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Athens Gay Travel

wolfyy’s Athens gay guide to hotels, things to do, gay bars, clubs, restaurants, saunas, & cruising.

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The Gay Travel Experience: Athens, Greece

Athens has an enormous gay scene, full of both locals, tourists, and other visitors from around the Mediterranean.

Gay life thrives here. It’s easy to meet new people, especially in the city’s energetic gay bars. I even met another gay traveler right on the steps of the Acropolis!

gay Athens guide

Greece is generally considered to be gay-friendly, and Athens is even more so. But you might be surprised to learn that local gay Greeks tend to be private with their sexual orientation outside of the LGBT community. 

greek flag
gay Athens guide
greek flag

While people in Greece have become increasingly accepting of LGBT people in recent years, older generations are still quite conservative.

It’s rare to find same-sex couples kissing or even holding hands in public. However, most gay locals aren’t afraid to visit LGBT safe spaces like Athens’ gay bars.

street graffiti

Gay tourists and ex-pats in Athens rarely encounter discrimination, though. Especially out in the gay neighborhood, the LGBT community shines.

General Opinions About Athens

Many people will immediately tell you that Athens is a dirty, unappealing city. Most likely, that’s because they simply haven’t gone to the right areas!

Psyri neighborhood
Psyri neighborhood
street graffiti

Some parts of Athens are gritty and yes, gross. Especially north of the city center, there are neighborhoods that are much less aesthetically pleasing. But other neighborhoods are stunningly beautiful.

In the sections below, I’ll tell you exactly where they are.

Gay Athens: Hotels & Where to Stay

Gay travelers tend to favor hotels in a few different areas of Athens. Plaka and Monastiraki are the most popular neighborhoods overall.

Hotels in Plaka are great for cozy boutique vibes, while Monastiraki hotels offer the most central location you can get.

Plaka neighborhood

Gazi is the Athens gay neighborhood, naturally making hotels in Gazi a popular choice for LGBT travelers. The neighborhood is located to the west of Athens’ city center. It’s packed with restaurants and has a ton of gay bars, club, and saunas.

Gazi nightlife athens
Plaka neighborhood
Gazi nightlife athens

Apartment rentals in Gazi are also great, not to mention affordable. They tend to be modern, many with perks like terraces and views of the Acropolis.

gay friendly hotels in Athens

There are certainly gay-friendly hotels in Athens, which I’ll mention below. However, you should know that Athens doesn’t have many outwardly gay hotels like other European cities.

You may have seen other websites advertise Athens gay hotels, but these are simply hotels that have marked themselves as LGBT-friendly.

Alexander Apartments

Alexander Apartments is the only true Athens gay hotel. It’s worth mentioning, but it’s they only have three apartment units. 

Athens gay hotel
Athens gay hotel
gay friendly hotels in Athens

The hotel is connected to the Alexander Men’s Club gay sauna, so anyone who is visiting Athens mainly for cruising might find Alexander Apartments to be ideal! 

If you want more of a traditional hotel experience, then you’ll be better off with one of the gay-friendly hotels below.

NEW Hotel

NEW Hotel was by far the best Athens hotel I’ve stayed in. The design is fun and modern, the rooms include well-kept terraces, and their air conditioning is strong.

rooms at NEW Hotel
NEW hotel Athens
rooms at NEW Hotel

Located on the eastern side of the Plaka neighborhood, it’s easy to walk to the adorable nearby areas for shopping, restaurants and exploring the most beautiful old neighborhoods.

NEW hotel Athens

Hotel Fresh

Hotel Fresh is a more affordable gay-friendly option that still comes with a boutique hotel feel. I stayed here for a night and while it’s not the fanciest place in the world, they have an epic rooftop bar.

Fresh Hotel Athens
Fresh Hotel
Fresh Hotel Athens

O&B Athens Boutique Hotel

O&B Athens Boutique Hotel was the last Athens hotel I stayed with. They’re a budget hotel that offers a lot for the price. The rooms are clean, the bathrooms are large, and the service is incredibly friendly.

O&B Hotel’s location in the Psyri neighborhood is unbeatable. It’s only a short drive from the Gazi gay neighborhood, too.

More Athens Hotels I Recommend

Here are a few other fantastic hotels for Athens gay travelers that are highly rated and located in the most popular neighborhoods of the city.

hotel for gay travelers in Gazi

Athenian View Loft

Athens Residence Suites Hotel

The Residence Aiolou

athens hotel with outdoor shower

47 Luxury Suites

Athens Hub Hostel

Athens Hub Hostel

Prefer Hostels? I recommend checking out Hostelworld’s picks for the best hostels in Athens.

Athens Gay Travel Experiences

First-time travelers will surely start with all the classic Athens attractions. The Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and the Roman Forum of Athens are all staples.

Athens gay travel
Athens gay travel
Acropolis sunset view

Below are some more recommendations that you may not have known about!

Panathenaic Stadium

The Panathenaic Stadium was the site of the first modern Olympic games. I highly recommend a visit! It’s also the only stadium in the world that is built entirely of Marble.

Athens gay couple
Panathenaic stadium
Athens gay couple

You can grab an Uber (which is extremely cheap in Athens) or take the tram to the Záppeio stop.

Panathenaic stadium

Explore Plaka

Experience the gorgeous, restaurant-lined paths along the southwestern end of the Plaka neighborhood. One of the best parts of my Athens adventure was wandering these beautiful mountainside pathways.

gay Athens
gay Athens
Plaka streets

The Plaka Stairs are the most notable spot in this area. You’ll find restaurants perched all along the street, which are most popular for epic sunset views. In my opinion, this area is way better than the rest of Plaka!

Plaka streets

Walking tours of Plaka that also include visits to Anafiotika (which I’ll discuss next) and other lesser-known spots around the Acropolis are fantastic if you don’t feel like exploring alone. 

Visit Anafiotika

Most tourists don’t know about Anafiotika. You absolutely cannot miss this spot! Here you’ll get some of the best views of Athens while navigating some beautiful winding staircases.

Anafiotika views
Anafiotika views
best areas of Athens

I found out about Anafiotika from a local Greek guy that offered to take a photo of me on the street in Plaka. Continue walking up the hillside until you reach a lookout point that sits just below the walled mountainside of the Acropolis viewing point.

best areas of Athens

The Acropolis Museum

The ultra-modern Acropolis Museum is actually pretty well-known, but I still want to mention how amazing it is! About a 15-minute walk from the base of the Acropolis, you can see some of Greece’s most prized artifacts.

visiting Acropolis Museum
Acropolis Museum exhibit
visiting Acropolis Museum

If you’re visiting during summer, the Acropolis museum is an amazingly air-conditioned, comfortable place to spend a hot afternoon. Their café space has indoor and outdoor seating with a clear view of the Acropolis.

Acropolis Museum exhibit

Don’t miss the ancient ruin excavation area underneath the museum! There’s a separate entrance around the side of the building.

Athens Gay Sailing Trips

Greece’s Saronic Islands are easy to get to from Athens. Consider joining a group of gay travelers for an epic gay sailing trip with Pride Sailing Holidays.

Athens gay sailing

I’ve done several of these 7-day trips, one of which was from Athens in August 2021. These trips are always life-changing and I truly have the time of my life. I highly recommend joining one!

Athens gay sailing
athens gay tour

If you’re only looking for a sailing day trip, consider one of these 5-hour catamaran tours of the Athens Riviera.

athens gay tour

The main port area in Athens is Piraeus Harbour, about a 25-minute drive from the city center. So, it’s easy to get to and from any sailing or cruise expedition.

Restaurants in Athens

Brunch at the fabulously pink-themed ELLYZ Athens is a neighborhood favorite. Fashionable tourists and local Greeks are both always here.

ELLYZ restaurant Athens

ELLYZ is an all-day brunch restaurant and cocktail bar through the evening. The restaurant and their food are also incredibly instagrammable!

Athens gay friendly restaurant
ELLYZ restaurant Athens
Athens gay friendly restaurant

Don’t miss a sunset dinner at one of the picturesque restaurants along the mountainside steps of Plaka. 

Elaia is a gorgeous rooftop restaurant with beautiful views. You can also browse a bunch of other restaurants along the cobblestone stairways nearby.

Μπιρμπίλω Athens

Stop at Μπιρμπίλω (Mpirmpilo) for lunch while exploring the Kolonaki neighborhood. The food here is some of the best quality I’ve eaten in Athens. The salads, seafood, and local wine are superb.

Lunch restaurants Athens
Lunch restaurants Athens
Μπιρμπίλω Athens

Dialogos (Διάλογος) was a delicious seafood restaurant in the convenient and popular area of Monastiraki. The service was fast and ordering is simple. 

Dialogos restaurant food

Dialogos (as well as the many other nearby restaurants) are quite well-known to tourists, so it’s an easy option for first-timers to Athens that want good food!

The Place Athens
Dialogos restaurant food

I really loved The Place, a restaurant located in Athens’ Gazi neighborhood. The Place is perfect for dinner/drinks before heading to gay bars. 

The Place Athens

Their tropical-feeling back area is trendy and fun. An Athens gay local showed me The Place, which is one of his favorites. You’ll likely run into other Athens gay travelers or locals here since it’s so close to the gay bars.

Athens Gay Bars & Clubs

Athens has some fantastically energetic gay bars, most of which are located in the gay area of Gazi. I had such a blast checking them out, dancing, and meeting other travelers.

Athens gay club

In Gazi, you’ll hear clubs blaring music all around and people clamoring in the streets. The center of all nightlife is around the Kerameikos Metro stop.

Here are the best Athens gay bars and clubs to visit.

Shamone Club

Shamone is absolutely the best gay bar in Athens. I loved the music here, which was a mix of the most popular international hits mixed by a live DJ. With a bit of a club feel, Shamone is an awesome place to dance.

Shamone gay bar
Shamone gay bar
Shamone Club Athens

During the warmer months, everyone takes advantage of Shamone’s large outdoor bar and seating area. Plenty of streetside tables make for a great place to meet new people.

Shamone Club Athens

Sodade2

Sodade2 is a smaller gay bar that’s also in Gazi. I’d say it’s the next best choice of gay nightlife spots in Athens after Shamone.

Sodade2 gay bar

They play some pretty loud music and have some space for dancing (although during the pandemic they may switch to tables). I enjoyed the colorful, dim lighting.

Sodade2 gay bar
Athens gay bars
Athens gay bars

The tricky thing about Sodade2 is that it’s difficult to tell how busy the club is from the street. The entrance is a small vestibule with a double door so you can’t easily see inside. It’s best to ask around outside or on your preferred gay dating app.

S-Cape

S-Cape is third among the trio of top Athens gay bars. It’s especially popular among younger guys. It’s a two-level venue with a fun pedestal cage in the middle of the dance floor.

athens gay bar

Drinks are cheap and the music tends to be more on the European side. Expect to pay a small cover at the door, which should include a free drink.

Del Sol Café

Del Sol Café is a gay-friendly café during the day, but has a relaxed gay bar vibe in the evening. It’s the perfect place to sit down for cocktails before heading to other bars nearby.

Del Sol Cafe Athens
Del Sol Cafe Athens
Athens gay club

Through the evening, you’ll hear all the gay-favorite songs playing at Del Sol Café. Lots of guys sit here to people watch since the outdoor patio is directly in front of the Kerameikos Metro stop area.

Noiz Club

Noiz Club is the go-to Lesbian bar in Athens, located in the heart of Gazi. I didn’t visit, but I’d love to know what you think of it. The interior looks beautiful!

Athens Gay Saunas & Cruising

Alexander Sauna

Alexander Sauna is the most popular gay cruising spot in Athens. This place is huge, including a full bar, garden lounge, wet and dry saunas, private cabins, and a labyrinth area.

Alexander Athens gay sauna
Alexander Athens gay sauna
athens gay cruising

They offer all the essentials including towels, lockers, flip flops and showers. The busiest hours are typically from 10 PM to 1 AM, so don’t go too late!

athens gay cruising

Attraxx Gay Cruising

Attraxx is another gay cruising venue, ideal if you’re just looking for a cruising experience rather than a sauna. They have a bunch of individual dark rooms and movie areas.

After they open at 12 PM, you can find guys here all afternoon! Attraxx gets steadily busier as the day progresses, and you can even expect a bit of a crowd after 4 PM.

Before you go cruising, make sure you have a pair of sexy underwear or jockstrap to wear!

Athens Travel Tips

The Typical Morning Greeting

Greet everyone with a “yasas” in the morning, which is the informal way to say hello. You’ll hear this everywhere. And once you start listening for it, I bet you won’t be able to stop!

Need a Laundromat?

Especially while enduring the brutal summer temperatures in Athens, you might need to wash your clothes sooner than you think. If you need to do some laundry, head to Easywash, a self-service laundromat that’s super cheap.

athens travel tips
Athens gay guide
athens travel tips

Avoid EuroNet ATMs

Avoid EuroNet ATMs for cash at all costs. They charge absurd fees by offering poor exchange rates and charging you an additional commission. It’ll be difficult because these ATMs are everywhere and in all the most convenient locations.

Instead, go to an iBank ATM or to a National Bank of Greece location.

Athens gay guide

Taxis from Athens Airport

Grabbing a taxi at the Athens airport is super easy. The price to travel into central Athens is fixed, so you won’t need to stress about overpaying.

Note that the nighttime rate (midnight to 5 AM) is decently higher. Make sure to bring Euros as well. Taxis in Athens do not accept credit cards.

Athens airport taxi
street sign for acropolis
Athens airport taxi

Taxis show up constantly at Athens airport too, so even if there’s a long line, it will move quickly. The drive into the city center isn’t quick though. Without traffic, it takes roughly 40 minutes.

street sign for acropolis

Using Uber in Athens

Once you’re in central Athens, you can use your Uber app to request local taxis, a service called Uber Taxi

To clarify what you made read elsewhere online, Uber is not banned in Athens; instead, Uber drivers must be official taxis.

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