I used to think of Athens as a big, ugly city with the obligatory ancient ruins, great museums, Plaka (the tourist-filled old town) and not much else. “The fun of Greece is outside Athens,” I wrote. “See the Athenian museums and get away.”
But with each return visit, I find myself enjoying it more than ever, discovering it to be a multifaceted city that continues to develop, building on the improved infrastructure it has enjoyed since hosting the 2004 Olympics.
I discovered much of that energy in quaint neighborhoods just outside the tourist-filled core, thanks in large part to meeting Matt Barrett, who splits his summers between Greece and North Carolina, splashing around his adopted home of Athens like a kid in a wading pool, eager to share his discoveries and observations on his generous website, the Athens Survival Guide.
He takes me to Exarchia, a student neighborhood just a short walk from Omonia Square on the northern edge of the city center. The area has long been the heart of Athens' non-conformist past, and fertile ground for keeping its lively, free spirit alive. Covered in colorful graffiti, the area is rebellious, artsy and vibrant.
From tiny Exarchia Square, side streets branch off into the dingy neighborhood. Low rent and a large student population (there are three universities nearby) mean the streets are lined with cafes, bars, arts centers and bookstores. Every night, Exarchia comes to life with an alternative lifestyle festival. The juxtaposition of Exarchia with the neighbouring upscale diplomatic district Kolonaki is striking.
Psiri, closer to the Acropolis, is the hipper area. Until recently, it was a dingy neighborhood full of workshops and cottage industries, famous locally as a hotbed of poets, musicians, revolutionaries and troublemakers. But now it's one of central Athens' best late-night hotspots. Its mix of trendy and old-fashioned exudes a unique charm. Your options include hip tourist taverns with live traditional music, highly conceptual cafe/bars for the cool Athenian youth, and clubs with DJs and live music to party the night away.
Just down the road from Psirri, Athens' Central Market is not as pretty or idyllic as a small-town French market, nor as touristy as Barcelona's La Boqueria Market. Built in 1886, the Central Market is a glass-and-iron arcade with alleyways around it that is startlingly realistic. It's a bustling market where ordinary Athenians buy their produce, and a walk through it is a treat for all the senses.
The spice sellers are the great-great-grandchildren of Greek refugees who fled the Greco-Turkish wars of the 1920s, bringing with them the pungent smells of Istanbul's exotic bazaars.
There are heaps of rice, grains, nuts and dried fruit. Note the partially dried bunches of flowering herbs tied together with string – this is Greek mountain tea, a mixture of herbs highly valued for their healing properties – as well as traditional Greek oregano, thyme, basil and the precious Greek red saffron.
The meat and fish section is the heart of the market, packed with proteins; vegetarians might want to avoid this section. Tables are piled high with beef, pork, chicken, lamb and goat, and signs above the stalls proudly display farm animals. Small delivery scooters weave past pedestrians.
Around the corner, you'll find hooves, tripes, livers and other innards displayed to make the hard-to-sell “fifth quarter” meat look appealing, as well as barrels of snails, a cheap source of protein in hard-pressed times that locals have come to love to this day, the little creatures.
Just around the corner is pleasant pedestrian-friendly Aiolou Street, quieter than Athens Street a block away and fast becoming one of the most charming streets in downtown Athens. It's bustling with interesting shops, designer coffee shops, the occasional street musician, and lunch-focused restaurants catering to busy city folk. Take a break from the heat at the beautifully restored little Kimisi Theotoko Chrysospireotishis Church, with its lovely, tranquil interior. Back outside, tiny St. Irene Square, bustling with fashionable young locals day and night, was once known as the Florist's Square, but now only one shop is open and still frequented by Athenians.
Today, Athens is a people-friendly city, with pedestrian streets and squares lined with benches, shady trees and charming cafés. While Athens' charm remains its traditional sites, savvy tourists also make time to visit the exciting neighbourhoods where modern Athenians live.
Rick Steves is a European guidebook author and travel host for public television and radio. He can be reached at [email protected]. His column appears in the Travel section every other week.
