Why Athens, with its food, history, and contemporary apart-hotels, hasn’t lost its charm

Greece’s capital has lately been labelled dirty and overcrowded with an Airbnb problem, but traversing this living museum reveals otherwise

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Tourists look out over Athens from the Acropolis. The Greek capital has received bad press of late, and it is true that its most famous site does draw big crowds, but a visit reveals the city to be as charming as ever. Photo: Ian Lloyd Neubauer

Published: 4:15pm, 8 Jul 2024Updated: 9:44am, 9 Jul 2024

A decade ago, Greece was the economic sick man of Europe and its crumbling capital, Athens, was little more than an afterthought for the millions who holidayed on the Greek islands every year.

Today, Greece is a poster child for the tough austerity measures introduced to rein in foreign debt and Athens is the country’s most popular tourist destination, having received 7 million international visitors in 2023 – twice as many as a decade ago.

Tourism, however, is a double-edged sword.

A 2023 study by Greek employers’ organisation the Hellenic Confederation of Professionals, Craftsmen and Merchants found that Athens’ historic city centre – several neighbourhoods collectively referred to as Plaka – is now a “theme park” for tourists.

Flowers in bloom in Athens in spring. Photo: Ian Lloyd Neubauer

The tourism ministry has had to limit the number of people visiting the Acropolis to 20,000 per day, which is still thousands more than Unesco believes the World Heritage site can sustain.

The city has also received low scores for cleanliness and safety in recent surveys.