Start your day in Athens with a strong sweet coffee in any local bar. Join Athens' businesspeople for lunch in the smart Kolonaki district restaurants. At lunch, opt for a speedy spit-roasted meat souvlaki. Or try Greek taverna fare in a restaurant below the Acropolis in popular Plaka. After sunset, join Athens party people in the buzzing bars and restaurants of the rejuvenated Psirri and Gazi districts.
Sample Athens' restaurants, from quaint rustic tavernas in touristy Plaka to the chic international eateries of jet-setters' Kolonaki. In the evening, join revellers in the bustling restaurants of mainstream Psirri and trendy Gazi Athens districts. For romance try Thissio, home to a string of restaurants with open-air rooftop terraces and Acropolis views. Spend hours eating tasty appetisers or mezze, in bohemian Exarhia restaurants, popular with Athens' student crowd.
People eat late in Athens, so if you want to beat the crowds in restaurants that are popular with locals, lunch in restaurants before 2pm, and get a table for dinner before 9pm. Luckily, you'll find that most restaurants in Athens' tourist areas, such as Plaka, are open from midday to midnight or later. Some of Athens' top restaurants serve dinner only, as do many of those in the popular nightlife districts of Psirri and Gazi.
Enjoy a sunset drink with Athens views at one of the open-air bars lining the pedestrianised Apostolou Pavlou street in Thissio. Visit upmarket Kolonaki to join the Athens smart set over coffee or cocktails. Choose bohemian Exarhia for grungy bars brimming with Athens' students and intellectuals. For Athens' highest concentration of after-dark bars, try the buzzing nightlife districts of mainstream Psirri and gay-friendly Gazi.
