A private travel office · Amsterdam You were given a word.
The Aegean · In season March to June and September to November
Athens
An ancient city that has seen most stories unfold, now hosting urban bars, busy cafés and a nightlife with its own pull. The ruins are the reason to come; the youth culture is the reason to stay.
Eat
- Linou Soumpasis & Sia A casual, contemporary taverna gone back to basics — steel tables, simple glassware, produce-driven cooking. The settled choice for dinner. Monastiraki
- Birdman A Japanese pub and grill with cooking well beyond the format — tight room, exact service, the tataki first. Plaka
- Fita The gastro-taverna taking Greek food somewhere new without losing it — laid-back room, open kitchen, an afternoon that extends itself. Neos Kosmos
- GB Roof Garden Atop the Grande Bretagne, with the Acropolis close enough to touch — and bread baked in-house that disappears before breakfast is over. Plaka
- Line Athens Everything made from scratch, flavours mixed and meshed like nowhere else in town — a bar treated as a kitchen. Kato Petralona
- Pharaoh Wood-fired cooking under log piles, natural wine and vinyl — the keftedakia with a side of dolmadakia is the staple on a menu that never sits still. Exarchia
Stay
- Four Seasons Astir Palace The seaside escape thirty minutes from the centre — beach, spa and service that make staying in defensible, with the city there when wanted. Vouliagmeni
- Mona A former industrial factory where the heritage is kept as carefully as the linen — elegant, artsy, and made for a city escape. Monastiraki
- Shila A bohemian boutique house in Kolonaki, its interiors assembled by artist Eftihia Stefanidi — with the neighbourhood supplying every excuse to stay put. Kolonaki
Do
- Acropolis The most important icon of the western world, the Parthenon at its crown — early morning or late afternoon, when the crowds thin. Makrygianni
- Benaki Museum A converted family mansion holding a vast collection of Greek artifacts — a few unhurried hours, well spent. Kolonaki
- Krabo A beach club and restaurant with good music and better light — sun beds, cabanas and a Mediterranean lunch. The summer feeling, inside city limits. Vouliagmeni
- Museum of Cycladic Art All things Cycladic, artifacts to sculpture — with programming for children, quietly appreciated by parents. Kolonaki
Shop
- Takis Bakery Fresh bread from a small neighbourhood bakery, loved locally — the baklava needs no defence. Koukaki
- Mouki Mou Clothing, accessories and jewellery chosen with a sure hand — the first stop for a new outfit in Athens. Plaka