Athens, Greece
Dip A Toe was borne from Athens. The high that I felt on that first trip - the need to document and share the people, places and things that were the DNA of a place, continues today. We are still not worthy of you, Athens. Your modern vibe, your incredible food, your walkability, your warm and friendly people, and your seamless synergy between the historic old and the funky new.
I have now been in May and December and the weather was great both times of year. Avoid the Summer months but otherwise, some of the best weather out there. It pains me that people just stop for a day in the dead of Summer on their way to the Islands. Take an overnight flight on a Wednesday, arrive Thursday morning, spend Thursday, Friday and Saturday bopping around the city and fly back Sunday afternoon.
STAY: The hotel options have expanded drastically in the last four years. AthensWas, New Hotel and Fresh Hotel were the only appealing hotels the first time I was there. Now there are dozens. There are lots of cheap and cheerful options in Athens, which makes it easy to travel there on any budget. I liked both Fresh and Brown Acropol just fine, and both did have amazing rooftops - Fresh with a pool and Brown with hot tubs along with rooftop restaurants and bars. Both in the same neighborhood which is close to everything but not the best part of town. Of the two, I preferred Fresh, it is simple but cool and well run. Everything you need- good design, comfy bed, lovely staff, bomb breakfast and the rooftop. And really, the rooftop situation at Brown is pretty dope too - nice to know that there are options across the spectrum to choose from.
EAT: Seychelles, oh my dear Seychelles. Eat at Seychelles. It is filled with locals, pours onto the street, pours into the square, and even sitting at the bar, as I did, is a total treat, as you get to watch the kitchen work and feel connected to the food you will eat. Seychelles is cool, cooler than most…and the food is next level. Most of my dreams about food include Taramasalata and they have some of the creamiest and best. The pappardelle with cured pork will change your life. The neighborhood is a little fringy so keep your wits getting to and from.
With a young chef and mediterranean and asian flavors (mostly Japanese and Greek) Nolan is chic, minimalism at its best. This place is buzzy and the food is surprisingly light for how in depth the flavors are. Nolan is different than any other food in the city and is a nice way to mix it up.
Vintage Wine Bar & Bistro just gets better with time. The servers and sommeliers are extremely knowledgable and want you to have the wine experience of a lifetime. They let you try a bunch and always find you the exact wine you are looking for in their vast collection. I love the deep list of wines by the glass, so rare. I sit at the sommelier bar, and always enjoy watching as wine is poured and shared. The food is as good as the wine, the charcuterie, these little tacos they have, and their desserts are all incredible paired with the wine.
Meat n Roses is a quick and delicious grill house that is a fab lunch spot, great if you are poking around Kolonaki. No frills to be found as it’s a big take-away lunch spot, but the food is delicious (loved my souvlaki) and I found the sort of dark alley where they have some dine-in tables to be rather charming.
Ama Lachei is the perfect way to spend a slow Saturday or Sunday for lunch/brunch. Mezze dishes that change weekly in an ivy-covered, dreamy courtyard that sits below street-level and was once a schoolyard. It’s always busy but they do a nice job finding everyone a table. I also now try to recreate and insert their end of meal sweet bite and sip wherever I can. Pair Ama Lachei with a (strenuous) walk to the top of Lycabettus Hill which is nearby.
SHOP: The work of jewelry designers in Athens is up there with some of the best and costs less than work by similar designers in Italy. Buy jewelry while in Athens! Petaei-Petaei is a narrow sliver of a shop in the chic neighborhood of Kolonaki. There is so much to discover in this little store and it takes a few trips around the shop to really see everything - take you time, try on, enjoy it. Break A Stone is my other fave. Aggelika, the owner, designer, maker, stylist, and all around bad ass oozes with the energy we all need more of in our lives. The front of her space is a street-facing shop with great floor to ceiling, steel-framed windows. The store is filled with vintage furniture and display cases that she has collected over the years that are as beautiful as the jewelry they hold. In the back is her studio and workshop where you can find her most of the time.
People People is a good little women’s clothing boutique north of the city-center that beats to their own drum and is filled to the brim with colorful, well designed pieces. Each item feels thoughtful and special and this tiny shop is not only the gem of the neighborhood but the best I found in Athens. Though it’s a little further to get to, I recommend taking a taxi to People People and then working your way back by foot, following the below route.
DO: If you have three days in Athens, do one day in the city center - Plaka, Psirri, Monastiraki and the Acropolis, one day that includes Exarcheia, Lycabettus Hill and Kolonaki (start high and walk down) and a third day without a plan except to wander, go back to places you liked or missed and to explore a new part of town that a local may have mentioned. I have not explore Thissio and the other neighborhoods further west in the city so that’s on the list for next time.
I would do the Lycabettus Hill day on a Saturday to also catch the Exarcheia farmers market. Take a taxi up to People People Boutique (that is your further point and a nice little neighborhood), from there walk through Pedion tou Areos which is a great park, next go to Ama Lachei for lunch (en route, pop into Yesterday’s Bread, a funky vintage store) and Ama Lachei is right in the middle of the farmer’s market. From there, look up and start your climb to the top of Lycabettus Hill which is the best view of the city and a fun little sweat sesh. Then its straight on down through Kolonaki (stop at Petai Petai mentioned above).
I will never not be in total awe of the Acropolis. I spend hours up there, I love hearing bits and pieces of other people’s tours, seeing and reading about each structure, people watching, looking out over the city, wow wow wow. End of day is my favorite time to visit, significantly less people as the large groups are never there late, go between 5 and 7pm.
KNOW: You can walk almost anywhere in Athens. There are taxis a plenty and your Uber app will also get you a taxi. Metro sounds easy too, though I have never taken it. Athens is a late city, most eat a late dinner and are up late late. You can often catch some balmy weather in March, November and even sometimes December. Perfect months are September, October, April, May. Nearly everyone speaks English and they are on the Euro. If you are in the US, Athens sounds far to most, but with an overnight flight on the way there, that is long enough to get you a full night’s sleep, and the time you make up on the way back, it is the perfect destination for a shorter, inspired trip…spread the word.