With incredible history and buzzing nightlife, Undeniably, Athens is one of the best tourist attractions in the world. It is a spectacular combination of tour to ancient sights and the liveliest neighboring towns. So, life in Athens, Greece is an absolute fun.

So, here are a few things you need to know before heading to Athens, Greece.

The Highlights:

• The place offers some of the most important archaeological spots such as the Ancient Agora of Athens, the Acropolis, and other locations that are vital to world-heritage.
• The place offers a lively environment and a tour to modern Athens where all Athenians hang out.
• Whether you are at the tavern or at the market, the food here is worth mentioning. Greek food offers rich taste, flavor, and yet simple dishes. And talking about desserts, you will certainly book another ticket.

What to expect in Athens?

From a place like Acropolis, where you will be guided to what you are looking at and what this historic place actually meant to ancient Athenians, to Ancient Agora, you will learn the complete history, politics, and philosophy.

After your tour to Ancient Agora and Acropolis, you will come back to the modern-day Athens by exploring all its neighboring cities.

You can stop by the Secret Gardens in Athens, a place well-admired for its coffee. You can take stroll around Monastiraki, a colorful and popular flea market. Then, you can visit Psiri, a place known for its street art. You will also come across new, cool design shops & vintage stores for clothing.

When you head to the conventional “belly of the city,” you will find the energetic Varvakios Market, which is the most popular and biggest meat, vegetable, and fish market in the entire Athens. Here, you can explore the spice streets of Athens as well.

You can also enjoy different types of foods with a completely unique taste. You can choose between novelty and tradition.

You will also get to taste different types of cheeses being sold from different regions of Greece. Also, there are olives, Greek sweets, and cured meats.

When you explore Plaka, Athen’s oldest part, you will find both history and modernism. At the base of Acropolis, you will also come across people selling yummy delicious food in an old-style tavern.

People come to Athens, enjoy a few days there and visit places like Psiri, Plaka, Monastiraki, Gazi, Kolonaki, Syntagma, and other archaeological websites as well as coastal suburbs. Then, they head to a few islands before leaving to their hometown.

They don’t see other places until they stay on the other side of Omonia Square or perhaps, go to Sokratous Street for a day.

There is this place called Fokionos Negri, which is wroth seeing. It very a beautiful and is often referred as the Nea Smyrni’s giant square. You will see lots of shaded parks, sidewalks covered with trees, and cafes close by.

Food & Drink in Athens

Since Greece is located at the junction of Middle East & Europe, its cuisine is entirely influenced by both these regions. When it comes to its cuisine, olive oil is an absolute must-have whereas garlic, oregano, and lemon juice feature profoundly in most signature dishes like stuffed vine leaves and moussaka.

So, if you are going to eat out, certainly, central Athens offers everything – right from countryside tavernas serving you some of the best and classic Greek dishes to some of the Michelin-starred restaurants highlighting their finest dining.

Athens is also popular for its “tavern” culture. Their evening meals begin only at 10 PM, which function late nights, with tourists and locals alike. The warm and cozy climate helps in making Greece a chief fruit-producing country.

Talking about weather, Autumn is the best season to consume grapes and figs before cold winters. During summers, you can consume fresh peaches, cherries, apricots, nectarines, and world-famous watermelons.

Life in Athens: The Truth

For tourists, there is no “perfect” place like Athens. But if you are planning to live here for lifelong, then you might have to reconsider your plans.

For an expat or someone who does not work here, living here is quite good. Let’s say you are a retired person but have big savings to afford everything or let’s say, you have your own business, then it is absolutely fine. However, if you are someone who spends conservatively, then, things get very hard.

So, does this mean it is worse to live in a country like Greece as an expat? Absolutely not.

We would rather say that it completely depends on the work opportunities. And if you don’t have a job that gives you a steady income, things get hard.

This is the drawback of residing here and any city for that matter.

However, if you keep everything aside and see other things that this place offers – it is just incredible —fresh fruits, amazing weather, huge mountains, and terrific islands.

Most importantly, food is affordable and comes in every budget range. Whether you are struggling to earn money or already minting them, Athens has lots to offer.

So, this place cannot be classified as a “worse” country.

In Greece, its residents are open, energetic, and friendly. It suits every individual. While some like the southern way of life, others northern. If you come here with a stable job, then everything is fine. Also, stuff is cheap here. It is diverse and offers great opportunities to connect with people.