What to do in Athens
So it looks like many of you will be spending some time in Athens either before or after The Great Unplugging. This short guide is meant to give you some ideas of how to spend your time best. Note, this is not your stock sightseeing guide—you can find those on Google or via Culture Trip etc; in fact they do a pretty good job at it. This particular guide is heavily biased in places Elias likes to hang out at, although I have a sense that you will too!
Before we get to it, I want to strongly suggest that you consider renting a car to get you around if you stay in Athens for more than 24h.
Where to Lunch?
Ama Lachei; all time fave. It’s been there since forever and never ceases to amaze. Convenient for a day you’re exploring the city centre. Very solid traditional Greek food and a yard to die for.
YIASEMI; a true staple of the descent from the Acropolis. More generally wandering around the streets of Plaka without a particular aim is highly recommended and this place is an absolute must stop-over.
Krabo; so to my surprise this one has gotten quite a few bad reviews. Not commensurate with my experience; the place is built on one of the best spots of the Athenian Riviera, food is awesome etc. You can combine it with a swim in Asteras in Vouliagmeni.
Where to Dinner?
Blue Oyster; new addition to the roster of sick dinner places. Menu and cooking (well 1/2 of it) by my very dear childhood friend Chef Tony (Antonis Litinas). You basically sit at the bar while the chefs prepare your amazing dinner in front of you. Predominantly fresh fish stuff, make sure you try the rosemary gin that they serve.
Birdman; fashioned as a Japanese Pub, Birdman serves an interesting selection of beers together with…well…Japanese pub food. Near Syntagma, close to many places that you could stroll over and have a drink or two, very hype this past summer among the Athenian society.
Deksameni; this is one of the most standard hangouts for easy mid-week light nibbles and drinks. If you lived in Athens you’d probably come to this place more than once for casual meetups with friends. Caveat: no booking here; you might have to wait a bit to get a table but it’s worth it.
Karavaiki; off the beaten path and you def need a car to get there, but imo it’s totally worth it. Fresh cold beer and very well curated nibbles. Especially appreciated on a warm day, as it usually benefits from the breeze of Mount Penteli, where it’s located. Start in the early afternoon.
Best of the rest: Visit this guide, it actually covers all the important bases
What to do in between?
The hinge here is that I am not very good at sightseeing—I rarely do it when I go to new places, let alone in my hometown (welp!). I will though try my best to give you some pointers that you might find useful.
Go see the Acropolis (duh!) and the museum
Go see the new National Gallery and the National Garden
Walk around Plaka, Psiri, Monastiraki and Syntagma (watch out for the change of guards there)
Take the cable car to the top of Mount Lycabetus
Go visit Poseidon’s temple at cape Sounio (you need a car for this)
Go swim at Porto Rafti (you need a car for this)
Nightlife?
There is really no shortage of options here. Some of my favourite places around the centre are: