Experience in Athens, Greece by Marina

What is it like to live in Athens? Would you recommend it? What is the city like?

Of course I would reccomend it! It is always alive, with people in the streets and squares, cheap and tasty! If there were more people going to the parks also, it would be perfect!

The transportation may Incommode you the first days (depending on where you live also) but after the first days it will be ok. There are also applications where you can see bus arrivals, routs etc.

What is the student lifestyle like in Athens?

You can find several student lifestyles in Athens, from clubing till the morning to the most alternative with your beer on the square. It just depends on what you are and want!

How much does it cost to live in Athens?

Comparing with other European cities it is not expensive to live in Athens (of course it depends of what kind of life you want!) but for a student it is really affordable. Not including the rent, 150-200 euros per month are ok, if you cook in your home. With 300 euros (10e/day let' say)you can also have a good fast food except from beers and coffee!

The monthly card for the transportation costs 15 euros for students, so this is not a big expense.

Is it difficult to find accommodation in Athens? Is there any advice you can give?

In Athens it is really easy to find accommodation, a little more difficult is to find fully furnitured. The owners of the apartments that are rented for long stay are many times very strange and cautious about renting their places, most times without reason, and they are also many times over their 60s so they hardly speak English! My point is that if you have a Greek friend ask him/her to help you, to make the calls etc, so you will have more chances!

Of course there is also many apartments in AirBnB that are available for long stay and it is always the easiest and most convenient way, but if you manage to find an apartment from a rental site it will be much cheaper (you can find a studio from 150-200/month)!

What is the food like? What are your favourite dishes?

Not because I am Greek, but I strongly believe that the only place that I have eaten better food from Greece is in Turkey! This is always my problem when I am travelling abroad! The best thing is that you can find very good and cheap fast food, and not only unhealthy ones! For example a good souvlaki can be very nutritious and healthy, as a full meal! There are also some restaurants, usually in the neighborhoods not in the center, where they have homemade Greek food and you can eat a really good portion of food for 5-7 Euros.

What places would you recommend visiting in Athens?

There are many places that are not known and they are really nice for visiting. For example the Antonis Tritsis Park is one of the biggest and most beautiful parks in Athens but almost nobody will reccommend and the Veikou Park as well!

If you also want to see how really Athens is you have to visit neighborhoods like Kipseli and Patisia. Ano-Patisia is also a nice place to go out in the evening, there are some nice bars etc...

I am not writing about touristic places and places like Metaxourgeio, Kerameikos, Exarcheia and Pagrati because you can easily find out about them!

Is it good to eat out in Athens? Can you tell us your favourite spots?

It is always good to eat out in Athens! My favourite places are 'Creperie L' Artist' in Patision street (and a blog away there is the best ice-cream in XAPA gelaterie), 'San Francisco' in Metaxourgeio for the best sandwich ever, 'Colibri' in Pagrati for pizza, pasta, burgers!

What advice would you give future students heading to Athens?

Not to be afraid to see other places except from the ones that everybody knows and recommend because there are really nice places that you can discover in the whole city!