Top 10:

Upscale Nightlife in Athens

  • The Best of NileGuide
  • On any evening in Athens, the night owls are out en masse. The choices on how to divide their starlight hours outnumber the barrage of taxi cabs waiting to take them there: artistic, cultural nights at the Athens Concert Hall or any number of performance venues, glossy nightclubs with high face control, low-lit lounges with none, smokey bars, bazoukias and rembetika clubs- places to hear Greek music the way the Greeks like it, and...really this list could get quite lengthy so we've saved you some reading by offering our top ten nightlife list, which takes all of these things into consideration and offers the best of the best.

    It's not easy to top out a 2,000 year-old stadium with perfect acoustics directly under the Acropolis. Catching a performance at the Herod Atticus remains one of the most memorable things one can do while in Athens, particularly during the summer during the Athens Festival when it hosts a wide array of Greek musicians, ancient Greek theater, international dance and symphony orchestras.

    Technopolis in Gazi is likewise unique as a venue, staging progressive musical, theatrical, and artistic events in a 19th-century gas factory for which the area is named. The modernity of the performances suits the area of Gazi, but for more traditional acts, the Athens Concert Hall or "Megaron" and the Greek National Opera have classical programs.

    In the nightclub category, Villa Mercedes, Balthazar, and Rock N Roll are some of the most high-profile places in Athens. They're best suited for social climbers with deep pockets and not the thin of skin. Countless hopefuls have been turned away after a scrutinous screen by the doorman looking to keep out the ratty-tatty commoners. Six D.O.G.S attracts Athens' bohemian intellectuals into its varied performance space offering four bars, contemporary art, and live music acts that can best be described as Greek-indie.

    On the contrary, the Low Profile is your approachable, easygoing best friend that just happens to have excellent taste in blues and Europe's largest selection of malt whiskey. Its Kolonaki address draws a worldly discriminating crowd fond of obscure American music and seeing the same ol' faces. The same crowd appreciates the Half Note Jazz Club, an old school venue where blues, jazz, and world musicians play in an intimate atmosphere of tables surrounding a small stage.

    It's important to note that we didn't include bazoukias or skiladikos in this particular list. These sorts of establishments are deeply Greek and there are a number of extravagant places to hear this specific music that is not for the average traveler but rather for a full-immersion Athens experience.

    {photo courtesy of travelsnippets via flickr}

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