Is Athens worth visiting as a Digital Nomad?

Athens, the place where our digital nomad adventure started. We are so attached to this city that gave us so many beautiful memories. Greek people, the crazy Athenian hot weather, the vibes of the city, the delicious Greek food: the mix of all these things made us fall in love with Athens. But is it Athens worth visiting? Maybe you’re asking yourself this question preparing your trip to Greece, maybe you think it’s better to spend more time on Greek islands, but that’s untrue. Athens worth even more than one visit. If you want to see what real life looks like in Greece, then Athens is a must you need to visit during your holiday. In Athens you’ll not only find the acropolis, temple and archaeological museum, but much more. If you are a fan of great street art, ancient architecture, sunny weather and that unique Greek vibe, you’ll love Athens. If you want to have some more informations about Greece and the biggest Greek cities, this guide is our favorite.

But these are only few points of why Athens is so good. Keep reading if you want to know what we loved about Athens and what makes us say, “Yeah, let’s visit this city again and again”!

Are you ready? Let’s get started!

Athens is a city that never stops. We enjoyed our days having a walk in the center, passing from one neighborhood to another, drinking a freddo cappuccino under the orange trees in our favorite square, Platia Agiou Georgiou, thinking about how it had to be during the ancient Greek agora times. The cool thing in Athens is that you don’t need to be in Plaka, Syntagma or close to the most famous sites to have something to do. In Athens there are always plenty of activities even in places you would never think it was possible. So, when you’re searching your hotel, don’t fix your limits in the center, but also explore less known neighborhood: they’re full of surprises. If you want to discover the local things we loved to do in Athens, check out our article here. 

Are you in Athens and searching for a day trip from the Greek capital? Perfect! Just 30 minutes away from Athens you’ll be able to reach some of the beautiful beaches in Europe. Yeah, if you’re also traveling on a budget, that’s the perfect plan: visit Athens and get lost between the old ruins, and then jump in the Aegean Sea and disconnect yourself from the world. We loved going to the beach from Athens by public transport every weekend. We really considered that a luxe. So, if like us, you love simplicity, hidden creeks and clear water, you’ll fall in love with the beaches close to Athens. 

If from one side it’s true that Athens’s social situation got worse in the last 10 years, during our stay in Athens we never felt vulnerable or in danger. Of course, you’ll have to avoid some neighborhood at night as in every big European capital, but overall Athens is a safe place. So, no need to worry during your trip: if you want some extra advice about Athens safety levels, we wrote this article for you. What about metro and public transports? We never saw or felt the danger of pickpockets during the 2 months we lived in Athens, so we really can tell you that even if you’ll see a lot of poverty, you can enjoy your time in Athens without problems. 

When it comes to neighborhoods, Exarchia is most probably the most mysterious and controversial one. Exarchia, after the crisis that affected Athens in 2008, has become the anarchist neighborhood. What does this mean? It means that police is not entering in the neighborhood anymore, the main square is a drug-dealing hotspot and a lot of houses are occupied as big squats for migrants and drug addicted. Sounds awful isn’t? But Exarchia is not only this. Exarchia is also an artistic neighborhood with a lot of alternative bars and places and yeah, it’s the Jerusalem of street art lovers. We loved the south of Exarchia, really close to Plaka and Syntagma, with all the small restaurants and the lovely cafes. Exarchia is definitely a place to visit if you want to see a different side of Athens than the Acropolis and the other archeological sites. If you want to know more about Exarchia, give a look at our article with a lot of insights!

We lived in Kypseli and we got to know many aspects of this neighborhood. Once the fanciest and richest place in Athens, is today a multicultural neighborhood where Greeks, Africans and Middle Easterns live together. Kypseli for us it’s the best neighborhood if you want to understand how is today’s Athens. So, leave at your shoulders the archeological museum in the city center and the ancient sites, and discover the real urban Athens. If you want to have a clearer idea of what happened in Athens in the last 10 years, this cultural guide is literally the best!

Greek food is definitely the best. Even after months from our stay in Greece, we are still cooking Greek recipes at home! In Athens you’ll find many places offering delicious typical dishes, so it will not be tricky to find a restaurant whether you’re in Monastiraki or far away on the Greek coast. The food on the island is even better: it will be like eating the same food a Greek grandma cooks! A really nice thing we didn’t have the occasion to do in Athens is a food tour of the city! We think that’s really a cool activity to do during the week with some locals. Ah, talking about locals, take a look at our favorite restaurants in Athens: you’ll discover the most delicious places in town!

If restaurants in Athens are cheap, buying food is even cheaper. If you’re staying in an apartment and you’ve got one of those typical Athenian terrace, enjoy the view with a dinner at home is priceless (and local). More than the supermarket, a funny thing to do in Athens is definitely discovering the local markets around the town. There you’ll be able to find honey, olives, oil, organic fruits and vegetables for a very little price. Just close to the stalls, there will also be restaurants on 4 wheels offering street food and, of course, the famous Greek souvlaki. 

Athens is pretty big. If you think that more then half of the Greek population live here, you’ll quickly realize that Athens has a lot of different neighborhoods. And there’s something for everyone. If you want to merge in ancient temples and archeological sites, Plaka is the place for you. If you’re searching for a more hipster place, then the modern agora of Monastiraki will fit you perfectly. If you want to find the best place to stay in Athens, Travala is our favorite website to find really good opportunities. And, if you want to avoid inconvenient situations, here you have our Ultimate Athens Neighborhood Guide. Isn’t this luck?

In quality of Digital Nomads, we can say that we really enjoyed the nomadic scene in Athens. Even if we didn’t take advantage of the many co-working spaces in the city since we had our own office in the apartment we rented, Athens’s teaming with them. We attended many parties at different co-workings and we met amazing people with whom we even collaborated on some projects. So, if you’re wondering to live in Athens as a digital nomad our answer is: YES, do it! When we decided to be digital nomad, we equipped ourselves with some amazing backpack. They will totally change your conception of traveling!

If you ask us about a city that reminds us a lot of Athens, we would certainly say Tulum! Since we have moved here we saw so many things that bring together the two cities, like the chaos of the city center, the way people welcome you, the beautiful sea distant just a walk from the center, the incredible nature surrounding the city. That’s why, if you like Athens, most probably you will fall in love with Tulum. Check out our Tulum travel guide to discover that Ancient Mayas and Ancient Greeks were not so different after all!

Not the classic Acropolis tour or archaeological museum visit, we hope that our local facts about Athens will make you fall in love with this timeless city. If you’re organizing your trip to Greece and you need some advice, don’t hesitate to write us a comment below or mail on our contact page: we can’t wait to hear from you!