Exarchia (could see)

Exarchia is one of Athens’ two cool hoods (the other is Metaxourgio/Keramikos). Exarchia has a long history of being a center for anti-establishment activities (since the beginning of 20th century). It has been inhabited by famous alternative Greek artists (like the musician Pavlos Sidiropoulos and the actress/poet Katerina Gogou).

Exarchia today is filled with cafés and small restaurants and it also hosts a few art galleries. It attracts intellectuals, artists and a lot of university students. Its inhabitants, to a great extent, act as a true community (an example of which is their creation of Navarino Park) while it remains famous for being a center for Greek anarchists.

Reason to Go

If you’re young and a bit alternative, then you will love a visit to Exarchia. If you’re young at heart and you don’t identify yourself as alternative but still want to go to a neighborhood that is cool, not touristy, with value-for-money tavernas, you will also like Exarchia. If that does not sound interesting and you are alternative avoidant, maybe a little bit posh, then visit Kolonaki.

In Exarchia, you will find the Steki ton Metanaston which translates to hangout for immigrants. It offers immigrants in Athens free Greek language classes taught by volunteers and occasionally organizes parties and other events.

You will also find Nosotros, a free social space which is affiliated with anarchist ideals. They organize seminars, offer music classes at very low prices and occasionally organize parties. These parties take place on the terrace on top of Nosotros’ building which overlooks Exarchia Square. On the square, you’ll find some more alternative types of people, probably drinking beer. In the streets around the square there are several cafés and tavernas that attract young people and students. These areas, I would say, do not feel as “alternative” as the middle of the square.

The photo above says: “We are what we do in our effort to change who we are”

Despite its reputation, I’ve been visiting Exarchia since I was a student and I’ve never feared for my safety there. Some Athenians avoid the neighborhood because occasionally (depending on the time of year) there are some small scale episodes where anarchists throw Molotov bombs and the police respond with teargas. Although this might sound scary, it’s actually not. These incidents usually occur on a specific part of the square (towards Stournari Street), quite far from most restaurants and cafés. So even if there is an incident in Exarchia, you will be able to continue having your drinks or food if you’re only a couple of blocks away. Said this, do not take the above as an encouragement or a suggestion to visit the neighborhood. It is my personal feel based on my personal experience and what I mention above does not mean that there is not any danger at all. First, it will not be very safe if you find yourself in the middle of an incident and second, recently there have been some other types of incidents with thieves stealing bags and running.

I should also mention that Exarchia shares a border with Kolonaki, the most posh neighborhood in downtown Athens. There’s a police bus on Asklipiou Street, between the two neighborhoods. However, police force rarely enters Exarchia; only if something is happening. Even though the above sounds quite adventurous, in Exarchia you will find university professors or writers having a drink or a snack and plenty of musicians and artists. The neighborhood is also filled with graffiti drawings.

Approximately a decade ago, the residents of Exarchia reclaimed a neglected space in the neighborhood that was owned by a public institution. The locals started transforming it into a park. Today it’s called Navarino Park and I’m amazed at how it looks! It used to be a place where people would park their cars for free and now it looks like a tropical jungle!

Hanging out

If you’re quite young and the more alternative type, you can check Nosotros to learn about local events. You can also visit the cafés around the square or check Indymedia (in Greek) to read about other goings-on.

If you’re not extremely young, a bit less alternative and more intellectual, you can go for a glass of wine at Santa Rosa, Bar Nabokov, Alexandrino, Warehouse or Sousourada. Santa Rosa and Nabokov are a bit off the main square of Exarchia. In the last two, Warehouse and Sousourada you can also have something to eat, if you feel like it.

All of them are quite close to each other and the last two are located on the border of Exarchia and Kolonaki (the posh neighborhood). In my opinion, they attract people with a style that’s something in between these two worlds.

Food

Exarchia has plenty of small restaurants and tavernas you can visit. Some of my favorites include:

Ama Lachi, a restaurant which is located in Kallidromiou. Opposite Ama Lachi are a couple of cafés that are favorite spots for intellectuals and usually attract people over 30 or 40. Another favorite is Lesvos Meze-Tapas place. At Lesvos you can have fish at affordable prices. On Methonis street there are a couple of restaurants and Avli is an old-time classic. It offers tasty Greek dishes. Another classic is Exostrefis. It attracts young crowds and people prefer it for its ambience as it has a beautiful yard and the atmosphere is quite relaxed. On Benaki street there’s a Cretan restaurant called Oxo Nou (which means ‘don’t worry’ in the Cretan dialect) and next to it is a mezedopolio (restaurant where you eat many small dishes of food like tapas along with some ouzo or wine) that prepares Cretan dishes called Rakoumel. Cretan cuisine is considered one of the best in Greece.

Bars

A big difference between nightlife in Greece and that of other countries is the late hours most bars stay open. So, you don’t really have to go to a club if you want to stay out until dawn. You can just stay at a bar until 4 a.m.! Two of my favorite options around Exarchia for having a drink into the early hours are Tsin Tsin and Frau bar.

A bar that I also like and that might be of interest to you is Red Lotus bar which attracts a lot of young people as it offers cocktails at quite low prices. Also, in case some of you find it useful, Podilato is a place where people hang out after hours. Other after-hours spots (Greek after-hours could be 5-6 a.m. or even later) include Skull Bar (it usually has an entrance fee of approximately €8 and gathers young, cool, alternative crowds) and MG which attracts a mixed crowd and has been a classic after-hours choice for many years. Skull Bar is a bit off Exarchia (can be reached after a long walk) and MG is farther, located on Mavili square (it’s not really walkable from Exarchia).

Open-air Movie Theaters

In Exarchia there are two open-air movie theaters, Vox and Riviera. The movies screened are both contemporary and old-time classics, art films. General admission is €7 in both, every Monday in Vox and every Wednesday in Riviera there’s a discount and tickets cost €5 per person.