There is so much more in tourism than just the common museum visit (which are definitely lovely) exhibitions, popular sites, shopping, tasting food and so on. You can go the already known way or you can go the alternative / Solidarity way. What is the Solidarity way? You can support the local economy and smaller producers, and artistic collectives, sustainable and ecologically conscious places of the city/country you will choose to visit.
Think Global , Act Local!
In this Guide I will share with you some of the tips and favorite spots of mine of the city I know so well. Athens!
–> Do check for the map at the end of the page who contains everything.
Currently available for tours in Athens in very small groups even 1 or 2 and with proper measures! message me and lets for for a walk!
Democracy came from Athens?
Solidarity flourished in Athens!
At least in the last few years, the economical crisis has set up a very fertile ground for the local people to show their solidarity to each other and a great number of social movements and collectives based on sustainability and inclusion have flourished and keep coming up. Visitors can greatly benefit from this movement and support it as well.
Goodies for Foodies and also a place to enjoy some tea?
There are different types of shops and collectives one can have a coffee, or tea, sit to read a book, meet a friend, and buy some goods, directly from the producers. In some of these shops you can buy a number of cruelty free goods supporting other networks of the solidarity movement who make these goods available.
1. One of these is lacandona, (Ipitou 4, Athina 105 57 ) Only a few minutes walk from Syntagma metro station. You can find a great variety of tea, coffee and herbs, along with pasta, nuts and honey, and other delicious goodies, handmade products from solidarity projects and some books and ceramics too! You can see some of the products here. Tip: Ask for the greek quinoa!
2. Dipolis is located just by the side of Pagrati Park, 10 minute walk from Evangelismos metro station, at Eftichidou 24, one can find in a tiny shop plenty of options, including organic, local, food products, great variety of teas and herbs, and vegan products. This is also a selling spot for ecological and natural cleaning products by VIOME, the collective run without a boss cooperative !!
3. To Diktamo in (Karaoli ke Dimitriou 63, Vironas 162 31), a grocery store, with Cretan products, including avocados, freshly made “kalitsunia” and other desserts, handmade soaps, also the greek quinoa among other lovely products and a wonderful service!
4. Katalahou in Mavromichali 9, is another gem in the center of Athens. It is a grocery store, and a cafe, with food from local producers like bananas from Crete, herbs, honey, and other great products like the Mushroom circle, and cleaning products, by VIOME. They also deliver all over Athens. Check their online shop!
5. Sesoula in Mavromichali 98, Exarcheia you will find this social cooperative shop without intermediaries, with a broad range of various organic local products.
6. At Nileos 35, Athina 118 51, near Thissio train station, you can find syn allois a grocery store where you can go with your own jars and containers and buy food and daily care products. Find there plenty of fresh vegetables from local producers based on the Fair Trade Movement.
I’ve lost counting.
If you find yourself in Exarcheia you have a lot of possibilities.
There is the farmer’s market every 1st and 3rd Sunday of the month, just at the main square from 10:30-15:30 with local producers, and also “fields of solidarity” a farm run by refugees. Check their shop at Andrea Metaxa 4, Athens.
And there is one more farmer’s market called “laiki” in greek, every Saturday in Kalidromiou Street. There is a great feeling whenever I am in Exarcheia, I really feel the closeness of the neighborhood, and a totally different human vibe, than other areas.
Oh yes, here we go again.. !
7. Then there is Svoura in Spirou Trikoupi 21. A cooperative that promotes alternative and solidarity economy. There you can find a selection of food products and not only. You can even handbags, some clothes and detergents by VIOME. There is a price list here. They also deliver at home.
8. A few steps away in Stournari 14, there is sympetheroi shop with traditional Cretan products, homemade sauces and drinks. There is one more shop Sympetheroi Vol. 2 at Formionos 141, Vironas 162 31!!!
9. I would also like to mention Aloē organic food store, in Ilisia, Papadiamantopoulou 50, Athina 173 41
10. Ta kaloudia grocery store, in Neos Kosmos/ Nea smirni, at Mitrou Sarkoudinou 145, Athina 117 44
and
11. Kafeneio Akadimia Platona, in monastiriou 140, just by the park of the Plato’s Academy, a place with a long history of beautiful projects, workshops and festivals, that is now offering vegetarian take away.
“We create small businesses that employ refugees and migrants in Athens, Greece.”
zaatarngo.org is s social coperative that 100% of the project’s profits are recycled into creating permanent jobs and apprenticeship opportunities for migrants and refugees in Greece. Here are two examples of that. Project Layali (is now closed, and the space is used by acupuncturists without borders ) and Tastes of Damascus is open and running, visit for great falafels and more.
“Γεύσεις της Δαμασκού” – Tastes of Damascus an ethnic restaurant, in Fokionos Negri 19, Kypseli.
Another farmer’s market?
A great initiative is the mpostani which is a farmer’s market in Kypseli market, opens twice a week (wednesday 16:00-20:00 and every 1st and 3rd Saturday 9:00-15:00) (please check with them on facebook, for the current opening times, since they may change according to the current situation) .
A group of friends that happened to also be organic farmers responded to the call for making a community market with natural and organic food, local, fair trade, in real and digital e-shop”, have formed this collective in order to make their products really accessible so you can go there with your own bag too, to avoid plastic waste. There you can start a talk with them, as they are very friendly and learn about their natural farming methods, how to grow mushrooms, or about vegetables and seed bombs, or how to make essential oils and so on.
The Food Kollektiva stops in its current form for different reasons. We hope, the idea of the kollectiva to inspire other producers, while for us it was a valuable experience. We thank those who have supported this effort so far. From now on, you can contact the producers of the collective separately.
Re-Use Re Cycle Up Cycle
In Aristotelous 84, Chalandri 152 32, you can find MiAZo which name stands for “One more Life” in greek. It’s a space where anyone can visit, to donate clothes, books, and other objects, to create and participate in workshops, shop and support people in need. There you can go with your empty bottles, and get a refill of cleaning products, or repair things, use the sewing machine, and give a new life to something that you would not use, and help in this way to reuse and upcycle, to have a circular economy.
Want to Volunteer? or just make a visit
Volunteer for “food for life” or support with your donations, a lovely initiative, feeding people in need.
Hear about vedic teachings in Sattva lab.
Khora is a collective created to support refugees and other people in need, it is volunteer based, and provides lot of activities for people to evolve and share in community, including music jams(before covid), free kitchen, and the free shop, where you can give away clothes in you have something that could be appreciated again! Lovely people to meet and get an insight about the diverse people of Athens.
More information on social economy and cooperatives can be found here.
Your Laptop Broke down?
Stin Priza Collective is there for you! Fair Prices and excellent service. It is a flat hierarchy, means no hierarchy collective, that works with equal rights for its members and offer valuable help in times of need! Currently they are collecting laptops to offer to kids in refuge camps for free.
Want to be more sustainable?
Then get your reusable cup and get a discount in your drink, in a number of shops that participate in the initiative called “sto potiri mou“. You can find a list and a map of companies that offer the discount, in order to reduce one use cups, in this link.
Zero Waste Greece, and Zero Waste Athens.
More and more people are becoming aware of the zero waste movement, and there are plenty of ways one can contribute, by changing little by little, daily habits. A great place to start is the facebook group, or get some information online, about how single use products affect th environment, tips and tricks, and hacks one can do, to always find new uses for old stuff, and tinker with your creativity daily.
You can also visit the zero waste shop plastikourgeio in exarcheia, for beautiful products and solutions and sillage in Chalandri .
Forest bathing!
The most important part of Athens, is its nature! Yes there is plenty, although a big city, there are plenty of parks, trees and nature corners for one to appreciate.
You can either take a walk to the well known hills of Lycabetous or Filopapou in the center of the city, and even forget that you are in the capital, and enjoy the wonderful view, including a secret gorge! Or you can drive a little further and explore the surrounding mountains.
Always leave nothing behind but your appreciation! Save Your Hood is an initiative started by Vassilis Sfakianopoulos and locals who care to see nature free from human impact and has been cleaning all areas around Athens and quickly spread all over Greece!
and don’t forget that without nature we would not be here, so take plenty of time to enjoy and soak in it.
It is never enough!
And because I cannot reveal you everything in this blog (like my favorite place to get real chocolate) , you can also write us a message and book an Alternative Solidarity Tour with me or someone else to show you around all the great places, or make a route together and share all the goodness! Just write to me!
Bonus! Free map !
I could not leave you like this, even if it is fun to explore, now it’s much easier, and more practical to have all things neat and organized to the following map, you can see if it’s some of these places near you already and how long it takes to get there, along with opening hours and such.
And please, please, enjoy!
It is so valuable to take some time to savor, and appreciate the moment. All these places mentioned here, are places created with love, and each product, coming from small producers, really loving what their doing and their products.
Thank you for reading so far!!
Take care, and see you soon!
Love,
Your Alternative Solidarity Tourist Athens Guide
This is a project made with love, and is not receiving any funds.
If you would like to fund this project you can use this link.
paypal.me/fundforart
One Step At A Time 