Greece - Korina Miller [64]
PSYRRI ΨΥΡΡΗ
The once clapped-out neighbourhood of Psyrri (psee-ree), just north of Monastiraki, has morphed into a busy entertainment precinct, with bars, restaurants, theatres and art galleries. Slick warehouse conversions and restored neoclassical houses compete with a hotchpotch of quirky stores, bakeries, workshops and dilapidated buildings. Psyrri comes alive after dusk and is a good place for live Greek music at one of the tavernas. Of late, it has lost its hip edge, and the bordering streets are rife with junkies and the city’s seedier elements.
THISIO ΘΗΣΕΙΟ
Thisio’s remarkable transformation began in the late 1990s, when the former traffic-clogged, noisy thoroughfare of Apostolou Pavlou was turned into one of the most serene parts of the city. It’s now a lovely green pedestrian promenade under the Acropolis, a heritage trail with its share of cafes and youth-filled bars.
KOLONAKI ΚΟΛΩΝΑΚΙ
Kolonaki, east of Syntagma, is undeniably chic. Tucked beneath Lykavittos Hill, it has long been the favoured address of Athenian socialites. Its streets are full of classy boutiques and private art galleries, as well as dozens of cafes, trendy restaurants and upscale apartment buildings. Plateia Kolonakiou (Kolonaki Sq) and the cafes along Milioni are prime positions for people-watching and fashion-victim–spotting.
Imposing Leoforos Vasilissis Sofias is lined with neoclassical buildings housing museums, embassies and government offices.
MAKRYGIANNI & KOUKAKI MAΚΡΥΓΙΑΝΝΗ & ΚΟΥΚΑΚΙ
The quiet residential neighbourhoods south of the Acropolis, around the new Acropolis Museum, are refreshingly untouristy.
Makrygianni, between Filopappou Hill and Leoforos Syngrou, has a few upmarket hotels and restaurants, and boasts the city’s first gay precincts (between Stratigou Makrygianni and Leoforos Syngrou; boxed text). Further south, the low-key residential district of Koukaki, which runs along the foothills of the Acropolis, has some excellent neighbourhood eateries.
AROUND OMONIA ΟΜΟΝΟΙΑ
The commercial district around Omonia was once one of the city’s smarter areas, but despite ongoing efforts to clean it up, it is still seedy, especially at night, when the city’s less desirable elements congregate in the middle of the square (or, rather, giant roundabout). A quasi-Chinatown and ethnic quarter has evolved in the streets behind Omonia and west of Plateia Eleftherias (Koumoundourou), rife with hostels, squats and makeshift mosques for the city’s increasing refugee and illegal-immigrant population. It makes a confronting backdrop for the trendy bars and boutique hotels that have sprouted in the area.
The area to the northwest of Plateia Omonias (Omonia Sq) probably rates as the sleaziest part of Athens, particularly the streets around Plateia Vathis – notorious for prostitutes and junkies.
EXARHIA ΕΞΑΡΧΕΙΑ
Next to the National Archaeological Museum, the Athens Polytechnio (Technical University) is the symbol of democratic struggle. It led the infamous student sit-in of 1973, in opposition to the junta, and continues to be the hot spot of political resistance. Exarhia, the bohemian graffiti-covered neighbourhood squashed between the Polytechnio and Strefi Hill, is a lively spot popular with students, artists and left-wing intellectuals. It has many good-value restaurants, cafes and bars, and alternative book, comic, music and clothing stores (as well as a strong presence of anarchists and riot police).
GAZI ΓΚΑΖΙ
Gazi’s revival started with the transformation of the historic gasworks into a cultural centre. The red neon-lit chimney stacks illuminate the surrounding streets, packed with bars and restaurants. Gazi is one of the burgeoning gay-friendly neighbourhoods of Athens, with a host of gay bars and clubs.
With Gazi almost reaching saturation point, the new hip area is heading towards