This is A8ens!

What a difference a decade makes. The arrival of the landmark Acropolis Museum and the pedestrian walkway linking the city’s ancient monuments have seen this historic neighborhood emerge as one of Athens’ most fashionable postcodes.  

The Parthenon stands as a monument to cultural achievement, but the structures raised around it memorialize personal myths. Emperor Hadrian created a sanctuary dedicated to Zeus, The Olympian, and erected an arch to lay claim to the city. Herodes Atticus, the first Greek to hold the rank of a Roman consul, built an open-air theatre in memory of his wife. And the first century Athenians dedicated a marble mausoleum to honor the city’s benefactor, Julius Antiochos Philopappos. For decades, these sights had languished in the shadow of the Acropolis. But Bernard Tschumi’s bold and beautiful Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009, transformed the ugly duckling district of Koukaki into a swan. This renewal extends to the National Museum of Contemporary Art taking in tree-lined pedestrianized zones with a lively café and bar culture.  

Old and new Athens converge in Monastiraki. The metro disgorges passengers on Adrianou, a street that is the flea market's main artery but was also part of the ancient city. The city’s historical layers and the area’s traditionally diverse communities align here: look up from the square towards the Acropolis and your line of sight crosses both a mosque and a Byzantine church. Monastiraki, or ‘little Monastery’, is named after a monastic compound that once occupied the site. Today, all that’s left is the small 10th-century Pantanassa basilica on the square.

A wave of gentrification swept most of the old artisan workshops from Psirri and replaced them with bars and eateries in the early 21st century. Now modern craftspeople are moving back in, producing leather sandals and quirky souvenirs rather than wicker chairs and tinware. And derelict buildings have been revitalized with extraordinary displays of street art. But Psirri is still at its most enchanting, and liveliest, at night, when the second-hand shops close and the trendy nightspots set their stools out on the narrow streets.

No other neighborhood in Athens has seen such sweeping changes in recent years. But this grungy district of edgy galleries, hip bars, and ancient wonders is still on the cusp of gentrification.

Twilight is the best time for exploring Gazi and Keramikos, for the area’s subtle charms fade under the glare of the noonday sun. The half-light of the late afternoon awakens a wanderlust deepened by the sight of the rusted railway lines on the industrial side of Ermou Street and for an instant, your thumb twitches to hitch a ride from one of the trucks trundling towards the city’s exit. In this dusky light, the ancient cemetery of Keramikos is one of the most beautiful spots in Athens.  Like Gazi, the Keramikos and its neighboring Metaxourgio district come to life as darkness descends. Chinese discount shops and clothing wholesalers give way to more hedonistic pursuits—from cocktails and dancing to traces of the area’s legacy as the red light district. Alekos Fassianos’ The Myth of Neighbourhood installed in Metaxourgio metro station is a subtle nod to the area’s rebirth. Old warehouses have been transformed into cavernous clubs, cozy bars, experimental stages, and Michelin-starred restaurants that set the trends the rest of the city follows.