What part of Athens is not worth visiting?

[nadellii]

People have been recommending so many amazing places to visit but i’m wondering if there’s something I should take off my list (I only have a couple of days). So in your opinion, which area of Athens didn’t meet your expectations and you wouldn’t really visit again? No need for hate here!! Just trying to plan LOL

 

[Hash]

People have been recommending so many amazing places to visit but i’m wondering if there’s something I should take off my list (I only have a couple of days). So in your opinion, which area of Athens didn’t meet your expectations and you wouldn’t really visit again? No need for hate here!! Just trying to plan LOL

What is on your list?...... How long are you intending to stay in Athens?.... What do you want to achieve in your trip?..... When are you going there?.....I am sure there are local Athenians here who will assist?

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

I'm not from Athens, but I know Athens as well as the locals. As a tourist, I'd recommend you go anywhere the sounds interesting to you. What is boring to me may not be boring to someone else. If you like history and looking at ancient things then you can pretty much go anywhere and enjoy what you see.

The places I would not recommend you go to (for your own safety) are: omonoia (very sketchy at night), metaxourgeio (very sketchy at night), plateia Amerikis (never go here as a tourist. It's very dangerous), exarheia, Acropoli (dangerous at night), plateia vathis (near monsatiraki/farmer's market), lofos filopappou (very dangerous at night. People are killed/robbed here at night). Pedion tou Areos (extremely dangerous at night. I'll never go here), Patision (the ghetto), and menidi (all of the gypsies live here. Cops will not go here). there are several other places too.

if you stick to the touristy areas then you'll mostly be fine.

 

[Hash]

I'm not from Athens, but I know Athens as well as the locals. As a tourist, I'd recommend you go anywhere the sounds interesting to you. What is boring to me may not be boring to someone else. If you like history and looking at ancient things then you can pretty much go anywhere and enjoy what you see.

The places I would not recommend you go to (for your own safety) are: omonoia (very sketchy at night), metaxourgeio (very sketchy at night), plateia Amerikis (never go here as a tourist. It's very dangerous), exarheia, Acropoli (dangerous at night), plateia vathis (near monsatiraki/farmer's market), lofos filopappou (very dangerous at night. People are killed/robbed here at night). Pedion tou Areos (extremely dangerous at night. I'll never go here), Patision (the ghetto), and menidi (all of the gypsies live here. Cops will not go here). there are several other places too.

if you stick to the touristy areas then you'll mostly be fine.

Very good advice ?...... Thank you very much....my memories are extremely different when I was living there in Ano Glyfada back in early/middle 90s....we used to go everywhere and anywhere,it was the safest and the most enjoyable experience of my life......just imagine I used to alone in the local taxi from my area....the same taxi used to bring me home at dawn after staying out all night....I know times have changed.... Thank you kindly for this advice!?

 

[ssherie_]

I would say the same thing...what is boring for some people isn't boring for others

 

[Hash]

I would say the same thing...what is boring for some people isn't boring for others

How true..... just imagine I came to Athina for the first time in 1970.....I could walk up and down all day in down town looking at shoe shops??!!....I had never seen so many all in one area.....I thought Malaga and Mallorca were over stocked..... Athens beat them all including Milan where I used to fly for my work...I love looking at clothing stores..... tapestry, handwoven carpets,curtains etc spice stores,laikii.....oh the churches.... fascinating art works, classical music concerts, different restaurants eating everything the locals eat...

 

[Greek_John87]

For me, my answer will depend on if it's your first time there or not. At least once, one has to see the Acropolis (Parthenon, etc). However, if you've already seen it there is no point to do it again unless you really love it. There's so much more to see in the city.

 

[francescool]

For me, my answer will depend on if it's your first time there or not. At least once, one has to see the Acropolis (Parthenon, etc). However, if you've already seen it there is no point to do it again unless you really love it. There's so much more to see in the city.

I would visit the Acropolis again and again I absolutely love it!

 

[Brimax]

I'm not from Athens, but I know Athens as well as the locals. As a tourist, I'd recommend you go anywhere the sounds interesting to you. What is boring to me may not be boring to someone else. If you like history and looking at ancient things then you can pretty much go anywhere and enjoy what you see.

The places I would not recommend you go to (for your own safety) are: omonoia (very sketchy at night), metaxourgeio (very sketchy at night), plateia Amerikis (never go here as a tourist. It's very dangerous), exarheia, Acropoli (dangerous at night), plateia vathis (near monsatiraki/farmer's market), lofos filopappou (very dangerous at night. People are killed/robbed here at night). Pedion tou Areos (extremely dangerous at night. I'll never go here), Patision (the ghetto), and menidi (all of the gypsies live here. Cops will not go here). there are several other places too.

if you stick to the touristy areas then you'll mostly be fine.

I agree with most of this, like any capital city there are places to avoid but some of the places listed above are no more dangerous than anywhere else, for instance Omonia is a busy place with many dodgy people around but i ( elderly and semi disabled) walked happily around there at night and Metaxourgio is the place where i always stay and have never seen anything to worry me

 

[Deborah]

I agree with most of this, like any capital city there are places to avoid but some of the places listed above are no more dangerous than anywhere else, for instance Omonia is a busy place with many dodgy people around but i ( elderly and semi disabled) walked happily around there at night and Metaxourgio is the place where i always stay and have never seen anything to worry me

Sadly I think you’ve been lucky. There are quite a few pick-pocket outfits operating there as one exits the metro. BUT - I hasten to add that this happens in all major cities.

 

[acamp7]

I agree with most of this, like any capital city there are places to avoid but some of the places listed above are no more dangerous than anywhere else, for instance Omonia is a busy place with many dodgy people around but i ( elderly and semi disabled) walked happily around there at night and Metaxourgio is the place where i always stay and have never seen anything to worry me

It does really depend on your experience. I don't like to deter people from going places just because a certain type of people live there. I hear this a lot with Greece (some say oh don't visit this place because there are a lot of refugees or immigrants). Some places are unsafe, and I agree that we should avoid them, but I've had very good experiences in some of the neighborhoods mentioned in the other posts in this thread

 

[acamp7]

How true..... just imagine I came to Athina for the first time in 1970.....I could walk up and down all day in down town looking at shoe shops??!!....I had never seen so many all in one area.....I thought Malaga and Mallorca were over stocked..... Athens beat them all including Milan where I used to fly for my work...I love looking at clothing stores..... tapestry, handwoven carpets,curtains etc spice stores,laikii.....oh the churches.... fascinating art works, classical music concerts, different restaurants eating everything the locals eat...

Im sure Greece used to have some of the most amazing shopping, now there are too many chains in the city like Zara and McDonalds

 

[Blue & White]

I'm not from Athens, but I know Athens as well as the locals. As a tourist, I'd recommend you go anywhere the sounds interesting to you. What is boring to me may not be boring to someone else. If you like history and looking at ancient things then you can pretty much go anywhere and enjoy what you see.

The places I would not recommend you go to (for your own safety) are: omonoia (very sketchy at night), metaxourgeio (very sketchy at night), plateia Amerikis (never go here as a tourist. It's very dangerous), exarheia, Acropoli (dangerous at night), plateia vathis (near monsatiraki/farmer's market), lofos filopappou (very dangerous at night. People are killed/robbed here at night). Pedion tou Areos (extremely dangerous at night. I'll never go here), Patision (the ghetto), and menidi (all of the gypsies live here. Cops will not go here). there are several other places too.

if you stick to the touristy areas then you'll mostly be fine.

OMG what an American response.
The country where children get shot for going to school. Athens, is safer than any other European capital city, any like any other major capital city that has been invaded by spastics some places maybe doggy at night.
Best to speak to the locals while your having lunch at a greek operated shop. Don't be scared.

 

[Deborah]

Yes….Absolutely don’t be reluctant to visit wherever your interests take you! Athens is an amazing city that has withstood the ages; probably because there’s an indescribable resurgence of energy & renewal that occurs after every “roadblock” (historic or contemporary) that the Athenians have endured.

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

OMG what an American response.
The country where children get shot for going to school. Athens, is safer than any other European capital city, any like any other major capital city that has been invaded by spastics some places maybe doggy at night.
Best to speak to the locals while your having lunch at a greek operated shop. Don't be scared.

Did I offend you with the truth?

Ήταν αυτή απάντηση Αμερικανού; μισά σχεδόν χρόνια από τη ζωή μου έζησα στην Αθήνα. Κάθε καλοκαίρι πήγαινα εκεί ως παιδί. Ακόμα και τώρα πηγαίνω κάθε χρόνο να επισκεφτώ την οικογένειά μου και μάλιστα, μπορεί να τύχει να πάω και 2 φορές τον χρόνο. Μη μου λες λοιπόν ότι ήταν απάντηση Αμερικανού από τη στιγμή που δεν ήταν. Η γυναίκα μου, η οποία έχει γεννηθεί και μεγαλώσει εκεί, συμφωνεί 100% με αυτό που είπα, και το ειδε, πριν το δημοσιεύσω.

People think Athens is some glorious place because of their vacation experience, but it's not

 

[Deborah]

I, like you, have travelled to Athens for now over 47 years. It is hardly just a vacation and even though my ancestry doesn’t contain a drop of Greek blood, the vibrancy of the city is palpable to anyone who stops long enough to experience it! Unless the O.P. was overly concerned about safety, a more positive approach to this question would be simply to research the many options and then narrow it down by personal interests and time constraints.

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

I, like you, have travelled to Athens for now over 47 years. It is hardly just a vacation and even though my ancestry doesn’t contain a drop of Greek blood, the vibrancy of the city is palpable to anyone who stops long enough to experience it! Unless the O.P. was overly concerned about safety, a more positive approach to this question would be simply to research the many options and then narrow it down by personal interests and time constraints.

I wasn't trying to scare anyone off; rather, I was trying to make them aware of certain areas. There are several areas someone can visit without having to worry. Going to Athens does not feel like a vacation for me, I view Athens differently than how tourists view it - I went to high school there and worked there for a few years in my early twenties too.

 

[toniiv]

I wasn't trying to scare anyone off; rather, I was trying to make them aware of certain areas. There are several areas someone can visit without having to worry. Going to Athens does not feel like a vacation for me, I view Athens differently than how tourists view it - I went to high school there and worked there for a few years in my early twenties too.

I think it's important to make people aware of certain places that may be unsafe, especially when they don't know Athens well. Thanks for sharing, I wouldn't know where to go if I was there. I think it becomes an issue when we say that "all the gypsies are there." That to me sounds a little offensive.

 

[ellinasgolfer0320]

I think it's important to make people aware of certain places that may be unsafe, especially when they don't know Athens well. Thanks for sharing, I wouldn't know where to go if I was there. I think it becomes an issue when we say that "all the gypsies are there." That to me sounds a little offensive.

Offensive or not, that's how it is. If you ask someone in Greece about that area then they will respond the same way. You will not find the same political correctness in Greece that you will find in the USA/Germany/UK/Canada/Australia. There's a reason why the police will not go to that area.

 

[Hash]

I agree with most of this, like any capital city there are places to avoid but some of the places listed above are no more dangerous than anywhere else, for instance Omonia is a busy place with many dodgy people around but i ( elderly and semi disabled) walked happily around there at night and Metaxourgio is the place where i always stay and have never seen anything to worry me

How nice to read this....it should be an inspiration to all read your post......... Bravo sas!.... Polleeee Kalley Mera apo mena from Thailand!