In Greece, you are standing at crossroads of cultures, colors and civilizations, you feel the grandeur of history and the warmth of being at the southernmost part of Europe, and you discover the evolutionary process of thought, influence and experience.
A country with a uniquely affluent historical past, inhabited by people gazing confidently and optimistically into the future.
A country that although statistically small, is huge in its diversity.
A landscape that has given us thousands of postcards images but remains incredibly vibrant and impossible to capture.
Greece is a country of beautiful contradictions, a constant journey in time, from the present to the past and back again.
Walk through the olive groves, through ancient sites. Move to clusters of sparsely inhabited islands. Roam from beaches to rocky mountains and explore the breathtaking scenery.

HELLAS - GREECE, SOME OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS.
WHEREVER YOU GO, A MIRACLE IS EXPECTING YOU

Top 10 reasons to visit the New Athens
1. Best city flanked by gorgeous sandy beaches and nonstop sun
2. Brand new everything: roads, airport, metro, buses, tram
3. The Acropolis
4. Rooftop garden bars overlooking the Acropolis
5. Museum hopping along Vassilis Sofias Esplanade
6. The handsome “Tsoliades” soldiers with short skirts at Syntagma
7. Performances at Ancient Theaters
8. Home of healthy Mediterranean diet
9. The nightlife very day
10.One of the safest European cities to visit

Greece and Athens in a few words:

What’s a frappe coffee? The love of our life. Shaken, not stirred.
Where is everybody from 3 to 6pm? Somewhere cool, either hugging the air conditioning or by the sea.

Certified copies for your eyes only!

• Works that relate to the history, culture and ethics of the Greek civilization are exhibited in the showcases of the museum shops.
• Replicas of the clay vases, exact copies of bronze statues, replicas of murals and silk-screens, ancient silver coins and many more are available in every museum shops.
• Products of high quality and esthetics, authentic copies of exponents in the state museums are distributes at the museum shops all over Greece.

Ascent & Decent: Most parts of Athens look like San Francisco. Readjusting your balance is what walking is about as much as trying to avoid holes on broken pavement. It’s an adrenaline rush. Enjoy it.

Small Sidewalks: Small enough for a hobbit. Lately, Athenians are grateful for the center’s large new pedestrian circuit uniting the archaeological sites.

One way streets: Everywhere.

Parking space: Minimal.

Construction is soooooooo slow: Athens is full of semi-finished buildings that never seem to be completed. But, like the Mayor of Athens said, “construction in Greece is like syrtaki dance: it starts very slowly and accelerates at the end”.

Graffiti: Graffiti on Athens’ city walls, buildings, statues, almost everywhere possible is usually about political slogans and symbols. Still, there are many creative graffiti artists who spray the city in their own colorful way.

Neoclassical Houses: Unfortunately, all too many of the beautiful neoclassical buildings of the 19th century were demolished during Athens’ rapid expansion after WW II, but several have survived.

Do Greeks speak English? Many Greeks know foreign languages. Most popular are English, French, Italian but also German and Spanish. The study of foreign languages is a professional necessity in a country where enterprises like tourism, entertainment, publishing, commerce are important. Even flirting, in past decades required a certain amount of knowledge of languages. Now, about the accent … This, you might find a little bit heavy but have you tried to speak Greek?

Coffee and a cigarette: This is breakfast for most Greeks. Maybe add a “koulouri” (the little sesame seed crunchy fresh bread that is sold on the street by vendors).

Greek coffee: Served hot in tiny cups. You have to wait for the dust to settle and you can only drink it to a certain point. There is a long tradition in Greece of reading coffee cups and foretelling the future – a highly prized skill.

Relax: That’s the most important part of the Greek coffee ritual. Take your time. Do a little chit chat, read your newspaper or just stay still thinking about great truths of life. Enjoy. In Greece, you can buy a drink or a few at a bar and stay for hours without anybody rushing you.

Frappe Society: Everywhere you go, folks are sitting outside drinking frothy coffee drinks in tall glasses. Frappe coffee is the lifeblood of Greek society. Made with instant Nescafe mixed with water, ice, milk and lots of sugar, a frappe will provide you with the right amount of coffee for your coffee break and the right buzz to sip while gossiping and people watching. It’s a way of life.

Gyro Pitta or Souvlaki? It’s the most popular street-snack in Greece. It’s beef, lamb, pork or chicken meat roasted on a big vertical rotisserie (gyros), sliced off and put in a round pitta bread along with tomatoes, onions and tzatziki sauce (made of yoghurt, cucumber and garlic).
The essential part to denote the wrap is the pitta bread which keeps it all together, folded in was paper and you eat it like you are peeling a banana. Getting messy eating it, is another fun part about it.

Tap Water in Greece is fine. And bottled spring water is readily available.

Bread and Water: Many tourists wonder why at a taverna before you order, they automatically bring you a glass of water and bread. This is because in Greece fresh water is always welcome on a hot summer day and also a way for the owners to welcome you.

Restaurants: Actually there is no way you are going to find peace in Athens’ restaurants as Greeks never go to dinner for the actual food but for the chance to see, to be seen, to gossip, to celebrate, to get really loud. Make your plans. Athenians all dine at the same time 10:30pm. And when we are saying that a restaurant stays open late, we mean that the kitchen might be accepting orders till 1:30am. So if you are used to eating like a normal person at 8pm, you are very lucky, you will be eating alone with no one around to bother you. It’s just that there is a good chance not even the waiters have arrived yet.

Ouzo Power

The consumption of ouzo is a whole ritual for Greeks who love to nibble at tastes (mezedes) while taking generous sips from the blurry devilish thing. The joints offering ouzo are usually cheap and simple.
Lately there has been a new trend that favors other spirits like tsipouro and raki, over sweet ouzo, which is a real trap for those not used to it.

 

Athens by night

Athens is known around Europe as the city that never goes to sleep. Maybe things have changed a bit in the 21st century, but at least during the summer, Athens shows off her temperament and moves to the large clubs by the seaside.
Still, the center of Athens has another face: yards, terraces, hidden gardens, retractable roofs. The Greeks won’t go home before dawn, on week days the pedestrian streets and squares are packed with people and on Sunday morning kids hit the beach straight from the club. All over Attica, from Voula to Porto Rafti, there are beach parties almost every night.

Shop till U drop

Shopping is a popular pastime in Athens. In a city where carrying the latest designer bag – or at least a cheap copy of it – is de rigeur, where smart, trendy clothing is prevalent (casual staples like tracksuits and shorts are rather frowned upon), and where the largest number of lifestyle, fashion periodicals per capita in Europe are churned out, it is hardly surprising that Athenians, particularly the younger generation, love to spend their spare time browsing in boutiques.
Since the center of Athens is relatively compact, and because shops trend to congregate like with like, planning your shopping trip is easy.

Just make sure your time is right.

Many shops especially the smaller, family run businesses still shut down for a siesta between 2pm and 5pm on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays before opening again in the cooler hours of the evening, while on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays shops close at around 3pm and don’t re-open.

Enjoy Mingling with the Greeks!