Athens

[TimMureau]

Hello,

I have to go to Athens next week.
Anyone suggestions for shopping, seeing and eating for Athens?

Thanks in advance

[Algernon]

All the classical sites are worth visiting: the Acropilis (early in the morning is best); the Agora, and, less well known but equally worthwhile, the Pnyx (where the democratic assembly met) & the Keramikos (they ancient cemetery). Any good guide should provide information on these, including maps etc.

A propos eating, when I was there I tried to find the most out-of-the-way places, frequented by locals and with menus in Greek only; I found the food very satisfactory.

You might want to check the situation with the fires before departing - from what I've heard, the smoke is really rather bad.

Yrs,
A.

[Marabunta]

If you happen to enjoy a particularly satisfactory meal, say 'trela!' to your server. I would have suggested a trek to Olympia to view the statue of Hermes, but recent conflagrations as well as time constraints, might make such a trip impossible.

[Aristide]

Hello,

I have to go to Athens next week.
Anyone suggestions for shopping, seeing and eating for Athens?

Thanks in advance

You might also find the area of Monastiraki (near Constitution Square/Parliament Building) of sight-seeing interest and for some intersting shopping, best observed in the cool of the later part of the evening. Cocktails at the Hilton Hotel bar balcony at sunset also interesting. Great for a single malt and Cuban cigar. As to restaurants, have had two very nice meals at Dafnes (near Hadrian's Gate/Constitution Square), but it has been a couple of years. Note: The Athens dining hour typically starts after 9 p.m., though service for the many tourists starts earlier. A cocktail at the Grande Bretagne is also suggested. Please enquire as to seafood restaurants in Piraeus (very near) or Glyfada. Other upper-end areas of interest are Kolonaki (near city centre) and the suburb of Kiffisia, reached by Metro. Speaking of the Metro, the City expanded its subway lines in anticipation of the 2004 Olympics. The new lilne is modern, clean, efficient and you will find antiquites, unearthed during construction, on display in an number of the stations. Finally, please concetrate your out-of-doors activities to the morning hours before 1:p.m., and after, say, 8 p.m., as the heat and humidity can be daunting. The "siesta" lives...Safe travels!

[Jannis]

Aristide is correct: a cocktail at the Hilton hotel bar balcony at sunset is a must! For shopping you might find nice things at "Karouzos" in their flagship store in Kolonaki at Kanari str. It is the only shop selling also Marinella ties (but in small numbers). Interesting shop is also "Giannetos" at Panepistimiou str. where you can find everything up to fully bespoke garments. For typical greek food you should try "Ideal" at Panepistimiou street (good for lunch) and for excellent fishfood "Varoulko" at Pireos str. Also "Vlassis" near the American Embassy is woth a visit. Greeks eat late for evening (not before 21.00). Also a must are the cafés at Kolonaki square at any time of the day. If you are interested in culture, you should visit the Archeological Museum, where the most important findings are concentrated. You should avoid visiting any archeological site (Parthenon, Agora, Kerameikos etc at noon time as temperatures are nowadays around 40°C .

[pvpatty]

I too will be in Athens this June/July for a few days. Any suggestions as to where to go for clothing?

When I was in Athens last year, I came across a street that seemed to be filled with tailors' shops. Most of the window displays were occupied by various Italian (largely Zegna) cloths. On memory it was near one of the more famous loukoumathes/sweet shops (near the food markets?) - my mother will remember the name of the sweet shop if I remember to ask her. Had I had more time and not been in a group, I would have investigated further.

Most of the shops up around Ermou and Syntagma just seem to be the big brand names, which is rather uninspiring, though it does allow me to stock up on Lacoste polos that are not easily found in Australia. Kiffisia is much the same, though the Ralph Lauren boutique there, housed in a villa, is worth a visit.

There is of course too the large department store 'Attica' near Syntagma, endowed also with brand names, which has quite a variety if nothing else, but is a bit pricey.

For those with a sweet tooth, it is also worth visiting the Mastiha Shop, either in the airport or near Syntagma (http://www.mastihashop.com/). The tins they have there of various masticha sweets make for good presents. Dinner on the rooftop of the Grand Bretagne, overlooking the illuminated Acropolis, also makes for a memorable, if not cheap, experience (remember, you only live once!).

Still, as much as I love Athens, where can I find some clothes without logos on them and that aren't being worn by everybody else!

[yialabis]

If you are looking for a good taste elegant clothing go to Bespoke Athens , Anagnostopoulou street in Kolonaki ! www.bespoke.gr
Vassilis the owner knows about elegant clothing ... I'm afraid that's about it in Athens !
Leaving out all the RLP Zegna and others that you can find anywhere in the world ..Giannetos is a family owned company that use to make good bespoke clothing but not anymore .. the father of the two brothers that run it now trained with brooks brothers in the 50's .During the last 2 decades though they have changed their production making it a lot more mass commercial .. very few operations are made by hand now days , if any ! I would send you to my tailor at Christou Lada street , but he is 70 years old and he makes a jacket ONLY by using his skilful hands so it would take quite some time to make anything for you + around July he retires at his village in Peloponnese for the summer .. !

best regards

Vassilis

[pvpatty]

I stumbled across the Zegna store at Kolonaki walking around one night, unfortunately it was late and was closed, so I didn't get to have a good look.

Also, I can remember seeing a store for a shirt maker near the Electra Palace hotel in Athens. Again, did not get a chance to look other than through the window.

Oh well, looks like I will just have to spend more of my time relaxing on Kithira rather than shopping