Kolonáki
The expensive one. A steep grid of streets climbing the southwest flank of Lykavittós from the parliament district, full of boutiques, gallery windows, embassies and the two best private museums in Greece, with a small square at the centre where sitting outside is a competitive sport. Kolonáki is where Athens dresses up, and it has been for sixty years. It is also, for all the polish, small and walkable and cheaper than the equivalent district in almost any other European capital.
Who it's for: Museum people — the Benaki and the Cycladic are here, and both are excellent. Shoppers looking for Greek designers rather than international chains. Anyone who wants a proper cocktail or a serious wine list. Travellers who want to eat well without going out at midnight, because Kolonáki dines earlier than the rest of Athens. People who like a neighbourhood with a view: the funicular up Lykavittós leaves from here.
Things to know
- The two museums are the reason to come and they close on different days: the Museum of Cycladic Art is closed Tuesdays, the Benaki Museum of Greek Culture is closed Tuesdays too — so a Tuesday in Kolonáki is a wasted museum day.
- The Benaki's permanent collection is free every Thursday from 6pm to midnight. That is the single best value in Athenian culture and it is barely advertised.
- The Lykavittós funicular runs from the top of Aristíppou, which is itself a stiff ten-minute climb from Kolonáki Square. Roughly €10 one way and €13 return, every 30 minutes and more often at peak, from about 9am to 2.30am. The whole ride is inside a tunnel — there is no view from the car.
- You can walk up Lykavittós for free on the path from Aristíppou in about 25–35 minutes. It's steep and largely unshaded; do it early or at dusk, not at 2pm in July.
- Kolonáki eats earlier than the rest of Athens — 8.30 or 9pm is normal here rather than 10. Restaurants also close for August in greater numbers than elsewhere in the city, because the neighbourhood empties to the islands.
- Coffee is a two-hour occupation, not a transaction. A freddo espresso at €5 buys a table for as long as you want it, and nobody will hurry you or bring the bill unasked.
- Skoufá and Tsakálof are the shopping spines, weighted to Greek designers, jewellery and concept stores. Voukourestíou, running down to Sýntagma, is the international luxury strip.
- The Sunday of a long weekend is dead here — much of the neighbourhood shuts. Museums stay open; shops and many restaurants don't.