“Europe’s WORST Drug Streets” a Walkthrough Omonoia, Athens 🇬🇷- Into The Hood 

Omonoia is not a "suburb", it's literally the center of Athens geographically.

You can see how bad the situation is in our society, when people are saying: "come on it's not that bad, junkies won't hurt you, they're just shooting heroin in front of your kid, they just throw away the injection you might step on, come on it's not that bad, i walked there once and i didn't get raped" This shit has to be fixed, it's not a competition, we lost our humane side and it's taking us downhill

A few months ago I was in Athens with friends but extended my trip so I could enjoy the city alone. Being that I am familiar with the hotel franchise, I booked a few nights at the Novotel in Omonia. Im 25 and have done plenty of solo traveling, but had no idea that neighborhood had the reputation it has. My taxi driver who was taking me to check into the hotel made me book a different hotel while I was in his cab. He told me he has a daughter and a wife and would hope that someone would suggest the same for them. I felt real uneasy watching this, because I have seen it through the windows of that cab. your content is incredible, and I have now become a subscriber. Having seen Omonia, I have become more interested in learning about Greece's more recent politics/ history than its ancient history.

Can’t hate Spanian, turned his life around, building a huge fan base on social media, seems like a genuinely good guy that just had a rough early life, can see from his first videos on instagram a few years ago to now that even his demeanour has changed, still would kick your ass if you talked shit but seems very approachable and humble to say what’s up. What a legend

I was there in October and walked Omonia during the night and I felt safe because the drug users aren't dangerous. They are just lost in their world.

Αχ Αθήνα μου, πώς σε άφησαν να καταντήσεις... 💔Αυτοί, που "νοιάζονται τόσο" για το καλό μας. Να ξέρετε, όλα θα μπορούσαν να ήταν τόσο διαφορετικά... Stay safe, αδέρφια 🧿

Real eye opening with the series, from its all eats to the hard tours of the hoods of the world. Doing a mad job bro keep it up and stay safe.

the whole vibe of this upload was just class

The fact that you discribed Exarchia as they actually be, makes me realise that you have a clearer point of view than many Greeks do. Great video. As a Greek I can confirm that you spoke wisely about my city.

The difference of Athens compared to the rest of the world is that it is actually SAFE to walk there, these addicts mind their own business. The government knows, the police knows, and they provide specific areas for drug addicts and dealers (of course out of the record). Addicts and dealers are also a way to drop real-estate prices in certain zones, proceed with buying cheap, then gentrify the zones and make them exclusive for high-earners and tourists. Back in 2004 when the Olympics games were held in Athens, all these guys were "moved" to some other locations so that they would not be witnessed by the world until the games were over.

The compo that drops at 9:50 is always a banger. One of many really good atmo compos you have in these.

My Mondays are abit more exciting now with your uploads 👍 and your vlogs are an added bonus too,always keen to see what's installed for us,much appreciated brother!!

Omonoia, a square which used to be the cultural centre of Athens 50 years ago. The place you would walk with your girlfriend, your children, your elder parents and have a pleasant time. But, times have changed. I lived in Athens for almost 2 decades, and it's heartbreaking. For foreigners that don't know, Omonoia is just the worst of many, many areas in Athens where it's full of drugs, brothels and criminality. We've come to a point that Athenians can't walk on most streets of the whole city when it's dark, because it's more likely to get robbed or attacked than not to. As a Greek Athenian now living abroad, I couldn't feel sadder.

Have respect for this young man, he is giving all of us an education in what is going on in the streets all around the world go on him. Keep safe doing a good job..😊

Welcome to Greece. The situation here in Athens is really bad and I hope it will get better. Have fun brother and stay safe.

I stayed at a hostel called Athens Hawk, 3 blocks from the water fountain and honestly felt pretty safe at nights there. Got a madddd haircut for 5€ and the gyros were 2.5€. How good! Street art was hectic too, look out for the smurf.

I was like 15 years old and I went to take the metro at Omonoia subway in the middle of the day when I stepped into a man trying to inject his croach, with his pants down and everything.. totaly stoned already.. I wasn't even really surprised... Just changed my way and continued... This sh.. is going along for ages now as now I am close to 50.. Although at times, the situation could be really creepy. Another time, still at a young age, still in the middle of the day, I made a wrong turn and I was surrounded by 20 - 30 zombie-like people, selling, using or debating drugs; a few meters away a block of cops seemed a part of the scenery, probably they would make some profit of it.. Several incidents have happened to me, some of them close to my school, which btw was not close to Omonoia at all (40min away with the bus). Luckily nothing happened to me as well, although I remember once returning to my home pale as a ghost...

If you want to go to actual hood of Athens you should go to Menidi,Ano Liosia or Zefyri those are cartel hood areas super dangerous ,Omonoia is just a center ghetto area.Also a fact about Greece is that it is the only country in the world other than latin American countries that is controlled by druglords

Lived there for 6 months as a trainee. Shit is straight up wild, makes one think on the differences within Europe NGL. Got pursued, harassed, had a young girl ask me for fire for her crack pipe and shit, you really have to keep your wits about you there. Passing through shouldn't be an issue most of the time, but don't move there if you're not street smart. I'd go as far as to say don't move there if you're a woman, period.

That underground cafe is called Diporto… hektik home style Greek food 👌👌

Thank you for the video bro! Keep up the fantastic work, & stay safe out there!

Always with the banger vids Spanian, keep crushing it brother 🤙

Am watching this from Greece while walking right next to Omonoia at night lmao. Your video made the news in Greece btw

Spanian thanks 4 doing this mate. I am Greek and have a first cousin who was one of those people shooting up in Omonia. She is one of the few who are still alive and relatively clean ( if u can call methadone clean). I remember as a little girl hearing the lefties predict this because flooding Greece with heroine was the easiest way to take the rebellious youth out in one strike. Afghanistan was the perfect way and heroine made it's way through Turkey , no problem. I have lost many friends in the process, mostly fit men who were of combat age...I wonder why. Today Afghanistan is no longer needed with shit like fentanyl. This kills off the tiny population even faster. Before the economic crisis 2009 you barely saw this kind of thing. But the criminal elites managed to empoverish the Greeks , the IMF & EU ( the global loansharks) have managed to confiscate thousands of homes and as fast as families & lively hoods r destroyed, that's how fast brothels will spring up all around Greece like mushrooms. You are Australian so let me draw a parallel here: Greeks are the aboriginals of this land. They go back thousands of years and are ending up landless and destitute with drug and drinking habits. Does this not ring a bell?

Psychedelics saved me from years of uncontrollable depression, anxiety, and illicit pills addiction. Imagine carving heavy chains for over a decade and then all of a sudden that burden is gone. Believe it or not, in a couple of years they'll be all over for treatment of mental health related issues.

The athens ghetto is basically around Marnis and small streets around Omonoia - this has changed throughout the years with the overisght of the greek police who have migrated them to different areas if you want to get yourself robbed @spanian you should give Menidi a go

Blows my mind when people complain about things in Australia where, infact we have some of the best conditions in the world. our crime, violence and drug issues are so minor compared to the rest of the world.

It’s pretty much the same as a lot of big cities in the states and here in Canada. If you ever come to the great “Niagara Falls” Canada I’ll show you hood around here.. let’s OG broo!!

“It’s a casual change mate, observe it” 😂

I feel so scared for your safety may god bless you on your journey and protect you always and bring you home safely , thank you so much for sharing your journey and content and helping us understand what other cultures and communities are experiencing, thankyou my friend ❤

GO TO BERLIN! take certain subways in Berlin lately and you have a similar situation on pretty much every station, ALL DAY! At some stations first thing kids see when they exit a Subway before school is someone shooting up. Those people pretty much live in the subway. Walking around in the trains asking for money, buying from the dealers in the subway stations, shooting up / smoking crack in the subway stations. some of them are in such bad medical condition their smell drives whole subway wagons empty. The situation became terrible over the last years. Very surprisingly so far it does barely lead to violence.

I was there in 2005 with my school. Geraniou street, i remember. Hotel Athens Mirabello. I also remember, there was a huge bilboard of Helena Paparizou at square :) 3 days in beautiful Athens. Big love from Belgrade to our brothers Greeks!

You absolute mad lad😂, seriously thanks for showing us hoods around the globe, some of us really have it easy

Before mass illegals entered Greece, Omonia, and in general, the center of Athens was beautiful. Stores opened the smell of beautiful flowers, people slept with their doors unlocked and windows opened.

4:40 go to Exarchia, you could do an entire video just on Exarchia with the grafitti & counter-culture there. Was my old neighborhood when I lived in Athens, and it's the most unique, I would say. Also, thank you for acknowledging later on in your video that Exarchia is not some super dangerous place. It really isn't & has a far worse reputation than it deserves. A lot of it also politically motivated too. Everybody I know who thinks Exarchia is dangerous hasn't actually been there and hung out there, let alone lived there to know the neighborhood.

@spanian - you should checkout Frankfurt, Germany. The area around the central trainstation is 20x worst than this.

From a person that's been to omonoia before, mad respect to you it's not a friendly place

The thing is, Exarcheia is becoming kind of hip, lots of nice restaurants and bars, which are significantly cheaper than in Monastiraki, Koukaki, Plaka and Kolonaki. There's also been a rise of Airbnb investment specifically from Chinese people in that area, where the police have been raiding squatters and clearing out, to make it seem like they're doing something. But yeah, Omonia is bad at night, all the way up through Patision until you reach the edge of Kato Patissia, you should definitely have went for Platia Amerikis for a complete different Athens. Lots of Athenians will have heard of Fylis, where there's a lot of prostitution going on.

You should visit the Bahnhofsviertel in Frankfurt.

As a Greek that grew up in the heart of Omonoia, I can tell you that you haven't even seen nothing yet. I'm fortunate enough to have moved out a couple of years ago, but as I see in this video, absolutely nothing has changed. These scenes do not surprise me at all and it's so sad that I'm completely used to seeing this type of utter depravity. All of this of course happens so that the properties in that district lose their market value, and as a consequences the Greek owners are forced to move out and sell their homes for scrubs. Neighborhood by neighborhood, street by street, alley by alley, the corrupt elite are taking over the once beautiful Athens and turning it into a disgusting third world city. Everyone knows it but ultimately nobody can do anything about it because Democracy is an illusion in this country. Ever since the 2000s came around, the center of Omonoia has become a dumping ground for illegal immigrants, crime, drug addicts and much much worse. It feels as if everyday there's somebody that gets robbed, raped or stabbed in that horrible place. Do not be mistaken, for the government and the police know exactly what's going on there. As a matter of fact, they not only allow it but maintain it, as it happens in other European capitals. Feel free to ask the police "patrolling the streets" only a few blocks away, and they'll act like blind ducks. They'll refuse to answer any questions and intimidate you into leaving them alone. Come back a few years later though, and you'll see everything perfectly renovated, safe and clean, but only now belonging to foreign and private funds, companies and "unnamed individuals". At the moment of writing this comment, this is exactly what's been happening. In every corner there's a new hotel, a new mall or a new brand shop opening, only now nothing is remotely Greek or benefits the Greek people. What a disgraceful state for a capital of the "modern world" we have. I'm deeply ashamed to call myself Greek at this point.

Stayed In Omonia on a recent lads trip, was initially surprised of how poor the area was. went out at night and never felt unsafe, although there was heavy police presence, armed officers at the end of most of the streets. People in the area where really friendly, but did notice alot of the drug issues. Women smoking crack with a lighter and spoon in the middle of a park surrounded by kids. Enjoyed staying in the area though was a great experience. Great vid mate, Love ur work!

Omonia is pretty much the Glebe/Redfern/Northcott of Athens but before the gentrification. If you’d like to visit somewhere more similar to Mount Druitt, give Ano Liosia in the north a visit.

That cafe is actually a restaurant called Diporto. I was there a few months ago. Another fact is that Omonia is only 2 stops to Syntagma Square where the Greek parliament is. Athens is really nice but looks quite rundown If I am totally honest.

@Spanian the underground facility you showed is one of the oldest and more traditional taverns still in existence in Athens and it has a limited number of plates every day but man they are so tasty. The grills were you felt that hot air was coming out is the Underground of the city NOT the Metro but the old line that connects the port of Athens Pireas to Athens ending to its more northern suburb of Kifisia where the elite used to stay. The area indeed is a hub of drugs and houses many illegal immigrants or homeless people but I have experienced more criminal areas and of course more dangerous where you risk gutted by knife.

we stayed near here, around little kook. walked in the day through here and felt uneasy for sure. we came back through late arvo and yeah.. its pretty sketchy. we did have a guy screaming at night banging on doors saying he was on fire.. was entertaining

Videos need to be as long as the vlogs

Big Respect you man from Finland 👍

i live right there in Vathys. It's a perfectly fine neighborhood full of hardworking immigrants, little falafel joints (the best in Athens), and outdoor cafes. Sure, some streets are a bit run down and overcome by addicts, but every city has that. By propagating the myth that this neighborhood is terrible you are adding to a narrative that further marginalizes the people that live there.

Hows the gear out there?

As a person from Athens and who currently lives here its sad to say that I'm used to this stuff from walking around those streets so much. Its a terrible situation that Athens has and it really hinders the image of Greece in general. And the fact that out of 10 million people that live in Greece, 6 million live in Athens alone has caused a huge overpopulation issue here. With a lack of help for these people swearing on the streets and junkies and such (which again is a common occurrence throughout Athens), things wont get much better for the city. Its just been a ghetto for years now and I wish it could be better.

Your content is fire bro..Would be great if you could do my country Cyprus..Nicosia,limassol,paphos,larnaka all have ghettos

I see a lot of drama going on in these comments. Omonoia has been like this for 5 decades at the very least and it is clearly getting better. It is still nowhere near as dangerous as certain parts of London, Paris, New York or Chicago. Every big city has a filthy area, riddled with drugs and social outcasts. Omonoia is not that bad by comparison! As an Athenian, I grew up walking in Omonoia at night as a child and as a teenager and never felt unsafe. I was there in October and it is a far more safe place than South London.

I’ve travelled all over the world , Athens is the only place ive ever felt unsafe ! Hardly left my hotel room when I was there

It is the Parthenon not the Pantheon, Pantheon is in Italy, Rome. Omonoia is not a suburb it's actually (sadly enough) the very center of Athens. As a local, I can confirm that the city of Athens is half diamond, half a trash can of sadness and decay. There is no state, nothing is being done. And the police besides going on full force at Exarcheia, they aren't doing shit. You must be quite brave to be doing this

So depressing and sad to see can't believe how governments around the world can let people go on like that and let them live like this not only in athens in many cities terrible 😮

I'm not an Athens expert, but I do know Omonia isn't a suburb. It's in the city center, so it's a neighborhood. At best, a district.

I was walking among all the Omonia Square and near the streets of Omonia, from the midnigt to the morning fearlessly, last week. And I've never encountered with any problem.

Familiar places, I lived nearby for almost 2 years 😊 Athens has changed a lot in 10 years, some neighborhoods are full of drug addicts night and day

Amazing work man!! That was brave I live in Athens in north These places are dangerous not only for your physical integrity but also for your soul This is the truth about Athens which they try to hide and don’t solve the problem All videos display the showcase of Athens but the truth shows up when you come deeper They are many more places and streets which are very “dark” in Athens These should see all the travelers and tourists to know that not going in a paradise and they need to be very careful where they walk because if they turn in wrong street they will find these The first place that you show in the video is the most dangerous place, is a getto Good job man!

I been living in Athens for all my life(22 years)Solid vid and amazing work,if you want to make a vid bout the graffiti let me know

7:57 I took a photo with my dad of the middle water thing a year ago

God bless bro for showing us these video !

I was there with my gf last summer, we actually got there sort of by accident, unaware of the sketchiness. Nothing bad happened but i am very "hood aware" person so i was kind of scanning the area pretty sharp as we were walking. It turned out we were staying in a hotel somewhere nearby. Athens is a beautifull city and it was kind of really sad to look and realize that this place has some serious issues.

Hello there! I live in Athens for many many years ...This problem started being big about 10 years ago and now its very very bad ... There are several spots in the center like this on the video , and in many palces anybody should be careful of what he is stepping into... lots of spots with needles on the ground ...junkies become more and more ...nobody (previous goverment or this one) is doing anything

Omonoia actually translates to "The hood". Or something between, brotherhood, unity, coexistence or more accurately, "the peace created by the brotherhood coexistence".

Mean video again bro Keep up the work brother love

Honestly, i think the people just think you belong there, no disrespect. But you look like somebody i would'nt mess with. So what i try to say is, there is an energy within people, you adapt well to that energy and that is why you are pretty safe in that environment. When i get to a let's say criminal hood here in Germany, i try to adapt to the energy i find there and for now i always have been safe. Interesting to see this hoods it is truly.

Thanks!

How does it compare to Kensington market Philadelphia or skid row los Angeles? Looks tamer

Love the idea of u coming back, to check out the graff culture

Keep doing what ye doing brother make me day these videos

Muslim invasions from all over the world live in this area...not Greeks

Cool video! You should get a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, does well in low light, smaller than your Go-Pro, self-stabilizes so less shaking, 4k image, much more obscure (black, fits in palm of your hand).

This area before 1990, before the illegal immigration, was a really nice place with open shops, happy people, caffees, no ugly graffities, groups of people and families walking around ... So bad and heartbreaking situation today.

I actually stayed there for a week in a (very cheap) airbnb :) . It is bad, but more sad than unsafe, at least for me, and I also did not walk around much at night. But compared to what it was like 12 years ago when I was there for the first time, it is kinda less horrible now.

06:50 My friend this is one of the secrets places to eat in Athens, not so secret anymore though, it's all over travel YT channel, where you can have original grandma style Greek food. You should visit.

At 6:50 there is one of the best local cusines that you can try original Greek recipes!

If you think in Greece there are Europe's worst drug streets then you didn't travel much.

Must say it’s the most spotless “ghetto” I’ve ever seen! No rubbish on the street that I can see 😂

Check out Vancouver east Hastings in Canada

Congrats that u are still alive after those streets . As a Greek , I know the situation , u bro went very deep and I won’t hide it , but I was scared

I stayed there for a week in the heatwave it's genuinely like what he shows you at night during day. Literally I seen dead people at like 10am. I was cat called and harrased by migrant men often it felt so sketchy. Taxis wouldn't want to go there and would drive off if you said Omonia and if you could get one they would drop off at main square. It's genuinely mad there.

In allmost every video i've watched, you walk around in area's where even the average tourist would walk without being scared.

Whoa! That’s a mind blowing 😱

I rented an AirBnB in Omonoia in June 2023. It felt sketchy but NO ONE accosted us and we felt pretty safe.

Bro this is literally where our hotel was when I went there with my school xD Junkies everywhere

In 2018, I went with my class on a graduation trip to Greece and we spent half the time in Athens. We were surprised when they dropped us off in front of the Mirabello Hotel because it was in the center of the Omonoia district. Even during the day it was clear that it was not the safest neighborhood, and at night the scenes were indescribable. Blood, needles and drug addicts on every corner. from the hotel we used to observe what was happening underneath hotel and even dared to walk a little at night. It was interesting to see how the liquor stores only open at 2 in the morning (which we didn't mind :P ). I remember walking along some of the streets that were recorded in the video and it's interesting to see how nothing has changed in 5 and a half years. I do a bit of graffiti myself and I can confirm that Athens is a paradise for bombers and street artists. Athens is beautiful by the way and I would like to visit it again. Advice for people who will go to Athens and similar metropolises is to avoid places like this because they are critical and dangerous. I could tell you more, but those are my memories that I keep for the kids. Good luck. Peace.

I was there like 10 years ago, so that hasn't changed still

Hey, if u ever come back to Athens, let me know

14:51 is that a dispensary ?

Brixton, Peckham, Lewisham, Kensington and Clapham Junction in London town are much worst.

Yr accent man is pretty unique, obviously gpot a lot of Aussie or New Zealand in there with a bit of North England with your lad lol Love it. Funny as 😂

Walking through Omonoia, let alone at night, LET ALONE with a camera, is absolutely wild. Mad respect, you've shown a reality not many want to acknowledge.

As a Greek, I find it heartbreaking. Athens, especially the center is a mess. Poor lighting, broken sidewalks, drug addicts, ugly graffiti, seedy neighborhoods. The government, the mayors, don't care since they walk such streets only for election purposes. Your video is good, I had seen a similar one you made in Scampia, Naples. You are doing a good job, I hope things change someday.

as a turk who has visited eksarxeira (or however u spell it) and omonia like it reminded me of the hoods of eastern turkish towns man its genuinly depressing i wish the best for my greek brothers out there stay strong

This man has got balls of steel to walk around with a camera in a junkie-infested area during the night.

I remember Omonia Square in the 80’s. It was beautiful. There was an awesome 4 storey building that was full of toys, the cafes were full of elderly men passing their time and families were everywhere. I was in Omonia a few weeks ago and likely at the time of the making of this video. It saddens me to see the state of Omonia now and this is despite the efforts of successive governments to repair and improve it. The fact is that Greece like so many other nations is losing its middle class. What will remain will be the lower class and the the very rich. Corruption has destroyed a beautiful country.

What is unique about the situation around Omonia square, compared to other main cities, is that Omonia is actually the very center of Athens and not some far out suburn where the cursed of the city live. Omonia in the old days, used to be the meeting point for all the people from the countryside visiting the capital and till the early '00s it was also the focal point of celebrations for big sport events (for example the Euro 2004 Greek win). In comparison, it would be as if the streets around Federation Square in Melbourne or Trafalgar Square in London were like that.. Nowadays the center of life has swifted towards Syntagma square and Omonia has lost it's past significance in the life of the Athenians, as a consequence of the rapid decline of the area.

I was in Athens early 90,s and I was shocked to see the amount of drug problems. I thought they would of been fixed by now but it seems gone worse. Sad I love Greeks and managed to speak the language

Thank God someone mentioned how safe is the area of Exarcheia comparing to other places in Athens. The streets near Omonoia are crazy, but the craziest bit is that up until a couple of years ago, one of the drug markets of Athens was outside the Faculty of Law of the University of Athens. There were literally tourists on the front side taking pictures of the Main University building, and people dying from drugs on the side. Crazy, crazy situation and the police is too busy beating protesters instead of solving the unocontrolled drug problem of the city.