Pros and Cons of Living in Athens, Canada

[ticklishdog612]

Pros of Living in Athens

Very safe

Lots of fun stuff to do

Warm now

Warm in the spring

Good air quality on average

Nomad List members liked going here a lot

Many Nomad List members here all year round

Easy to make friends

Easy to do business

High quality of education

Great hospitals

Roads are pretty safe

Freedom of speech

Democratic

People can speak basic English

Safe for women

Family friendly

LGBTQ+ friendly

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Cons of Living in Athens

Too expensive

Pretty slow internet

Gets cold in the winter

Too hot in the summer

Feels crowded

People smoking tobacco a lot

[brownswan195]

I am a Greek living abroad just the last couple of years. I accidentally discovered this page and noticed the comments below. What I can recommend to people considering living in Athens is to explore places a bit outside of the city center. I agree with people that there are many areas very close to the city center that are dirty and perhaps not very safe to walk around at night. Explore areas like Glyfada Voula, Kifisia, Marousi, Psychiko, Marousi and you will be amazed with how different it is! The quality of life in such areas area way way WAY better than what you get by living in the city center. If you don't have a car, top tip would be to find a place with a metro station nearby.

[ticklishdog612]

People and food are just lovely in Greece. Would argue that Greeks are the most friendly and welcoming people in Europe. The city is a disaster. Overrun by migrants run down by the government, empty buildings and gratifies everywhere. Not far from city center (10min by feet) it feels more like a third world country than Europe.

[beautifulbear403]

Athens is a great city; much to do! It offers a balance of daily life and nightlife. Rents are extremely reasonable. Two of my colleagues and I decided to live in the northern suburbs near metro stations called Doukisis Plakentias. 15 minute underground ride to Athens centre. Mt. Pentelis which is very nearby offers and great trekking paths and clean air for those who love to be close to nature as well as close to the city. Nice shopping area too like Halandri. Great restaurants, cafes, etc., expensive and cheap. All around great place to live and work! No complaints here!

[heavypanda370]

Pretty decent place. I usually spend September and October in Athens when the weather is close to perfect ie. not too hot nor too cold for yours truly. You can get easily by with nothing but English though tossing an occasional συγνώμε and παρακαλώ in the mix helps. That, of course, as long as you stay in the pricey parts of the city. With a bit of luck and some advance planning Athens can be extremely affordable. There are Airbnb listings quite far away from the center, yet close to a metro station -- for less than 800€ per month you can get a two bedrooms + a kitchen + a large balcony next to a reasonably quiet street. This, of course, works only for those who are more or less busy working from Monday to Friday. For something resembling more like a tourist visit, you'll be paying at least twice for a flat near the center and quite likely end up in somewhere with plenty of motorcycle noises to keep you awake all night, every night.

[tinytiger956]

Athens is very diverse which is great. As a black digital nomad, it was nice to be treated like a person for the most part rather than as a strange animal. This is more than I can say for so much of Europe. The city has not been well taken care of in recent years, but it is still very charming, as are the people. Almost everyone smokes here and it is difficult to find a completely smoke-free work location. The public transportation system is decent and the facilities are clean. WiFi is pretty fast as well and available in most places.

[yellowelephant566]

I am a Greek living abroad just the last couple of years. I accidentally discovered this page and noticed the comments below. What I can recommend to people considering living in Athens is to explore places a bit outside of the city center. I agree with people that there are many areas very close to the city center that are dirty and perhaps not very safe to walk around at night. Explore areas like Glyfada Voula, Kifisia, Marousi, Psychiko, Marousi and you will be amazed with how different it is! The quality of life in such areas area way way WAY better than what you get by living in the city center. If you don't have a car, top tip would be to find a place with a metro station nearby.

[bigbird816]

Like all cities that have lots of tourists it's best to explore a little and get off the well beaten track. There are literally thousands of small cafes and bars that have free, fast WiFi, cheap coffee and good kebabs. If you stay in the absolute cheapest part of town, you will get a different vibe. There are a lot of AirBnB springing up and in the off-season these are very reasonably priced. I can't understand how you could be bored in Athens. So many places to see, so many museums and historic sites, beaches, clubs, mountains, markets and... Check out some of the closer islands, but steer clear of the ones frequented by Cruise Ships like Mykonos and Santorini. The prices in these places are not really reflective of the rest of the country.

[happykoala400]

Athens is a very interesting city. It is very large a bit like Tbilisi, very hot in the summer. Refugees everywhere, but everyone is friendly

[happyduck881]

Great for 2 days to a week. No longer is needed. Was there for a month and frequently went to islands due to Athens being dirty touristy, and somewhat boring. Foods good though!