Visiting Gay Athens With the Nomadic Boys
Gay Athens. It’s iconic. It’s dirty. It’s spectacular. It’s hectic. It’s dazzling. It’s unforgettable!
This huge sprawling mess of a city shouldn’t impress. It’s dirty, rundown, gritty – particularly if you’re staying in one of the neighborhoods just outside the center like Psiri or Metaxourgeio (and don’t even get us started on Omonia!). But what Athens lacks in clean streets, it sure makes up for in character. Every day in the Greek capital was like a new adventure for us. It got under our skin so much that we return to it time and time again for more.
That’s right, you better call the Acro-polis, ’cause the Nomadic Boys are in town!
Athens oozes culture with ancient monuments and world wonders (hello Parthenon!) whilst at the same time, it has a vibrant gay scene in the Gazi neighborhood, with a party happening every night of the week. Athenians are night owls, and like the Spanish, they like to eat late and then go out partying till the early hours. We also love getting lost in the village-like Plaka area, shopping in the souvenir shops of Monastiraki, and reminiscing over a romantic cocktail at a rooftop bar facing the Acropolis. Not once did we get bored in Athens. And neither will you!
Athens has the most organized gay scene in Greece, with a variety of gay bars, saunas and cruising spots that will satisfy even the most demanding traveller.
Men in Athens are considered among the most handsome and stylish in Europe. And they’re really open to tourists — not only for flirting, but for showing them around the city, too.
Gay life in Athens is mostly gathered in the center of the city, around the two main neighborhoods of Gazi and St Irene’s Square. Both offer great entertainment choices, and you can easily walk from one to the other.
Gay Athens life is lively and interesting. And the Boys, oh the Boys… If you are looking for a place full of Scruffy, Hunky, Beefy types… oh well don’t look any further! Athens is the TOP destination for your next holidays (Or at least long weekend if you happen to live in Europe!).
Most of the life in Gay Athens happen in Gazi area. Gazi takes its name from an old gas depot that stands in the area: no worry, the gas depot is not in use anymore since 1984. Since then, the area has become more and more gentrified, and nowadays it is a trendy area, plenty of restaurants, bars and clubs targeting the young crowds, and the gay crowd obviously.
To get to Gazi is easy: if you are staying in the centre of Athens, you can definitely walk to Gazi Square from anywhere, as its position is pretty central. Another option is to get there through underground: Kerameikos station has its exit right in the middle of the square! And it is around this square that most of the life of Gay Athens happen! Be aware: as in the Southern European tradition, the nightlife in Gay Athens starts very late! So, don’t rush! Have a siesta, a late dinner, and get ready to enjoy Athens until very late!
I’ve pondered the progress of the Greek economic crisis with interest and confusion. Much of the xenophobic rhetoric around the crisis made me side with the Greeks long before I’d grasped the finer details of the situation.
The austerity and injustice inflicted on the working class Greek people made me want to kick the banks, punch the City and poke the establishment. Instead, I went to Greece for a holiday.