Lonely Planet Pocket Athens , livre ebook

Contents

Plan Your Trip

Welcome to Athens
Top Sights
Eating
Drinking & Nightlife
Shopping
Arts & Entertainment
Museums & History
Activities & Events
For Free
LGBTIQ+
For Kids
Four Perfect Days
Need to Know
Athens Neighbourhoods

Explore Athens

Acropolis Area
Monastiraki & Psyrri
Syntagma & Plaka
Kolonaki
Mets & Pangrati
Omonia & Exarhia
Filopappou Hill, Thisio & Petralona
Gazi, Keramikos & Metaxourgio

Worth a Trip

Faliro

Survival Guide

Survival Guide
Before You Go
Arriving in Athens
Getting Around
Essential Information
Language
Behind the Scenes
Our Writer
Welcome to Athens

With equal measures of grunge and grace, Athens is a heady mix of history and edginess. Cultural and social life plays out amid, around and within ancient landmarks, and the magnificent Acropolis towers over all. There is crackling energy in galleries, political debates and street art. Go with a mind open to spontaneous discovery, and you will be rewarded.

View from the Acropolis towards Lykavittos Hill | Adrienne Pitts/Lonely Planet ©
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Athens Top Sights

Acropolis
An icon of Western civilisation.

S.BORISOV/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Athens Top Sights
Acropolis Museum
The Parthenon at eye level.

SAIKO3P/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Athens Top Sights
Ancient Agora
The heart of classical Athens.

GEORGIOS TSICHLIS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Athens Top Sights
Benaki Museum of Greek Culture
Private mansion turned public treasure.

SAIKO3P/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Athens Top Sights
National Archaeological Museum
Greece’s finest classical treasures.

HERACLES KRITIKOS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Athens Top Sights
Kerameikos
A cemetery reveals ancient life.

MILANGONDA/GETTY IMAGES ©

Athens Top Sights
Filopappou Hill
Ancient history and green space.

SAIKO3P/GETTY IMAGES ©

Athens Top Sights
Temple of Olympian Zeus
Emperor Hadrian’s biggest building project.

JÚNIOR BRAZ/500PX ©
Eating

Eating, drinking and talking is the main entertainment for Athenians. The current restaurant scene is vibrant, and some of the best cooking is found in just-slightly-modernised tavernas that showcase fresh produce and regional ingredients. Add in a culture of convivial alfresco dining, and no wonder meals tend to last for hours.

LOUIS LAURENT GRANDADAM/GETTY IMAGES ©

Restaurant Types
Tavernas are neighbourhood anchors. A psarotaverna focuses on seafood; a hasapotaverna or psistaria does meat. Also casual, a mayirio specialises in home-style stews and baked dishes (mayirefta) . More formal is the estiatorio , with cloth on the tables.
Casual ouzeries and mezedhopoleia both serve small plates with drinks. Souvlaki (aka kalamaki ) is Athens’ favourite fast food; restaurants that do these grilled meat skewers usually also do gyros (slivers of meat cooked on a vertical rotisserie).

What Looks Good
In summer, an empty room doesn’t necessarily mean bad – it could just be that everyone is on the roof terrace or in the courtyard.
At mom-and-pop places, it’s normal to go into the kitchen to see the day’s dishes.
For other tips on ordering, see Menu Advice .

Best Traditional Greek
Telis Pork chops, grilled by a master.
Diporto Agoras Legendary cheap lunch spot near the central market.
I Kriti Super-rustic Cretan specialities.
Palia Athina Checked tablecloths: check. Perfect calamari: check.
Kalderimi A taste of the village downtown.
Atlantikos The freshest seafood, simply prepared.
Best Mezedhes
Ivis Watch the Psyrri scene from a little table at this sweet corner bar-cafe.
Glykys Complement ouzo with meatballs, spicy sausages and other classics at this Plaka courtyard spot.
Ama Laxei stis Nefelis At this converted school you’ll learn about the vast variety of seasonal Greek food.
Best Modern Greek
Mavro Provato The best of Athens’ modern tavernas.
Karamanlidika tou Fani The corner butcher, reimagined as a restaurant.
Seychelles How can one restaurant be so good, so cool and so cheap?
Spondi A beautiful garden setting and Michelin-lauded food.
Funky Gourmet Molecular marvels, also with Michelin cred.
Best Snacks & Sweets
Elvis Excellent-quality meat goes into the skewers at this rockin’ souvlaki joint.
Feyrouz Fresh, healthy and spicy – a budget diner’s best friend.
Bougatsadiko I Thessaloniki Spinach, cheese and pies, made in the most traditional way.
Cremino Sumptuous gelato and sorbet.
Kostas Eat your souvlaki standing.

Standard Practices
A Athenians start eating dinner around 9pm.
A For trendy restaurants, book ahead on weekends (try www.e-table.gr ), or go early.
A Plates are typically not cleared until you ask for the bill (and you must ask for it).

Drinking & Nightlife

In Athens the line between cafe and bar is blurry. Most places segue from coffee to drinks, and maybe music and a DJ, at night. There is almost always food – although places that serve only drinks are more common in the economic crisis (in which case, you can bring your own snacks). The smoking ban is often ignored.

ENTRECHAT/GETTY IMAGES ©

Neighbourhoods
Gazi and Kolonaki tend toward slicker, spendier clubs. For cheaper drinks and live music, head for Keramikos or Exarhia. Psyrri and north of Syntagma are the best central areas for interesting bars.

Greek Music
Traditional music pops up all over. Bars and tavernas – especially in Plaka, Psyrri and Exarhia – host bands evenings and Sunday afternoons. More formal clubs operate September to May, start around 11.30pm and do not have a cover charge (though drinks are pricier than in bars).

Summer Clubs
In summer, Athenians decamp to mega-clubs along the seafront in Glyfada, along the tram line. If you book for dinner you don’t pay cover; otherwise admission ranges from €10 to €20 and includes one drink. Glam up to get in.

Best Neighbourhood Bars
Six d.o.g.s. One of the best in Psyrri: indoor-outdoor, rooms upon rooms.
Ippo In the Syntagma bar zone, but with a loyal crew of regulars.
Chelsea Hotel Pangrati-style chill, packed day and night.
Galaxy Bar A gorgeous old vintage space, hidden in a Syntagma arcade.
Nabokov Low-key literati spot on the edge of Exarhia.
Alphaville The Keramikos (night) lifestyle in a nutshell.
Best Speciality Bars
Baba Au Rum Takes umbrella drinks seriously.
Clumsies Repeatedly cited for world’s best bartenders.
Heteroclito Lovely unpretentious wine bar.
Barley Cargo The Greek beer experts.
Best Cafes
Taf Coffee House roasted, perfectly brewed.
Veneti A newer name on a classic two-storey grand cafe in Omonia.
Little Tree Book Cafe Coffee, wine and snacks with local bookworms.
Spiti Mas Take your morning coffee in a mock-up apartment.
Tailor Made Day-to-night cafe, with great coffee and cocktails.
Best Photo Ops
Couleur Locale The Acropolis looks close enough to touch at this rooftop bar.
Little Kook The view in this case is not the Acropolis, but the wild decor.
Noel Everyone looks photogenic in this beautifully lit bar.
Yiasemi Look at you, sipping a drink on the most scenic steps in Plaka!

Nightlife Tips
A Bars begin filling after 11pm and usually stay open till 2am, or 4am on weekends.
A Public transport stops or slows after midnight, but cabs are very cheap.
A For more, see Party Smart .

Shopping

Central Athens is the city’s original commercial district, and one big shopping hub, with an eclectic mix of stores. The area is still organised roughly by category – lace and buttons on one block, light bulbs on the next. The main (if generic) shopping street is pedestrianised Ermou, running from Syntagma to Monastiraki.

MATTEO COLOMBO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Style Hunting
As with many creative endeavours in Athens, fashion and design are flourishing. For the shopper who wants what no one else has yet, Alternative Athens runs tours of designers’ workshops.

Sales and Pricing
August to September and January to February are the big months for sales, especially on clothes. Bargaining is acceptable at flea markets, and perhaps gently at dustier antiques dealers, but in general prices are fixed.

Best Creative Souvenirs
Korres Stock up on this Greek beauty brand.
Forget Me Not The original dealer in smart souvenirs and other cool design items, all with a Hellenic twist.
Flâneur Love feta? Show your loyalty with a cute pin or patch.
TAF This gallery-cafe also has a very cool design shop.
138 Pireos St The gift shop at this contemporary art museum is top-notch.
Best Arts & Crafts
Amorgos Handmade puppets and toys.
Benaki Museum of Greek Culture Excellent handicrafts in the gift shop.
Zoumboulakis Gallery Prints of work by some of Greece’s finest artists.
Hrisanthos Spread the worry-bead habit with a set from this old shop.
Monastiraki Flea Market Dusty treasures are waiting to be discovered.
El.Marneri Galerie Local modern art and super jewellery.
Best Accessories
Lemisios Classic shoe shop that can customise its designs.
Katerina Ioannidis Delicate jewellery with a folkloric touch.
Melissinos Art The (son of the) ‘poet sandal maker’ is an Athens legend.
Zacharias Lovely leather goods screen-printed with ancient patterns.
Best Food
Varvakios Agora Maybe you don’t need a whole lamb, but you do need to see the city’s central market.
Exarhia Weekly Market Athens’ neighbourhood veg markets are a treat; this is a great one. ( MAP ; h 6am-2pm Sat; g 026, m Omonia)
Pantopoleion Much more than the usual grocery store, this shop stocks excellent regional items.
Mastiha Shop All kinds of products featuring this only-on-Chios miracle resin.
Best Music
Yiannis Samouelin Best bouzoukis in town.
Xylouris Traditional Cretan music, instruments and general knowledge.
Plan 59 Especially good selection of Greek vinyl.

Typical Shop Hours
A Normal closing (5pm or so): Monday, Wednesday, Saturday.
A Late (8pm, sometimes with an afternoon break): Tuesday, Thursday, Friday.
A Exce