Living in Athens

Hey there! Thought about posting an experience, since I've been living in Athens quite long.

• So, the architecture is pretty interesting, especially in the center of Athens, which is mostly inspired by the ancient greek culture. At the same time though, in some areas (again in the center) you will see many buildings in pretty bad shape or many of them that won't impress you at all. For a capital city, Athens is pretty small and sometimes kinda reminds you of a huge village. Still it is a pretty place with different museums and other places to visit.



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• Regarding the culture and customs. It depends on the families and the people you meet. Not everyone follows them. But in general Chrsitmas is celebrated a lot, as well as Easter, which seems to be even more of an importance. In general Greeks love going out, eating, dancing and singing, and that is what happens a lot during summer (during winter too, but not in open spaces).
• The food is good as well, but I guess it depends on what each person prefers. Souvlakiis a must (you can find it pretty much everywhere). You can eat all kind of foods, starting from a simple salad and ending up with a nice piece of meat or delicious fish. There are a lot of places to eat in Plaka, especially if you like meat (it is exactly in the center of Athens under the Acropolis, so during summer you'll meet a ton of tourists there). Or if you are fond of fish, you can visit Peireus, street Akti Themistokleous and find there a great range of seafood-restaurants. If you prefer something away from the touristic areas, you can try and visit "Φωλιά" in Aghia Varvara. It is a restaurant, or ταβέρνα as we call it in greek, where meat is served, along with nice live music and a great atmosphere (especially during Saturday nights). It is owned by a family, who also create the nice music and fun. It is open only during winter though, when it is cold outside. But in general Greek people are fans of ordering food and souvlaki, as I said before.
• Greeks love to party and especially the younger generation. While everyone visits ταβέρνες or other kinds of entertainment, there are many young people, who love to go to clubs. Gazi is a pretty popular place, but now it is kinda outdated, so most people visit places like Lohan (close to Gazi), Penarrubia (next to the sea). But in general there are a lot of places like: Tokyo, Toyroom, S-cape (lgbt), Boiler, Why sleep, Alcatraz (strip club), Πλυντήριο (not the usual club music, as you may expect), and others go to bouzoukia (μπουζούκια). Cannot say a lot about those though, since they are not my cup of tea. If you prefer bars, there are some in Psiri. Cafeterias and such you can find pretty much everywhere and with a nice view. There are also two other places, which are not located in the center : Telescope (Haidari) and TerraPetra (Ilioupoli), Marina Flisvou (Palaio Faliro). If you want to enjoy a simple beer, instead of sitting at a cafeteria, you can get a car and go up a mountain, where you'll find a place to park and enjoy a nice view. What could be better than drinking your beer, enjoying a nice view of Athens and looking at all those couples right beside you.
• Except for the clubs, restaurants, there are cinemas and theaters. You can find alternative kind of entertainment e. g watch an old movie with others for free etc. (cannot find the words to describe it better).
• The city itself is not that big, so moving around is not that complicated. The metro usually comes every 3 minutes, but on weekends it can get up to 10 to 15 min. The buses are a completely different story. It depends on each line. Some come every 10 min, others every 20 min and others every hour. You can download the official app OASA and see when the bus starts and in how much time it's gonna get to the stop that you're at (Careful, you can obtain a ticket for the bus only at the metro station, but the best is to get a monthly card, which costs 30 Euros and it is unlimited). The taxis are not that expensive. The min. is 3 Euros. But be careful, after 00:00 the price is double. As an alternative you can always rent a car.
• The prices I think are normal. Considering the fact that an apartment here could cost you 200- 300 Euros, whereas in a different city, like Hamburg, Germany you can get for the same price just a room.
• If you want me to be honest, I would suggest you to rent an apartment (especially if your budget is around 300 to 400 Euros), rather than get into the dorms. You can find a place to live possibly through internet or through ads on the street.
• Well the weather is pretty nice, but I think it is more like being on two ends. During winter it can get pretty cold and sloppy, whereas during summer it is really freakin' hot. But it is still true, that during summer you can go to the sea and spend your time at the beach (preferably outside the city).



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• Also be careful with your stuff and always keep you bag in front, especially when you are using public transport. If you are a driver, keep in mind that greek drivers are not very calm and the word "malakas" is pretty common (The same goes for the non-drivers).

All in all, I think Athens is a nice place to spend some time, especially as a student. Sometimes it kinda reminds you of chaos, with many different people, different nationalities, interests and backgrounds. I would suggest you to definitely find some friends, and especially Greeks, who would be able to show you all those different kind of things.

Good luck in Athens!