Athens: more than Acropolis

Visitors to Greece often have just one thing on their mind: stretching out on those beaches as soon as they can. As a result, the country’s capital is often overlooked. That’s a pity, because Athens has much more to offer than just the Acropolis and the stadium of the first Olympic Games. The 7,500- year-old metropolis is an insider tip among zeitgeist- minded travellers, and scores for its lively charm, its irrepressible cheerfulness and a gastronomic scene that is far more varied than its reputation may suggest.

Koulouri sellers on almost every Athens street corner
You’ll find koulouri sellers on almost every Athens street corner. Their sesame-seed bread rings are a popular and in expensive snack that has its origins in the Ottoman Empire some 500 years ago.
Every Saturday, Kallidromiou street in the city’s Exarchia district is transformed into a lively fruit and vegetable market.
Every Saturday, Kallidromiou street in the city’s Exarchia district is transformed into a lively fruit and vegetable market.
Greek olives in Athen
Greek olives in all hues will be found at the Varvakios Market. They cost almost nothing and, on request, the traders will even vacuum-pack them for your flight home.
Dimitrios Antonitsis is an athen-based artist
After studying machine engineering at Zurich’s ETH, Dimitrios Antonitsis made a remarkable U-turn in his life. Today, he’s an internationally renowned Athens-based artist whose large-format aluminium sculptures and jewellery creations were most recently shown in Berlin.
Souvlaki: pita bread with grilled meat, tomatoes, onions, yoghurt and parsley. The best are from O Kostas, Pentelis 5.
Souvlaki: pita bread with grilled meat, tomatoes, onions, yoghurt and parsley. The best are from O Kostas, Pentelis 5.
Acropolis Museum
A modern home for ancient finds. The Acropolis Museum was designed by Swiss architect Bernard Tschumi and his Greek colleague Michalis Fotiadis, and opened ten years ago.

There’s a lot going on: students hanging out in Psirri’s cool cafés, the business folk slicing their racing bikes through Syntagma Square, and elegant ladies browsing Kolonaki’s designer boutiques before heading back to their hillside homes with terraces and sea views. In the evenings the Greek wine flows, along with ouzo, an anise liquor that will see any night owl through the late hours.

Busy streets of Athens.
Busy streets of Athens.
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Text: Patricia Engelhorn
Photos: Jürg Waldmeier 

Published: 07.12.22