Top Neighborhoods in Athens: Watch Before You Go

[Music] it seems like every time I venture out into the city of Athens I find something else to love about this place there's so much to discover and so many cool areas to see that it would take far longer than I have to experience it all in this video I'll take you to various parts of town that I like the most and maybe give you some ideas on where to go if you visit Athens it will include the neighborhood that I called home for 5 weeks as well as the one that everyone said was dangerous I'm still not sure what to think about that place the first stop is the sagma neighborhood home to sagma square this is one of those spots where people meet as two lines of the Metro intersected this place the surrounding area also contains numerous shop shops hotels restaurants and cafes this square is situated in the middle of Athens and is described as many as the figurative Heart of the City as well on one side of the square is the start of heru Street probably the main pedestrian Boulevard in a city full of streets that are closed to traffic when the light between iru and the square changes the flow of people going back and forth is impressive when I visited the square was dressed up for the holiday season this is is absolutely the biggest Square in Athens and probably the most lively place in the city as well come down here and spend a lot of time you really have to like people because it is so crowded this place at times possesses a carnival-like field musicians perform here frequently just off of the square is the Parliament building every hour evzones who are me members of the elite presidential guard change their stations people line up to watch the spectacle which plays out over about 10 minutes dressed in uniforms which have historic significance members of the presidential guard are stationed full-time at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier it's worth making a point to see this the second most famous Square in Athens and one that is probably just as busy is Monas rocki Square it's located in the Siri neighborhood hood monasteri is not as large as sagma the name means little Monastery and the holy church of the Virgin Mary panasa still stands in the corner the square seems to be one of the more popular spots in the city mod staki Square in the Siri neighborhood always seem busy certainly makes you wonder what this place is like in the heart of tourist season sometimes you have to break away get to the edge of the neighborhood just to get a little break beyond the square the Siri neighborhood is flush with shops and particularly restaurants there are tons of places to eat most featuring outside dining options right off of the square is a huge flea market shops of all kinds can be found walking down the Narrow Street this is aim primarily at visitors so if you're in need of souvenirs or shirts that will commemorate your trip to Athens this might just be the place a little farther out the Siri neighborhood has a much more local flavor I loved all the the giant pieces of street art that adorned many of the buildings there is color and Beauty but it's also important to recognize that many times this is the artist's way of communicating what they feel often they are not just speaking for themselves either the pla neighborhood is certainly an attractive part of the city it sits directly beneath the Acropolis and is said to be the oldest part of Athens this is where many of Athens citizens lived in ancient times some of the streets in fact have the exact same layout as they did almost 2,000 years ago there is certainly a lot of history here in plup but today it's different For Better or Worse parts of this neighborhood almost look like they've been engineered as the perfect tourist environment many of the streets in pla are pedestrian only there are still souvenir shops but many of the stores here seem to be a bit more on the higher end of the spectrum as opposed to other places in the city this neighborhood is no no doubt beautiful its location near some of Athens most famous tourist sites means that this is a quite popular area for me a neighborhood right next door to pla is much more intriguing this is Ana fota it looks so much different than other parts of the city if you didn't know better as you were walking through its narrow Pathways you might think that you were on one of the many Greek Islands there is a reason for that so The Story Goes that about 200 years ago the king wanted some work done on his Palace the Carpenters of anafi were considered the best to be found they came and settled here just to the north of the Acropolis they built their homes to look like the island they left behind it retains that look and feel today I find it absolutely amazing that this small pocket within Athens has maintained the same sort of aesthetic for a couple of centuries the people who live here still seemingly feel connected to anafi Island because this is such a unique part of Athens many visitors want to take a look this is purely a residential area however and there are numerous signs asking that people respect that it's a good reminder that wherever your travels take you it's always going to be home for someone make sure to treat the places you visit in the same way that you would want those who come to your town to act take a moment to go see Anna fota just keep your voice down alonia might be the most perplexing neighborhood in Athens I spent a fair amount of time there and I was a fan of many of its parts it is described as a multicultural area that is anchored by almonia square that's a Transportation Hub and a busy location for shopping there's some pretty spectacular ruins scattered about that includes this spot where there are remnants of an ancient Road as well as tombs that date to the early days of the city that is near Kota Square which is another open space it is surrounded by city hall and number of other attractive old buildings with interesting architecture almonia is also home to the Athens Central Food Market this is a location where you can find just about any type of fish meat vegetable or spice imaginable some parts of the neighborhood are very attractive and there are newer restaurants and hotels that are often less expensive options to those situated elsewhere with all that however Omonia is considered by many to be the most dangerous part of the city center I've seen others on YouTube come down to this area in the middle part of the day looking over their shoulder going I hope I don't get mugged I think that's overstating things a little bit yes the place can use some clean up and there's a little bit of an element here that is on the Shady Side but it seems to me like this is the part of town that is headed in the right direction after finishing that on camera bit I took a couple of steps and saw a guy shooting up right on the sidewalk there is open drug use but in all the times I was there including several visits at night I never felt threatened I would not count Omonia as a place to avoid in Athens another neighborhood that was very appealing to me was exarchia it had some of the most incredible street art that I've seen anywhere most of it had deeper meaning than simply being there for artistic reasons that is related to the reputation that this part of town has for its rebelliousness it was was an exarchia that the uprising that toppled the Greek dictatorship in 1973 was centered even today there are sometimes clashes between residents and police in the streets here don't take that to mean however that this is not an inviting part of the city if you're lucky enough you'll find yourself here on the day that the cidomo market is open that is every Saturday so make it a point to come here then this is said to be the most Lively farmers market in Athens all sorts of produce and other goods were offered by the numerous vendors in several spots there were entertainers adding to the [Music] atmosphere Exar is one of those places that is a blast to visit but where residents are tuned in to larger issues and ready to take action if they feel that social or political matters require it I went to the kakia neighborhood for one reason that was to hike up to the highest point within the city Mount leabos stands at 277 M or 98 ft there are several Pathways to the top the way up is not too taxing it's a wide paved path with steps along the way I heard it described this way going to the top of this hill is just a little bit less than going to the top of the Acropolis twice it took maybe 15 or 20 minutes to get to the top from the lower reaches there were a couple of treats waiting there as a reward for the minimal effort the chapel of St George is a beautiful little church that sits right at the peak many people make the hike to the top of the hill and most will take a few minutes to admire the church and to look inside what draws the crowd however are the views from the top it is simply astounding to get here and see all of Athens spread out below there are incredible sites in every direction looking one way it is possible to gaze down upon the Acropolis and all the history amassed there when I made my Ascent though the sun was setting in that direction so it was difficult to make out the Parthenon and everything else that is situated alongside it there is a finic or cable car that is available to ride to the top of Mount leabos but it was not running when I went from what I saw the rest of the konaki neighborhood is stunning I've seen lists where parus is claimed as a neighborhood of but in fact it's a municipality all its own figure show is actually the fourth or fifth largest city in Greece I didn't really consider going there initially as I thought about it only as the point where people catch fairies to the islands turns out it is much more this is a major Transportation Hub as pareus is the fifth largest passenger port in Europe and one of the top 25 in the world I was most impressed by what is called Marina Zia it fills a harbor with private watercraft of all types there is everything here from small fishing vessels to enormous individually owned Yachts this Marina area is massive I walked around the entire Harbor and it is at least a mile there are boats of all sizes but some of the Yachts the biggest I've ever seen I was overwhelmed by the size of some of the Yachts as well as the vast number of boats docked here the marina is surrounded by high-end restaurants and bars with plenty of condos in the area too I enjoyed other parts of perus climbing the hills away from The Water Gave some spectacular views of the city and the aan Sea Beyond I also found a number of exceptionally gorgeous churches there were two of them bracketing a small square near the port the municipal theater of peras is a remarkable building it sits at the center of the city and has seating for 600 it was built in 1895 there is also a tremendous Market located here with fish from the Mediterranean being the Highlight the best part about all this is that it is located right at the end of two lines of the Athens Metro so getting here is cheap and easy I will never grow tired of that beautiful blue water it's not a neighborhood but I thoroughly embrac the Athens National Garden this site features 38 acres of Green Space the garden is pretty sizable and it's in a great location it's located just a short distance away from the Acropolis Metro station what this does is it provides a welcome Refuge from the busier parts of the city walking through the garden is a magnificently peaceful experience The Greenery is calming statues and fountains scattered throughout the area keep it very interesting this is a place just for strolling or sitting and reflecting if you need more there is zapon Hall which is situated at one end of the garden this phenomenal structure was built in 1878 and played a key role in hosting the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 today it has over 4,000 square met of exhibit space which was filled with numerous pieces of art when I visited the beautiful Atrium is definitely worth seeing for those who are experiencing overload from all the historic sites of Athens and the crowds that are associated with them the National Garden is a wonderful respit the kipseli neighborhood is a cool part of the city that residents say has undergone a Revival of late I particularly like this area it had green space and a park-like atmosphere right in the middle of housing shops and restaurants I might not have even come to this neighborhood if not for this place and what is happening there in this case it is the Athens beer weekend Christmas Edition from what I hear though there are always things going on here from events to popup shops I mentioned the ath beer weekend in my last video it was such a treat that I attended both days that it was held it was contained inside the newly revamped kipi Municipal Market the central space there was available for events such as the beer weekend on the perimeter of the building there were 10 to 12 spots for shops I got the feel some were permanent and others were temporary popup locations this was a very comfortable part of town an area that might be a bit more hip and have a little bit more happening is the Pariser neighborhood technically Pariser is its own City much like perus and they are both of similar size there is a lot to like about this place it is full of restaurants and nightclubs the square that is situated where the metro stops is full of activity and attractive features the odds are pretty high that I never would have come to this neighborhood except for one thing the people from whom I'm running my Airbnb made a very brief mention that this was an upand cominging part of Athens I'm glad they made the recommendation I'm certainly glad that I acted upon it the field here is modern and young I discovered this area late in my stay so I only came here a couple of times there was plenty more that I didn't get a chance to discover I did take the opportunity one afternoon to have a seat in one of the establishments I found a beer was the perfect way to finish up one of the visits don't miss out on taking the metro to Paris and checking what it offers for yourself the final neighborhood I will mention is sapoia it's where I stayed for my 5 weeks in Athens this was the building which housed my Airbnb it is surrounded by many other residential buildings and is only a 5-minute walk from the metro station I have a great deal of affection for this place I would call it a middle class part of the city I liked how restaurants and coffee shops and businesses were all mixed together with the places where people live there were a ton of coffee shops and I tried many of them one of my favorites was Mel's there were numerous days that I dropped in for a cappuccino this grocery had just about everything that I needed and was only a 2 or 3 minute walk from my place one of the places I like to go most was this butcher shop I went here every time that I was going to cook something they were the most amazing and kind people they didn't speak English and I don't speak Greek but we managed very well with the help of Google translate I always walked away with a smile on my face my favorite place to eat was this restaurant many days I stopped in to get a subaki the food was always fantastic and I enjoyed the interaction with the owner and those who work there I love finding places like this when I see people come inside my store and went out way after they have their meal ER happy uh full of energy and it makes me happy also every Thursday the farmers market was held on one of the streets it seemed to go on forever again just about anything you want you could find from one of the vendors sepolia for me was the perfect place to stay real locals and just a short Metro ride from everything that Athens has for visitors here people know each other with their Sur names we're like a I enjoyed every moment that I spent in this neighborhood one of the coolest features of this neighborhood is right behind this wall anyone who is an NBA fan will certainly recognize the name Giannis anmo of the Milwaukee Bucks turns out he grew up right here in sapoia this basketball court is so great I love that it was decorated with the image of the neighborhood's most famous resident a building that is adjacent to the court also carries a mural of a to kmo I hardly ever saw people playing on the court I was hoping to find the next NBA star to come from sapoia how's that for a look at Athens and some of the parts that come together to make such a fascinating City still this is far from a comprehensive look as there are many other places that I never even had a chance to visit my hope is that this allows you to see Athens as more than just the Acropolis or as a place to pass through on the way to the islands this city is absolutely worthy of its own place on any travel itinerary I appreciate you stopping by and visiting here on Old alone and far from home I'll see you next [Music] time

Channel: Old, Alone and Far From Home

Views: 60,747

Keywords: Athens, Greece, Syntagma, Monastiraki, Omonia, Sepolia, Plaka, Exarchia, Kolonaki, Mount Lycabettus, National Garden of Athens, Neighborhoods, Kypseli, Peristeri, Piraeus, Anafiotika, Psirri, Solo Travel, Senior Travel

Id: rMDRw8Rg7xw

Length: 18min 50sec (1130 seconds)

Published: Sun Jan 07 2024