If all the Instagram pics of Lisbon, the official Millennial-City-Break-Location-Of-Choice-2017, are starting to look a bit samey then consider instead boarding a budget airline for a trip to Athens.
Greece is catching up on its western Europe counterparts in terms of visitors – 2015 saw the country's tourism grow "two to three times faster" than Spain, France, Portugal and Italy. 4.5 million people were predicted to visit Athens alone in 2016.
It's a miracle for a city still raw from the events of the past few years. The 2008 riots kicked off years of unrest; Greece was terribly affected by the economic crash and the youth, feeling disenfranchised, fought back.
As it is, Athens boasts an incredible youth population. They are alternative, political, music- and art-obsessed. And it's written all over the face of the city, from the graffiti in the "anarchist" neighbourhood of Exarcheia, to the experimental food and drink served in intellectual cafés across the city, to the groundbreaking art in the EMST Museum and elsewhere. It's a city that deserves to be explored.
So what to do on your trip? Click through to find out.
Getting there
There's one airport in Athens, which is super-well served with Easyjet, Ryanair, Aegean Air, British Airways and many more flying there. In many cases, Aegean (the Greek airline) costs the same as the budget airlines but actually serves you food and drink, as if you'd paid for a BA flight. You're welcome.
To get the metro downtown from the airport can take about an hour and a half if you don't know what you're doing; alternatively, you can get yourself an Uber (yes, they have Uber and it's much cheaper than any taxi your hotel will book) – it'll be about €35-40 into central.
Getting around Athens is easy; the metro system is simple and super-cheap but tbh, the diverse couple of neighbourhoods in the centre are probably more than enough to keep you busy for a couple of days – and they're all within walking distance of one another.
If you're planning on escaping Athens to get to the islands, you'll leave from Piraeus, Athens' huge and bustling port, which has boats going everywhere from Santorini to Hydra, Mykonos to Crete. Booking in advance is recommended.
Where to stay
Unlike most European cities (ahem, London), you don't have to go miles out of the centre to get a good deal on accommodation in Athens.
The city is Airbnb heaven for this very reason. This apartment (WITH A ROOFTOP POOL) is ideally located for Psyri, Plaka and Exarcheia and, at £77 (£38.50 each) a night for two people, far cheaper than a hotel.
If you're super-duper on a budget, this apartment near the Acropolis sleeps four people for just £21 a night. That's £5.25 a night, per person. Magic.
If you're after something a little more boujis (and fancy being looked after by hotel staff), then check out the new-ish Fresh Hotel, which is designed like a dream, has a rooftop pool and bar and is ideally located for Psyri. Prices, as always with hotels, differ wildly depending on which site/deal you get but expect to pay at least £100 a night.
Where to eat
If you're vegan or veggie, you're in luck. For a quick lunch, stop by Vegan Nation, a tiny modernist café that looks totally out of place in its touristy location of Monastiraki. Also, Avocado, a veggie restaurant, is a must. No joke, they have a poem about avocados on their menu and their kimchi wrap is next-level.
For a slightly fancier but still affordable meal, check out the secret garden of Ama Laxei in Exarcheia for some delicious Greek food. If you're down towards Piraeus (the port), head to Che, the brand-new, super-Instagrammable Latin American restaurant with a three-storey tall mural of Frida Kahlo in mom jeans.
For brunch, check out iFeel in Psyri for eggs just about any way you could possibly want them and for wanky coffee, hit up Crazy Goat in Piraeus or Cafe Taf in Exarcheia.
Where to drink
There is no shortage of bars in Athens. It just depends on what you want. For afternoon drinks, head to Pl. Agias Irinis for a whole bunch of lovely outdoor coffee-slash-cocktail bars like Tailor Made.
If you're after something a little more late-night, check out Barrett, a hipster-ified dive bar with great cocktails, music and stupidly attractive people. Also good for cocktails is The Frogs, where the steep climb up to the roof deck is totally worth it. Down towards the National Museum of Contemporary Art (it can be a long walk in the heat), stop off at Kinon ó for snacks, coffee and again, excellent cocktails.
The best for drinks and chats into the night, though? Six D.O.G.S. which, despite its central location, is more tourist-free than other surrounding nightspots and consists of a gig space, gallery and huge hidden patio garden with festoon lighting and, again, seriously great cocktails.
The Acropolis
Full disclosure: The Acropolis was closed when I went due to a heatwave (46°C, come at me) and also, it was €20. Meh. If paying that much to try to avoid getting battered by selfie sticks doesn't sound like your idea of fun, head to Bar 360, a slightly swanky rooftop bar next to Monastiraki which has a stunning view of the Acropolis at night, when it's all lit up. Drinks aren't cheap but you'll probably manage one.
For an even better view of the city than you'd get from the Acropolis, head up the hill in Lofos Likavitou park in the so-called "anarchist" neighbourhood of Exarcheia. You won't find a huge number of tourists on your hike up the hill but the views once you get there are unrivalled. Also, give yourself an afternoon just to explore Exarcheia – it's incredible.
Museums
The Acropolis Museum is worth it if it's too hot to be outside and/or you haven't had your fill of looking at ancient Greek artefacts. Also, it's a pretty impressive building that's won a bunch of architectural awards.
More interesting, though, is the National Museum of Contemporary Arts (EMST), which is located further south. It's housed in an old brewery, is staffed and frequented by wildly attractive individuals and has a seriously interesting collection of modern art that encompasses every medium you can think of. Easy to spend several hours there. (The film on sartorial tribes in Birmingham city centre makes for an uncomfortable comment on British fashion...)
In terms of other museums, if you like history, check out the Benaki Museum which gives a pretty good overview of Greek history up until the 1800s in the setting of a fancy mansion. Also, if you're into looking at ostentatiously beautiful things, the museum showcasing the designs of Ilias Lalaounis, a long-running Greek jewellery designer, is worth a look. The setting is a little dry, though.
Shopping
If you must hit up the touristy markets, then avoid Adrianou Street unless you want to look at a million overpriced replicas of Greek pottery and bottle openers shaped like willies. Instead, check out the shops on Makrigianni next to the Acropolis Museum, where there's a few actually interesting jewellery shops hidden among the touristy restaurants. For even better stuff, turn left onto Lempesi for Eleni Marneri Gallerie, for beautiful art and jewellery from local artists.
You can of course find H&M and Mango but for something more interesting, head to Protogenous Street for vintage shops and round the corner for the Retrosexual Vintage Shop.
For swankier clothes, homeware and accessories, head to the Graffito Concept Store in Kolonaki.
Other stuff to do
If you're at the beginning of your hols, get the plane off you at one of the hammams the city has on offer. Polis Hammam in Psyri is slightly cheaper than Al Hammam and does a stand-up job of being luxurious on a budget. Trust us, your skin has never felt better than after a serious steaming and scrubbing session from one of the staff members.
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