If Vogue is writing about it, then it must be cool, right?

From roaming the streets of Plaka to admiring the exhibitions at the Benaki Museum, Athens doesn’t dissapoint with brilliant things to do. Sometimes however, especially during the summer months, Athens becomes crowded with tourists. It may be hard to find a quiet space to enjoy the city if you don’t know what you’re looking for. In this article, Vogue explores Koukaki and Makriyianni and establishes these two neighborhoods as ‘inviting and lingering, remaining remarkably hushed.’

Click HERE to read Vogue’s suggestions for what to do, where to eat, where to shop, and even where to stay, all within Koukaki and Makriyianni!

The Acropolis in Athens is one of the most photographed and recognised landmarks in the world. Getting a great photo may seem daunting, but Why Athens gives us the inside scoop on the best places to photograph one of the most important monuments in Western civilisation!

Standing 277 meters above sea level, Lycabettus Hill is the highest point in central Athens. The view from Lycabettus Hill is best enjoyed at sunset whilst waiting for the lights of the Parthenon, Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the Panathenaic Stadium to illuminate at dusk. You will also be reminded that Athens is surrounded by sea with spectacular views across the Aegean.

Strefi Hill is located in the inner city suburb of Exarchia, Northeast of the Acropolis and has commanding views over Athens. It is one of the best places to capture both Lycabettus Hill and the Parthenon.

Pnyx Hill overlooks the Ancient Agora, directly to the west of the Acropolis and offers spectacular visibility both day and night. The hill is easily accessible by foot from the inner suburb of Thissio and is a favoured point to take photos from during a full moon and for stargazing in the clear night skies above Athens.

To read this article in full, please visit: Why Athens

Photo Credit: Why Athens

Author and travel blogger, Marissa Tejada from Travel Greece Travel Europe, shares her secrets to making Sundays in Athens great. While many businesses close on Sunday, Tejada gives us her local insight, giving us plenty of options for a fun Sunday!

Located in the shadow of the Acropolis, Monastiraki is a part of what is known as Old Athens. The neighborhoods surrounding the ancient monument are just as ancient and full of charm.

Plaka is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the world. While you could consider it a touristy section of town — it is totally picturesque and a great place to walk and shop.

While the retail shops are closed on Ermou Street and other retail districts on Sundays, Plaka’s family owned shops are open. So, if you are walking around Plaka during your Sunday in Athens, you can shop for some quality Greek goods.

On Sundays at 10:30 a.m. in Syntagma Square, the presidential guard marches from their barracks to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A good photo opportunity to snap photos of the traditionally dressed evzones.

To read this article in full, please visit: Travel Greece Travel Europe

A journalist from Travel + Leisure recently traveled to Athens to experience first-hand the revival of the arts scene. He shares with us his time spent in Athens, giving us a new perspective and discovering for the first time raki in outdoor cafes, open air cinemas, and ancient art in one of the city’s many art galleries.

“I started where everyone does, in the mythic Athens, the tourist Athens. But when I reached the Acropolis, I kept walking: past the stands selling archaeological schlock, past the spectators on Segways, into the park that surrounds Philopappou Hill. I took a seat on a rock ledge overlooking olive trees, where a few smart Athenians had strung hammocks to watch the sunset. Someone was playing a bouzouki. Someone else was practicing the trumpet. Everywhere there were ruins. The yawning sun cast the whole park in a strange sepia glow.”

“Soon it was dark. I was pleasantly drunk, wandering again. Every restaurant was flung open, the interiors empty, the tables and chairs spilled onto the street. You could not tell, based on the confusion of small plates arriving and departing, whether people were just starting dinner or almost finished. No one, as far as I could tell, had any intention of leaving.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Travel + Leisure

Discover Athens from a tourist who turned a local, the editor-in-chief of Why Athens! Walk around the city to find ancient monuments, live music, outdoor cafes, and rooftop cocktails and truly experience all Athens has to offer.

“There is so much to do in Athens, in fact you can get through several days without visiting the Acropolis but if you haven’t, it should be on the very top of your bucket list! Beyond its ancient history and fascinating sites, Athens is a cultural city with a long heritage in theatre.”

“Food and wine has reached new heights with a lot more international flavours emerging than ever before. Greeks love their sushi and Japanese is done exceptionally well at the Galaxy Bar and Restaurant on the twelfth floor of the Hilton Athens, Nobu Matsuhisa at the Arion Resort is one of the best and Sushimou is a humble alternative.”

“Buzzing plateia (large city squares) will lure you in for an extended coffee break, or the small spaces between buildings may see you at the latest day bar, where the new generation hang out. Six D.O.G.S is a favourite of mine.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Why Athens

The season of Autumn is the perfect time of year to visit vineyards in Greece and taste the unique and flavourful wine selections. Why Athens takes us around Athens and Attica to some of the best wineries in the area!

“Many may not know that Athens is surrounded by small historical vineyards that are dotted around the city’s landscape, which you can see from an aeroplane as close to the airport itself. Dionysus god of wine and fertility was worshipped and celebrated in ancient times and is said to have given the knowledge of viticulture to Icarius of Athens, more than 3,000 years ago. The Attica region has been cultivated ever since and flourished during Byzantine times and through the reign of the Ottomans.”

“Today, Attica is the largest wine region in Greece with 16,000 acres of vineyards. Many of the wineries can be reached within a 30 minute drive from the centre of Athens.”

“Two years ago, Wines of Athens was established in an effort for wineries in the region to collectively promote the vineyards and merits of wines in Attica. A dynamic and diverse team of wineries make up the initiative, including Papagiannakos, Mylonas, Anastasia Frangos, Markou Vineyards and Kokotou Estate. They all produce top quality savatiano wines along with other varieties.”

To read this article in full, please visit: Why Athens

The up-market suburb of Kifissia lies just a few kilometers north of the city centre, and it is home to an outstanding number of great shops, local artisans, cafes and restaurants. This trendy neighbourhood gives locals and visitors the opportunity to enjoy unique local and international fashion and delicious food. Here are 5 places to go, as recommended by the NY Times.

“Athenians come in the morning to get their fix of Greek coffee, which is traditionally served black and so strong that a glass of water accompanies each cup to help cleanse the palate.”

Address: 15 Kiriakou Diomidi

Telephone: 210 623 3769

“This airy family-run bakery, dating to the late 19th century, is a wonderland for Greek food souvenirs.”

Address: 5 Kassaveti

Telephone: 210 801 2472

“The country’s artisans, who painstakingly produce handmade goods, are an endangered breed because of an increasing reliance on machine-made products.”

Address: 10 Agion Theodoron

Telephone: 210 801 2044

To read this article in full, please visit: The New York Times

When it comes to shopping in Athens, there's something for everyone. Whether you are looking for big name brands, Greek names, or second-hand shops, Discover Greece tells us where to go, what to look for, and much more!

Amongst the great high streets of the city pedestrianized Ermou is definitely the one that stands out with an abundance of shops belonging to well-known clothes franchises, as well as historic Greek businesses. The bottom end of Ermou is Monastiraki. Don’t miss out on a walk in its flee market. There you will find clothes, shoes, accessories, leather goods and the world famous Greek leather sandals. On Sundays, there’s a bazaar with collector’s items such as books, old coins, vinyl records and antique furniture. Also, take the opportunity to walk around the gorgeous picturesque antique shops of the street.

Walk in the opposite direction away from Ermou and you’ll find Kolonaki, one of the most salubrious neighbourhoods of Athens. No wonder the biggest fashion designer studios have gravitated there, specifically on Voukourestiou street.

To read this article in full, please visit: Discover Greece

What started as a discovery of antiquities in the Athens metro rail area, is now an underground exhibition of the Athens metro. The exhibition, which is free to the public, is filled with antiquities, including sculptures of the Parthenon, Athenian amphoras, ancient toys, funeral monuments, and parts of one of the oldest bridges found in Attica. Be sure to get your Ath.ena ticket and visit one of these stations:

Syntagma

At this station, visitors can take a good look at the stratigraphy of Athens that covers a period from early 5th century B.C. until the Ottoman times. Therein, on the first floor also lies a skeleton of a young lady who lived in the 4th century B.C., whose exhibited in a tomb between layers of soil. Visitors will also be able to see ancient pipes that brought water to Athens, as well as the sanitation system of the city.

Monastiraki

At this station, visitors can admire a large photograph of an underground tunnel full of pottery fragments, giving a picture of what the Athens metro looked liked during the archaeological dig. Heading towards Kifissia, travelers can see the riverbed of Iridanos, one of the three ancient rivers of Attica.

Elaionas

Here, the oldest bridge located in Attica can be found. The three pillars of the ancient bridge of Kifissos river date as far back as 5th and 6th century B.C.

To read this article in full, please visit: Tornos News

Photo Source: Flikr

There’s so much more to Athens than what meets the eye and travel writer Rebecca Hall, who has lived in Athens for 10 years, shares her inside scoop for visiting the city!

Acropolis and Parthenon

We all know the Acropolis and Parthenon are two very famous places to visit in Athens.  One of my insider’s tips, though, is to actually go to just below the entrance of the Acropolis, where you’ll see some metal steps, as well as rough, slippery steps carved out of the rocks.  Ascend either (only a short climb, but wear trainers if you’re going up the rock steps as they really are slippery, even in dry weather due to being cut out of marble), and join others to sit and admire the 360 degree of Athens and all the way down to the port of Piraeus and further still, the nearby islands.  At sunset it’s spectacular.  Best of all, it’s free.

Not everybody’s into archeology, and I respect that.  It’s pretty hard to come to Greece, especially Athens – however, and not be confronted with archeology at almost every turn. It’s just there, which is kind of wonderful if you think about it, in this day and age.This insider tip for visiting Athens is clever in that you don’t actually have to pay to go to a museum…and it’s unique in that it’s located actually inside a Metro/Underground station – in the ticket hall! For more information on the underground exhibitions, click HERE.

To read this article in full, please visit: Life Beyond Borders