Local Guide

Here’s something I wish someone had told me before my first trip to Athens: where you stay completely changes what kind of trip you’ll have. Pick Plaka and you get postcard Greece. Pick Exarchia and you get punk-rock Greece. Pick Koukaki and you get “I could actually live here” Greece. They’re all Athens, but they feel like different cities. So let me walk you through the main Athens neighborhoods — what they’re actually like, who they suit, and where I think you should stay.