It is a little after nine and the tavernas are only now filling up. Plates are shared, glasses are refilled, and nobody is checking the time. Later, the streets around Monastiraki and Thissio begin to hum with conversation as cafe tables spill onto the pavement.
Athens goes out late and stays out. Dinner rarely starts before 20:00, and clubbers begin getting ready around midnight. In summer, many clubs move to the coast. The city suits visitors who like to eat slowly, walk between neighbourhoods, and let the evening run long.
Where to go out in Athens
1. Psyrri
Psyrri, just north of Ermou street between the Monastiraki and Thissio metro stops, holds a concentration of smart bars and small clubs. It is compact enough to wander between venues on foot.
This suits a night that starts with drinks and stays flexible. Reach it via Monastiraki or Thissio stations.
2. The streets north of Ermou
The area north of Ermou street, between Monastiraki and Syntagma, has more and better bars than it once did. Aiolou and Kolokotroni streets offer a fair variety of cafes and bars.
On Fridays and Saturdays, venues such as Magaze, six dogs, Booze and the bars on Karytsi square can get very busy, with people drinking on the streets outside from spring through autumn when the weather is fine. Karytsi square sits at the end of Christou Lada street, behind Klafthmonos square on Stadiou avenue.
3. Gazi and Kerameikos
The area around Kerameikos station, known as Gazi, has been the gay village of Athens for quite a few years. Since the metro station opened in 2007, it has drawn all kinds of crowds.
It holds dozens of bars, cafes and clubs, gay and otherwise, plus small theatrical scenes, especially to the northeast towards Metaxourgeio. This suits a long night with plenty of choice in a small radius.
4. Exarcheia
Plateia Exarcheia square and nearby streets such as Solomou have lots of clubs and bars. The scene here is dense and varied.
It suits an informal night of bar-hopping rather than a single booked destination.
5. Kolonaki
Kolonaki Square, officially Plateia Filikis Etaireias, is bordered by cafes whose customers tend to be mature Athenian movers and shakers, for whom the area is the traditional in-town home. Most serve desserts, light meals and drinks, and most are expensive.
These cafes are liveliest late at night. One of the best established is Lykovrisi. Not many foreigners visit them, but they make for interesting people-watching.
6. Plaka and Monastiraki
Plaka and the adjoining Monastiraki area offer cafe-restaurants that work well for a drink before or after dinner. Ydria, on Adhrianou Street at the western end of Plaka, spreads across much of Platia Palias Agoras and serves food as well as drinks, though diners are directed to a different seating area.
Orea Ellas, with entrances at 59 Mitropoleos and 36 Pandhrossou, is a combination cafe and gift shop in an old-fashioned setting with views of the Acropolis. The cafe is open all day but not after 18:00.
7. The coast
In summer, many Athens clubs relocate to the beach. Balux, at Vassileos Georgiou B No. 58 Asteria in Glyfada, is a large complex on the water that is open in summer for swimming in the ocean or pool by day and turns into a lounge and full club at night.
This suits a night that begins with a swim and ends late. Glyfada is one of the trendiest areas of the city.
8. Rebetika clubs
Athens supports a vast number of music venues, and rebetika clubs are part of that landscape. Rebetiki Istoria, at 181 Ippokratous, is one of the best rebetica clubs and is often open in summer when most others are closed.
This suits a night built around live music rather than bar-hopping.
How a night out unfolds
Greeks love to socialise, and Athens buzzes long after its other European counterparts have gone to sleep. 20:00 is the earliest most Greeks will consider going to eat out, and clubbers start to get ready at about midnight. Cafes spill onto the streets, and the sound of lively conversation is everywhere in the evenings.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- Easter Weekend — on Holy Saturday night, hundreds of people make a candlelit way down the hill as part of the Easter Vigil procession.
- Athens Festival (Athens-Epidaurus Festival) — runs from May to October each year, with a wide spectrum of events. Outside Athens, performances take place at the ancient theatre of Epidaurus.
- Ochi day — 28 October.
- Polytechneio — 17 November.
- Clean Monday — 15 March.
- Greek Independence Day — 25 March.
Frequently asked questions
What time do people eat dinner in Athens?
20:00 is the earliest most Greeks will consider going to eat out.
When do clubs get going?
Clubbers start to get ready at about midnight.
Do any clubs move in summer?
Yes. Many Athens clubs relocate to the beach during the summer months.
Where can I hear rebetika music?
Rebetiki Istoria, at 181 Ippokratous, is one of the best rebetica clubs and is often open in summer when most others are closed.
Decide where you want to start, check how late the metro runs, and plan an evening that begins with dinner and ends whenever the conversation does.