Athens Nightlife - Nightclubs and going out in Athens

1. Before arriving in Athens
2. How to get to Athens - Getting to Athens by train, plane, car, ship or bus
3. Public Transport in Athens - Getting around Athens
4. Cost of Living in Athens
5. Save money in Athens - Tips for living in Athens on a student budget
6. Accommodation for students in Athens - Top tips and advice
7. Athens neighbourhoods - The most important districts of Athens
8. Greek Cuisine - The gastronomy of Greece and traditional dishes
9. Where to eat in Athens - Best restaurants in Athens
10. Athens Nightlife - Nightclubs and going out in Athens
11. What to do in Athens
12. Top 10 must-see attractions in Athens
13. Top 10 Festivals in Athens
14. Athens Beaches - The best beaches in Athens
15. Day trips from Athens - Places to visit and excursions around Athens
16. Athens in three days- What to see in Athens in three days

Athens is a city that is vivid not only in the daylight but also during the night. It boasts a high concentration of night bars and clubs in almost every region, making it impossible for you to live far away from some. In this way, you will always have the chance to go out till late at night. Normally, the students who go for drinks or parties in an area different than theirs, use to go out after 22.00 o’clock- although the happy hour is usually at around 20.00-21.00 - and stay at nightclubs until early in the morning, at around 5, when the first buses start running and the subway opens. In the following lines, I will give you some details about the best places where you can advocate your nights in Athens:

Bars - Pubs

A for Athens

It is an urban terrace of a luxury hotel, located in the centre of Athens, embracing the city’s heritage and contemporary culture. Its stunning view over Monastiraki Square and Acropolis makes it the perfect location to enjoy a breakfast in the morning or one of the best cocktails in town at night. Funk, soul, jazz, chillhouse and lounge music- depends on the time of the day- accompanies the overall style. Must try the Golden Flip, and The Old Sport inspired by J. Gatsby. This place will dig a little deep in your pockets, but the environment, the feeling, the great tastes and the view will definitely pay you back. (A for Athens, Miaouli 2, €€€)

Arch Beer House

It is a place that looks exactly like a German Chalet, decorated with stone and wood, with large tables with the names of the most famous rock bands on them, as well as the greatest rock and metal hits playing in the background. The menu has a long list of any nationality of beers. That’s exactly why it attracts fanatic beer lovers, who prefer to have a good time with their friends in a rock atmosphere. (Arch Beer House, Ethnikis Antistaseos 91, Peristeri, €€)

Drunk Sinatra

It is located on a narrow street in the centre of Athens. As soon as you enter it, you will see a sign stating: I feel sorry for the people who are not DRUNK said FR. SINATRA. We say drink cocktails, eat pizza, listen to the DJs. And this is the exact concept of this place, with 50-60s atmosphere and days and nights full of Soul, funk, jazz και blues music. It is a place mostly known for its mythical cocktails and you will pay from 6-10 euros for each one, but trust me, it will be definitely worth it. (Drunk Sinatra, Thiseos 16, Athens, €€)

Couleur Locale

It is hidden in a small arcade in Monastiraki, so be sure that you will ask in order to find it. Although it is a secret open-air spot with one of the best views in Athens, it is well-known amongst the students, who prefer to spend their afternoon after the classes or their weekend mornings there. It is the best place to drink a cocktail along with finger food, as the prices are pretty normal, with drinks for 6 euros and cocktails for 7.5 euros. Depending on the day, you will listen to swing, deep house or rock n roll music. (Couleur Locale, Normanou 3, Athens, €€)

Six Dogs

It is a multi-room where the alternative Athens is expressed. It has a multilevel garden available for cocktails or snacks and it is always full of students, kept as a common secret of all the non-mainstream Athenians. In the Gig Space there are concerts and club nights, as well as events that attract loads of young people. (S. I. X. Dogs, Avramiotou 6-8, Athens, €€)

The Clumsies

This all-day and night bar is deemed one of the World's 50 Best Bars by Drinks International, as it’s owners have set the standard for cocktail innovation in Greece. By offering a bar that both satisfies locals and ambitious world travellers, it consists of one of the most famous bars of Athens for young people who love to live with style and need to meet new people. (The Clumsies, Praxitelous 30, Athens, €€)

Tailor Made

It is one of the city's oldest and most influential speciality coffee shops and award-winning cocktail bars. As a result, it should be on any visitor’s bucket list. You can always ask the waiters which cocktail to choose from the menu, as they are specialised to recognise your tastes and they are always willing to help you. It is a favourite spot for students and working people, all day and night, and its baroque style gives it a special atmosphere. The prices here are medium, but anyway, they are totally worth the quality of the drinks. (Tailor Made, Ag. Eirinis Square 2, Athens, €€)

Balux Seaside

Located in Asteras Glyfadas, it is the best place if you want to escape from the big city and feel that you are on an exotic island, drinking your cocktail by the pool, or even better by the sea. The best hour to drink your cocktail would definitely be sunset time. You will often find guest DJs spinning on weekends and special events are hosted during the week as well. Although the prices are high, the youngsters never miss the chance to spend an evening there in their bikinis, drinking mojitos and taking selfies. (Balux Seaside, Leof. Posidonos 58, Glyfada, €€)

Sorry Mom

It may be away from the centre of Athens, but it's worth a visit if you want to taste really cheap beers. It has a long catalogue of a great variety of cold beers that start from 0.65 euros. Come here only if you want to get drunk and meet a bunch of young people! (Sorry Mom Liquor Store, Elvetias 21, Ag. Paraskevi, €)

AlcoHole

Looking for a cozy hole with low music and cheap drinks? Then alcoHole is your place! The low prices (3 euros for a beer, 4 for a drink, 5 for a cocktail) guarantee that you will definitely get drunk till the end of the night, and the atmosphere that you will meet many young people. It may be away from the centre, but this bar will definitely make your visit worth it! (Alcohole, Elvetias 21, Agia Paraskevi, €).

White Noise

This is a low budget, two-storey bar with alternative music and weekly theme-based events. You can sit downstairs or on the terrace overlooking the Kerameikos district as well as the Acropolis, surrounded by young people and drinking cheap beers (3,5 euros for 500ml), wine (3 euros) or cocktails (7 euros). There is also a happy hour for even lower prices every Friday and Saturday, from 8 until 11 p. m. (White Noise, Eumolpidon 20, Gazi, €)

Clubs

Lohan Nightclub

This is the only Athenian Mega-Club for party animals. It is actually owned by the famous superstar Lindsay Lohan, and it hosts some of the best DJs, shows and live acts in Greece. It has a baroque sense and incredible systems of lights and sound, so let us offer you the ultimate experience of clubbing. The music you are going to listen to here is mostly deep house, dance, reggaeton and r&b (Lohan Nightclub, Iera Odos 30-32, Gazi, entrance fee: 10€)

Akanthus

Absolutely refurbished and full of intense colours, it gives the feeling of a beautiful atmosphere next to the sea. In the summer it has everyday theme parties with international and Greek music, and it is perfect if you want to party by the sea. It opens in late May, although it has many winter branches across Athens. The music is different every night, from Dance, House & RnB international successes, to famous Greek hits. (Akanthus, Leof. Posidonos, Kalamaki, entrance fee: 10€)

Ola Ellinika

It can be found in different districts of Athens, but all of the branches have one basic similarity: the Greek music. It opens every day with a different DJ. Here, you can find the majority of Greek students and young people and learn all the “laika” and folk songs that bring people together in Greece. It is ideal for those who wish to get deep into the “bouzoukia” spirit, and you can find it in many places around Athens. (Ola Ellinika, El. Venizelou 235, N. Smurni, entrance fee: 8€)

Plintirio

Plintirio is the Greek word for “laundry”, and it is famous among the students for the free entrance and the crazy parties! Here, you will meet many Greeks and the music focuses on the Greek 80s and 90s songs. As always every Thursday is Girls Night and the girls only need Greek music, while every Friday and Saturday in the bucket of the “laundry” they mix Greek and foreign hits by Madonna, Backstreet Boys and Shakira, until the early hours. (Plintirio, Dekelon and Orpheus Street, Kerameikos, free entrance)

Enzzo de Cuba

The atmosphere and the sound will make you feel like you are in Cuba, as the creators of the club were actually inspired by the Havana Vieja and the basic Cuban buildings while making this place. Every night you can drink your cocktails while dancing Latin dances, such as salsa, mambo, rumba, reggaeton and, of course, hot bachata. The entrance usually costs 10 euros with a drink included, and the Cuba place is directly linked with an Enzzo club that focuses on Greek and international hits and an Enzzo cooking bar, with Greek tapas and incredible pizzas, so that if you want a change, you can switch to another kind of entertainment. (Enzzo de cuba, Ag. Paraskevis 70, Peristeri, entrance fee:10€)

Socialista

It is one of the first clubs that opened in the Gazi district and it still remains first in the student preferences. Inside its large interior and street scene, there are always crowds of dancing students, especially on weekends. It has international as well as Greek trash music, bringing back the best 80’s and 90’s hits every Thursday. The entrance is free here, and the drinks cost 8 euros each. (Socialista, Triptolemou 33, Gazi, free entrance).

The typical live-music culture in Greece

Well, this is a part only for those who hate to experience a foreign city like tourists, and they want to cross directly to the other side: a full immersion in the Greek customs, live like an Athenian, among other typical Greeks, in places where you can hardly ever find a foreign person, where everything is simply Greek. Yes, you heard well, there are places that keep all the Greek spirit alive, and where the youngsters, especially the students, participate actively, creating a very special party style, different from the usual one that contains clubs and bars. Let me introduce you to three unique forms of entertainment that you will find only in Greece, with many places in Athens to enjoy countless nights away from the usual.

Bouzoukia

The word bouzoukia comes from the Greek word μπουζούκι- bouzouki, that is a musical instrument used in every “laiko” Greek song, which means the song of the simple people. In this case, there are places that have a stage with live music, where the famous Greek singers tend to sing live songs with the sound of bouzouki several nights a week. So if you ever hear a Greek asking the question “pame bouzoukia?”- let’s go to bouzoukia, it means going to one of these places.

It is actually like a club with live music, where you can spend the whole night, normally from 12 o'clock till 6 or 7 in the morning drinking and listening to Greek music. Don’t be surprised if you see people dancing on tables, smashing plates while singing or throwing flowers at the singers- it is absolutely normal. That’s how they are having fun. If you happen to go to one of these places, you will be required to pay from 15 to 40 euros per person, depending on how famous the singer is to the public, if you are going to just stand at the bar or if you buy a bottle of drink at a table and share it with more people. The singers change the place where they are singing each year, so I will suggest names of well-known singers instead of places, as the voice counts more: Konstantinos Argiros, Nikos Vertis, Despoina Vandi or Peggy Zina.

Mezedopoleia- Rakadika

It is the trend of the last years among young people, as it is one of the most economic ways to have a really enjoyable night out with your friends, with good food, live music, and nice company. There are numerous places around Athens, that look like old tavernas, where you can hang out with your friends, share traditional greek and Turkish tastes in small portions, called “mezedes” (from that derives the name mezedo-poleia, which means places that sell mezedes) or a barbeque mix of every kind of meat, and drink ouzo, tsipouro, or raki in shots (that’s why they are also called rakadika, because they are places where you drink raki).

In these tavernas you are eating and drinking under the sounds of traditional songs coming from the 60s, 70s or even older songs, that remain in the heart and mind of the Greeks. Most of the times, at night, there is even live Greek music, with bands mixing these songs and all the young people singing along the lyrics, or even dancing the well-known syrtaki in a circle - that usually happens after a certain amount of raki shots. You can find them anywhere in Athens, although I would recommend you a street in Aigaleo that is full of Rakadika and hosts students that from all over Athens to meet their friend, Agias Lavras Street. The most well known among these are To Dekaraki, Rakopolis, Treis Okades and Raki Aman Meze.

Cretan Cuisine

Creta is one of the biggest Greek Islands, and it has a special and long tradition of sharing. The gastronomic culture of Crete is almost always combined with the dance tradition of the island. It is extremely interesting to have a taste of the kind of feasts and the delicious food Creta has to offer, and if you don’t have enough time in Greece to pay a visit to the island, don’t worry: there are many Cretan tavernas around Athens, where you can eat with your friends, enjoying authentic traditional dishes, Cretan music and folk dances, and strong shots of raki. It is a chance not to be missed if you wish to try homemade tastes, like the ones coming directly from the hands of your mum. The ones that have the greatest atmosphere, as well as authentic tastes, are Romanakia, Omalos, Pasifai, Mitato.

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