What about a walk in the Athens « Gazi area »?
Thiseio, Plaka, Psirri and Monastiraki are beautiful neighborhoods and maybe more known, since they are also the famous touristic areas. But Athens has more neighborhoods close to the city center, which are excellent for a walk and entertainment. One of them is « Gazi ».
Gazi is only a 15- minute walk from the Thisseio metro station (Green line). It includes the archeological site of Kerameikos and the old Gas factory, from which the area took its name.
In ancient times, the area was inhabited by ceramists, because the soil was suitable for pottery. However, because of a river, which recently came to surface again, the area could not be inhabited for long, so the Athens cemetery was built there. Today the archaeological site is open to visit as well as its museum, where artifacts from recent excavations are exposed.
About 300 meters from the ancient cemetery, the Gas factory was established in 1857. It supplied Athens with gas, both for public lighting and for domestic use. In 1984, the factory closed. The Gas factory, now a cultural centre, was considered to be a landmark. The City of Athens undertook its conservation. The site today is a museum of the factory‘s history and technology and at the same time it is used for cultural and artistic events. Concerts and exhibitions are now taking place in Gazi throughout the year.
Gazi is a very popular area in the evening, especially around the Keramikos square (metro station Keramikos, blue line). There are a lot of bars and cafes, taverns and fine restaurants, night clubs and theaters.
Omilo usually walks in this area, together with the students of the intensive language courses in Athens. Around the Kerameikos square and the Metro station of Kerameikos, you can find also great Greek concerts, in for. ex. Gazarte (gazarte.gr) and the ” Iera Odos ” and “Pireos”-streets.
