Because this city has one amazing history

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Listen to the steps of ancient Athenians while strolling around the Acropolis and up the Hill of Pnyx where democracy was created. Visit the many museums, including the Byzantine Museum and the National Gallery. And hear the cries of Second World War Athens by experiencing under the radar sites like Kessariani Shooting Rifle where the largest Nazi execution of Greeks took place.

A nation with a food-centred culture

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In Athens, you can find food everywhere at any time. Mingle in a grass-roots tavern, where you can end up singing together with the nearby table. Go on a date in an elegant restaurant for a more sophisticated version of Greek or international cuisine. And after relentless bar-hopping, an overwhelming variety of street food will be waiting just across the street to caress that terrible hangover. Plus, don’t forget to visit the Athens central market and the weekly farmers’ market in your neighborhood! 

The Athenians know how to enjoy life

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The city is flooded in a logic-defying way with cafes, restaurants, bars, theatres, cinemas, art hubs. Drink or eat at a rooftop with an awesome view, dance on Greek music, discover why wine opens up the heart. Cultural events are non-stop. Enjoy concerts in all possible venues. Follow public events in cafés and bookstores. And experience the romance of another era at an open-air cinema, where jasmine and honeysuckle scents blend nostalgically with the story on the big screen.

One city centre, so many faces

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Lose yourself in time by strolling the cobbled streets of Plaka and Thisseio under the eternal Acropolis Hill. Experience an Eastern-style flea market at Monastiraki and end up in the “bar-town” of Psirri for a bite or a drink. Learn how not to fake anything at the untamed, youthful and quirky Exarheia. Buy designers’ clothes at well-heeled Kolonaki. Take your coffee at the more artistic and intellectual Petralona. Explore Gazi-Kerameikos with the post-millennial design and blazing nightlife.

Discover the value of philosophising

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When it comes to coffee culture, Athens arguably knocks all cities out. You’ll find a café at every corner. But it’s predominantly a social thing. When you are invited “to go for a coffee,” you can end up with a new friendship, an unexpected romance and most importantly, a different life perspective. In essence, coffee gives the Athenians a chance to decelerate, share joys and grievances and philosophise on the big questions of life. After all, it’s their ancestors who taught philosophy to the world. 

Be it sandy beaches or towering mountains

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Land on your towel at a beach in an hour or jump on a ferry at Piraeus and escape on one of the bewitching islands – some are just an hour away. Hike on Mount Hymettos looming over the city or drive 30km away to Mount Parnitha where the cloven-hoofed god Pan used to blow his pipes and dance in the forest. In a few hours, you can even find yourself skiing at Mount Parnassos, following a visit to ancient Delphi, the mystic “navel of the earth.”