Our latest issue, Greece Is Athens Winter 2020 (English edition) will be available this weekend (19-20/12) together with the New York Times International Edition – Kathimerini English Edition wherever international press is sold in Greece.

But even if you are not able to get your hands on a copy in shops, both the English and Greek editions of the magazine are also available to order right now at our e-shop!

All past issues of our magazines can be delivered to anywhere in the world at only the cost of postage and packaging.

To further introduce Greece Is Athens Winter 2020, below is the letter from the editor:

AHEAD, NOT BEHIND

After a year to forget, there’s plenty of cause for optimism

by Giorgos Tsiros, Editor-in-Chief, Greece Is

This year has been like a joyless roller-coaster ride, with all the frights but none of the fun. It started with faint rumblings regarding a distant health hazard, and with tourist reservation numbers that were up against those of 2019, but then came the initial series of COVID-19 cases in Greece, a number of them in Athens. The month of March brought the first lockdown, a decisive step by the Greek government and one which the Greek public endorsed in full, responding obediently and responsibly. As a result, this first wave broke over the capital and the country with relatively little effect when compared to other cities and nations around the world.

The second wave of infections in the fall wasn’t as mild as the first, and the the country went into lockdown again. This period of extended uncertainty in which we find ourselves isn’t, of course, limited to Athens or Greece; the city and the nation are in the same basket as most of the planet. Nonetheless, as we approach a holiday season destined to be more circumscribed and more family-only than ever before (and perhaps warmer and more genuine than ever as well), we’re buoyed by the good news surrounding possible vaccines and by the upcoming celebrations for 2021, the bicentennial of the outbreak of the revolution against Ottoman forces that led to independence and a modern Greek state.

In other good news, the travel publication Lonely Planet has named Greece the world’s top destination for sustainable and eco-friendly cuisine, while the December issue of the magazine Monocle sports a Greek flag on its cover to promote a lead article positing that Greece, thanks to its “soft power” strengths, will be one of the countries to rebound the quickest when the pandemic fades.

Even at the worst of times this year, Athens didn’t give up. Despite restrictions, it still gave every sign of life, with events, activities and possibilities that we’ve endeavored to record in this magazine, which we hope will continue to be a useful resource for visitors of today and tomorrow alike.

New restaurants and stores opened their doors, new investors in the tourism industry have shown their confidence in a city whose potential as a home to high-end and alternative hotels remains largely untapped, and the talented artists and other creatives of the capital continue to produce important work, even in the face of daunting challenges. You’ll find all their stories and more in this issue, a publication dedicated to hope, not just for the city and its people, but for the resilience of life itself, which always finds a way to survive and to rebound with renewed strength.