Some athenian tips: 1) Unless you have nerves of steel don't drive in Athens. The only thing we obey are traffic lights and sometimes stop signs. Also pedestrians rarely have the right of way so unless someone actually stops, don't cross. 2) Do yourself a favor and ask locals. We'll probably refer you to better places than the touristy stuff that charge 50 euros for two bites worth of salad. 3) While on the local part, also ask about the sketchy areas so that you can stay away from. Most common one is Omonoia, our city centre where you should probably stay away from after 8-9 PM. 4) Internet is everywhere, every shop has free wifi and some metro stations have too. You don't actually need a SIM card or pocket Wifi unless you plan on going to rural Greece where things noticebly are older. 5) Don't go to beaches in Athens like Edem or Kalamaki. While they pass the safe surveys before season, they aren't that clean to be honest. Your starting point should be Glyfada and on. 6) We love to teach you guys our language from basic greetings all the way up to our flagship "Malaka" and other delicacies. Just translate-check everything we teach you before using it. Cheers!
Point #2 is what I want to see and read. Can you share some good small local tavernas or restaurants that are actually local based and low touristy. Thanks
@@gp3724 So basically, whatever you see around Monastiraki that has to do with food, don't go. I mean there are some exceptions but I haven't had good food around that area in a long time. What you should look for in Monastiraki, Syntagma, Psirri, Thiseio, Kolonaki, Koukaki are bars. There are some that are seasonal and open their rooftops after easter. Also stay away from international brands like McDonald's etc, completely garbage, we only eat those when we are drunk at 6:30 AM and our taste buds are dead from alcohol. For food some of my favourites are: 1)A bar restaurant in Koukaki called "Riza-Riza". Pretty solid food, coktails as well, also not that expensive. They make coktails with greek spirits as well and some are fire. And it's close to metro as well. 2)In Moschato, which is an area south of athens next to Pireus, there is a place called "To Zempereki". It's more of a traditional taverna, good food but all plates are , as we Greeks call them, "in the middle plates" which means that we order to drink ( most of the times wine ) and order a bunch of plates for everyone to nimble while we drink. There are no main courses like steak or pasta or whatever but to be honest you don't need a main dish. Also I recommend "Pink semi-sweet wine" to drink. 3)If you want fish food, in Kallithea there is a fish tavern called "Psarotaverna Antonia". Hands down, one of the best fish I have eaten in Athens. You can also go to Mikrolimano in Pireus to some restaurants like "Fraoula" or "Jimmy's Fish" but expect to pay way more. 4)"Alladin", if you want to eat middle eastern cuisine. Kebab, falafel, gyros, stuff like that. ( They aren't afraid to use their spices, food is good but you feel like a rock afterwards ). 5) Classic taverna as you seek : "Mirtia". It's in the area called Nea smirni. All good nothing to say more. Those are some places that came to my mind , also if you want street food like Souvlaki or burger mostly anywhere you see is fine except those in Monastiraki centre. For burgers if you see a place called "Jackaroo" , that's where most of us eat when we want burgers. All those places are value for money and you'll eat pretty good. There are many more too, so take those I mentioned with a grain of salt and ask around some more! Tip 1: Ask for peoples personal favourite places instead of generalizing. Tip 2: If you eat a lot and feel kinda bad and all heavy and stuff, order a shot of Mastich. We drink this so we can digest easier and faster if we eat a lot. Also it tastes awesome. Hope I helped, cheers
We really appreciate the historic and geographic context in your video. We also look for authentic experiences - especially in places that are extra “touristy”.
Loved your video. Many RU-vidrs seem to focus only on island hopping and your video felt well-rounded with country background, culture, practical tips and more.
Thanks for the video!! I'm heading out there in a couple weeks and you covered a lot of things I've been wondering about! May the algorithm be ever in your favor !
Nice video about Greece. I visited fall 2022 and had a wonderful time. Have relatives in Athens, Northern Epirus and Corfu. They took me everywhere including Meteora ( the monestaries on the mountains in Kalambaka). In Athens enjoy the street food (gyros, souvlakia). Your video made it easy to undertand how to navigate the country. Thanks.
The culinary history of Greece is significant since ancient times. The Ottomans absorbed the foods of many nations as Greece influenced they're cooking. Also you can find an ancient Greek cookbook which is similar to various Greek cuisine to this day.
I've lived here in Greece for most of my life. Well done! that was a pretty good video, accurate and helpful to any traveller. So you got your loukoumades mixed up with your kourabiethes - happens all the time but hey whatever it is it tastes great!
Great advice. We just got back from Greece recently and have a full series of guides coming out over the next few weeks. Keep up the good work. I really enjoyed this video. If you want we have 5 Greece vlogs up already. Cheers! - Turtle
Funny that you mentioned Greek cuisine as largely influenced by the Ottoman one, for the Ottoman cuisine is vastly the Byzantine cuisine, which the Ottomans (REMINDER: Ottomans were nomads with therefore a nomadic cuisine) fully incorrporated and nowadays Turks consider just Turkish, erasing any historical memory of their nomadic past... and cuisine. The Byzantines had one of the most advanced cuisines you know. EDIT: (I forgot my manners) Thank you for making this video!
Good information, thank you. Only in 1453 did Mehmed II capture Constantinople, putting an end to the Byzantine Empire. I think the Greek food culture might have been established long before the Ottoman empire. Just some fun facts;)
I will watch this a few more times before September. Very informative. What’s the weather like in September to October? I’m from the Philippines and it is mostly hot here all year round.
Hold on: You said the "northern" region of Greece, which borders with Albania, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, is home to Athens and the Acropolis. That's not right. Northern Greece's most important city is Thessaloniki. Athens is at the heart of southern Greece and has zero influence from neighbouring countries, unlike the north.
@@conniep3164 It's true that Athens being situated in Attica is considered central Greece, but because we have the north-south divide (and rivalry) like Italy, Athens is by default considered the main city of "southern" Greece. Besides, the Peloponnese has no city that is on par with Thessaloniki or Athens in terms of size, culture, and significance.
More like central with a bit southern in it. But lets be honest: with so many albanians Athens has the last few years the "influence" part from Albania is on point😂
There are plenty of scammers,loads and loads of pickpockets in the centre of Athens, on buses,on trains,anywhere that is crowded. There have been shootings and terrorist attacks in the past but not in recent years. It's still safe in general but if you do stand out like a tourist just be careful.
Cash is always a good idea to have especially if you are going to rural areas. Since covid I would say many transactions are now done with credit cards but it wasn't the case in the past. Just remember to ask for a receipt either way to avoid any tax evasion on the owners part. And if you are eating out always ask for a menu to see the prices as you might get charged something completely different. It has even happened to me as a greek.
I’m flying to Greece from the US this summer and the flight layover is in Iceland. Do I need a visa or like a transit visa because of the layover in Iceland? Also, I’m staying in Greece for 1 week then plan of flying to Poland but was hoping to stay in Poland for more than 1 week, how would I be able to do that? What/how do I get what I need if that is possible? I appreciate any help!!
We are travelling to Greece (from U.S.), and want to bring about 9500 dollars in cash with us. Can we keep the cash (and passports) on us in our pants pockets when going through security or customs? I would hate to have to put cash in that plastic bin, only to have it stolen! And is the limit still 10,000 dollars? Thanks in advance!
03:18 - You made an error when you mention that the many great foods and dishes found in Greece came from Turkey, Nothing like that happened ! - First, the many great food and dishes were there during the Byzantine empire long before Turkey was a country and the foods came from Arabia, Persia, an as far as india and also from Italy (i.e the Roman Empire !). First, Name a dish or food that came from Turkmanistan and the Central Asian Countries ... None Exist ! Second, Eggplants (or aubergines), tomatoes, potatoes, oranges, lemons and corn and many other foods, did not exist in the past and were introduced to Europe in the 19th century. Eggplants came from India, tomatoes, potatoes and corn came form America, Lemons and oranges came from China. Nothing came from Turkey ! Turkey and the Otoman Empire got what it has today from the Byzantine and Persian Empires. There is nothing Turkish in Turkey, Just like in the British Museum !
Hello there, I was wondering, if I can share with you the most important thing ever in life. God the Father sent His holy Son Jesus to earth, to be born of a virgin. He grew up and died on the cross for our sins. Then He was put into a tomb for 3 days, after that Abba Father raised Jesus to life.He appeared to people, and went back to heaven. We all must sincerely receive Jesus into our life to be God's child. See John 1:12 for this please. Will you today genuinely by faith receive Jesus into your life for salvation?
We just got back from Greece and we didn’t need to show our vaccination cards. Some taxis we did wear masks but other than than that it’s pretty open and flexible.
we were not part of turkey. they stole our land. don't mix that because others will think we took it from them. Watch what you say in Greek they will be offended like me!!!!!
