I found an apartment I am interested in and would like to know if anyone familiar with Athens would give me some feedback regarding location, convenience to popular sites & public transportation....is the area relatively safe? Nice? Convenient? Shops, restaurants?

8 Krisila st. Pagrati, 11635 Athens, Greece

Thanks for any feedback; need to make a decision ASAP.

From looking at maps I see you'll be about a mile from the nearest (Evangelismos) Metro Station. I doubt there will be much in the way of shops and restaurants in that area. If you want to be closer in to the center and the main attractions look for accomodations in the Monastiraki, Psirri and Plaka/Acropolis areas. Avoid the Omonia Square area.

I know that area only because I was wandering Athens this past May and ended up there. (got a little lost) The area seemed fine as far as safety but, definitely not convenient to the sites. I personally wouldn't want to stay there unless you're just wanting to soak up residential Athens.

Thanks for the replies...maybe that's why the price seems so reasonable!

The Pangrati district in Athens is a middle-class residential area with limited commercial and entertainment activities (barring a few cinemas,cafés and eating places.) It extends uphill toward Mt.Hymettus to the east of the city center,having developed from the 1st quarter of the 20th century onwards. Mostly boring 6-8 floor buildings,narrow streets with hellish traffic,relatively tolerable pollution levels,very few green pockets and a serious lack of parking spaces are Pangrati's negative attributes. On the positive side,it is still a safe area to live in,relatively quiet,and desirable in relation to other residential districts of the City.It is served adequately with public transport (buses,cable cars),being within walking distance(15-20 min)from the National Garden,Syntagma Square(that is,the center of the City),the principal shopping center(Ermou Street), the old town around the Acropolis hill(known as Plaka),the fancy Kolonaki area of expensive shops,restaurants and 'pick-up' cafés, Museums, health care facilities etc. In general,if one must live in the town center,it's not a bad place to be. There's better,of course,but at a price and a bit farther away. For central living I would prefer the Ilissia area up to the Caravel Hotel and around the Hilton Hotel, a small residential pocket adjacent to Pangrati called Mets, some parts of the Koukaki area nearer the Akropolis, and the old town of Plaka (if I'd be lucky to find a vacancy there!) Better try to search further for accommodation to suit your standards and budget,along the lines I mentioned. Anyway,as is well known,Athens is not a beautiful city so don't expect miracles,though I wouldn't discount the possibility of some pleasant surprise here and there. Best of luck!

Personally I would be quite happy to stay there, BUT that would be dependent on how long for & when. If you are on a limited stay of a few days paying a bit more & staying very central would be better. If it is mid summer & hot, then as close to public transport as possible is more of a consideration too.
There is a very nice Cretan cuisine restaurant about 500 metres from the apartment!

Thank you all. This would be for about 6 weeks beginning next week! So short on time to make a decision & we currently have a hotel reservation but are try ng to check out last minute apartment options as well. The price of this unit is extremely reasonable & it is newly refurbished. We would be there for a combination visiting historic sites as well as some business which will require appointments in & around the city. Would like to utilize mostly public transport with a few taxis when needed. Portions of the trip will be 4 people and part of the trip will only be 2. The group of four includes 2 parents & 2 teenagers....so an apartment with separate rooms is appealing for sure.

Some things to consider:

1. The area next to Pagrati park is ok, safe, close to the center, but the buildings are old (60's and 70's block of flats. You said that the apartment will be renovated, so I assume you won't have any problem). Pagrati is a densly populated area. Narrow roads and plenty of cars create quite a noise. Maybe Krisila str. is a quite road but in any case it will be better if the apartment is in a higher floor to avoid some street noise.

2. There are plenty of strikes these days in Athens due to the economic measures. Metro and buses stop working for some hours per day, even the whole day. Luckily, during the Cristmas season strikes usually stop, but after the 10th of January you possibly have to expect some incovinience.

3. I live in Athens, so if you need some more specialised information, be free to ask!

Have a nice time in Athina!!!!

WEll...just to finish the story....the pictures of the apartment were stunning....the price was great....and as they say....if it sounds too good to be true...we fell for a scam & sent the "landlord" our deposit & 1st month's rent upfront only to never receive keys or access....the landlord who lived in London (supposedly) got in a car accident (supposedly) & has been unable to provide any keys.

We were stupid tourists that did not do enough homework; I'm embarrassed to say it, the red flags show clearly now, but at the time things sort of made sense. We have traveled a decent amount & my husband is even in the tourism industry, how could we be so naive, I ask? It is really embarrassing!

Anyhow, just a word to remind anyone out there looking at vacation rentals, take the extra steps & try to use a well known & respected rental agency, even better if its a personal recommendation from a friend. WE learned the hard way.

Ended up staying in a hotel after being "stranded" on Christmas Eve & now are in an apartment; not nearly as glamourous looking, but just a few streets from the Acropolis in all its glory. We did not let this experience ruin our trip but it sure took a gouge out of the budget!

In no way does this mean to reflect poorly on Greece or Athens; its just some unscrupulous folks who will hopefully experience, if nothing more, some bad karma in return!

Make sure you report this to the website, hopefully the apartment will be taken off there!
If it's the one I am thinking of,
http://www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/p464360 it's showing as not available this week (your booking?), but I also notice the contact number is a Greek mobile & a female contact name.

Yiassas: No, it was not that apartment.