ATHENS – The word is spreading around the world that Greece offers more than sea and sun in summer – and that Athens is more than just a jumping off point to the islands. Tony Perrottet’s article in The Wall Street Journal trumpets “10 0 Surprising Reasons to Visit—and Revisit—Athens” and the subheadline reads: “The Greek capital was the cradle of Western civilization, but it has far more to offer today than its famed ancient ruins.”

The article leads with the surprising: “Athens just might be the most underrated capital city in Europe,” but Perrottet explains that is the result of profound changes: “When I first visited over two decades ago to research my books on ancient Greece, I found it a sprawling, gridlocked and gritty eyesore with graffiti-covered streets. Back then, most travelers allocated a day to visit the Acropolis, which is crowned by the beloved Parthenon, then fled to the glittering beaches and seafood tavernas of the Aegean islands.”

He then notes: “But revisiting a couple of years ago, I was surprised to find that new subway lines, highways and pedestrian streets in the heart of the ancient city had transformed the experience of visiting Athens. Energetic Greek expats who returned during the pandemic had opened restaurants, galleries, cafes and boutiques, and were joined by European bohemians flooding south in search of cheap rents and sunshine.”

He can add to the list of things that make the city more pleasant for permanent residents and visitors alike the crucial Metro, the miraculous Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Attiki Odo highway, and, of course the excellent Eleftherios Venizelos airport.

Here is his list of ten experiences not to miss:

1. Underground dining (literally) – “It has no street number, no sign and no menu; it can only be found by descending worn stone steps below metal trap doors in the sidewalk on a corner near the central meat and fish markets of Varvakeios. But Diporto’s naturally cool cellar, lined with wine barrels and 10 or so shaky wooden tables, is a quintessential Athenian dining experience. It’s my first stop whenever I step off the overnight plane from New York… The subterranean eatery dates from 1887, though some Athenians swear it was a wine bar in the days of Plato. The white-haired owner and chef, who goes by Mitsos, began working here as a waiter many decades ago, he tells me. He took over in 1991 when the previous owner died… A meal washed down with retsina can be enjoyed for around $15 a person.”
2. Post-Acropolis therapy – “After battling the crowds on the Sacred Rock, as the Acropolis was known in antiquity, even the most hardened sightseers need to refuel. The less-visited flank of the plateau, below the Acropolis Museum in the Koukaki area, has genuine culinary treats tucked away in leafy, narrow streets. “
3. Rocking the amphitheater – “Every visitor to the Acropolis admires the Odeon of Herodes Atticus carved into the citadel’s southern flank, a majestic amphitheater dating from the second century with sweeping views of the Aegean coast. But few realize that the ancient venue is still in use for summer theater and concerts. The program is wildly eclectic…”
4. Art in the red-light district – “We think of Athens as crowded with classical marble statues, but the city also has blossomed as one of Europe’s most exciting contemporary-art centers. Among the many museums and galleries showing contemporary art, the most consistently intriguing Athenian-run gallery is the Breeder, which says on its website it is attempting to build ‘an artistic dialogue between Athens and the world.’ The gallery, in the louche but safe neighborhood of Metaxourgeio, a red-light district with neoclassical mansions, is a five-minute stroll from leafy Avdi Square, a decidedly gentrified and pleasant refuge lined by outdoor cafes, hopping bars like Blue Parrot and fine restaurants like Seychelles.?”
5. The war of the rooftops – “Bar-restaurants here compete for the most jaw-dropping rooftop views of the Acropolis, which is conveniently spot-lit after dark.” The article highlights the renowned Hotel Grand Bretagne, “a landmark since 1874” and notes that “the more-contemporary Dolli opened last year… the most memorable aesthetic experience is the rooftop bar-restaurant, where an infinity pool reflects the glowing Parthenon.”
6. Falafels and design – “in the neighborhood of Plateia Anexartisias, you’ll find Anthologist, an eccentric boutique in a restored 1912 mansion… The shop is upstairs from the best falafel restaurant in the city—the no-frills Zanoubia.”
7. Museum in a Metro station – “Some 5,000 years of history lie buried here in layers like phyllo pastry. When the Athenian subway system was expanded it uncovered… archaeological sites” that are now part of several stations.
8. High-tech philosophers – “Last year, a wildly original museum opened in a conservatory overlooking the ruins of Aristotle’s Lyceum to offer a high-tech, immersive exploration of the Greeks’ contribution to philosophy. The AiTherion, whose name is a play on artificial intelligence and ether, a primal element studied by the Greek philosophers, uses engaging touch-screen exhibits to involve visitors in debates about such concepts as eudaimonia, “the search for human well-being, and how to improve democracy.”
9. Benaki Museum of Islamic Arts – “The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, which is almost always deserted, is considered one of the finest in Europe… head up to the rooftop cafe for delicacies like orange cake with tea.”
10. 1 The new Dionysia – “The ancient Greeks didn’t invent wine. The laurels for that, as far as historians can tell, go to the country of Georgia. But the Greeks did spread wine’s cultivation to their colonies around the Mediterranean… Today, there remain some 1,200 vineyards in Greece, producing such local staples as white Moschofilero. The worldwide push for natural wines has well and truly taken hold with small producers here. Tanini Agapi Mou (Tanin My Love) offers a dizzying 100 natural Greek wines sold by the glass, volaki cheese and Thracian chorizo. For a treat, the industrial-chic Mona Athens hotel hosts regular residencies and pop-ups by Greek natural winemakers on the rooftop, with astonishing Acropolis views. It has to be admitted, the vista never gets old.”