13 Things to do in Athens at Christmas

Depending on the time of the year when you visit Athens, different activities are recommended. Christmas is an excellent opportunity to discover both traditional and modern Greek culture.

Check out the following list of activities and traditions for the Christmas holidays, and enjoy this tourist destination to the fullest.

What better way to enjoy the ancient Greek arts than by booking a ticket to a Koilon theatrical show.

Approximately 70 minutes long, laughter and fun are assured in this activity. In addition, Christmas is an ideal time because there will always be a surprise or two that goes out of the original script related to the holiday.

An ideal way to delve into the classical history and myths of Greek culture in a theater under the Acropolis from the performance of various actors who will represent classical Greek characters such as Odysseus, Medea and many others. And all this while you enjoy a glass of wine.

As in many other cities, if there is one thing that characterizes Christmas in Athens, it is that temperatures are colder and there may be the occasional day when it rains. If so, don't hesitate to plan a museum day.

Athens has an important list of major museums that you should not fail to include in your list of activities at any time of the year. Here are some of my favorites:

• Tickets for the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, from $13.
• Tickets for the Acropolis Museum in Athens, from $26.
• Tickets forthe Museum of Illusions, from ** $13**.

And on your trip to Athens at Christmas, you have to book an excursion to Meteora and discover the Greek countryside. A scenic gem that will dazzle you. It is an area where the weather is moderate at this time of the year, so nothing prevents you from enjoying this activity at this time of the year.

However, make sure you rest as much as possible beforehand, because this experience lasts approximately 14 and a half hours. A time that, even so, will be very short because you will enjoy an endless number of activities. In addition to visiting Meteora, you will visit six Greek Orthodox monasteries with a local expert guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the architecture and history of these places: the Great Meteora, Varlaam, Roussanou, Holy Trinity, St. Stephen and St. Nicholas.

Regarding clothing, appropriate clothing is required to enter the monasteries. Women are required to wear long skirts and long-sleeved blouses, while men are required to wear long pants and long-sleeved shirts.

The Panepistimiou neighborhood extends for a couple of streets parallel to the avenue bearing the same name. It is an important road artery, due to the fact that it separates the more traditional and touristic neighborhoods of the section near the Acropolis of Athens from the more elegant and residential neighborhoods near Mount Lycabettus. If you book a guided tour of Athens you will be given all the details of this area.

Near Syntagma Square you will find a very famous store, Attica. I advise you to walk around it and its surroundings to do your Christmas shopping. This whole area that stretches on both sides of the avenue is full of stores of local and international renown and most of them have Christmas decorations that are worth admiring. So having a shopping session through this section of the Greek capital is one of the best things to do in Athens in December.

The avenue stretches through an area that is close to other iconic sites in the city that are worth visiting during Christmas such as the National History Museum, Kotziá Square and Omonia Square and the Athens Central Market.

The Grande Bretagne Hotel can be a great place to celebrate the holidays. Located on the north side of Syntagma Square, it is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Athens.

Architecturally, it is quite a spectacle, but the fact that makes it stand out during Christmas is the opera nights, which are held in the hotel's restaurant called Winter Garden Lounge. This is a series of dinners that offer you the opportunity to watch a full Greek opera concert, while enjoying an elegant dinner of authentic Greek gastronomy reinvented under culinary criteria worthy of a Michelin Star.

Keep in mind that this place is one of the most elegant among the Athenian culinary world and these dinners have a dress standard that will demand a certain degree of presence. It might be a good idea if you are looking for a luxurious activity to experience Christmas like a privileged Athenian. Although you should also keep in mind that you could spend up to 100 € per person depending on what you decide to consume. If, on the other hand, you have a tighter budget, be sure to book a gastronomic tour of Athens, suitable for all budgets.

One of the most iconic places of Christmas in Athens, which year after year opens its doors with a more innovative proposal than the previous one, is the Little Kook. It is a cafe that throughout the year is characterized by a rather extravagant decoration, but just at Christmas time it replaces all its design with a striking style of Christmas elements to create a small oasis of fantasy in the middle of the eclectic and bohemian Psyri neighborhood.

It is located on the narrow Karaiskaki Street, a couple of streets away from Monastiraki Square. I advise you to go there at night so you can see the lights and if you have the opportunity to go in, don't hesitate. Don't do it though if the amount of tourists implies a long waiting time, as the street is already a visual spectacle. If you manage to get inside you can't miss ordering a Greek-style spiced hot chocolate.

The whole area of Psyri is quite touristy and, in fact, has become an epicenter of nightlife and quality adult entertainment. So it is a good idea to go at night if you visit the city without children and if you go during the day I recommend you to book one of the Athens tour buses to get there. Read the following post about the main bus routes to get all the details.

Races or marathons of people dressed up as Santa Claus have become one of the most interesting international traditions of recent times. New York has some, Paris has some, London has its own version and Athens is not far behind. Which is logical, knowing that this is one of the most cosmopolitan capitals in the world.

This race usually takes place around the city center of Athens. Thus crossing neighborhoods such as Plaka, the historic triangle, Monasteraki, Kolonaki and even Omonia. The neighborhood of Syntagma and specifically the square is usually the arrival destination of hundreds or even thousands of participants. Therefore, being in this place on the day of the race can be something very entertaining if you are interested in the idea of seeing hundreds of Santa Claus running through the ancient and peculiar streets of Athens.

It usually takes place on the second or third Saturday of December. And if you get the urge to run or do a more active activity, book a bike tour in Athens In the following article I inform you about several bike tours in Athens.

Bazoukias are typical Greek establishments where people gather to consume specifically traditional Greek cuisine, while listening to Hellenic music. In the more touristy neighborhoods of Athens you can find them on almost every corner, but I can most strongly recommend you to visit the ones located in Koukaki, Psyri, Monastiraki and Syntagma.

Christmas is a perfect time because these musical taverns will feature a repertoire of typical Christmas songs for Athenians. In addition, it is an escape from the low temperatures that has nothing to do with the weather enjoyed during the rest of the year.

It is one of the best activities to do at night in Athens, because it is a typical entertainment of this region. It offers you the opportunity to drink honey wine or a Cretan raki, while listening to the music that has marked the history of this community.

Now, if you're in the mood for another restaurant that closely follows the idea of using the most elaborate decorations for Christmas, then you can't miss the Noel bar, one of the most famous in Athens. It is a bar and restaurant that has several sections and each of them has a striking and particular decoration.

It stands out for being a place where you can go to have brunch with Santa Claus, because year after year there is an entertainer who dresses up as the lord of the North Pole. This despite the fact that St. Basil is the real character of Christmas in Athens for the Greek Orthodox Church.

It is quite an interesting place, as the aesthetics is neovintage and its gastronomic proposal tries to focus on classic meals of Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, but under a modern reinvention. So if you are looking to visit it, I can tell you that Christmas is the best time to do it. I recommend that you ask for reservations in advance, as it tends to fill up.

Technopolis is one of the most curious and important sites in Athens, as it is a former gas processing plant and, today, is a multicultural complex that extends over 32,000 square meters. It hosts concerts, seminars, cultural forums, an industrial museum and, just at Christmas time, The Christmas Factory.

Trying to explain what The Christmas Factory is is as complicated as defining what Technopolis is. And is that this event that is fully focused on Christmas comes being a kind of festival that works as a temporary theme park with activities, shows, educational workshops and Christmas markets that can be an unforgettable experience for the youngest of the house.

The location is another favorable aspect because it is in the neighborhood of Gazi and also very close to Keramikos and Thesio, three areas that you have to go when you are in the city for its architectural beauty or for its interesting cultural identity.

Details of interest:

• Prices: tickets usually cost 5 € per person, but they only give you access to the facilities and any consumption within the festivals part.
• Duration: you can easily spend 5 or 6 hours inside, but it all depends on the enthusiasm of your children to stay there and the number of people there.

Going to Syntagma Square to admire the beauty of the Christmas decorations is a highly recommended plan for the evening because you can enjoy the illumination. The decorations change every year and it is unpredictable.

On some occasions, they have built Christmas trees that reach 20 meters high; on others, they have organized a light show on the Hellenic Parliament building and, in addition, sculptures have been created that refer to the Christmas aesthetics.

It is a small free entertainment activity that you cannot miss on your trip, but it will not take up much time. That's why I advise you to leave a good part of the best things to do in the Plaka neighborhood for the same day of the night tour of the square. This traditional area is very close to Syntagma and both activities can be combined.

Greek Orthodox churches abound in every corner of Athens and Christmas is an ideal time for you to visit them because many of them are decorated with the aesthetic standards of this interesting tradition of Christianity.

If you visit them you will have the opportunity to witness one of the most interesting architectural styles on the planet, as most of them are decorated down to the smallest corner with Byzantine Christianity standards, very striking and overloaded. The Holy Church of St. Nicholas Rangavas is the oldest church in all of Athens and an interesting stop if you find yourself in Plaka. Although any other church will offer you a truer look at what Greek Orthodox churches really look like today.

Another reason that makes visiting these churches an excellent idea during Christmas is the opportunity to enjoy the typical Hellenic carols, the Kalandas. These will surely be sung by the children's choirs every night around the 24th and 25th of December.

Mount Parnassus is a mountain that is located a couple of kilometers north of Athens and is noted for its beauty, as well as being surrounded by several olive groves. It is a favorite destination for Athenians in the winter season due to the fact that there are some ski resorts and, therefore, I can advise you to visit it at Christmas if you have time for a short getaway from the Greek capital.

At the same time, at Christmas time it becomes more relevant for all Greeks and foreign tourists who are visiting Athens. For going to this snow-capped mountain is a way to celebrate the holidays by combining Western aspects such as skiing and mountaineering centers with Greek and Mediterranean gastronomic traditions.

Actually, it is an excellent plan for the whole year and is part of one of the best day trips from Athens. That's for the simple fact that it is a very important place for Greek mythology, as it is thought to be the abode of the Muses and the symbolic homeland of the poets of Ancient Greece.

Christmas is a relatively cold season in Athens, but the lowest temperatures of the winter season have not yet been reached.

You can expect drops of up to 2 degrees Celsius and the average temperature will be between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius throughout the Christmas season. You can also expect highs up to 15 degrees on a nice sunny afternoon.

For the week from Christmas to New Year's there is a significant increase in the number of visitors walking the streets of Athens. However, one thing to appreciate is that these referrals will always be lower than the unsustainable amounts of tourists arriving in the Greek capital in the summer months.

Christmas is an expensive season everywhere in the world and Athens is no exception. Clearly, all your expenses will be a bit more expensive than what you would pay in January or November, but they are still more favorable than the tourist costs of visiting Greece in the summer.

Bring warm clothes and be prepared to wear different layers of clothing to go out to walk the streets of the city and enjoy the best things to do in Athens is paramount.

But keep in mind that it is essential that you wear comfortable clothes that allow you to maintain a favorable mobility. Footwear should also be comfortable for long urban walking sessions.