Which film starring Sophia Loren showcases the old Acropolis Museum? In which Piraeus neighborhood does one of cinema’s most cult chase scenes reach its climax? At which Exarchia intersection was the final scene of one of Greece’s most iconic films shot? These questions – and many more – reveal how Athens has long captured the imagination of international filmmakers, offering a rich cinematic map that stretches from Plaka to Philopappos Hill and beyond. From the mid-1950s to more recent decades, global productions have used Greece as both a character and a canvas, creating what could be described as “CinemaScope postcards from Greece.” Here’s a journey through some of the most memorable scenes shot in and around Athens.

Never on Sunday

Another Melina Mercouri classic, Never on Sunday (1960, IMDb rating 7.3), directed by Jules Dassin, blends romance, politics, and ancient drama. Here, she plays Ilya, an independent sex worker with a love for men, the Olympiacos football team, and ancient Greek tragedy. In one of its most memorable scenes, filmed at night, Ilya delivers a heretical, personal interpretation of Euripides’ Medea while walking arm-in-arm with the American philosopher Homer Thrace (played by Dassin himself) through the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. The monument had undergone extensive restoration during the previous decade, both in its seating and external areas. Other scenes from the film were shot in Piraeus, which is now almost unrecognizable.

The Hook

This romantic thriller by Errikos Andreou (1976, IMDb rating 5.7), starring Barbara Bouchet, is an early example of Greece’s visual allure on screen. With its windswept sea settings, a deserted rocky islet, and the frequently filmed Levidis Villa in Pallini, The Hook quickly gained cult status, thanks in part to Giorgos Hatzinasios’s evocative score reminiscent of French ballads by Jeanne Manson. Yet central Athens plays a subtle supporting role. One striking moment freezes on the Acropolis, while Bouchet’s tryst unfolds in a luxury apartment on Herodou Attikou Street, opposite the National Garden and the building that today houses the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture. The building’s entrance remains unchanged΄a rare trace of 1970s Athens in today’s cityscape.

Stella

Directed by Michael Cacoyannis (1955, IMDb rating 7.9) and starring Melina Mercouri, Stella is a landmark of Greek cinema. Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film at Cannes, the drama’s unforgettable final scene was filmed at the intersection of Kallidromiou, Ioustinianou, Oikonomou, and Deligianni streets in Exarchia, a moment of cinematic history still recognizable today. Earlier scenes also showcase Monastiraki Square and the Roman Agora, providing a visual record of Athens in the 1950s.

Operation Apollo

This Greek-Swedish co-production (1968, IMDb rating 6.0) directed by Giorgos Skalenakis offers a vintage view of Athens, through the eyes of a German prince (Thomas Fritsch) who falls for a Greek tour guide (Elena Nathanael). The movie gives viewers sweeping aerial views of the city, including Plaka’s alleyways, Mount Lycabettus, and iconic shots of Nafplio, Epidaurus, and Corfu.

A standout moment is the choreographed dance sequence, shot like a music video, which begins on Philopappos Hill and passes through through Syntagma Square, then bustling with cafés, and Panepistimiou Street.

The Burglars

Predictably, every single international film shot even partly in Athens includes at least one shot of the Parthenon – the ultimate symbol of the city (Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia will be one of the rare exceptions). So it’s only natural that the neo-noir The Burglars (1971, IMDb rating 6.6), directed by Henri Verneuil and starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Omar Sharif, begins with a shot of the Sacred Rock and the city beneath it. While parts of the film were also shot in Corfu, its most memorable sequence is a high-octane chase scene that weaves through Kastella Hill in Piraeus, interrupting a traditional dance show, emblematic of the era’s junta-period spectacles.

The Two Faces of January

Directed by Hossein Amini and starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac, The Two Faces of January (2014, IMDb rating 6.2) is a moody thriller based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel. Interestingly – or perhaps unsurprisingly – just like in Operation Apollo, a tour guide (played by Isaac) serves as a pivotal figure in the plot. The film is highly recommended for its scenes set in numerous archaeological sites, as well as in Plaka and Monastiraki. It also includes nostalgic shots of Crete.

Boy on a Dolphin

Boy on a Dolphin (1957, IMDb rating 6.2), directed by Jean Negulesco, was the first American film to be shot in Greece and marked Sophia Loren’s American debut. The film begins with a montage of footage from various Greek islands – Rhodes, Delos, Mykonos – before settling on the island of Hydra, where the bulk of the story takes place. 

Part of the action was filmed in Athens, including scenes shot around the Acropolis. Notably, Loren is seen eating a sandwich while sitting casually on the Parthenon marbles – a scene nearly unthinkable today. The camera also captures the old Acropolis Museum, long closed but preserved here in cinematic amber. And in one of the film’s most iconic moments, Loren dances with the Dora Stratou ensemble on Hydra, handkerchief in hand, just like Marina Satti during her 2023 Eurovision performance.