Coffee without cigarettes
It's March. The temperature is 21C. Everyone keeps saying: "it's been years since we've seen such warm weather this time of year". Nonsense. We Greeks suffer from poor long term memory. Almost every year, we keep having the same conversation, over and over again. The truth is, Athens is a city blessed with mild weather and ample sunshine for almost 9 months a year. Which means you can sit outdoors and enjoy a cup of coffee, a soda, a snack or a meal with a stroller next to your table almost any time you visit the city.
If you feel like combining sightseeing with coffee, try the Thisseion area, where you can enjoy a drink or snack with the best view of Acropolis. The coffeehouses and restaurants are all situated at Dionyssiou Aeropagitou Street and there is a lot of space for toddlers and older children to run and play.
If you are at the shopping area of Kolonaki and Ermou, try the renovated Clemente Cafe, in the CityLink shopping complex at Panepistimiou street. Once the meeting point for all leading literaty figures of the city (under a different management), Clemente Cafe retains the same great quality of coffee with lower price than elsewhere (2.20 euro, yes, that's cheap for Athens, unfortunately!) and the perfect place for celebrity spotting, as it is situated next to mega-hit theaters (Pallas, Mikro Pallas and Aliki).
If by any chance the weather is too cold or rainy, there is really one and only solution, but it is a good one: Starbucks. The sole completely smoke-free coffee houses in the country, they are all equipped with very comfortable armchairs and couches and the familiar menu is bound to please all visitors. Try the one on Mitropoleos Street, right next to Monastiraki, the popular flea market. It has an elevator to facilitate access to the quieter floors and you can find an Eleftheroudakis bookstore in the basement, which includes a wide selection of foreign fiction books and tourist guides, as well as foreign press and magazines.
