10 Things to Do in Athens in Winter

There are tons of things to see and do in Athens from the moment you land at the airport to the moment you return home eager to continue living in this paradise that has a history that spans 3000 years.

I have taken it upon myself to research what are those activities that you can fully enjoy if you are in Athens during the winter and I advise you to read on to find out about each and every one of them. Remember that the best way to experience a new place is to do it under the traditions that define the season you have chosen for your trip.

If you are in Athens in winter you can't miss the best winter dishes. And you have to appreciate the fact that this Greek culinary universe has many heavy ingredients such as marinated meats or the use of olives as the basis of the preparation. Moussaka is the national dish of Greece and is usually a staple of the winter diet because of its high protein content, which helps your energy reserves to cope with the dropping temperatures and this protein intake will be very useful for you to walk around the city without feeling so exhausted.

In Greek tavernas you will see people gathered around enjoying a gyro or a delicious fakes and these are a great place to experience the real taste of Athens' winter food.

It is also a very good idea to go on a Greek food tour if you want to see the most iconic and traditional establishments in the less crowded neighborhoods of the city.

If your trip to Athens during the winter coincides with the dates of the Carnival, then you can't hesitate in the festivities of Apokries. This is the Greek version of this festival that marks the beginning of Lent prior to Easter in the Greek Orthodox Church.

This festival is characterized by all kinds of extravagant floats representing cultural elements of Ancient Greece and the mythology that enclosed its religious customs. There is also a lot of Byzantine influence in the aesthetics of this Greek carnival and, if you attend this celebration, you will notice that the participants usually dress up in colorful clothes for the whole weekend of its duration.

The Moschato parade is one of the most relevant events of this weekend of festivities and is held in the neighborhood that bears this name on the coast near the port of Piraeus. There are also confetti battles and all kinds of celebrations in the bars and streets of the old neighborhoods near the Acropolis, i.e. districts 1 and 2 of Athens. An excellent excuse to enjoy the festive atmosphere after your visit to the Acropolis of Athens.

If you are already in Plaka or any other neighborhood in the 1st and 2nd districts of Athens you can try to get the best deals on authentic Greek jewelry, as winter is a time of low sales for these merchants and many businesses set discounts and sales to seduce the buyer.

My advice is to also go to the neighborhood of Monastiraki, as it will allow you to get pieces of jewelry in a more comfortable and quiet space. This area is very close to the Agora of Athens, an area full of monuments of Ancient Greece that you can not miss and that, in the winter season, will guarantee you a tour almost free of tourists.

Many of the tourist buses of Athens run through this area of the districts 1, 2 and 3 of the city. Don't hesitate and take advantage of them if you get tired of walking and want to quickly get to another tourist epicenter of the city.

The neighborhood of Plaka is one of the tourist epicenters of Athens, both for its proximity to the Acropolis and for its architectural style, which makes it look like a village frozen in time in the middle of a city as cosmopolitan as the Greek capital.

It is an area of narrow cobblestone streets where there are cafes and taverns on almost every corner. Specifically in the Anafiotika section, the charm of this community can be perceived in greater detail and winter is the best time of the year to visit this area of Athens whose narrow streets look like small urban labyrinths.

Among the best things to do in the neighborhood of Plaka in Athens I can highlight the ascent to the Acropolis, which will always be in the background in this section of the city center and without a doubt a guided tour of Athens is an excellent option to discover the secrets hidden in this area of the city.

Although the Mediterranean climate of southern Greece allows winters to remain fairly mild, it is still true that it can feel cold in a city as windy as Athens. Therefore, I recommend that you take advantage of the season to visit a Hammam, which is a typical sauna of the Ottoman culture.

If you visit one during your visit to Athens you can enjoy a long steam session that will be followed by a full body exfoliation and a series of massages that will allow you to relax and leave refreshed to enjoy the rest of your tourist itinerary.

At the end, you will be offered all kinds of teas associated with Greek gastronomy and in fact this is an experience that will be available in any corner of the city, as most neighborhoods have at least one Hammam of excellent quality.

Shopping is an essential part of any trip. At the same time, Greece is a destination that is characterized by the quality of its gastronomic offer and the way in which these flavors captivate people who discover them for the first time.

Therefore, it is a recommended plan for your winter visit to Athens that you take a stroll through the streets surrounding the Central Market, as there you will find all kinds of gastronomic souvenirs that will allow you to continue savoring Greece when you are back home.

The winter season is particularly good to visit the market and buy canned or well-preserved ingredients without crowds.

Mount Philopapos is a relatively high hill that is close to the Acropolis and the rest of the tourist attractions that make Athens unparalleled. The mount offers panoramic views of the central section of Athens and on a clear day you have the opportunity to view the shores of Piraeus.

To climb to the top you will have to follow a short hiking route, but this physical activity is worth it for sure if you are guaranteed panoramic views of the city on a snowy day. Which is very likely to happen considering that snowy mornings have become more and more frequent in Athens winters in recent decades.

The Greek mainland is full of villages that can give you a truer and more authentic picture of how rural life works in this picturesque country. For example, the communities near the Tatoi Forest are a good idea if you are looking for villages that are very close to the urbanized area of Athens.

If you want to get a little further away you can go all the way to Mount Parnassus,, one of the highest mountains in all of Greece that offers you a lot of winter entertainment alternatives, such as mountain hiking and even ski slopes.

Mount Giona is another accessible destination that can be part of the best tours and excursions from Athens when thinking of a winter entertainment activity. So it is up to you to decide if you are really interested in getting to know the mountainous side of Greece or if you decide to go for a trip to the nearby islands, which will definitely be free of tourists and which will also offer you a very beautiful panorama to admire.

Athens is the third most populated capital of the European Union, at least if you take into account the calculation of the number of people living in its metropolitan area. At the same time, it is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world and is specifically an epicenter of modernity and freedom within the region of the Balkan Peninsula.

For these reasons, it is logical that the nightlife scene is very active throughout the year and particularly the winter is a time of much partying in Athens, due to the fact that beach plans mutate towards activities that offer protection from the low temperatures of the season. Some of the most recommended options to experience the Athenian party are the following:

• Psyri: it stands out among other alternatives for its bohemian identity and for being one of the epicenters of urban art in Europe.
• Gazi: it has the best nightclubs in Athens and is very close to the tourist area of Monastiraki.
• Exarcheia: it is the district of the most anarchist thinkers and revolutionaries, who to this day resist the gentrification that has taken place in the other areas of the city. If you are looking for a more authentic type of party, this is the place for you.

Having an evening where you go from bar to bar in some of the areas I have mentioned is one of the best things to see and do in Athens at night... Let the party begin!

Piraeus or Piraeus is a port city that is part of the Athens metropolitan area. This area is the one that connects the capital with most of the nearby islands that are accessible by a short ferry ride or also for a longer trip, as larger Athens cruise ships usually depart from the port terminals in this neighborhood.

Winter is a perfect time to enjoy this area as the tourist influx drops drastically and, if you visit, you will have the opportunity to see how the Greek elite live, as many of the luxury ships dock in this port due to its proximity to the rest of Athens.

The ports of Mikrolimana and the Zea Marina are must-see stops in the area, as well as the quiet but beautiful neighborhood of Kastella.

Temperatures in Athens in winter can be classified as cold by Mediterranean standards, but they are definitely warm when compared to the measures expected in other corners of the European Union: minimums usually hover around 5 and 8 degrees throughout the season, while maximums can rise up to 15 degrees at midday on a sunny day.

However, you should not be surprised by an abrupt drop in temperature that brings with it a little snowfall in the Greek capital. This is an increasingly common phenomenon in the far south of the Balkan Peninsula.

As I mentioned to you, the tourist influx in Athens in winter could not be more favorable. Although there are clearly still visitors, as this is one of the most important destinations globally, it is a minimal percentage when compared to the amount of tourists that flock to this country during the summer season.

The winters in Athens favor the tourist's pocket due to the fact that all the services of entertainment and lodging lower their prices with the intention of announcing itself as an economic destination in the alternatives of European tourism.

From food to transportation, lodging and also commercial consumption, all these activities will be cheaper than what you would have to spend in summer staying the same amount of days in the Greek capital.

Athens is a walkable city and many of your plans will be in environments that require your physical movement. It is therefore advisable that you wear comfortable clothing, and you cannot forget to bring coats to cope with the cold, especially if there is expected to be some snowfall during your trip.

It is also essential that you wear comfortable shoes and go for versatile clothing that will serve you for a daytime sightseeing activity and a more refined dinner in a closed restaurant.