Athens is one of the most visited cities in Europe. Most visitors see the Acropolis, the Plaka neighbourhood below it, and a few major museums. The city that Athenians actually live in — the food markets, the neighbourhood cafés, the evening volta — is largely invisible to short-stay tourists.
The Acropolis and Its Context
The Acropolis (the Parthenon, Erechtheion, Propylaea, Temple of Athena Nike — all fifth century BCE) is genuinely extraordinary and worth the visit despite crowds. The morning (opening time, 8am) is significantly less crowded than midday. The New Acropolis Museum (2009, at the base of the hill) houses most of the surviving sculptures and provides essential context — do this before or after the Acropolis itself, not instead of it. The Parthenon Marbles question: approximately half the Parthenon’s surviving decorative sculpture is in the British Museum (since 1801, removed by Lord Elgin). The new museum has empty display spaces where the removed sculptures would fit — the museum’s design is deliberately a political argument for repatriation. Whether this context changes your view of the British Museum is a matter for your own reflection.
The Neighbourhoods
Monastiraki and the Flea Market: the ancient agora area, Ottoman-era mosque, and the dense flea market extending into Avyssinias Square on weekends — antiques, vintage clothing, oddities, strong coffee. Exarcheia: the historically anarchist neighbourhood (genuinely, not affectedly), known for street art, squats, political murals, independent bookshops, and cheap tavernas. The neighbourhood has gentrified somewhat since 2019 but retains its character. Koukaki: south of the Acropolis, increasingly the neighbourhood where Athenians who care about food and coffee live. Kolonaki: the upmarket hill neighbourhood, good for Greek jewellery design, expensive but elegant. Psirri: the former working-class warehouse area, now full of bars and restaurants — more touristy than a decade ago but still with authentic pockets.
The Food
Athens is a serious food city that has gone underrecognised internationally until recently. The Varvakios Central Market (Agora) in Athinas Street is the working market for the city — raw meat, fish, spices, olives, and cheese in an atmospheric early 20th-century building. Around it: the best value restaurants in central Athens are the lunch establishments serving market workers (tavernas on Evripidou Street and nearby). Dishes to eat: kakavia (fisherman’s soup), horta (boiled greens with olive oil and lemon — deceptively simple and delicious), loukoumades (honey doughnuts), and spanakopita (spinach and feta pastry) from a street bakery. The mezze meal: Greek mezze at a psarotaverna (seafood taverna) — taramosalata, tzatziki, grilled octopus, grilled sardines, grilled vegetables, village bread — is one of the most enjoyable eating experiences in Europe when done at a local neighbourhood place rather than a tourist waterfront.
