Neighborhoods of Athens: The Alternative City Tour

We start our alternative Athens city tour in Syntagma, look at the Old Royal Palace as an integral part the city’s re-launch after the devastation of the 1821 War of Independence. From here, we head to Kolonaki, where the rich and famous of Athens have always settled, making the local square the city’s leading place for seeing and being seen over the last two centuries.

Our next stop is Exarchia, a hotbed of rebellious young thinkers. Thanks to the proximity of the local university, this area is where students gather to argue the issues of the day, and where sometimes argument turns to organized protest. But it’s also the home of one the city’s earliest apartment buildings, a wonderful example of Modernist architecture in an area of town that has always been associated with forward-thinking and social experimentation. Continue On with the Neoclassical Trilogy of Athens consists of three superb buildings: the University, the Library and the Academy, designed by the Hansen Brothers of Denmark.

The newly gentrified neighborhood of Psyrri used to be devoted to small businesses, like the hardware stores you can still find here and there, but now they’re all interspersed with trendy eateries and funky little bars. It’s also an area where you can see some of the city’s best street art, or come across a new jewelry designer.

The tour ends at Monastiraki Square, a perfect amalgam of everything Athens has to offer. In addition to the cafés and souvenir shops that lead to the entrance of an extensive flea market. By the end of our tour we hope that you will have understood the true soul of Athens and its people, a city of many contrasts standing still as a gateway between the East and the West.