This is Athens

🚶‍♂️ Celebrate World Car-Free Day in Athens! 🚶‍♀️

Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” and Wim Wenders’ “Wings of Desire” under the night sky. Αγία Φανφάρα’s brass music parade, Enteka Athens’ electronic grooves and Kidsradio.com’s fantastic line-up of future superstar performers soundtracking all hours of the weekend. De Profundis Ensemble’s classical melodies to greet you on your Sunday morning.

Traffic safety workshops, bicycle workshops, skate jams, walk races, slow races and a tad faster ones. Face painting sessions and dinosaur adventures. All happening on Athinas Street courtesy of This is Athens - City Festival.

Our 24-hour street party marking begins tomorrow at 8 pm on Athinas Street and features all the above and more. Bring your young ones and join us in embracing a slice of car-free Athens like never before. Be a good sport and come on foot or via public transport.

See the day’s full schedule 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_CarFreeAthinas



📷 1 Thomas Gravanis , 2,3,5,6 Georgios Makkas , 4,7,8 Orestis Seferoglou / © This is Athens

Some people swear the best way to find an authentic local restaurant in a new city is to ask a taxi driver for recommendations. We’ve upped the ante, and asked some of the hottest chefs in town to share their favourite neighbourhood restaurants and secret haunts in Athens. Link in bio.

Where the Chefs Eat in Athens We asked some of the city's finest chefs to share their favourite restaurants and hidden gems in Athens.

Calling all art aficionados. 📢🎨

Art Athina, Greece's largest visual arts fair and one of the oldest in Europe, is back at the beautiful Zappeion this Friday for its 31st edition. Don’t miss the chance to mingle with local art lovers and explore the works of 71 art spaces from around the world.

Read our feature on Art Athina’s impact on Athens’ contemporary art scene, including interviews with some of the city's leading gallery owners.

Contemporary Affairs of the Art with Art Athina Rub shoulders with the crème de la crème of the Athens art crowd in Art Athina, the country’s biggest contemporary art fair, as we interview some of the city’s key gallery owners.

Athens' so-called "Museum District" may take centre stage, but true culture lovers know there’s much more beyond the city centre. Join us for a wander through Thissio and Ano Petralona where artists, designers and gallerists put their mark on Athens’ creative scene 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_GalleryWalk

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

🚶‍♂️ Celebrate World Car-Free Day in Athens! 🚶‍♀️

Join us this September as This is Athens - City Festival transforms Athinas Street into a pedestrian paradise. From 8 pm on September 21 to 8 pm on September 22, enjoy a 24-hour street party filled with events for all ages and tastes in the biggest car-free celebration the city has ever seen. 🚦🌳

Put your best foot forward and be part of in Athens. Check out the full agenda at the following link and don’t forget to bring your own wheels! 🚲🛹

Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_CarFreeAthinas

Nothing to see here, just your ordinary God of Sun doing what he does best—lighting up our city. ☀️ Any ideas where this statue is?
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Our September newsletter is on its way!
Subscribe here 👉 https://bit.ly/thisisathens_newsletter

With September’s spirit of renewal in the air, Athens invites you to experience your stay with fresh, green eyes. Our guide to a low-impact visit to the Greek capital covers all bases; from farm-to-table dining, eco-friendly adventures and events that connect you with the city in meaningful ways. On that last note, if you don’t have any plans for how about dropping by Athinas Street? We promise it will be worth it.

Newsletter September 2024 | The Official Athens Guide Press Press Releases This is Athens & Partners, 05/09/2024 Newsletter September 2024 Copied to clipboard Gallery Thomas Gravanis Athens Welcomes a Greener September September's spirit of renewal is in the air. In this mood for change, we invite you to experience Athens with fresh, green eyes and emb...

The Acropolis is not the only monument in Athens whose omnipresence often translates to absence in the minds of Athenians. Hadrian’s Arch, standing tall on Amalias Avenue, quietly witnesses thousands of locals and visitors passing by every day.

Here at , this arch holds a special significance for us, not just because of its imposing presence, but due to the inscriptions it carries. One side, facing the Acropolis, declares, “This is Athens, the ancient city of Theseus,” while the other boldly states, “This is the city of Hadrian, and not of Theseus.”

Learn more about this monumental marble gateway to two eras 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_HadriansArch

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Got your own list of secret spots in Athens? Congratulations, you’re a local! Have you come across any new ones this summer?

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There’s a reason why Athens has so many rooftop bars. That reason is 4,500 years old. Among the many urban rooftops offering grand views of the Acropolis, this one stands out as the highest. Can you guess where this is?

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“Art represents those who have departed yet remain present. They passed it down to us with two requests: to keep it intact and to guard it from foreign ownership, preserving its unique character."

“Athens Crafts” is the title of the latest series of documentary-style travel videos by Marketing Greece and Aegean Airlines. Through six videos that focus on traditional Greek crafts such as marble crafting, ceramics, millinery, musical instrument making, silk weaving and the making of handmade straw chairs, offers a rare insight into the emotional value of these artistries. Explore the intangible cultural heritage of Athens, passionately preserved to this day. Watch the full series at the link below.

Athens Crafts - Straw / Ψάθα (short version) #shorts #crafts #athens 💭 Handmade furniture hides a lot of love and warmth... It is as if it breathes in the space...🧶 Watch the full straw craft documentary here: https://youtu....

Athens is at its most quiet today, as August 15 (or Dekapentavgoustos) is a major religious holiday in Greece. It’s also a date around which most Greeks (and Athenians, of course) plan their summer holidays. So, for the next few days we’ll be leaving you with the keys to our ancient city. Should you need anything, we’re only a DM away.

📷 / © This is Athens

If planning the perfect family itinerary in Athens were an Olympic sport, we would be gold medalists. Check out our guide for a family-friendly Athens 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_FamilyItinerary

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'Athens is a vibe.' We weren’t sure what the kids meant by this until we saw this photo by . Now we know.

If Fokionos Negri Street is the spine of the Kypseli neighbourhood, the Kypseli Municipal Market is its beating heart. It’s also an excellent hideout where you can escape the city heat.

Built in 1935 as a food market, the KMM is one of the neighbourhood’s oldest historical landmarks. Now a listed building, it operates as a lively hub for social enterprises, start-ups, workshops, bazaars, and various events. Following its latest renovation in 2023, the market boasts two enormous ceiling fans that pleasantly cool all visitors who stop by for a coffee break or some people-watching. It also houses a charming small museum dedicated to the neighbourhood’s history as well as a great array of small businesses for those who prefer to support local commerce during their travels.

Read more about Kypseli and the KMM 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_Locals_Guide_Kypseli

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

People generally don’t think of Athens as a seaside destination. But did you know that there’s actually a bounty of beautiful clean beaches lining the Athenian coastline in all directions?

From family pleasers with shallow seas and active adventures, and party playgrounds with cocktails and tunes, to free rustic coves and five-star gems, Athens has a beach to suit every mood, age, mode and budget. Discover your own favourite 👉 https://bit.ly/athens_BeachTribes

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Home to Athens’ restless creatives and GenZers, Protogenous Street shelters stories of love, artistry and daydreaming behind its graffitied facade.

From record stores and all-day bars to hotels, second-hand stores and hairdressers, get to know the local business owners as we stop by our favourite hangouts on this roaring slice of Psirri 👉https://bit.ly/TiA_Protogenous

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

Athens is full of architectural surprises. Some you have to look for, while others make their presence quite obvious. From the neoclassical to the post-modern, there’s a lot of history to unravel in the city’s building designs.

Follow the link to discover some of the most under-the-radar landmarks that have defined the shifting trends of architecture in Athens over the decades 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_AthensArchitecture

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Athens’ newest major museum, and one of its most beautiful to date, is one you have likely walked past without noticing.

The Μουσείο Νεότερου Ελληνικού Πολιτισμού-Museum of Modern Greek Culture, located right next to Monastiraki Metro station, resides in a stunning 4,000 sqm complex, comprised of 18 buildings within a private courtyard, reflecting a rare architectural beauty.

Discover MNEP here 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_MNEP

📷 Courtesy of Museum of Modern Greek Culture

One of the most frequent questions you ask is how to spend the few hours before your flight instead of wandering around Athens Airport. A taxi ride to any of the nearby beaches is a great choice, surely. But how about doing something really special?

Take a 15-minute drive to The Vorres Museum, Athens’ best-kept secret. Part ethnographic museum, part avant-garde gallery, and part secluded retreat, this vivid patchwork of history, where artefacts and ephemera from two and a half millennia of Greek history sit side by side, is, above all, a monument to one man’s vision.

Vorres Museum: the Best Kept Secret Museum in Athens The Vorres Museum is part ethnographic museum and part avant-garde gallery, and it’s one of the most interesting and eccentric places to see in the city. Make sure to check it out while you’re in Athens; it’s worth the trip.

Athens is one of the few cities in Europe where you can swim all year round. What’s more, you don’t have to spend half a day travelling to the nearest beach or tracking down that Instagrammable rooftop pool.

Follow the link to discover the nearest beaches and urban pools in Athens—your ideal havens for a cool July visit 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_PoolsBeaches

📷 Manos Chatzikonstantis / © This is Athens

One man's trash is another man's treasure. 💰

Whether you take this in the literal sense or the way we interpret it (that, after all, it’s all a matter of taste), you can’t go wrong with a visit to Avissinias Square in the Monastiraki Flea Market. All sorts of trinkets, cutlery, textiles, jewellery, paintings, and thingamajigs await if you have the patience—and bargaining skills. 💍

For the full experience, drop by early on a Sunday and head to the surrounding Psirri alleys for some serious second-hand shopping. You may even be lucky enough to come across live auctions at the antique shops on Ermou Street. Happy treasure hunting!

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

Ice cream is to Athens what hot chocolate is to Brussels. From classic sundaes to innovative flavours like Greek fig and mascarpone, these ice cream shops will help you keep your cool in the city, no matter how hot it gets 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_IceCream

📷 Amalia Kovaiou / © This is Athens

Much more than just the landmark square, Omonia embraces all things that make Athens a metropolis full of fascinating contradictions. With a rich history and a captivating, and ever-evolving character, Omonia is a state of being that needs to be experienced first-hand. Get ready by reading our guide 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_Omonia_Guide

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

Happy ! From buskers on Ermou Street to open-air concerts and music parades, here’s what Athens has on its setlist for this special day.🎶

🥁 Follow the sound of marching bands throughout Athens, from Monastiraki Square to Zappeion Megaron, the National Garden, and the Athens University, in an all-day celebration courtesy of the City of Athens 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_Summer2024

🎹 Discover the lovely gardens of the Athens Concert Hall with a free entrance concert of classical music featuring works by Bernstein, Bizet, Strauss, and Grothe. Chamber music ensembles of various ages will also be performing at Megaron’s Music Library 👉 https://bit.ly/ΤιΑ_Megaron2024

🏖 Into something more contemporary? How about dancing to Boris Brejcha’s minimal-techno grooves at the Athens Riviera 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_BeachParties2024

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens

With its small but vibrant LGBTQ+ scene, Athens is a city where everyone is welcome and diversity is celebrated. There are many places you can watch dazzling drag shows in this city; from slapstick acts in drag to glittery extravaganzas, there’s something for everyone. Read more below.

Serving the Tea: Where to Catch Drag Shows in Athens With its small but vibrant LGBTQ+ scene, Athens is a city where everyone is welcome and diversity is celebrated. From slapstick acts in drag to glittery extravaganzas, here’s where to watch drag shows in Athens.

This is a cool post. No, literally, this is a post about staying cool in Athens over the next few days. As temperatures rise in the Greek capital, here's how to beat the city's heat. Don't forget to drink some water and lather on that sunscreen. 🧊🧊

🏖 Head to the nearest public beaches and urban pools for a refreshing dip 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_PoolsBeaches

🚊 How do you get to said beaches, you ask? Take the tram! You'll love the extra frisky air conditioning 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_Athens_Tram

🛒 Swap rooftop glamour for downtown arcade climes and combine some legit sightseeing with a spot of retail therapy 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_ArcadeShops

🍽 Limit your outdoor activity and pair your museum check-ins with a fine lunch or dinner at these amazing museum restaurants 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_MuseumRestos

🍦 Find out how well Athens does ice cream (hint: our summer lasts six months) and get the scoop on the coolest sorbets and cornettos in town 👉 https://bit.ly/TiA_IceCream

📷 Thomas Gravanis / © This is Athens