Athens in Your Pocket

Tours
Shopping
Taking a tour with us is the best way to explore
Athens, Greece and to understand the past and
the present of this remarkable land.
As the only professionals in the field we can
provide specialized and standard tours to cater
to the needs of our distinguished guests.
Thematic
and experiential tours
in Athens
+30 211 21 53 585 +30 697 012 08 78
www.discovergreekculture.com
SIGHTSEEING TOURS
& TRAVEL AGENCIES
ASSOCIATION OF LICENSED TOURIST GUIDES
Greece’s official As sociation of Licensed To urist Guides
offers tours of Athens and just about everywhere else
around the country in no fewer than 28 languages, from
Albanian to Turkish. What’s more, the ALTG can also offer a
huge variety of specialised tours in many different subjects:
architecture, geology, mathematics, physics, agriculture,
history of art, archaeology, education, philosophy and
religion to name just a few. You can use the organisation’s
website to search tours from more than 1000 licensed
guides.QE‐3, Apollonos 9a, tel. (+30) 210 3220090,
www.tourist‐guides.gr.
DISCOVER GREEK CULTURE
Discover Greek Culture run a large number of halfday
and full-day themed tours in Athens and three
other Greek cities. Tours include Classical Athens,
contemporary art, culinary adventures, modern Greece
and even themed tours and activities for children. Book
online at the website or call for more information.Qtel.
(+30) 211 21 53 585/(+30) 697 012 08 78, www.
discovergreekculture.com.
GEORGE’S TAXI
George’s Taxi have been providing a wide range of services
for the more than 20 years to a loyal band of happy
customers. From simple airport pickups to guided tours
of Athens and its surroundings, or even trips further afield
tailor made for your needs, George can provide it all. In our
experience his drivers have a historian’s knowledge of their
country!Qtel. (+30) 693 220 58 87, www.taxigreece.
com.
IN THE KNOW
Offering a full range of personal, carefully crafted and
curated concierge services and a whole lot more besides,
In the Know can take care of tailor made itinerary planning,
arts-based experiences, contemporary art gallery and
design studio visits, accommodation, urban living and
even - for the well-heeled - helicopters and private yachts.
Whatever you want, In the Know can provide it: that’s the
message. However you want to spend your time these
guys will make sure that you get the most out of your visit
to Athens.QTzaferi St. 16, tel. (+30) 210 34 11 174/(+30)
698 664 69 69, www.intheknow.gr.
I VISIT GREECE/COSMORAMA
One of Greece’s best travel agencies offers a wide range
of bespoke cultural tours and holidays around Athens
and the whole of Greece, from half-day trips to luxury
golfing holidays. Trips from Athens include Delphi, the
Corinth Canal and a one-day cruise to Poros, Hydra
and Aegina. I Visit Greece can also deal with the more
simple travel needs in life, such as airline, ferry and train
tickets.QF‐1, 14 Sina Str., tel. (+30) 210 364 27 07,
www.ivisitgreece.com.
Here you are in Athens, this sprawling, chaotic, enticing
city, with its rough-hewn lively urban character, wondering
where to head off shopping. Let us give you a few insiders’
tips…
First of all, and take our word for it, you’ll need to keep
shop opening hours in mind. Although opening hours
are officially unregulated from Monday to Saturday (on
Sundays all shops except pastry shops, wine and spirits
shops, flower shops and emergency pharmacies are closed),
you’ll find that most businesses (with the exception of large
department stores) adhere to the following opening hours:
Mon, Wed, Sat: 09:00 - 15:00.
Tue, Thu, Fri: 09:00 - 14:30 & 17:00 - 20:30.
All shops close on National Holidays. Souvenir shops and
convenience stores operating around tourist sites are
generally open longer hours, usually 09:00-23:00 every day.
Now that we’ve sorted when to shop, time to tackle the
next question: where to shop.
A visit to the charming Plaka district, apart from some
rather kitsch souvenir shops, will also reward you with
great traditional arts and crafts shops that are well worth
a visit. On the other hand, if it’s a more all-encompassing
shopping experience you’re after, a good bet is to head
for Ermou Street (starting from Syntagma Square and
culminating in Monastiraki). This is a great shopping
spree destination, as it’s conveniently pedestrianised and
offers a very wide selection of mainstream consumer
goodies: clothes, jewellery, shoes, cosmetics, gift shops.
But the lower end of Ermou Street, towards the seedier
Monastiraki area, is a different story. Head here for urban
wear, so you can deck yourself out in original street style
labels. Oh, and as regards local colour, don’t miss out on
a walk though the bristling Monastiraki Flea Market
(great for collectors’ items, vintage records and other quirky
items and memorabilia) and the colourful Athens’ Central
Market (we recommend you purchase some local herbs
here - there’s a very wide selection available at great prices).
At the opposite end of the spectrum, Kolonaki caters to
those after some sophisticated, upmarket chic (at the
appropriate price, of course).
MARKETS
MONASTIRAKI FLEA MARKET
It has lost some of its old days charm as modern shops
have replaced the stalls, but it remains the absolute
Athenian open-air, vibrant, people-packed, shopping/
haggling experience. Head here if you are looking
for antiques, collectors’ items, vintage clothing, old
music records and books, homeware, leatherwear
and souvenirs.QC‐2, Ifestou & surrounding streets,
MMonastiraki. Open 07:00 - 15:00.
DIRECTORY
EMERGENCY NUMBERS
POLICEQtel. (+30) 100.
TOURIST POLICEQtel. (+30) 171.
FOREIGN REPRESENTATIONS
AUSTRALIAQKifisias 1-3, MAmbelokipi, tel.
(+30) 210 8704000, www.greece.embassy.gov.au.
Open 09:00 - 20:00. Closed Sun.
CANADAQ48 Ethnikis Antistaseos, tel. (+30) 210
7273400, www.canadainternational.gc.ca. Open 08:30
- 16:30. Closed Sat, Sun.
FRANCEQVas.Sofias 7, MSyntagma, tel. (+30) 210
3391000, gr.ambafrance.org. Open 08:45 - 18:00, Fri
09:00 - 14:45. Closed Sat, Sun.
GERMANYQKaraoli & Dimitriou 3, Kolonaki,
MEvangelismos Station, tel. (+30) 210 7285111,
www.griechenland.diplo.de. Open 09:00 - 12:00.
Closed Sat, Sun.
SPAINQ21 Dionysiou Areopagitou, tel. (+30) 210
9213123, www.exteriores.gob.es. Open 09:00 -
14:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
UKQPloutarhou 1, MEvangelismos Station, tel.
(+30) 210 7272600, www.gov.uk/government/world/
greece. Open to the public by appointment only
on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am to 1pm.
Telephone enquiries: Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm.
USA Emergency Contact Information for U.S.
Citizens Phone: (+30) 210-720-2414 during working
hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Athens time, Monday
through Friday). After Hours Phone: (+30) 210-729-4444
QVasilissis Sofias 91, MMegaro Moussikis, tel. (+30)
21 0721 2951, athens.usembassy.gov. Open 08:30 -
17:00. Closed Sat, Sun.
MONEY TRANSFER
WESTERN UNIONQMenekratous 11, tel. (+30)
210 9005000, www.westernunion.com.
PUBLIC ACCIDENTS’ HOSPITALS
ASKLIPIEIO VOULASQVasileos Pavlou 1,Voula, tel.
(+30) 21 0892 3000, www.asklepieio.gr. Open 24 hours.
KATQNikis 2, Kifisia, MKAT, tel. (+30) 21 3208
6000, www.kat-hosp.gr.
PUBLIC CHILDREN’S HOSPITALS
AGIA SOFIAQThivon & Papadiamandopoulou,
Goudi, tel. (+30) 213 2013000, www.paidonagiasofia.gr.
Open 08 - 00 - 20:00, closed daily from
14:00 - 16:00.
TRAVEL AGENCIES
TRAVEL PLANQErmou 7, MSyntagma, tel.
(+30) 210 3333300, fax (+30) 210 3333581, www.
travelplan.gr. Open 09:00 - 19:00, Sat 10:00 - 15:00.
Closed Sun.
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