Athens center - Centro di Atene

Athens center is a district of the city of Athens which constitutes, from the administrative point of view, a municipality with an area of ​​about 39 km² and 745,514 inhabitants; therefore its population density is very high.

To know

Athens is a huge, chaotic, frenetic city that, like the great Italian cities, does not shine in the European context for quality of life. It attracts more and more passing tourists who stay one or two nights, eager to leave as soon as possible for their destination, most likely some island in the Argos Saroniko Gulf or Cyclades. Their experience of the city is thus reduced to a stop in a cheap hotel in Omonia and a short morning visit of theAcropolis. Wrongly, because Athens, although objectively difficult to discover, has a lot to offer to tourists; its nightlife for example.Athens is a very little cosmopolitan city. It is 100% Greek if we exclude immigrants from Eastern Europe, who are still too marginalized and viewed with distrust to be able to express their own forms of culture. The community of Western foreigners residing in the capital is reduced to a flicker: In addition to diplomats and businessmen, there are very few who choose to stay there for short periods and purely for tourism purposes.

How to orient yourself

The center of Athens is officially divided into 7 municipal sections (dimotikà diamerismata) but, since this division has a purely administrative purpose, it was preferred to distinguish the center of Athens into neighborhoods, a custom that was common among the Athenians themselves.

Not all downtown districts are of tourist interest. Among the most popular with foreign visitors are Monastiraki, Plaka and Thisio, very close to each other and all in all easily accessible on foot. To these are to be added Psirì and Gazi, also a stone's throw from the previous ones but more than anything else known for their "effervescent" nightlife. Kolonaki, the posh shopping area and Exarchia, the student district are of lesser interest. For convenience, the center of Athens has been artificially divided into three districts where the aforementioned districts have been grouped together with a few others:

• 37.9752823.7351 Syntagma (Statute square ) - Dominated by the Parliament building and surrounded by modern hotels and buildings, mostly home to banking institutions, this vast square is a reference point for any foreign visitor. The city's major tourist attractions are nearby, and its hotels are generally more expensive. This area is closest to the acropolis. The neighborhoods around are the most popular with foreign visitors such as: Plaka, Monastiraki is Thisio (Theseus in Italian).
• 37.9714723.726352 L'Acropolis - Undoubtedly the Acropolis with its immediate surroundings is one of the most prestigious monuments in the world but visiting it in August with the sun beating hard on your head should be a reason for hesitation so it would not be bad to guard yourself with hats, parasols, glasses and enough bottles of water. The Theseus it is a neighborhood with beautiful views of the Acropolis to be enjoyed especially at sunset and in the evening, when friendly cafes open their doors. At the next metro stop you will find it Petralona, a popular neighborhood devoid of interest except for its taverns with typically Greek dishes at moderate prices and some fearless with a sense of discovery could venture there, also taking into consideration the high prices charged by the restaurants in the neighborhood Plaka and sometimes not exactly excellent.
• 37.9838923.728063 Omonia (Concordia Square) - The other large square in the center of Athens full of hotels and fast food restaurants of all kinds and categories. The recovery plan of the degraded Omonia district in view of the 2004 Olympics has devoured rivers of money and the works for its realization are not yet finished (2007). Omonia however, it remains a much less interesting district than the other two were it not for the presence in its vicinity of the National Archaeological Museum, one of the most important in the world for the prestigious collections exhibited there. The neighborhoods around have a disreputable aspect and are inhabited mainly by foreigners and a few elderly Greeks Exarcheia, the student district with anarchic tendencies, located on the hill behind the neoclassical buildings of the archaeological museum and the polytechnic, where perhaps you can make a visit especially in the evening because of its nice taverns and its youthfully cheerful atmosphere. Psirì frequented by young night owls e Gazi they are two interesting districts for night owls but also easily reachable from Syntagma.
• 37.977123.72624 Old Town in turn divided into Plaka, Monastiraki, Thisio is Psirì.
• Gazi - on the way to Piraeus (odòs Pireòs) characterized by a lively nightlife e Kolonaki, perched on the Lycabettus hill. The latter was once the elegant area of ​​the center. Its residents have long since fled elsewhere in search of healthier air. Today Kolonaki remains an area of ​​embassies and shops. The former are located in the neoclassical buildings at the beginning of Viale Regina Sofia (Vasilisis Sofias in Greek) the latter on via Skoufà. Their shop windows display designer clothes. Tourists however do not like Kolonaki and prefer to congregate in the neighborhoods around the Acropolis mentioned above.

Note that the center of Athens can be desolate in the summer months when even the last Athenian has fled elsewhere in search of refreshment. This statement is especially valid for summer weekends, so it would not be a bad thing to choose a hotel on the seafront where there is more life. Glyfada is one of these districts, well connected to the center by a tram service that terminates in Syntagma square.

How to get

How to get around

What see

What to do

Shopping

How to have fun

There are also night clubs with live music where it is worthwhile to make a visit; one of these is undoubtedly the Diogene club (Pronounced: Dioyènis) on viale Syngrou 259, owned by Lefteris Pantazis simply called Le-Pà a star of Greek pop music. In his restaurant while you are eating you can watch the performance of well-known singers interspersed with well-choreographed ballets. It is better to come here than to one of those stereotypical places in the Plaka neighborhood made for the entertainment of inexperienced tourists.

Where to eat

The places to sip a good Italian coffee are only two in the whole great Athens. On the other hand, local restaurants abound, even if they often have only the label in Italian. Apart from the carbonara which is reproduced quite faithfully, spaghetti with clams or mussels are absolutely to be avoided. It is worth forgetting local habits to dive directly into Greek life. Ithàki (Ithaca) is a superb Greek restaurant on the hill of Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni with splendid views of the gulf of the same name.

Where stay

How to keep in touch

Other projects

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