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| Athens Nightlife Athens Nightlife - TravelPuppy.com Athens has a dynamic nightlife scene that takes place in the streets as well as in the hundreds of bars, tavernas and clubs all over the city. Bars open until around 0400 and nightclubs until 0400 or even 0600. The legal drinking age in clubs and bars is 18 years. Prices differ although punters can expect to pay around €6 for a beer or €8 for a whisky. Cover charges vary dramatically from place to place, often increasing at the weekend. Greeks dress informally but stylishly for a night out. Winter is the best time to enjoy the full range of after-dark entertainment, as numerous establishments move to the coast during the summer. For an authentic Athenian evening, find a bar or club offering rembétika or bouzouki music. Alternatively, numerous nightclubs and bars accommodate for international tastes. These are to be found mainly in the Thissio, Syntagma, Psirri and Kolonáki areas of central Athens, as well as in the suburbs, such as Glyfada, Vouliagméni, Kifissia, Voula and Varkiza. Kathimerini, an English-language insert available with the Herald Tribune, gives information on what’s on in Athens. Bars The most ‘happening’ area of town is Psirri, with its once down-at-heel workshops now being refurbished to create trendy bars and restaurants. Here, Soul, Evripidou 65, tops the league in terms of atmosphere, with a cocktail bar, lounge and restaurant in a spectacular courtyard with deep red walls and lush planting, plus a dance floor upstairs. A 5-minute walk away, Bee, on the corner of Miaouli and Themidos, still in Psirri, also combines drinking, pulling in a mixed gay crowd. To rub shoulders with the Athenian elite, try the upmarket area of Kolonaki. Business visitors favour Central, Platia Kolonki 14 (see Restaurants), while those in search of something more vivid should check out Mommy, Delphon 4, a glamorous bar-restaurant with 70s décor and a young, rich, trendy clientele. For a drink under the stars with an Acropolis view, try the open-air cafes lining Apostolou Pavlou in Thissio and Adrianou near Monastiraki. Casinos An hour’s drive west of Athens, in Loutraki, lies Loutraki Casino, Posseido 48, Loutraki, an impressive modern establishment that claims to be one of the largest casinos in Europe. On the contrary, on Mount Párnitha, the Parnes Casino operates in old-fashioned style from the Mont Parnes Hotel, 2 Karageorgi Servias (tel: 210 242 1234). A mountain cable car carries visitors up to the hotel, day and night. Evening dress and a valid passport are compulsory for both establishments. Clubs The city’s most fashionable nightclub, frequented by rich and glamorous under-40s, is Privilege at Deligianni 50 and Georganta in Kifissia, a smart suburb north of the city centre. Its former premises, in Psirri, are now occupied by the other big Athenian club, Venue at Ag Eleoussis and Kakourgodikiou, close to Monastiráki metro station. During summer, most of the big clubs, including these two, move out to the beach. Live Music For the best jazz in town, visit Halfnote Jazz Club, Trivonianou 17, Mets. Rock music enthusiasts might prefer the more informal Rodon, Marni 24, Omonia, staging live concerts. Many of Greece’s top bouzouki stars play at Diogenis Studio, Singrou 259, Nea Smirni. To hear genuine rembétika (blues sung by immigrants from Asia Minor who came to Greece in 1920s), try the notorious Stoa Athanaton in the arcade inside the Central Market. Music Many taverns, particularly in the Pláka, put on music and dance shows for tourists in the night. However, more genuine Greek music in Athens is rembétika (a kind of Greek blues, developed by refugees from Asia Minor in the 1920s; see Live Music in Nightlife). The city’s main orchestra is Athens State Orchestra, who holds many of their performances at the Mégaron Mousikis Athenon (Athens Concert Hall), Leofóros Vassilissis Sofías (tel: 210 728 2333). This contemporary venue hosts ballet, opera and classical music events, as well as conferences and exhibitions. The Greek National Opera is based at the Olympia Theatre, Akadimias 59-61 (tel: 210 361 2461), which also hosts musical events and operas performed by touring companies and musicians. Theatre The tragedies of Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripedes, and the comedies of Aristophanes represent the highpoints of ancient Greek theatre and heralded the birth of Western drama. Original performances were held in the Théatro Dionysou (Theatre of Dionysos), on the southern slopes of the Acropolis (see Key Attractions). Close by, the Odion Iródou Attikou (Odeon of Herod Atticus) is a Roman theatre from the second century AD, also known as the Herodeion (tel: 210 722 7209 or call Hellenic Festival Box Office, see above). The auditorium is usually only open on summer evenings for the Athens Festival, when it provides a remarkable setting for performances of music and classical drama. The outdoor Lykavittós theatre, on Lykavittós Hill (tel: 210 722 7209), hosts many plays and concerts throughout the summer. The National Theatre of Greece (tel: 210 528 8100) includes five theatre groups, which are based at Agiou Konstantinou 24-26 and Panepistimiou 48. Dance The Dora Stratou Dance Theatre (tel: 210 324 4395) was founded 35 years ago by a dancer and a devotee of Greek folk culture. Each evening May to September, the troupe, dressed in traditional costume, puts on a show of lively Greek song and dance at an open-air theatre on Filopáppou (Philopapps Hill), opposite the Acropolis. The National Ballet Company also performs in the Olympia Theatre (see Music above). Film Athens may not be Hollywood but, with over 100 traditional and modern cinemas throughout the city, the Greek capital is an outstanding place to see a film. Many are closed in summer when dozens of open-air screens take over to create on the spur-of-the-moment cinemas, such as Cine Paris, Kidathinaion 22, Plaka (tel: 210 324 8057); Cine Psirri, Sari 40, Psirri (tel: 210 324 7234); and Thission, Apostolou Paylou 7, Thissio (tel: 210 347 0980 or 342 0864). Asty, Korai 4, off Panepistimou (tel: 210 321 4998) shows art house movies. Films are shown in their original language. One of the most respected Greek film directors is Theo Angelopoulos whose works include the 1995 film To Vlemma tou Odyssea (Ulysses’ Gaze), starring Harvey Keitel. His 1998 film, Mia Aioniotita ke Mia Mera (Eternity and a Day), won the Palme D’Or at the 51st Cannes Film Festival. Another director to watch out for is Michael Cacoyannis – director of Zorba the Greek (1962). Nonetheless, for many people the all-time classic remains Never on Sunday (1960), filmed in the Piraeus Port area, directed by Jules Dassin and starring Melina Mercouri as a prostitute with a heart of gold. |