Monastiraki

Athens, of all the cities I've seen, is the one I found most surprising. The mixture of East and West together with absolute chaos, makes the city of Athens a perfect place to get lost. My last two visits I stayed at Hostel Zeus on Sofokleous Street, a street that crosses Athens Street perpendicularly, which is in the center, about 3 minutes from Omonia Square, 2 to the market and 10 to Monastiraki. The hotel itself is kind of shoddy, but it's well known with interrailers so there is a great atmosphere. Also one of the people working there is cool and we hit it off. Athens Street has a lot of vitaliy and is a pleasure to walk through there.

The first place we visited in Athens was Monastiraki square. At first glance, Monastiraki square is very busy and crowded. There fresh fruit stands and balconies full of colorful flowers give the place a very special feeling. And, of course, you ahve the ubiquitous olive trees, a symbol of Athens. It's easy to get tehre, just get off at the metro stop of the same name. The main attraction are the Monastiraki flea market and the local shops. It is an excellent area to get souvenirs and other handicrafts made of leather, wood, or silver. If you like flea markets, Monastiráki is your place.

A fun, lively area with a large flea market (very busy on Sundays especially) and many pavement cafes.