• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Time Travel Turtle

A travel blog with stories beyond the brochure

  • HOME
  • ABOUT ME
  • CONTACT ME
  • BY COUNTRY
    • WEST EUROPE
      • Belgium
      • England
      • France
      • Germany
      • Ireland
      • Liechtenstein
      • Luxembourg
      • Monaco
      • Netherlands
      • Northern Ireland
      • Scotland
      • Switzerland
      • Wales
    • NORTH EUROPE
      • Estonia
      • Finland
      • Latvia
      • Lithuania
      • Norway
      • Sweden
    • SOUTH EUROPE
      • Cyprus
      • Gibraltar
      • Greece
      • Holy See
      • Italy
      • Malta
      • Portugal
      • San Marino
      • Spain
    • EAST EUROPE
      • Austria
      • Belarus
      • Croatia
      • Czech Republic
      • Hungary
      • Montenegro
      • Poland
      • Serbia
    • NORTH ASIA
      • China
      • Japan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Mongolia
      • North Korea
      • Tajikistan
      • Uzbekistan
    • SOUTH ASIA
      • Cambodia
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Myanmar
      • Malaysia
      • Nepal
      • Philippines
      • Singapore
      • Sri Lanka
      • Thailand
      • Vietnam
    • NORTH AMERICA
      • Antigua & Barbuda
      • Belize
      • Canada
      • Costa Rica
      • Guatemala
      • Mexico
      • USA
    • SOUTH AMERICA
      • Argentina
      • Brazil
      • Chile
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Uruguay
    • AFRICA
      • Egypt
      • Morocco
      • Namibia
      • South Africa
    • OCEANIA
      • Australia
      • New Zealand
    • MIDDLE EAST
      • Jordan
      • Turkey
  • MOST POPULAR
    • The world’s oldest backpacker
    • Orangutans in Borneo
    • The need for speed
    • Trying to get out of the slum
    • The lake swamped with tourism
    • Journey into Dreamland
    • The village where life begins again
    • Is Cambodia safe for travellers?
    • Making the perfect gin and tonic
  • UNESCO

Greek tavernas come of age

April 18, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 18 Comments

FOOD AND DRINK

Trendy bars in Athens, Greece

In the heart of Athens, heritage and history are making way for the modern. Tradition is morphing into a new cosmopolitan era, championed by the young of the ancient city.

The Greek tavernas are coming of age.

The nightspots of Athens have never really been considered ‘trendy’ before but all that is changing. There’s a hipster culture that seems to be taking over the bars and cafes.

It’s not hard, looking for somewhere to stop for a drink, to find somewhere that is merging the traditional taverna with the fashions of the new generation.

cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece

Have a look at these photos from some of the bars I visited in the suburb of Kolonaki. Tell me they wouldn’t look out of place in the bohemian suburbs of New York, London or Berlin. (And, yes, that room really is that pink!)

cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece
cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece
cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece
cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece
cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece
cool, trendy, popular bars and restaurants in Athens, Greece

The ruins may bring the tourists to Athens in the first place but it’s this emerging culture which will help the city define itself in the Europe of the 21st century.

It will also give the young locals something to be proud of in a time when there’s so much economic and political insecurity to be worried about.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN ATHENS

There’s a good range of accommodation in Athens and I would recommend finding something near Syntagma Square for convenience.

BACKPACKER

For a backpacker option, I would recommend the modern and comfortable Bedbox Hostel.

BUDGET

If you’re looking for value, I would suggest the Athens Mirabello, which also has a great location.

BOUTIQUE

There are some cool design hotels in the city and one of the nicest is The Artist Athens.

LUXURY

And for 5-star luxury, I would suggest the modern Electra Metropolis with a great view of the Acropolis.

Greece Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT Greece?

See my Greece Travel Guide

To help you plan your Greece travel:

  • As 3 day itinerary for historic Athens
  • Hoe to get a free local tour of Athens
  • The wonder of the Acropolis in Athens
  • How to see the origin of the Olympics
  • An ancient civilisation as a day trip from Athens
  • Is this where modern medicine all began?
  • The Greek island where Jackie Onassis escaped to

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of Greece, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of Greece.

You could consider:

  • Sailing Greece – Mykonos to Santorini (8 days)
  • Best of Greece (15 days)
  • Sailing Greece – Athens to Santorini (15 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. Maris King |

    August 28, 2012 at 11:05 am

    Reply

    Wow, those are indeed great places to stop for a drink.
    My family and I have never been in Greece, so I guess, I should consider Greece for our next year’s holiday trip!

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:23 pm

      Reply

      It’s definitely somewhere worth considering. Especially if you like a good mix of old and new.

  2. The Travel Fool |

    August 28, 2012 at 12:07 pm

    Reply

    Thanks for the article Michael. I plan on visiting Greece for a couple of days in October. I am looking forward to some Greek hospitality.

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:23 pm

      Reply

      Just a couple of days? Oh my… you’ll find it hard to leave! 🙂
      Let me know if you want any tips on any particular places.

  3. D.J. - The World of Deej |

    August 28, 2012 at 9:30 pm

    Reply

    Great looking places to kick back…I like the one with all the beer in the walls…

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:24 pm

      Reply

      Yeah, it was definitely a bit more comfortable than the one which was bright pink the whole time!!

  4. Abhishek Behl (Wild Navigator) |

    August 28, 2012 at 10:31 pm

    Reply

    Thanks for sharing and a good post Michael. Certainly would like to pay a visit next & take some good tips from yourself. Cheers 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Reply

      Let me know if you’re heading there and I’ll try to point you in the right direction. Half the fun is finding all these little places yourself, though.

  5. Laurence |

    August 29, 2012 at 12:39 am

    Reply

    These look like some seriously funky bars 😀

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:26 pm

      Reply

      Far too funky for Athens, I thought at first. The place is changing a bit… and getting kind of cool.

  6. Tyler |

    August 31, 2012 at 9:23 am

    Reply

    Looks like you’re sure living it up in Greece! One of my very favorite things about visiting was the nightlife – although it was many years ago so I didn’t get to visit any of these bars. Enjoy them for me 🙂

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 31, 2012 at 5:36 pm

      Reply

      The nightlife on the islands is one thing… that’s all big and brash and aimed at party tourists. But these bars in Athens were different. They seemed local and organic and really added the the character of the place, not destroyed it.

  7. Stephanie - The Travel Chica |

    September 2, 2012 at 8:20 am

    Reply

    Oh great. Now the hipsters are taking over the world.

    • Michael Turtle |

      September 2, 2012 at 9:58 pm

      Reply

      Did you hear about how the hipster burnt his mouth? He drank his coffee before it was cool.

  8. Caitlin |

    July 26, 2015 at 7:11 pm

    Reply

    Hey – in Athens at the moment and really want to visit the pink bar. Can you remember the name of it? Cheers

    • Michael Turtle |

      August 26, 2015 at 3:12 am

      Reply

      Sorry about the slow response Caitlin. I can’t actually remember the name of the bar off the top of my head. I hope you found it – or some similar ones!

  9. Tedi |

    February 15, 2017 at 3:48 am

    Reply

    Any specific bars you recommend for a young couple?

    • Michael Turtle |

      April 4, 2017 at 4:48 pm

      Reply

      I have to apologise, Tedi. It has been quite a few years since I was there and I suspect things have changed a lot. I probably can’t give you a good suggestion right now. I will do an update for this post sometime soon!

Primary Sidebar

This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

Want Occasional Updates?

Sign up to be the first to hear the latest about the adventures of Time Travel Turtle. You'll also get access to special offers and exclusive news.
Thank you! You have successfully subscribed to our newsletter.

Search

  • PRIVACY POLICY