Athens, Second Time Around
Want to see my top recommendations for you on what to eat, see, and do in Athens? You're in the right place.
Things to See First things first, you need to visit the must-sees of Athens. Of course, Acropolis is up there, but if you've already conquered it like I have, here's what else there is to do:
Stroll Through the National Gardens
Well, that's right! The national gardens hosts a bunch of animals, trees, and even some ancient ruins. Don't skip the little ponds in the middle, easily accessible through the Sygmou-Fix stop on the Metro.
pictured: birds at the National Gardens in Athens.
See Some More History
Of course, a trip to Athens is incomplete without a visit to Acropolis. But, have you seen Hadrian’s Arch and the Olympic Stadium, where the first ever modern olympic games were held? Near Hadrian's Arch, you can also check out more ruins (less interesting, imho) and bundle it with a day trip at the National Gardens and Plaka / Anafiotika area.
Consider also seeing more history from a rooftop! Acropolis is not always enjoyed from its hill, but also from afar, with beautiful lighlight at night. We checked out Olympos Rooftop Bar and Athina street (between Monastraki and Omonia squares, right in the middle point of the street). Great cocktails, and beautiful view. The rooftop cocktail scene is best after 21:00, and over the weekends, if you want to get the full experience.
pictured: The Acropolis in the distance, lit up on the hill, from Athina street.
See the Makeup of the City Neighborhoods
So you've been to Monastraki, and explored the flea market. Now what? Plaka has nice shops and a chill vibe with lots of cafes and bars. If you have a bit more time, grab a cab or the light rail (tram) to Glyfada, a lovely neighborhood nice boutique stores, cafes, and seaside walk paths. Excellent for summer swims. Make sure to take the tram back to the city center to experience the shifts in the socioeconomic status of the neighborhoods.
Walk the Streets
Visit Ermou street to do some shopping, including from global brands, but also people watching. Lovely chocolate and coffee shops line up areas closer to the Monastraki area. Aiolou hosts more local shops.
Check out Local Narratives & Arts in Museums
pictured: the front piece of a Greek warship, rocking a mustache.
Visit the National Museum of History, located in the old greek parliament building to discover the local narratives about the country's history. Visit the museum website to check what exhibition is on during your visit. During ours (in late 2024,) the main exhibition was about 1974 Cyprus and the greek refugees (mainly from Turkey) from 1800s to 1922. Being from Izmir (Smyrna in Greek), this was a perspective we were less familiar with and it was an excellent history lesson.
The Museum of Contemporary Art provides a wholly different narrative, bringing local and global artists for exhibitions. Formerly a brewery, the building is also interesting to see. We saw a women's exhibition, which was actually very depressing but interesting nevertheless. We chose to walk to the museum from the Acropolis area (Anafiotika/Plaka), which allowed for us to experience a more residential neighborhood.
Here Come the Food Spot Recommendations!
So almost everything we ate was good (aside from what was listed as "frozen" calamari in the menu). However, some locations absolutely stood out!
pictured: Picky Brunch & Coffee brunch on a Sunday. Kagianas and hand brewed coffee, and eggs benedict with americano. Delicious!
1. Breakfast highlight: Picky Brunch & Coffee. Located in the corner of two narrow streets, Picky has a lovely garden seating area and even better food. The coffee was so good, I got two servings! The ingredients were fresh, the service was warm and excellent. We got there on a Sunday morning at 10 AM and in only 20 minutes the place was full!
2. Lunch highlight 1: Aris Taverna. Truly the best food we had. Everything was fresh, and the service was excellent. This location opens up at around 2PM and stays open until dinner time (6/7PM). The music, traditional plate breaking, and the clientele -- a mix of tourists and locals -- is what I called 'chaos in greek'. Definitely an experience - a delicious one!
3. Lunch highlight 2: If you just want a quick lunch without worrying about finding a seat, or cost, Bairaktaris is the way to go. If they seat you at the restaurant across the (pedestrian) street, don't worry - it's the same exact location!
pictured: Zucchini fritters, calamari, and tzaziki at Bariaktaris Taverna.
4. Dinner highlight: Taverna Klimataria. Although the start time for dinner is on the much later side (around 9:30PM!), the music absolutely makes up for it. The night we were there, the local instrument, Bouzouki, was joined by an acoustic guitar, an electric guitar, and a contrabass. They played the classic Greek tunes we all know and love - many of them also have their Turkish version! My mom recalled visiting 20 years ago with my father on a business trip. Turns out the spot is going for a long time, with the same concept (and according to my mother, the same decoration)!
Just make sure to call the correct Taverna Klimataria, and make a reservation at least a week ahead of time for large groups, a few days ahead of time for smaller groups. Keep in mind that weekends will have more locals, and weekdays will have more tourists (European and otherwise)! The phone number (as of today) is: +30 21 0321 6629
pictured: The band at the Taverna Klimataria. Great music!
How to Avoid Protests? Check Out the Movies!
One day we were there, ready to go to the Museum of Archeology, we started to see police in riot gear. Upon asking them what's going on, we soon learned that there was a commemoration for a '73 event in form of protest. We decided to change plans, and given the rainy weather, head to the movies! It was an excellent choice. We had already seen much of Athens and we could use a quick movies break - again, a fun way to see how locals live. We headed over to the Village Cinemas, a chain movie theatre company in Greece. Metro mall had a theatre, accessible easily by metro from Omonia square. Watching Gladiator II (albeit much less impressive than the OG Gladiator,) was fitting for a trip to Greece!
Bonus: Dessert!
Did you think I'd let you go without dessert recommendations? Well yes Lukumades is a local treat, but we have the same exact fried sugary dough in Izmir. So we went to Nancy's Sweet Home and had some of the best dessert and Mastiha ice cream to date! Check out this amazing carrot cake (with a mountain of ice cream) below!
pictured: Delicious carrot cake at Nancy's Sweet Home.
Yasas!
