Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre Archives

The Best Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Athens

After two years of dreary isolation and low-key gatherings, this Christmas season Athens is alive with numerous events.

From the festively twinkly streets, Christmas trees and pretty ornaments, various corners of the city are filled with Christmas villages, merry gatherings for people of all ages, fun ice rinks, loud music, creative performances and more.

The Capital’s Largest Ice Rink

Until January 6, from 10 am-8 pm, ice skaters can enjoy practising artful pirouettes (or just landing on their behinds several times in a row) in Kotzia Square on Stadiou St. The largest ice rink in Athens, with a total area of 400m sq, keeps ice skaters entertained for hours. An online reservation is required through the pagodromio.christmasinathens.gr platform.

Insights Greece - The Best Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Athens — Ice skating in the Greek capital

The Return of the Christmas Factory

Children can enjoy Christmas games, rides, and sweets at the Christmas Factory in Technopolis in Gazi. At the open-air Christmas marketplace, you’ll find 30 stands selling everything from seasonal decorations, toys, sweets, good luck charms and 15 food stands serving sweet and savoury dishes. Children can ride on the carousel, bumper cars and even a Ferris wheel while admiring beautiful Christmas décor. On weekends, activities and games, as well as musical and theatrical performances, take place. Until January 6.

Xmas DJs Hit the City

Producers from the City of Athens’s official radio station, Athina 9.84 will be DJing a Christmas soundtrack for shoppers and passers-by in the city’s most central areas around Syntagma Square, shopping boulevard Ermou St, around Monastiraki and Kotzia Square. Meanwhile, the Municipal Philharmonic Orchestra will be performing musical pop-up events, adding live entertainment to get those festive vibes rising.

Lively Christmas Villages in Various Neighbourhoods

From Acharnon and Kypseli to Pagrati and Goudi, neighborhoods of Athens will be transformed into ‘Christmas villages’ from December 17 to January 7. Santa Claus and his elves will welcome passers-by with crafts, sweets, Christmas hand-painting workshops and other festive activities. Stilt walkers, jugglers, Christmas characters, animators, puppets and magicians will be there too, adding to the seasonal fun. The Christmas villages will be open from 11 am -7 pm at Messolonghi Sq in Pagrati, Agia Aikaterini Sq in Kato Petralona, Athanassiou Diakou Sq in Kato Patisia, Agios Eleftherios – Acharnon, Victoria Sq in Kypseli and Agios Thomas Sq in Goudi.

Christmas Street Food Village

Athens’ first Christmas Street Food village is set up outside the Christmas Theater, an entire Christmas village with wooden houses that will serve up flavours from around the world. Try tasty French crêpes and American hotdogs or Mexican churros and Middle Eastern falafel, Italian pizza, Russian piroshki and heart-warming soups. Until January 6, at the Indoor Olympic Stadium of Galatsi.

The Tree of Freedom

In celebration of the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution, decorate a giant tree with ceramic creations by the OPANDA Ceramics Centre. Meanwhile explore an exhibit of ceramic art like angels, doves and other festive items. The event is open from Tuesday to Friday from 11 am – 7 pm, and on weekends from 10 am- 3 pm at the Angeliki Chatzimichali Museum of Folk Art and Tradition.

The Acropolis Museum in Christmas Spirit

Interactive festive programmes for kids, evening walks in the exhibition spaces (every Friday at 8:30 pm except from 24/12 and 31/12), Christmas carols, unique gifts at the museum store and seasonal sweets in the restaurant are prepared to offer visitors special memories. The Acropolis Museum invites children aged 4 to 11 years old to participate in an interactive festive programme designed to help them express themselves through music. Visiting days are on 29/12 and 30/12 at 10:30 am, 12:30 pm & 2:30 pm.

St. Petersburg Classical Ballet of Russia’s Christmas Performance

The Nutcracker, the beloved ‘Christmas ballet’ will be staged on 25/12 and 26/12 at 8:30 pm at the Christmas Theater in Galatsi. The Classical Ballet of St. Petersburg, made up of prolific dancers from the famous Kirov (Mariinsky) corps de ballets, will be in Athens this Christmas with 60 performers to enchant audiences with the most magnificent Christmas fairy tale.

Swinging Christmas

On December 30 at 8:30 pm, get ready for a “Swinging Christmas” with the Athens Big Band starring Stavros Romanos and Jenny Kapadais with songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald, at the Olympia Municipal Music Theater ‘Maria Callas’. On New Year’s Eve at the same location, say adieu to 2021 at the festive concert “The 12 Days of Christmas” with songs and hymns from around the world, and welcome in 2022 with a New Year Opera Gala on January 13 at a concert dedicated to love, with famous arias and a duet of the most popular operas, conducted by Nikolas Nägele.

Christmas Eve Wish Lanterns

On Christmas Eve, the sky above Kotzia Sq will be filled with lanterns representing the Night of Wishes. Those present are promised the dreamy experience of watching an impressive audio-visual show by the Athens Digital Arts Festival with the Athens City Hall as a backdrop.

Christmas at the SNFCC

On Monday, December 27, at 8.30 pm, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) will present the ERT National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of the award-winning conductor George Petrou at the Stavros Niarchos Hall. The seasonal concert will include the popular waltz and polka tunes as well as excerpts from operettas by composers from 19th century Vienna traditionally heard at this time of year to create a fuzzy festive buzz.

From December 18 to January 6, as part of the SNFCC Christmas World, the lighthouse Terrace is transformed into an impressive pop-up bar, specially designed for the holiday season, is making an entrance in the city. Designed by architect & set designer Elina Loukou, the 360 Christmas Pop-up Bar turns into a festive bar of contemporary aesthetics. The experience is complemented by beloved DJs and music producers, and a large selection of cocktails.

For more details head to Christmas in Athens

8 Best Spots for Christmas Drinks in Athens

8 Best Spots for Christmas Drinks in Athens

In Athens, there are many beautiful places to cure your winter blues while surrounded by stunning decorations and lush cocktails.

From Christmas classics like the Noel and Grande Bretagne to award-winning spots such as Baba Au Rum and the Clumsies, there is no shortage of stylish festive bars to make the season even more merry and bright!

Noel

This all-day café and bar features vintage décor, baroque dining spaces, and a grand arcade with inviting tables and stools in the centre. Here you’ll find stylish bartenders serving some of the most creative cocktails that can be paired with some Parisian-inspired dishes. With a mix of 1980s, ’90s and jazz music, this is by far one of Athens’ best places to visit during the festive season.

A: Kolokotroni 59B, Athens

Insights Greece - 8 Best Spots for Christmas Drinks in Athens

Alexander’s Bar

Located at the famous Grande Bretagne Hotel, Alexander’s (named Best Hotel Bar in the World by Forbes magazine) features a dark wood and marble bar that’s surrounded by tapestries and comfy leather stools where you can sit back and sip on one of the staggering selection of premium spirits. Many of the bottles are exclusive to Athens’ famous hotel and here you can order a classic cocktail or a premium whiskey, brandy, and cognac.

A: Hotel Grande Bretagne | 1 Vasileos Georgiou A, Syntagma Square St, Athens

Delta Bar

Located on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), the newly opened Delta features a sculpted bar- one of the largest in the world that can sit up to 50 guests who are able to enjoy unique cocktails and spirits created by Baba Au Rum. Cocktails are inspired by new Greek brandies, liqueurs, and aged tsipouro accompanying top international distillates (whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, etc). This is completed by gastro pairing suggestions from the bar lounge menu.

A: Syggrou Avenue 364, Kalithea, Athens

Avra Bar

Avra located within Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens in Vouliagmeni has become a feel-good gathering spot on the Athens Riviera. The talented team behind the stylish bar serves delicious cocktails, tailor-made mocktails, and amazing appetizers that can be enjoyed while admiring the breathtaking Aegean Sea.

A: Four Seasons Athens Astir Palace | Apollonos 40, Vouliagmeni.

Athénée

Athénée has become a local favourite, especially on Fridays when this place is known for its “early drinks.” A famous spot on Voukourestiou and Panepistimiou, it boasts a European atmosphere where locals and international visitors are able to enjoy something to eat or drink at the bar. The cocktails menu features classics with a modern twist and everything looks and feels even more glamorous this time of year!

A: Voukourestiou 9, Athens

The Clumsies

The ultimate all-day cocktail bar in the city, Clumsies, which was just named 4th on the list of the World’s 50 Best Bars, is the place to head to for creative cocktails that change on a seasonal basis. One of our favourite parts during this time of year is the private room that features a fireplace, a bookcase, a billiard table, and vinyl LPs- the perfect spot to catch up with friends before or during the Christmas break.

A: Praxitelous 30, Athens

Baba Au Rum

Making delectable cocktails with spirits, herbs, and spices from around the world as well as homemade Greek liqueurs, syrups and bitters artfully created using local ingredients, the Baba Au Rum menu offers something for everyone. The décor is a mix of old-fashioned accessories, vintage eye candy, and antique furnishings, a mix reflected in the drinks menu, which features 19th-century classics like juleps and crusts as well as American-style Tiki drinks like the Guadalupe Punch.

A: Klitiou 6, Athens

King’s Theater Wine Bar

Created by the owners of Athens’ famous Little Kook, King’s Theater is an excellent bistro and wine bar in the heart of Athens, festively decorated year-round. Serving Christmas cocktails- at the moment we can’t get enough of the Gin, basil, strawberry, mastic and lime mixed with edible gold dust and magic- the most addictive Christmas beverage!

A: Karaiskaki 26, Athens

Main Image: Noel Bar

Tsipouro, Best Way to Warm up on Cold Winter Nights

Athenee Athens Athens bars Athens drinks Athens Grande Bretagne Hotel Athens guide Avra Bar Baba au rum Christmas drinks Christmas in Athens Delta Bar Four Seasons Astir Palace Athens Kings Theatre Wine bar Noel Bar Athens Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre The Clumsies

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre Lights Up For Christmas

Together with visitors of all ages and actor Dimitris Kouroumbalis as a host, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens was transformed into a bright place of celebration overnight, in a glittering event at the Agora.

For the fifth consecutive year, four impressive light installations created by prominent foreign and Greek artists were presented at Stavros Niarchos Park, rolling out the magic of the SNFCC Christmas world.

There were also thousands of Christmas lights, three lavishly decorated tall Christmas trees, festive choreographies by the Canal Fountains, four-light installations at the Stavros Niarchos Park, and of course festive melodies from the young musicians of El Sistema Greece and Onirama.

Insights Greece - Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre Lights Up For Christmas

Visitors are able to walk through the dreamy atmosphere of the Dome, the Great Lawn, the Pine Grove, and the Green Roofs that highlight the boundaries between light, colour, and motion, with many activities on offer for people of all ages.

At the SNFCC Christmas World, December is a month full of festivities – including the Ice Rink at the Canal, which is set to commence on December 10 and every day holds a new surprise for all.

The Christmas Stories at the Lighthouse, as well as music, sports, play and fun, art and creativity, all turn into a special event, setting the brightest Christmas memories at the SNFCC.

Photos by SNFCC | Nikos Karanikolas and Danai Kokkinaki

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Delta Restaurant and Bar Opens at SNFCC

Located on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), the newly opened Delta has set its sights on becoming a world-class culinary destination.

With a stunning dining room, wine cellar and a bar run by the famous Baba au Rum team- Delta is definitely a place to add to your list if you are looking for a fine-dining experience in Athens.

Delta Restaurant

The dining room, with a floating garden, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Bay of Faliro, is modern and sleek; blue velvet chairs and round tables give guests an intimate feel in what is in fact a large, open space. Behind the impressive menu are two talented chefs- Thanos Feskos and George Papazacharias- who have worked at award-winning international restaurants. Using raw ingredients from their own farm in Attica and working with different fermentation techniques, the team at Delta create dishes with a Scandinavian and Japanese influence. The end result is a 17-course tasting menu boasting a mysterious haute cuisine narrative that gradually unfolds through the three different menus: Omnivore, Vegetarian, and Vegan.

Delta Bar

Delta’s sculpted bar is one of the largest in the world and can sit up to 50 guests who are able to enjoy unique cocktails and spirits created by Baba Au Rum. Thanos Prunarus, a world-renowned and absolute spokesperson of fine drinking, is behind the mixology that has a focus on the contemporary local distillery, with new Greek brandies, liqueurs, and aged tsipouro accompanying top international distillates (whiskey, rum, tequila, vodka, gin, etc). This is completed by gastro pairing suggestions from the bar lounge menu that includes Grilled wings filled with aged hazelnuts and mushrooms seasoned with salted plums served with a sauce of smoked egg yolk, or Grilled lobster with fermented ramson and plums served with a sauce of whipped salted strawberries.

Delta Wine Cellar

For an enchanting wine tasting experience, Delta’s two wine cellars are available for private booking, where guests can enjoy unique wine labels while tasting one of the three available menus. The impressive list contains some 800 labels selected by Aris Sklavenitis and Fedon Dernikos- both award-winning and top of their class sommeliers, who have curated an integrated list that will enhance the gastronomic experience. The cellars are filled with local and international varieties, with hundreds of labels covering the entire wine universe spectrum – old and new.

A: 364 Syngrou Avenue, Athens

Photography by Jerome Galland

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5 Great Places to Read Around Athens

The perfect reading spot has to be comfortable, quiet, and picturesque and we have put together our favourite spots in Athens for the bookish, so you can easily escape into the pages of a good book!

Filopappou or Pnyx Hill

Reachable by walking along a cobblestone pedestrianised walk that forks off from Dyionissiou Aeropagitou, which is surrounded by trees and greenery, these two hills are not only incredibly scenic and intensely historical but also scenically serene. Bring a soft blanket along and set yourself down against an ancient rock to read your book and occasionally glance up at mesmerising views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus and the sprawling capital.

Lycabettus Hill

With entrances from all sides (from Exarcheia, Ambelokipi and Kolonaki) that have paths leading round the hill and up to the top, as well as a Teleferique rail car, this green hill has numerous benches to perch yourself on for a tranquil read. Or head right to the church of Saint George at its peak and enjoy your book from one of the highest places in the city.

Insights Greece - 5 Great Places to Read Around Athens

National Gardens

There are plenty of park benches, grassy patches, thick tree trunks and large rocks to settle on here, as you sit surrounded by one of the city’s largest botanical varieties from around the world. Hear the exotic parrots squawk and see children giggle as they feed goats and geese in these large, lush grounds just off Syntagma Square.

First Cemetery

Not to everyone’s taste but considered as extremely pacifying for some (indeed, there is even such a thing as cemetery tourism), the First Cemetery in Mets is an ideal place for reading and reflection. These expansive grounds are where the city’s most well-established, oldest and richest families have laid their beloved to rest, as well as being the burial land for some of the country’s greatest figures. That means it’s filled with incredible works of art, most of them in the form of elaborate marble sculptures crafted by acclaimed artists. Park-benches dot the alleys of sculptural graves, lined with trees and greenery, and, well, it’s certainly silent here. Just don’t come after dark

A: Logginou 3, Mets

SNFCC Park

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre has become known for its beautiful facilities, which include pretty sea views, an artificial lake, a row of fountains and a giant park that includes an olive grove. Although it can get noisy during the weekends, when parents bring their kids here to run free, there’s almost always sure to be a nook where you can read your book. And then there’s the SNFCC’s Library if you’re looking for an indoor readscape.

A: Leof. Andrea Siggrou 364, Kallithea

Cover image: First Cemetry by Fanis Vlastaras

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Your Curated Guide to Greece

The Best Ways to Celebrate Christmas in Athens

After two years of dreary isolation and low-key gatherings, this Christmas season Athens is alive with numerous events.

8 Best Spots for Christmas Drinks in Athens

In Athens, there are many beautiful places to cure your winter blues while surrounded by stunning decorations and lush cocktails.

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre Lights Up For Christmas

Together with visitors of all ages and actor Dimitris Kouroumbalis as a host, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens was transformed into a bright place of celebration overnight, in a glittering event at the Agora.

Delta Restaurant and Bar Opens at SNFCC

Located on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), the newly opened Delta has set its sights on becoming a world-class culinary destination.

5 Great Places to Read Around Athens

The perfect reading spot has to be comfortable, quiet, and picturesque and we have put together our favourite spots in Athens for the bookish, so you can easily escape into the pages of a good book!

Your Curated Guide to Greece

After two years of dreary isolation and low-key gatherings, this Christmas season Athens is alive with numerous events.

In Athens, there are many beautiful places to cure your winter blues while surrounded by stunning decorations and lush cocktails.

Together with visitors of all ages and actor Dimitris Kouroumbalis as a host, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC) in Athens was transformed into a bright place of celebration overnight, in a glittering event at the Agora.

Located on the fifth floor of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Centre (SNFCC), the newly opened Delta has set its sights on becoming a world-class culinary destination.

The perfect reading spot has to be comfortable, quiet, and picturesque and we have put together our favourite spots in Athens for the bookish, so you can easily escape into the pages of a good book!

The Athens Guide