The Gazi neighbourhood took its name from this former gasworks, now an open-air venue that hosts a multitude of events year-round. Annual highlights include the Jazz Festival in May, Retro Festival in June, Coffee Festival in September, a Vinyl Market in October, and regular concerts, craft markets, and kids’ activities. The complex is also home to Innovathens, a dynamic hub for start-ups. Much of the original machinery in the plant that supplied Athens with power for 130 years has been preserved at the Industrial Gas Museum. There’s a museum café with tables outdoors and a thrilling Skywalk action park for kids. For adults looking to live—or rather dine—slightly on the edge, there’s Dinner in the Sky. You’ll be strapped into thrill-ride seats, seated around a table for up to 22 people, and lifted by a crane 50 metres into the sky. Oh, and you’re served a five-course dinner. If you’re up for exploring the area, Gazi is full of bars and restaurants; it’s the most LGBTQ+ friendly ‘hood' in the city.

Don’t leave Athens without visiting its biggest modern claim to fame. Whether you’re looking to kayak down a canal, listen to some world-class opera, watch a movie or concert in a park, or go bike riding with the kids, this is the place to be. After sunset, head to Pharos Café, poised at the pinnacle of the complex’s green roof, with incredible views both across the city and out to sea. Every June, the week-long Nostos Festival offers a rocking line-up of DJs, bands, outdoor work-outs, performances and workshops—and it’s all completely free. The SNFCC is also home to the Greek National Opera and the National Library.

An ultra-urban space in an old industrial neighbourhood, Peiraios 260 is one of the most recent venues added to the Athens and Epidavros Festival’s repertoire. Built in the 1970s, this repurposed furniture factory is mostly used for avant garde and experimental events, exhibitions, and performances. Entering the four cavernous warehouses, which now have listed status, is like watching art blooming in a derelict space. The Athens School of Fine Arts next door is also worth exploring.

The white marble stadium that hosted the first modern Olympic Games in 1896, the Kallimarmaro also hosted the archery competition in the Athens 2004 Olympics. Today, the horseshoe-shaped stadium is best known as the rousing finishing line of the Athens Classic Marathon, which takes place on the second Sunday in November. Occasionally, the stadium also serves as a stunning backdrop for concerts, mostly fundraisers for humanitarian causes. No matter who is performing, the experience is unforgettable in a venue of such historical importance.

Tucked away behind the Megaron Concert Hall, is a 4.5-acre park. Screened from the traffic roaring down Kifisias Avenue by a perimeter of laurel trees, these secret gardens are planted with trees and flowers that bloom all year round. Designed to host a range of educational, cultural and environmental activities, the gardens are especially magical in summer, when jazz trios, Greek folk singers, and classical musicians perform among the carob, acacia, orange and magnolia trees. The sloping lawns provide seating for the audience. Occasionally, the gardens also serve as a backdrop for art installations, screenings, and festivals. The Concert Hall Gardens are open to the public from 10am to sunset every day.