Ermou Street

Walking through the bustling streets of central Athens, whether as a resident or a visitor, or taking in the view of the sprawling, densely built capital from a balcony on one of its nearby hills, it’s nearly impossible to grasp that less than two centuries ago, this city was merely a tiny dot on the map.

Due to the 28th Athens Cycling Tour, the schedules on Tram Line 6 “Pikrodafni – Syntagma” on Sunday (20/10) from 7 AM until the end of the Cycling Tour will have “FIX” station as the terminal stop.

Additionally, traffic regulations will be in effect in Athens on Sunday.

I recently had the opportunity to take a walk around downtown Athens in the company of some foreign friends. Philhellenes to the core, they come with open hearts and open minds, full of curiosity and fascination for all the things that compose Greek reality.

Authorities investigated a suspicious suitcase discovered on Wednesday afternoon in central Athens, which was ultimately deemed harmless.

An indifferent today but once famous office building of post-war Athens is situated opposite the medieval Byzantine church of Kapnikarea on Ermou Street in downtown Athens. Designed by architect Nikos Valsamakis in 1958, the building introduced the innovation of the glass facade (curtain wall), which was soon emulated in many parts of the city center.

As part of the “This is Athens-City Festival” by the Municipality of Athens and the celebration of World Car-Free Day, traffic will be halted and parking prohibited on the following streets in central Athens from 8:00 PM on Saturday (21/9) until 10:00 PM on Sunday (22/9):

The Ministry of Culture is fortifying the archaeological sites and museums of the Ancient Agora and Kerameikos with modern fire protection systems. This project, with a total budget of €6,500,000, is deemed necessary due to the aging fire infrastructure and the growing impact of the climate crisis.

The 10th annual Burger Fest (burgerfest.gr) takes over Kerameikos' Old OSY Depot (Pireos & Ermou) for two weekends. Featuring more than a dozen burger joints, the event offers mouthwatering food, sweet treats, drinks and live music. Tickets to the stuff-in-a-bun-lover's paradise start from 5 euros at more.com.

The reopening of an iconic venue, closed for two and a half years, was marked by the launch of a painting and engraving exhibition at the historic Panellinion cafe in Mytilene, capital of the island of Lesvos in the eastern Aegean. The event was organized by the Peri Technon Karteris gallery, author Nadia Liarelli and Piraeus Bank (owner of the property) on Friday.

A bold yet simple proposal for radically improving the quality of life in downtown Athens has been on Athens Mayor Haris Doukas' desk for the past few days, awaiting his perusal. What it suggests, in short, is to partially rid central Syntagma Square from the bane of traffic.