Illustrative artwork of Athens balconies, shutters and doorways. Not a listing or a real street.
Start with the way you want to live. Then compare the streets, buildings and homes that make it possible.
Key takeaways
Start with your daily routes and two or three priorities, not with a neighbourhood's reputation.
Compare the exact street and building, not just the area name. Conditions can change within a few blocks.
Visit more than once, at different times of day, before you decide.
Current listings show what is available now. They are not an average for the whole area's market.
Start with your everyday Athens
Most searches begin with a neighbourhood name someone has recommended. It is more useful to begin with an ordinary week. Where do you need to be, how often, and how would you like to get there? Once that is clear, a short list of areas usually follows.
Write down three things you will not compromise on. Then go through the points below and note which matter to you, and how much.
- Your commute. How often you travel, and to where. A daily trip to an office weighs differently from a weekly one. Check the route from the address itself, on foot and by public transport, rather than from the centre of the neighbourhood.
- Shops and outdoor space. A bakery, pharmacy and supermarket within an easy walk, or a park, hill or square for exercise, children or a dog. Note what is close to the door, not what is somewhere in the area.
- Walking access. Athens has real hills and uneven pavements. If you carry shopping, push a pram or prefer not to climb, look at the slope and the crossings between the home and the places you use most.
- Noise tolerance. Squares, cafés and main roads bring life and noise, often late into the evening. Decide whether you want to be in the middle of that, a street away, or further off.
Keep the list short. Three clear priorities will help you more on a viewing than ten loose preferences.
Four neighbourhoods to begin with
These four central areas are a reasonable place to start comparing. They are not a ranking, and each has quieter and busier streets. The table gives a first impression; the notes below say what to look at in person.
Four central Athens neighbourhoods compared
| Area | Location and character | What to check on a viewing |
|---|---|---|
| Kolonaki | Central Athens at the foot of Lycabettus hill, known for cafés and boutiques around Kolonaki Square. | How steep the street is, how the entrance meets the street, and your exact walking route. |
| Pagkrati (Pangrati) | East of the centre near the Panathenaic Stadium, with local squares and cafés. | How busy the street outside is, and your actual route to transport and shops. |
| Koukaki | South of the Acropolis, a residential neighbourhood close to the monuments. | Activity on the street outside the building, in the day and in the evening. |
| Kypseli | North of the centre, around the pedestrian street of Fokionos Negri and local squares. | The walk from the front door to the transport you would use. |
Swipe the table sideways to see every column.
Kolonaki
Central Athens, at the foot of Lycabettus
Kolonaki sits on the lower slopes of Lycabettus. The official city guide describes it as a place Athenians go to shop and meet, with cafés around its main square and designer shops on the streets nearby. For a home, the slope matters as much as the address: some streets climb steeply towards the hill, and some entrances have steps up from the pavement. Walk the route you would use every day, check how the entrance meets the street, and ask whether the lift serves every floor.
Pagkrati, also spelled Pangrati
East of the centre, near the Panathenaic Stadium
Pagkrati lies east of the centre beside the Panathenaic Stadium. The official guide describes a café life that gathers around its squares, with Platia Varnava and Platia Proskopon among the best known. Living near a square is pleasant in the day and can be lively at night. Compare the street directly outside with one a block or two away, and time the walk to the places you would really use, rather than to the stadium or the nearest landmark.
Koukaki
Central Athens, south of the Acropolis
Koukaki is a residential area just south of the Acropolis, and the official guide groups it with the Acropolis area and points to its local shops. Being close to the monuments brings visitors as well as views, and some streets stay busy into the evening. See the street outside the building in daylight and again after dark, and ask what the neighbouring and ground-floor spaces are used for. A quiet apartment can sit above a busy shopfront.
Kypseli
North of the centre, around Fokionos Negri
Kypseli lies north of the centre. The official guide describes Fokionos Negri, a long pedestrian street lined with apartment buildings and cafés, as the heart of the neighbourhood, with local squares close by. The area is densely built, so conditions vary from block to block. Walk the actual route from the address to the bus stop or metro station you would use, and note the crossings and the time it takes, rather than relying on a distance on a map.
Look beyond the neighbourhood name
Two homes in the same neighbourhood can feel completely different. Once you have a few areas in mind, the street, the building and the apartment do most of the deciding. On each viewing, note:
- The exact street. Is it a through road, a quiet side street or a pedestrian lane? What occupies the ground floors around you?
- Floor, orientation and daylight. Which way the main rooms face, and how much light they get at the times you would use them. Higher floors often bring more light and less street noise, but not always.
- Lift and access from the street. Whether there is a lift, whether it reaches your floor, and whether there are steps between the pavement and the lift.
- Heating and cooling. Which systems the apartment has and what information is available about them. Ask for documents rather than relying on a description.
- Street noise. Listen with the windows open and then closed. Traffic, cafés and neighbours sound different at different times of day.
- Common charges and condition. Ask what the building's shared charges cover, and look at the entrance, stairwell, roof and facade as well as the apartment itself.
Ask for the documents that relate to the property, and arrange independent checks by a lawyer, an engineer or another qualified professional where appropriate. This guide is general information, not legal, tax or technical advice.
Make your viewing shortlist
When you are ready to look at homes, a simple routine keeps the comparison fair.
Choose two or three areas.
Use your priorities to pick a small number of neighbourhoods, then browse property for sale or apartments to rent in each.
Check what the price means.
Homes for sale show an asking price and rentals show a monthly rent. Some listings say price on request. Compare like with like.
Treat missing facts as unknown.
If a listing does not state the floor, size or heating, ask rather than assume. An unknown is not the same as none.
Save the homes worth seeing.
Add them to your shortlist so you can come back to them and send them to us in one enquiry.
Look at the wider picture.
The Athens map shows listings across Athens and Attica. Pins mark the neighbourhood, not the building, so use it to compare locations.
Plan visits at different times.
Where you can, see the street in the morning and again in the evening, and walk the route to the places you use.
Common questions
A few things worth knowing.
Short, plain answers on choosing where to live in Athens.
Is there one best neighbourhood in Athens?
No. The right area depends on your daily routes, your budget, the kind of home you need and how much activity you want around you. Comparing a few areas against your own priorities is more useful than looking for a single answer.
How do I compare two areas?
Use the same checklist for both: the route to work, shops and outdoor space, the street outside the building, the building itself, and comparable homes listed now. Visit both at a similar time of day so the comparison is fair.
Are Pagkrati and Pangrati the same place?
Yes. They are two English spellings of the same Greek name, Παγκράτι. Our listings use the spelling Pagkrati.
Should I visit at different times of day?
If you can, yes. A street that is calm on a weekday morning can be busy in the evening or at weekends, and the daylight in an apartment changes through the day.
Do your shaded maps show legal boundaries?
No. Our neighbourhood maps are drawn from OpenStreetMap. Where OpenStreetMap has an outline for an area we shade it; where it has only a point we show an approximate marker, and for Acharnon we highlight the street itself. None of these is a legal or survey boundary.
Can ANKORA help narrow the search?
Yes. Tell us which areas you are considering, your budget and what you need from the home, and we can suggest listings to view and arrange viewings with you.
Sources
- Kolonaki neighbourhood guide, This is Athens, The Official Athens Guide. Checked .
- Pangrati and Mets neighbourhood guide, This is Athens, The Official Athens Guide. Checked .
- Athens neighbourhoods overview, This is Athens, The Official Athens Guide. Checked .
- Kypseli neighbourhood guide, This is Athens, The Official Athens Guide. Checked .
Your next step
Find your place in Athens.
Browse what is available now, or tell us the areas you are weighing up and what you need from a home.