journey by rail is overland.
Things to do
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1. Museum trips. A rich collection of coins is kept in the Numismatic Museum, which occupies the former residential palace of the self-taught archaeologist Heinrich Schliemann. An interesting exhibition of Greek treasures from different eras is kept in the Benaki Museum of Contemporary Art. For originals and car lovers – the unique Hellenic Motor Museum.
2. Outdoor SPA. 25 kilometers from the city center is the thermal lake of Vouliagmeni, famous for its healing properties and its inhabitants – the Garra rufa fish. When swimming, fish surround the human body and bite it, thereby massaging and cleansing it of rough skin. All year round, the temperature in the lake does not drop below +22 degrees. On weekdays, admission costs 12 euros, weekends – 15 euros.
3. With children you can go to the zoo in the Spata area in the suburbs of Athens, near the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. A visit to one of the best zoos in Europe will not leave indifferent not only children, but also adults. Local life hack: to combine business with pleasure, after the zoo, head to the large McArthurGlen designer outlet located next door.
4. Mount Parnitha. Wildlife lovers should go to the north of the city to the Parnifa park-reserve, where deer, foxes, and hares live freely. At an altitude of 1000 meters above sea level, the Mont Parnassus casino was opened for gambling lovers.
5. Islands of the Saronic Gulf. One day you can drive to the Athens port of Piraeus and buy a ticket to one of the six islands of the Saronic Gulf with unique architecture and nature. Fishing Salamis, pistachio island of Aegina, emerald Angistri, royal Spetses, bohemian island of Hydra, artistic Poros are relatively close to the Greek capital.
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