Keeping up with our new habit, being a tourist in our own city, we searched for some of the best neighborhoods of Athens. Taking a stroll in their streets, admiring the architecture or a taking a sip of coffee in a local café, is what we call an authentic urban experience.

Plaka-Anafiotika

Just under the shadow of the Acropolis hill, lies the most picturesque neighborhood of Athens. Plaka is one of the oldest and most prestigious areas of central Athens, with its narrow streets and its neo-classical buildings. Although it is almost always packed with tourists and souvenir shops, in the post-Covid era Plaka is empty of massive crowds. So, it is the ideal time for a nice stroll down between its pastel houses.

Included the area of Plaka, Anafotika is an exceptional case of a different neighborhood. This is where islanders of the Cycladic Anafi came and residented, creating their neighborhood identical to blue-white Cycladic architecture.

Koukaki – Makrygianni

Getting to the other side of Acropolis, we find the neighborhood of Makrygianni Street and Koukaki. There you will find the museum of Acropolis, alongside the pedestrian street of Dionysiou Areopagitou. You can find yourself there either after a visit from the museum, or under the current circumstances, after a walk from Thisseion or Petralona.

From the Dion. Areopagitou Street take the turn into Makrygianni street and explore this much more urban district. Its name is Koukaki, and this is where many artists love to live or visit, because of its cool vibes.

Kifissia

Moving to the northern suburbs of Athens, we reach out to Kifissia. Kifissia used to be the district where wealthy Athenians had their villas in order to spend hot summers. Today, there are still the old aristocratic buildings, while the whole area has developed into a vivid suburb.

Beginning from the train lines, you can discover the old aristocratic glory walking downside. On the other hand, you can cross the park of Kifissia and reach to its center. This is where families, teenagers and romantic couples choose to spend their evenings. Either in open-air restaurants, or strolling towards Politeia and its parks.

Kifissia definitely gives a sense of freshness and luxury to every visitor.

Glyfada

From the north of Athens we end up to its south, and the district of Glyfada. Many consider Glyfada as the rival of beauty and luxury of Kifissia, and not without a reason. Glyfada combines great bars and restaurants, fashionable residents and visitors and the sea.

You can either choose to spend the day strolling alongside Glyfada’s marina, or opt in for swimming in one of the nearby beaches.

Bonus: The old town of Hydra

Although it is not considered a district of Athens, it is within the borders of Attica and certainly one of the most beautiful neighborhoods you can visit.

The architectonic structure of Hydra’s old town is amphitheatric, inside a close cove, under bare cliffs. Hydra is unique since it has banned the usage of vehicles and accredited the donkeys as the only means of transport. This decision has kept the atmosphere and the vibe of the island pure, while it let it flourish with artistic activities.

You can stroll in the old town of Hydra, among its cobblestone narrow streets, admiring the old, aristocratic mansions. These go back to the times when Hydra was a naval and commercial centre. Climbing up the stairs of the old town, you will find yourself in front of the medieval fortress town of Kiafa. There, you can admire the colourful houses and the amazing view towards Peloponnese and the Saronic Gulf. Or you can always choose the Walking Tour of Hydra with Athens Day Cruise.

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What we really appreciated during the lockdown, is the few hours of rediscovering our own cities.

Before Covid-19, our frenzy “normal” lives didn’t leave us much room for feeling the vibes of our cities. We just had to wait in long traffic lanes to and from work, or give ourselves a little treat of urban spots during the weekends.

But during the quarantine times, we valuated our one-hour walks and rediscovered our cities. We felt like tourists in our own cities, and in fact…we loved it!

So while we still don’t know yet when we’ll be able to travel abroad again, we can set our eyes in being the tourist of our cities and how.

Visit parks and nature

We have already mentioned, finding and walking in nature really helped our sanity during lockdown. Now that more and more parks and natural sites are re-opening, we are eager to discover all of them!

We can either choose some central sites, like Zappeion, Pnyka or Pedion of Areos, while strolling between two Athenian neighborhoods. Or, we can set ourselves for an adventure and go for a hiking experience on Mount Hymettus or Parnitha.

Visit archaeological sites

Nothing speaks more for tourists than visiting historical and archaeological sites. Although we don’t know yet when museums will open, we are pretty lucky living in Athens. Here, there is an abundance of open space archaeological sites and monuments, which we can visit while keeping our social distances.

There is all-time classic Acropolis and Parthenon, but there are more open space monuments worth visiting, like Kerameikos, Kallimarmaron or Ancient Agora of Athens.

Make short trips

With domestic tourism being one of the most potent options of summer 2020, but still unknown the when and how, short trips in the region of Attica seem a great idea. It is not widely known that Attica offers many alternatives for one-day trips, really close to Athens.

We can definitely recommend the region of Vravrona, which hosts a really good archaeological site and many secret, ready to be discovered beaches.

And of course, our favourite islands, the Saronic islands of Aegina, Hydra and Poros. Their unique architecture and cultural vibe will let you feel like having the holiday of your life!

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