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Athens Event Calendar

August 2008

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Music, theater, dance in Athens, outdoor concerts under the Acropolis and in the Ancient Theaters near Athens …. Our calendar includes everything your guide book does not. Don’t leave Athens without attending a free concert at the Neos Kosmos Cultural Center if you are visitng from September to May, or under the Acropolis at the Herodion if you are visiting Athens during the summer. Mouse over the date you are interested in to see what’s happening or browse the entire Athens calendar of cultural events below.

You’ll find schedules for the Hellenic Festival, with performances at the Herod Atticus Theater (the Herodion, or the theater at the Acropolis), the Festival in the Shadow of the Rocks (or Theatro Vrachon), the Imittos Festival in nearby Vyrona, as well as free concerts in the Imittos area in the square in front of their city hall, as well as at numerous indoor and outdoor locations throughout the city of Athens and the surrounding suburbs. If you are searching for something and can’t find it, leave us a comment with your question and I’ll try to find the answer for you.

My Athens Map

Traveling to Greece and looking to eat where the Athenians eat? Get out of the Plaka and skip the world of psuedo tavernas - Explore downtown Athens’ residential neighborhoods like Pagrati, Mets and Kaisargianni where Athenians in the new dine, drink and “volta”. Wander through Thission and Gazi, where the old world collides with the new world and where art, food and music mix. Find the Athenian businessman’s pick for fresh fish and where to learn to make (and eat!) kolokithokeftedes or Zucchini Fritters. Our map contains a list of our Athens picks, most of which won’t have found their way into your guidebook.

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Culture

In Greece birthday celebrations are a relatively new idea. A more traditional approach has been the celebration of Name Days. Check the dates you’ll be visiting Athens, and look for the most common Greek names - you are sure to find a happy crowd celebrating at one of Athens music clubs or music tavernas. What a great way to experience Real Greece!

Why visit Athens?

You’re coming to Greece. You’ve booked your flights, and now you’re surfing the internet trying to plan your journey. Santorini … Mykonos … an overnight stop in Paros. Ten days. Perhaps two weeks in glorious Greece. You’ve got your plan. You’ll land in Athens, find a hotel in Plaka, while your body still wonders what time it is, you’ll check out the Acropolis and the Parthenon, snap the requisite photos and head off for the port or back to the airport in the morning to head to the islands. But it’s ok, you’ll overnight in Athens one more time before your return trip home.

“What can I do for two days in Athens?” “Is one night in Athens enough?” “They spent a week in Athens, what did they do?” As an expat in Athens I get these questions all the time. A friend of a friend is visiting Greece, so they’ve passed along my phone number or my email. “One night in Athens?” I ask rhetorically, “Spend it figuring out how to cut your time elsewhere and return when you can give this magnificent metropolis your undivided, unjetlagged, attention.”

So for those planning on visiting my adopted city with a well rested mind, I offer an ongoing collection of my favorites in my Athena. From where to dine outside of the tourist center yet still downtown, to where to visit a real shadow puppeter, to where to find freshly braided garlic and homemade wine. Sure, you’ll find tips about exploring the historical center here as well, because the Parthenon is certainly a grand part of Athens’ history. But I’ll also encourage you to steal a few hours from your day to share a park bench with a group of Athenian men playing tavli, or let your kids kick around a soccer ball in the square with some Athenian children, or wander beyond Syntagma Square to one of the outdoor farmers markets. I’ll even challenge you with this website to open your eyes to the beauty of “modern” Athens, the architecture of the past century, from Art Noveau to Art Deco and into the new millenium with steel and glass.

So, keep planning your travel to Greece. Just remember, give Athens the respect she deserves.

Maps

How big is Athens, anyway? We are always asked this question, so watch this space for an interesting, interactive map which will help you comprehend just how small central Athens really is. Until then, you’ll have to use a bit of imagination. The map below is the central Athens area. It’s comprised of the central business district, Syntagma Square, the historical center, which includes the Plaka, Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, Monasteraki, and the residential areas of Pagrati and Kolonaki. The top half of the map includes the rest of downtown, including Excharia (where the Politechnio and the National Archeological Museum are located). So, let’s put this into perspective - the entire area covered by this map below is a tad more than 3 kilometers wide by 3 kilometers tall. If you were to overlay it on top of Central Park in New York, it would barely cover the Park in one direction. Ditto for Golden Gate Park. Ditto for DisneyWorld in Florida. Wow! Imagine, 3000 years of history packed into an area 3 km by 3 km!

Map of Central Athens

Where to Stay

Want to fall in love with Athens like I did? Don’t just drop in for the night, pay homage to the Parthenon and head off to the islands. Allow yourself at least 4 nights, though 7 to 14 days are even better. Live like a local in one of our furnished vacation rentals by owner in the vibrant downtown neighborhood of Pagrati or charming, historical Thisseo, both great bases for exploring both the historical sites of this at once historical and cosmopolitan metropolis.
Visit http://www.athenspenthouses.com for several fully furnished, self-catering options for groups of 2 - 12.

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