How do you make the most of your time in a city like Athens? Whether you’re a frequent visitor, or discovering its allure for the very first time, it seems there are always more of this capital’s treasures to explore than time allows, but your efforts will be richly rewarded nonetheless.

Whenever I find myself on the capital’s labyrinthine streets, inhaling its particular perfume of bitter oranges and rosemary, I like to base my itinerary on tried-and-true favorites, supplemented by new recommendations from friends and taste-makers that capture some of the grit and the glamour of this dynamic modern city. Sometimes this takes me to the latest hip dining spot hidden behind graffiti-covered steel shutters in less-frequented neighborhoods. Other times it leads me down elegantly shaded streets that are home to luxury boutiques and the Zeus+Dione-clad chic crowd who lunch there… Like the perfect DJ set, it’s really all about the mix. So, in this spirit, I present my own guide to some of the city’s most unmissable spots, with a little room for improvisation and fresh flavors along the way. And yes, that’s right, you’ll need good walking shoes!

The center of town

A perfect day of meandering around downtown Athens always begins with a coffee. The city is abuzz with cool, contemporary java joints these days; one of my personal favorites is Samba Coffee Roasters (36 Solonos) in Kolonaki, where the hum of conversation competes with the thrum of mopeds on the street. The pleasure is not limited to sampling the dark arts of the expert baristas, who marry flavors with unmatched skill; it’s also about tuning into the energy of the place.

From Samba Coffee Roasters, it’s just a leisurely saunter to the legendary shopping street of  Voukourestiou, where a sleek fleet of luxury flagship shops (Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Rolex) gradually give way to quirky independent boutiques, and some unique retro chic shopping spots. Greek-Egyptian designer Irene Hussein (42 Voukourestiou) offers an attractive line of vividly colored pop ceramics, as well as crocheted trinkets that are perfect for gifting, or for wearing to the beach. 

High glamour and casual chic

Athénée – the iconic 85-year-old restaurant – sits at the corner of Voukourestiou and Panepistimiou (somehow it’s always cocktail time within its storied wood-paneled walls). From this den of movie-star glamour, I like to meander westward, enjoying the old-fashioned grocery stores offering candy and nuts piled high in huge baskets, the popular retro emporiums such as Modernon (3 Aghias Irinis), and the lively bar scene. Seek out Six d.o.g.s. (6-8 Avramiotou) – part cocktail bar, part pop-culture legend – and enjoy an apéritif in its courtyard as the sun goes down. It’s the perfect prelude to watching a movie under the stars at open-air cinema Cine Thision (7 Apostolou Pavlou), awash in the heady fragrance of the large basil plants.

Close by, the enchantingly eclectic streets of Psyrri (traditionally the city’s central craft district) teem with odd shops, quirky bars and packed eateries. Here and there, surreal rope and twine sculptures – a nod to the neighborhood’s artisanal roots – are suspended from the upper floors of the buildings. The effect is theatrical and otherworldly.

Rich flavors in Pangrati

There’s a culinary movement taking place across Athens with the rise of “simple” restaurants (using local seasonal ingredients on pared-down menus) driven by some of the country’s most acclaimed chefs returning to their roots and riffing on the earthy (often plant-centric) cooking they ate at their grandmother’s. At Akra (12 Aminta), the latest talked-about venue in the newly trendy neighborhood of Pangrati (a 15-minute cab ride east of Psyrri), chefs Ioannis Loukakis and Spyros Pediaditakis have created a space not unlike a local bakery, but be warned – you may have to fight fashionable diners to get a table. Inside, the scenes of open-fire cooking and the close proximity of chefs busy creating dishes in the open kitchen are intoxicating… and that’s before you get to the tempting wine list. As for the food itself, I’m still swooning over a dish of creamy fava bean purée, served with a lentil salad so piquant it gave me goosebumps.

For post-prandial browsing, head across the street to Threesome Ceramics (13 Aminta), where you’ll find sublime handcrafted vessels and humorous Lilliputian sculptures displayed with minimalist elegance and just a pinch of humor. Downstairs is a studio space where you might catch one of the artists creating a piece, or a workshop in full flow.

Exciting Exarchia

Time for a mood change (and another cab ride) back west to the street art-daubed buildings of Exarchia, the anarchist district, famous for its bar culture, artist collectives and experimental pop-ups. This is the area that has earned this city its reputation as the new Berlin, a cauldron of raw creativity. Visit by day to browse the paperback bookstores, to pick up vintage clothes, or to listen to musicians practicing behind yawning rehearsal-room doors. Come evening, stop for a drink at Walk In (56 Mavromichali) or grab a table at Pharaoh (54 Solomou), the hottest restaurant in town.

At 18:00, the heavily graffitied shutters are flung open and the hollowed-out industrial bones of the building play host to a fashionable crowd. Star chef Manolis Papoutsakis commutes from Thessaloniki, bringing the robust aromatic ingredients of northern Greece with him. A changing vinyl playlist printed inside the menu is a cute touch, and half portions can be served to allow diners to sample more dishes (a genius idea). On a recent visit, I ate treacly sourdough bread, woody mushrooms and grilled wild greens with manouri cheese, paired with an orange, natural skin-touched wine. It was all voluptuous and intense – the flavors match this seductive and restless city to perfection. Where to finish the evening? In the casually decadent Art Deco ambiance of the wine bar Gamay (42 Zoodochou Pigis), the last stop of a long day.

So what exactly is special about this city? Just like that cup of coffee with which we started our morning, it’s the blend of exceptional elements that makes an Athenian adventure irresistible.

Art & history

“Athens is the city that never sleeps,” says my photographer friend Terry Tsiolis, a New Yorker, albeit one who has lived in Athens for extended periods. “I love the intensity of the place. I love that you make plans for an evening with one friend and end up in a group of ten for dinner.” But it’s not just food for the body that tempts him: “I also love to go to the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center at sunset and walk through the gardens – the light and the breeze are magical.”

I second that emotion. Even to those on a relatively short sojourn in the city, I recommend visiting one or two of the spectacular museums and ancient archaeological sites. The Acropolis Museum (15 Dionysiou Areopagitou), with its heart-stopping views and serene modern galleries, never fails to astonish. The Acropolis itself is absolutely unmissable, and so is the Ancient Agora. The Kerameikos archaeological site, too, transports you back in time to the Golden Age of Greece. The National Archaeological Museum (44 Patission) is the largest museum in Greece and a veritable treasure trove of unique artifacts; the splendid Mycenaean Collection on the ground floor features the glistening Mask of Agamemnon.

The Museum of Cycladic Art (4 Neofytou Douka), whose contemplative modernist interior – courtesy of architect Yiannis Vikelas – is home to an extraordinary collection of stunning early Cycladic figures and hosts fascinating temporary exhibitions; it also has a stylish café. If you’re after something more modern, the Allouche Benias Gallery (1 Kanari) is close by; it puts on bold, provocative contemporary shows that always intrigue, challenge and even, on occasion, seduce their audience.

At the Basil & Elise Goulandris Foundation (13 Eratosthenous), there are artworks by Cézanne, Picasso, Kiefer, Monet, Braque, Miró, Botero, Bacon, Lichtenstein and many others. The Greek artists featured here are also amazing; it’s worth the price of admission just to spend time with the vast panoramic street scenes of Panayiotis Tetsis, the Hydra-born painter.