Experience in Athens, Greece by Nantia

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

Athens is a big city with more than 4 million people. It is crowded and full of tourists, and there is always a place matching every single taste. It is a medium european capital for an erasmus student, and it guarantees many days of sun and a warm weather. The people are welcoming and the majority of them speaks english, so it will be extremely easy for you to ask for any kind of help or directions and get a reply in english or even your native language if you speak german, french, italian or spanish, as many of them are billingual.

What is the student lifestyle like in Athens?

Athens hosts many universities with a wide range of faculties spread around the city, so there are numerous students all around. Athens is used to tourists but not so much to erasmus students. There are many accommodation offers for students, as well as student organisations in the universities.

During the week it is normal to go out for a coffee or a brunch whenever you have free time. That is actually our national hobby- sitting in a coffee place for at least two hours and enjoying a cup of the many kind of coffees we have with our friends. Students usually go out on Friday and Saturday night in order to drink and party till the morning at clubs or at the so-called "Bouzoukia" (you will find out what I mean once you are there with your friends). On Sundays most of them prefer to hang out for a coffee in the morning or in the afternoon.

Source-Bouzoukia

How much does it cost to live in Athens?

Life in Athens is pretty expensive, but you can always lower your living costs depending on where you live. For example the cost of a rent may vary between 200 to 300 euros for a student flat, depending on the state of the flat and the district where it actually is. The cost of your everyday expenses for food and going out is around 200-300 euros per month, but again it varies according to what you choose to do in your free time, if you prefer to eat out, if you practice sports, etc.

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

It always depends on the region in which you are looking for your acommodation. My recommendation is to search for a flat that is not in the center of Athens (as life in the center gets a little dangerous at night), but in districts where there is a good connexion with a bus or a metro line. In this way you will feel safer, and you will have a lower rent.

I have been living here my whole life, so I have never looked for a flat, but if you need to find one, you can always search through websites like www.xe.gr (it's in greek), through the erasmus facebook pages, or you can actually look around in the city, as many owners usually put stickers on columns in order to advertise their flats. When you are on erasmus, there is always the option of an Erasmus Buddy through the ESN organisation, who can help you find a proper house in a good place.

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

The food is absolutely delicious. Greeks love food and they follow the Mediterranean diet, influenced by the turkish cuisine as well. You can try typical greek dishes, as well as dishes of a wide range of foreign cuisines.

My favourite dishes - and the ones I recommend in case you want to taste the original greek cuisine- are: pastitsio, mousaka, spetzofai, kebab, tzatziki, gemista, ntolmades, xoriatiki salad, any kind of pie (there are numerous), papoutsakia, sea food, and, of course, the so-called Souvlaki.

Source-Souvlaki

And, as Greece is a place with a rich gastronomy in sweets too, try not to miss traditional famous desserts like baklava, bougatsa, kantaifi, karidopita and galaktoboureko.

Source-Bougatsa

What places would you recommend visiting in Athens?

Source-Lycabettus by night

• The Acropolis and it's incredible new museum.

• The Lycabettus for a great view of Athens.

• The Anafiotika district in order to get the feeling that you are on an island.

• Plaka, the most ancient part of Athens.

• The National Garden and the Zappeion for a walk on a sunny day.

• The Odeon of Herodes Atticus where most of the inspirational concerts and ancient tragedy plays take place.

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

Yeah, but it always depends on your budget. You can choose a restaurant or a tavern, but most of them are tourist spots and they can be pretty expensive. For a student budget I would recommend Savvas, Thanasis or Barbadimos for souvlaki or delicious kebab. Burgers are the new trend, and you can find many of them spread over Athens, the tops being the Barbeekiou (a little expensive but it's soooo worth the price) and Bluefield's Burger. Just fallafel sells the best fallafel in town.

Source-Rakadiko - Raki Aman Meze

Last but not least, if you want an authentic greek experience, choose to go to Agia Laura's street in Aigaleo. There you will find a bunch of places called "rakadika", where you can eat traditional greek food and drink original raki, rakomelo, oinomelo wine or tsipouro in low prices.

If you are a sweet lover, Nancy's Serbetospito is a MUST for great sweets swimming in chocolate. Don't miss the kaimaki ice-cream that can accompany your sweets in order to make them a tastier calorie-bomb. In addition there are places for coffee and incredible sweets that will make you feel like you are in a fairytale, like Cap Cap, Fairytale and Little Cook.

Is the nightlife good in Athens? Where is good to go?

The nightlife in Athens is wild. You can go out for a coffee or a drink in places like Monastiraki, Thisseio, Panormou, Anafiotika, Peristeri, Aigaleo and Koukaki where there are coffee shops and bars full of students. There are even pubs called "rakadika" where you can listen to typical greek music and enjoy some traditional food with your friends.

If you want to have an ultimate clubbing experience, Gazi is the place for you. It is full of bars and clubs of every kind of music.

In the summer you can go to seaside bars and clubs in Glyfada, where you can enjoy your drinks and dance to the mainstream beats right next to the beach.

Source-Glyfada - Akanthus club night club

What advice would you give future students heading to Athens?

Make the most out of your experience. Try not to live like a tourist, but like a local. Try to learn some greek, the greeks will love you if you say a kalimera or even a kind euharisto. Travel in seaside places close to Athens, or even in other traditional cities. Go on a Greek Island. Mykonos, Skiathos, Santorini, Rhodes, Paros, Ios and Creta are the most popular student destinations when it comes to islands. The weather will reward you in any case. Your best choise to achieve that is in the spring semester. And avoid the tourist traps. Greeks may be welcoming, but some of them are looking forward to your money, too. And finally, make some greek friends. There is nothing like the Greek Hospitality, and it's your chance to experience it at its best!