Must see entertainment in Athens

Top Choice

One of the city's finest neoclassical buildings hosts contemporary theatre and ancient plays. The organisation also supports performances in other venues…

Top Choice

The Paris was established in the 1920s and it's still a magical place to see a movie. On a rooftop in Plaka, it offers great views of the Acropolis from…

Top Choice

At this respected arts complex, you’ll find largely mainstream music and a trendy 30-something crowd. A ground-level theatre hosts live performances and…

Top Choice

Athens' most serious jazz venue is a stylish place that hosts Greek and international musicians. Check the schedule ahead of your trip, as it's not open…

Having settled into state-of-the-art digs within the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, the Greek National Opera is going from strength to…

The city's premier performance hall presents an impressive program of entertainments, including classical concerts, opera, theatre and dance shows,…

Housed in an eye-catching piece of architecture that livens up the dull urbanity of Leoforos Syngrou, this visual- and performing-arts centre is well…

Across from the Acropolis, this is a lovely old-style outdoor cinema in a garden setting. Sit towards the back if you want to catch a glimpse of the…

Look for the glowing headlight on a steam locomotive behind Rouf station. Attached is a string of old train cars converted into a restaurant, bar-cafe,…

This classic open-air cinema is in a lovely spot in the quieter reaches of Kolonaki, adjacent to a very good all-day cafe and the ancient cistern of…

Every summer this company of 75 singers and dancers performs Greek folk dances, showing off the rich variety of regional costume and musical traditions…

This historical open-air cinema showed its first film in 1903. Set in the verdant Zappeion, it's a little quieter than others.

The cinephile's outdoor cinema, running obscure international films (sometimes a tricky subtitle situation) and black-and-white favourites.

A favourite Plaka music haunt with dinner (mains €18 to €29).

A variety of events are scheduled throughout the year at the city’s old gasworks, an impressively restored 1862 complex of furnaces and industrial…

Loud, raunchy, funny, just plain quirky: eclectic and popular bar Faust hosts it all on its small stage. Some events are free, others ticketed. The place…

Greece's wise fool, Karagiozis, gave his name to the art of shadow puppetry (karagiozi), and they're on beautiful display in this tiny outdoor theatre…

One of the best midsize music venues in Athens, this place is a little out of the centre, but worth the trip for a band you like (they host plenty of…

Now that the National Opera has moved to a new base at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, this grand theatre has been refurbished and given…

Although this taverna opened in 2017, its musical taste and style skews much older. This is an excellent place to hear rembetika (blues) songs from Smyrna…