Psirri, the nicest neighborhood in Athens

Athens is trendy! This quickly becomes apparent as you stroll through the colorful streets of Psirri.
Atmospheric restaurants alternate with traditional sandal makers, hip coffee shops, small museums and trendy souvenir stores.

Psirri through the years

Traditionally, the Psiri neighborhood has been known as a working-class neighborhood with many small leather factories and workshops. Over the years, much has changed. Psirri has undergone a metamorphosis from working-class neighborhood to slum and then to hip hot spot. You can still find traditional sandal makers and leather workers in this neighborhood. Agias Theklas street is the ideal place to buy typical Greek sandals. Melisinos is the known as Psirri’s oldest sandal maker, having made sandals for the Beatles and Sarah Jessica Parker, among others. Psirri is full of great places to shop, eat and relax! In this blog post I am happy to share them with you.

Shopping in Psirri

Apart from sandal and leather stores, you will also find unusual souvenir and clothing stores in this neighborhood.
Protogenous Street is known for its second-hand clothing stores, the best hairdresser in town (Lemon poppy seeds) and good bars. Athens has three shopping nights; Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. On these evenings, combine shopping in the small streets of Psirri with a late-night haircut visit and then end up in a trendy bar or club.

Delicious food

Start your day with a delicious bougatsa! Bougatsa is a delicious Greek treat made of crispy filo pastry with a filling of vanilla custard pudding, feta cheese or minced meat. The most delicious ones in Athens are definitely eaten at Bougatsadiko in Iroon Square. Very nice is that here you can see how the bougatsa is made. Psirri is full of atmospheric restaurants. There are many to choose from; from traditional with live music on weekends to super hip! My personal favorites are right around the corner from our office.
For fish lovers, atlantiko is a must. Big fish here are easily prepared on the grill and the smaller fish and seafood are deep fried. All the ingredients are super fresh.
At Minibar and Ivi, the menu consists of Greek mezedes with a modern twist.
In this part of Psiri, you see mostly locals.

Relax!

After a busy day in the city, unwind in the hammam. The ancient bathing rituals will bring you back to balance. Polis Hamam has both authentic and modern appeal. Besides relaxing in the warm hamam room, you can also enjoy a sauna and various body and facial treatments, among other things. Afterwards, enjoy a cup of tea in the relaxation room.