Exarchia

The home of student radicals, Exarchia has nonetheless been deeply permeated by the languid café culture so popular in Athens. It’s just that there’s radical left-wing graffiti everywhere, not to mention underground music shops, and a few dazed wandering souls. The lively Platia Exarchia forms the nucleus of Exarchia, which sits to the northeast of Omonia Square. Other Exarchia landmarks include the National Archaeological Museum and Athens Polytechnic. Exarchia is closest to the Omonia and Viktoria metro stations.

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Koukaki & Makrygianni

Quiet Koukaki, to the south of Filopappou Hill, is a residential neighborhood of quiet hillside avenues. Leafy pedestrian street Drakou, lined with restaurants, cafés, internet cafés, and gelaterias, forms the core of Koukaki. Syngrou-Fix is the metro station closest to Koukaki. Makriyianni, adjacent to Koukaki, is right at the foot of the Acropolis. It’s a more touristy area than Koukaki, with streets of shops bulging with tschochkes and restaurants groaning with tourists. Despite this, pedestrian street Dionysiou Areopagitou is pretty charming in places. Akropoli is the metro station closest to Makriyianni.

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Metaxourgio

Metaxourgio is a centrally-located neighborhood slightly west of Omonia. Though there's not much in this immediate neighborhood of interest to tourists, it is conveniently served by the Metaxourgio metro station. It's also located close to Psyrri. While the train station-proximate parts of Metaxourgio are neither scenic nor interesting, the part of Metaxourgio closest to Omonia does have a budding arts scene, with lots of indie theatres and live music spots cropping up.

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Monastiraki

Surrounding Monastiraki Square, the neighborhood of Monastiraki ranks next to Plaka as a top tourist neighborhood. It spans the gamut from high-end international retail chains on Ermou to the low-tech individual entrepreneurs selling their wares on Monastiraki Square. Charming alleyways cut across Monastiraki as well, providing a nice escape from the steady tourist traffic. The neighborhood is served by the eponymous Monastiraki metro station.

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Omonia

The gritty transit and commercial hub of Omonia Square is not Athens at its most quaint and ancient. In architectural terms, Omonia is other than charming. But there are plenty of quirky, even inspiring aspects of the area around Omonia Square. For one, there are oodles of ethnic restaurants and immigrant retail shops, giving the area a bit of an international vibe. There's also the mindblowing Central Market, featuring stall upon stall of a dizzying range of goods. While Omonia is a convenient 'hood for cheap sleeps and international fare, keep in mind the area can get a bit sketchy at night.

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Plaka

Plaka is the heart of tourist Athens. Its dense, atmospheric alleys are packed with tavernas, tourist traps, and gorgeous ancient structures. Adrianou is the main strip, but the highly touristed nature of Plaka permeates most corners of the neighborhood. While its main characteristic is its tourist-oriented nature, those committed to hunting around will find a comfortable few blocks of stylish cafés, specialty shops, and government buildings tucked in between the tourist shops, churches, and ancient sites. Plaka is closest to the Syntagma metro station, which is located beneath Syntagma Square.

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Psyrri

Like Omonia, Psyrri is a strikingly diverse commercial district, with countless stores and restaurants catering to various groups of immigrants. In the evening, Psyrri morphs into nightlife central, with a very high density of bars, clubs, and cafés. You’ll find both huge dance clubs and intimate hipster-filled holes-in-the-wall in Psyrri. The Thisio and Monastiraki metro stations are most convenient to Psyrri.

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