One Last Toast Before the Year Ends
/A few big wins for our community, plus how to do Christmas & New Year’s in Athens like a local
Christmas in Athens hits different - slower days, warmer lights, good food, and even better company. A quiet send-off to a year well lived.
It’s December 22nd.
Athens is dressed up, but not in that fake, mall-Santa way.
The lights are warmer. The streets slower. The cafés louder.
There’s cinnamon in the air, roasted chestnuts on the corners, and just enough chaos to remind you where you are.
Before everyone disappears into family dinners, cheap wine, and questionable New Year’s resolutions… we wanted to leave you with one last post of the year.
Not a lecture.
Not a checklist.
A proper send-off.
A look back at what our community pulled off in 2025, and a short, insider guide on how to enjoy the holidays in Athens without turning it into a tourist chore.
First: Some Wins Worth Celebrating 🍾
Let’s start with this:
2025 was a damn good year for the RoomsAthens community.
Not perfect. Not drama-free. But solid where it mattered.
🏠 Stable Housing in an Unstable Market
While rents across Athens went full rollercoaster, our students didn’t wake up to surprise increases, mid-semester “adjustments,” or suddenly discovering inflation.
Why?
Because we locked long-term contracts, kept pricing honest, and absorbed volatility instead of passing it down to students who already had enough on their plates.
That matters more than people realize, until it’s gone.
🔧 Real Support (Not “We’ll Check Tomorrow”)
In 2025 alone, our maintenance team handled 157 requests:
AC breakdowns in peak summer
Wi-Fi meltdowns right before exams
Boilers that chose the coldest week of winter to give up
Locks, leaks, ovens, washing machines, and the occasional “what is that noise?”
Most issues were fixed fast. Some took longer. But none were ignored.
That’s the difference between renting a room and being part of a system that actually works.
🤝 A Community That Behaved Like Adults
No parties destroying apartments. No police visits. No buildings turned into Airbnb war zones.
Shared apartments stayed shared. Deposits went back where they belonged.
Roommates learned, sometimes painfully, how to coexist. That’s a win too!
Now: How to Do Christmas in Athens (Without Overthinking It)
If this is your first Christmas away from home, here’s the good news:
Athens doesn’t try too hard.
And that’s exactly why it works.
🎄 Where to Walk (For Free, Obviously)
Syntagma Square
Not because it’s magical, but because it’s alive.
Street musicians, kids running around, people meeting before vanishing into bars.
Monastiraki
Best place to feel the mix: locals, students, tourists, chaos, calm, all at once.
Plaka (at night)
Skip it at noon. Walk it after dark. Softer lights, fewer crowds, better vibe.
☕ What to Do (When Everything Feels Closed)
Athens doesn’t shut down like northern Europe. It just… slows.
That’s your cue to:
Sit longer at cafés
Order dessert and coffee
Stop feeling guilty about doing nothing productive
Pro tip: Christmas in Athens is a walking + coffee + talking holiday, not an activity marathon.
Christmas Food You’re Supposed to Eat (At Least Once)
You can diet in January. This is not the week.
🍯 Melomakarona
Honey-soaked, orange-scented, walnut-topped madness.
Eat them warm. Judge bakeries silently.
🍪 Kourabiedes
Powdered sugar bombs. One bite = shirt ruined. Worth it.
🥩 Christmas Meat, Greek Style
Roast pork, lamb, sausages, oven potatoes drowned in lemon.
Not fancy. Not light. Very honest.
If you get invited to a Greek home: say yes.
That’s not dinner, that’s anthropology.
How to Spend New Year’s Eve in Athens (The Non-Cringe Version)
Here’s the truth no one tells you:
New Year’s Eve in Athens is about who you’re with, not where you go.
🎆 Option 1: View + Wine
Grab a bottle, some plastic cups, and head somewhere with height:
Lycabettus Hill
A rooftop in Koukaki
A friend’s balcony with questionable safety standards
Fireworks will happen. Music will clash.
Someone will shout “Χρόνια Πολλά!” at the wrong time.
Perfect.
🍽 Option 2: Late Dinner → Bar Hop
Athens eats late. Then drinks later.
Do dinner around 9–10pm.
Bars after midnight.
No rush. No countdown panic.
Avoid anywhere selling:
“NYE SPECIAL MENU” , overpriced champagne, compulsory reservations with time slots.
That’s not Athens. That’s a trap.
A Few End-of-Year Tips (From People Who’ve Seen It All)
Don’t compare this Christmas to home. It’s different. Let it be.
If you’re feeling a bit off, that’s normal. Holidays do that.
Spend time with people, not screens.
Walk more than you scroll.
Eat the damn sweets.
And if you’re staying in Athens while others leave?
You’re about to experience the city at its most human.
One Last Thing Before We Close the Year
Whether you stayed one month or the whole year, whether this was your first time living abroad or just another stop…you were part of something here.
A city that’s rough around the edges.
A community that learned how to live together.
A year that didn’t always go smoothly, but moved forward anyway.
From all of us at RoomsAthens:
Thank you for trusting us with your stay.
Thank you for respecting the spaces.
Thank you for being decent neighbors.
If you need us over the holidays, we’re here.
Support doesn’t take Christmas off.
Enjoy Athens.
Enjoy the food.
Enjoy the silence between the noise…
And if, at any point, you find yourself thinking:
“I might need a place… or help… or just someone to answer a question”-just hit us up.
Whether it’s for a room, an extension, a last-minute move, or simply advice on what makes sense next, we’re around.
Yes, even during the holidays.
Athens doesn’t really shut down.
And neither do we.
Happy holidays from all of us at RoomsAthens.
See you in the new year. 🥂
