Last week I flew to Athens for a quick getaway and I fell in love with the city. I hadn’t been there since I was a kid in the 80s so it was basically my first time. The ticket was around 140KD on Kuwait Airways, and it was a short 3 1/2 hour flight so I definitely want to go back again. Below is a quick guide of all the favorite spots I found which I think you’d also like:
Eat
I had my best meal at Cherchez La Femme (@kafeneioncherchezlafemme), a small cafe serving greek food in tapa sizes so you can mix and match. Sushimou (no insta) was a great (and affordable) sushi bar serving an omakase menu. The owner and masterchef (@thalis) was named the world’s 100 top chefs. Do Birdman (@birdmanathens) for a Japanese grill with great music and drinks or their sister location Ekiben (@ekibenathens) for a quick bite. For breakfast go to the picturesque cafe Minu (@minu.athens). Head to Wild Souls (@wildsoulsgr) to pick up gifts for friends, and if you’re there in the summer, go to Oggi (@oggiathens) for the best gelato.
Drink
Dope Roasting Co (@doperoasting), Anana (@ananacoffeefood), Motiv (@motivathens) and Behold Theman (@behold_theman) were my favorite coffee shops. If you want a place to sit in a garden and enjoy a few drinks, six d.o.g.s (@sixdogsgr) was super chill.
See
KORI (@kori.gr) have lots of beautiful jewelry and ceramic pieces by Greek designers and artists. DangerousMinds (@dangerousminds.gr) if you’re looking for streetwear while Eating +he Goober (@eatingthegoober) is a very cool greek contemporary clothing brand. The Naxos Apothecary (@thenaxosapothecary) is a Greek fragrances and body creams store which is their equivalent to Aesop. Finally, visit the hidden but very scenic neighborhood of Anafiotika which surprisingly isn’t overrun by tourists.
Sleep
There were a lot of great hotel options but I ended up staying at The Foundry Suites (@thefoundrysuitesathens), a hip boutique hotel with just 12 rooms in a neighborhood full of cafes and antique stores and is not busy with tourists (@perianthhotel was my Plan B). I also spent a night at the Dexamenes Seaside Hotel (@dexamenes) which I would highly recommend. Technically not in Athens because it’s over 3 hours away, but definitely worth it. Rent a car and drive, the road is chill and very photogenic.
Like all my travel guides, this is a curated list with most places being off the beaten path and not packed with tourists. Use it to supplement your own things to do list. Also with some restaurant you need to book in advance so keep that in mind. Also in case you missed them, check out my previous travel guides for Barcelona and Istanbul.
16 replies on “Athens Guide: Eat, Drink, See and Sleep”
I’d recommend you give Crete a visit too, rent a BMW R1250GS and explore its coastline and mountains. It is Athens without the usual Capital’s tourist traffic. Chania & Falassarna beach in particular.
This is where i stayed:
https://www.casakallergi.com/
Well I can’t do Islands cuz I get sea sick but Crete is also too popular of an Island with tourists and I hate crowded areas. Thats why I really loved Dexamenes. It was such a beautiful resort and the beach was empty with a super clean sandy beach. I also didn’t need a boat to get to it and there were no tourists!
Well Crete is an island technically, but it is huge: 8,450 km², that’s 2,000 km less than Lebanon. Also, it has its own airport so direct flights. And its beaches are equally beautiful too.
Oh damn that’s huge
unrelated to this but barbie movie is banned in the GCC lol
That’s not true. Based on my source at one of the local theaters Barbie is coming out end of next month along with the rest of the GCC. The censored parts were approved by the studio. In Qatar they’ve already started putting up ads for it.
Oh really? That’s nice then. A news agency reported it but it just said it came out from a governmental agency on social media and can’t be verified. So I’ll go by your word.
I’ll get an update tomorrow
I just checked, all the Barbie is banned talk is just talk. Nothing official as of now. But, if it gets banned in Saudi then Kuwait will most likely follow.
You didn’t even take a photo of the Parthenon for this post? Who gives a shit about a rusty silo in the middle of a pond??? 🙄
Do you also want me to mention Starbucks as a coffee shop you can visit? Just google things to do in Athens and click any of the first few links if that’s the kind of content you’re looking for and stop leaving your lame comments here.
Do you require a Schengen to visit Greece?
yeah you do
Hi Mark, can you do a list of the countries that allow visa free travel/ visa on arrival for GCC residents (not citizens). I know some countries like Georgia, etc. do. This will be really helpful in planning short getaway holidays
interesting idea, i’ll see if i can find that info