13 Things to do in Athens at Christmas

Depending on the time of year you visit Athens, different activities are recommended. Christmas is an excellent opportunity to discover both traditional and modern Greek culture.

Check out the following list of activities and traditions for the Christmas holidays, and enjoy this tourist destination to the full.

What better way to enjoy the ancient Greek arts than by booking a ticket for a Koilon theatre show.

Approximately 70 minutes long, laughter and fun are guaranteed in this activity. Besides, Christmas is an ideal time because there will always be a surprise or two that goes off the original script and is related to the festivity.

An ideal way to delve into classical history and the myths of Greek culture in a theatre under the Acropolis with the performance of various actors who will portray classical Greek characters such as Odysseus, Medea and many others. And all this while you enjoy a glass of wine.

As in many other cities, if there is one thing that characterises Christmas in Athens, it is that the temperatures are colder and there may be the occasional day when it rains. If this is the case, don't hesitate to plan a museum day.

Athens has an important list of important museums that you should not miss to include in your list of activities at any time of the year. Here are some of my favourites:

• Tickets to the Museum of Cycladic Art in Athens, from ₹1,067.
• Tickets tothe Acropolis Museum in Athens, from ** ₹2,133**.
• Tickets forthe Museum of Illusions, from ** ₹1,067**.

And on your Christmas trip to Athens, you must book a trip to Meteora and discover the Greek countryside. A scenic gem that will dazzle you. It is an area where the climate is moderate at this time of year, so there is nothing to stop you from enjoying this activity at this time of year.

However, make sure you rest as much as possible beforehand, because this experience lasts approximately 14 and a half hours. Even so, this time will be very short because you will be able to enjoy a wide range of activities. In addition to visiting Meteora, you will visit six Greek Orthodox monasteries with an expert local guide who will tell you everything you need to know about the architecture and history of these places: the Great Meteora, Varlaam, Roussanou, Holy Trinity, St. Stephen's and St. Nicholas.

Regarding clothing, appropriate clothing is required to enter the monasteries. Women should wear long skirts and long-sleeved blouses, while men should wear long trousers and long-sleeved shirts.

The Panepistimiou neighbourhood runs for a couple of streets parallel to Panepistimiou Avenue. It is an important thoroughfare, as it separates the more traditional and touristy neighbourhoods of the section near the Acropolis of Athens from the more elegant and residential neighbourhoods near Mount Lycabettus. If you book a guided tour of Athens you will be given all the details of this area.

Near Syntagma Square you will find a very famous shop, Attica. I advise you to take a stroll around it and its surroundings to do your Christmas shopping. The whole area stretching along both sides of the avenue is lined with shops of local and international renown and most of them have Christmas decorations that are worth admiring. So having a shopping session through this section of the Greek capital is one of the best things to do in Athens in December.

The avenue stretches through an area that is close to other iconic sites in the city that are worth visiting during Christmas such as the National History Museum, Kotziá Square and Omonia Square and the Central Market of Athens.

The Hotel Grande Bretagne can be a great place to celebrate the festive season. Located on the north side of Syntagma Square, it is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Athens.

Architecturally, it's quite a spectacle, but the highlight of Christmas is the opera nights, which are held in the hotel's restaurant called the Winter Garden Lounge. This is a series of dinners that offer you the opportunity to watch a full Greek opera concert, while enjoying an elegant dinner of authentic Greek cuisine reinvented to Michelin-starred culinary standards.

Keep in mind that this is one of the most elegant venues in the Athenian culinary world and these dinners have a dress standard that will demand a certain degree of presence. It might be a good idea if you are looking for a luxurious activity to experience Christmas like a privileged Athenian. However, you should also bear in mind that you could spend up to €100 per person depending on what you decide to consume. If, on the other hand, you're on a tighter budget, be sure to book a gastronomic tour of Athens, which is suitable for all budgets.

One of the most iconic places of Christmas in Athens, which year after year opens its doors with a more innovative proposal than the previous one, is the Little Kook. This is a café that is characterised by its year-round extravagant décor, but at Christmas time it replaces all its design with an eye-catching style of Christmas elements to create a little oasis of fantasy in the middle of the eclectic and bohemian Psyri neighbourhood.

It is located on the narrow Karaiskaki Street, a couple of streets away from Monastiraki Square. I advise you to go at night so you can see the lights and if you have the opportunity to go in, don't hesitate. Don't do it if the number of tourists means a long wait, though, as the street is already a visual spectacle. If you do manage to get in, don't miss out on a Greek-style spiced hot chocolate.

The whole area of Psyri is quite touristy and has in fact become an epicentre of nightlife and quality adult entertainment. So it's a good idea to go at night if you're visiting the city without children and if you're going during the day I recommend booking one of the Athens sightseeing buses to get there. Read the following post about the main bus routes to get all the details.

Races or marathons of people dressed up as Father Christmas have become one of the most interesting international traditions of recent times. New York has some, Paris has some, London has its own version and Athens is not far behind. Which is logical, knowing that this is one of the most cosmopolitan capitals in the world.

This race usually takes place around the city centre of Athens. It passes through neighbourhoods such as Plaka, the historic triangle, Monasteraki, Kolonaki and even Omonia. The district of Syntagma and specifically the square is usually the arrival destination for hundreds or even thousands of participants. Therefore, being here on the day of the race can be quite entertaining if you are interested in the idea of seeing hundreds of Father Christmas running through the ancient and peculiar streets of Athens.

It usually takes place on the second or third Saturday in December. And if you're in the mood for a run or a more active activity, book a bike tour of Athens. In the following article I'll tell you about some of the bike tours in Athens.

Bazoukias are typical Greek establishments where people gather to consume specifically traditional Greek cuisine, while listening to Hellenic music. In the more touristy neighbourhoods of Athens they can be found on almost every street corner, but I can recommend most strongly that you visit the ones located in Koukaki, Psyri, Monastiraki and Syntagma.

Christmas is a perfect time because these musical taverns will have a repertoire of typical Athenian Christmas songs. Moreover, it is an escape from the cold temperatures that has nothing to do with the weather enjoyed during the rest of the year.

It is one of the best activities to do at night in Athens, because it is a typical entertainment of this region. It offers you the opportunity to drink honey wine or a Cretan raki, while listening to the music that has marked the history of this community.

Now, if you're in the mood for another restaurant that closely follows the idea of using the most elaborate decorations for Christmas, then you can't miss the Noel bar, one of the most famous in Athens. It is a bar and restaurant with several sections, each of which has its own unique and eye-catching décor.

It stands out for being a place where you can go to have brunch with Father Christmas, as year after year there is an entertainer who dresses up as the lord of the North Pole. That's despite the fact that Saint Basil is the real character of Christmas in Athens for the Greek Orthodox Church.

It's quite an interesting place, as the aesthetics are neo-vintage and its gastronomic proposal tries to focus on classic Greek and Mediterranean cuisine, but under a modern reinvention. So if you're looking to visit, I can tell you that Christmas is the best time to do so. I recommend you book in advance, as it tends to fill up.

Technopolis is one of the most curious and important sites in Athens, as it is a former gas processing plant and is now a multicultural complex spread over 32,000 square metres. It hosts concerts, seminars, cultural forums, an industrial museum and at Christmas time, The Christmas Factory.

Trying to explain what The Christmas Factory is is as complicated as defining what Technopolis is. This Christmas-themed event is a kind of festival that functions as a temporary theme park with activities, shows, educational workshops and Christmas markets that can be an unforgettable experience for the youngest members of the family.

The location is another favourable aspect because it is in the Gazi district and also very close to Keramikos and Thesio, three areas that you have to visit when you are in the city for their architectural beauty or for their interesting cultural identity.

Details of interest:

• Prices: Tickets are usually €5 per person, but only give you access to the facilities and any consumption within the festivals part.
• Duration: You can easily spend 5-6 hours inside, but it all depends on how enthusiastic your children are to stay and how many people are there.

Going to Syntagma Square to admire the beauty of the Christmas decorations is a highly recommended plan for the evening because you can enjoy the illumination. The decorations change every year and it is unpredictable.

On some occasions, they have built Christmas trees up to 20 metres high; on others, they have organised a light show on the Hellenic Parliament building and, in addition, sculptures have been created that refer to the Christmas aesthetic.

It's a little free entertainment activity that you can't miss on your trip, but it won't take up much time. That's why I advise you to leave a good part of the best things to do in the Plaka neighbourhood for the day of the night tour of the square. This traditional area is very close to Syntagma and both activities can be combined.

Greek Orthodox churches abound in every corner of Athens and Christmas is an ideal time to visit them as many of them are decorated to the aesthetic standards of this interesting Christian tradition.

If you visit them you will have the opportunity to witness one of the most interesting architectural styles on the planet, as most of them are decorated down to the smallest corner with very striking and overloaded Byzantine Christian standards. The Holy Church of St. Nicholas Rangavas is the oldest church in all of Athens and an interesting stop if you find yourself in Plaka. Although any other church will give you a more accurate look at what Greek Orthodox churches really look like today.

Another reason that makes a visit to these churches an excellent idea during the Christmas season is the opportunity to enjoy the typical Hellenic carols, the Kalandas. These will surely be sung by the children's choirs every night around the 24th and 25th of December.

Mount Parnassus is a mountain located a couple of kilometres north of Athens and is noted for its beauty, as well as being surrounded by several olive groves. It is a favourite destination for Athenians in the winter season due to the fact that there are a number of ski resorts, so I would advise you to visit it at Christmas if you have time for a short trip from the Greek capital.

At the same time, at Christmas time it becomes more relevant for all Greeks and foreign tourists visiting Athens. For a trip to this snow-capped mountain is a way of celebrating the festive season by combining Western aspects such as skiing and mountaineering with Greek and Mediterranean gastronomic traditions.

In fact, it's a great all-year-round plan and forms part of one of the best day trips from Athens. This is for the simple fact that it is a very important place in Greek mythology, as it is thought to be the abode of the Muses and the symbolic homeland of the poets of Ancient Greece.

Christmas is a relatively cold season in Athens, but the lowest temperatures of the winter season have not yet been reached.

You can expect drops of up to 2 degrees Celsius and the average temperature will be between 8 and 10 degrees Celsius throughout the Christmas season. You can also expect highs of up to 15 degrees Celsius on a fine sunny afternoon.

For the week from Christmas to New Year there is a significant increase in the number of visitors touring the streets of Athens. However, one thing to appreciate is that these referrals will always be lower than the unsustainable numbers of tourists that come to the Greek capital in the summer months.

Christmas is an expensive season everywhere in the world and Athens is no exception. Clearly, all your expenses will be a little more expensive than what you would pay in January or November, but they are still more favourable than the tourist costs of visiting Greece in summer.

Bring warm clothes and be prepared to wear layers of clothing to explore the city's streets and enjoy the best things to do in Athens is paramount.

But bear in mind that it's essential to wear comfortable clothing that allows you to remain mobile. Footwear should also be comfortable for long urban walking sessions.