8 Best Bars in Athens, Greece

Background Illustration for Nightlife

Despite demanding working hours, significantly tighter budgets, and family obligations, Athenians simply refuse to stay home, and will always find good reasons to sit out with friends at a bar until the middle of the night. Athens's heady nightlife starts late. Most bars and clubs don't get hopping until midnight and they stay open at the very least until 3 am. Drink prices can be rather steep (about €9–€13), but the pours are generous, and in recent years the cocktails have become exciting and sophisticated. Often there is a cover charge on weekends at the most popular clubs, which also have bouncers (aptly called "face-control" by Greeks because they tend to let only the "lookers" in). For a uniquely Greek evening, visit a club featuring rembetika music, a type of blues, or the popular bouzoukia (clubs with live bouzouki, a stringed instrument, music). Few clubs take credit cards for drinks.

Nightclubs in Greece migrate with the seasons. From October through May, they're in vast, throbbing venues in Central Athens and the northern suburbs; from June through September, many relocate to luxurious digs on the south coast for moonlit beach views. The same spaces are used from year to year, but owners and names tend to bounce around. Before heading out, check local listings or talk to your hotel concierge, especially during the summer. One way to avoid both lines and cover charges—since partying doesn't get going until after 1 am—is to make an earlier dinner reservation at one of the many clubs that have restaurants as well.

Baba Au Rum

Monastiraki Fodor's Choice
Rum is the star at this trendy, popular bar in the heart of Monastiraki. All the liqueurs, syrups, and essences to flavor highly original and delicious cocktails are made in-house. The vibe is buzzy both indoors—where the decor has stylish yet quirky vintage touches like stained-glass lamps and antique drinking glasses—and out, where crowds gather especially on weekends. From tiki-inspired beverages to dark rum, chocolate, and lemon creations, you can spend hours experimenting here. Voted as one of the top 50 bars worldwide.

Kapnikarea

Monastiraki Fodor's Choice

Down-to-earth, local, lively, Kapnikarea is named after the sunken Byzantine church that it flanks. Come here to relax after some sightseeing or shopping on busy Ermou Street where live rembetika (the Greek blues from Asia Minor) music swirls mesmerically around a little alleyway every day at different hours. Locals love sitting here enjoying a cold beer and meze, morphing into impromptu choirs, intoning their favorite songs. This little spot has been around for ages and is not to be missed.

BEqueer

Kerameikos

"Celebratory" is an understatement when it comes to describing this bar-club, where members of the LGBTQIA+ community are heartily welcomed with an open mind—and arms—to party, socialize, and dance to live DJ sets and enjoy live drag shows. Great-quality cocktails accompany the buoyant, playful, and friendly atmosphere.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Brettos

Plaka

Instantly recognizable because of the backlit bottles of liqueur lining its walls, this popular, old-time place in the heart of Plaka draws tourists and locals alike. It is the oldest distillery in town (going strong since 1909) and reputedly the second-oldest bar in the whole of Europe, and serves up a variety of drinks both Greek and international, adding cocktails to its menu in recent years. Huge barrels store head-spinning spirits produced on the premises even today—ouzo, cognac, tsipouro, and liqueurs in a rainbow of flavors.

Ipitou The Bar

Syntagma

The bar itself is very small, but the pleasure of visiting it is hanging out at the little tables or on foot on the pedestrian street outside it, sipping a well-made cocktail or cold beer. Locals enjoy gathering in buzzy crowds here and at Blue Bird bar next door throughout the summer's hot nights.

Bars Best Bet
Ipitou 4–6, Athens, 10557, Greece
210-325–4575

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Oinoscent

Syntagma
If you'd like to learn about Greek wine using both your mind and your taste buds, this modern bar with bold yellow walls and high stools is the place for you. Serving some 50 Greek labels by the glass among a selection of 500, this wine cellar--turned--wine bar/restaurant is popular for its high-quality wines, educationally minded staff (it is run by a team of wine experts), and foods that pair well with what you choose to drink.

Piree

Piraeus

Combine excellent wine with cultural exploration at this new venue, set in a fascinatingly decorated, sizable, and impressive postindustrial building that serves as a multi-event space. The café-bar serves everything from cold-pressed juices and designer Greek herbal teas to sophisticated cocktails, regional wines, and finger food, while the exhibition spaces host permanent and temporary photo, art, and installation shows. The space is also designed to host events.

Bars Best Bet
Kastoros 78, Athens, 18545, Greece
210-408--2700
www.piree.gr/en

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Zelus

Kolonaki

Prepare for a low-lit, thronging, underground clubbing experience. From affluent Kolonaki regulars to tourists who have heard this is exactly where it's at if you're seeking an after-hours experience, this place hosts live sets with famous DJs and makes sure to make clients feel a hit of privilege to go with the high prices for booking a table to stand around.