A curated guide to experiencing Athens’ dynamic cultural life on-line—whether you want a full day fix, a half-day holiday, or just an hour’s escape.

Theatre, art, wine and song. Athenians have been culture-mad since antiquity. While we stay on the sidelines for the greater good, culture is one of the best escapes still left to us. From virtual museum and gallery tours to contemporary stage productions and feel-good concerts, here’s our constantly updated armchair guide to the best on-line arts and entertainment that cultured Athens has to offer for those times when you can't get here yourself. Best of all, it won’t cost you a cent.

History At Home

Skip back through the millennia to learn about Health, illness and treatment in Ancient Greece in the Museum of Cycladic Art’s digital classroom as part of their new Home Activities platform. What could be more timely? Just a few clicks more and you’ll fall under the spell of filmmaker Georgis Grigorakis’ hypnotic contemporary video sculpture as he depicts hyper real Aegean seascapes, inspired by timeless Cycladic Art. It’s also part of the Museum of Cycladic Art’s Home Activities series.

Get a jump start on your next Athens city break with a digital stroll through more of our riveting museums. Thanks to the Google Arts & Culture platform, you can eyeball ancient marvels like Pheidias’ 5th century BC Parthenon sculptures in high-definition detail on a virtual visit to the world-famous Acropolis Museum.

Next, snoop around all four of the Benaki Museum’s sites on 360 degree virtual tours. Start from the flagship Benaki Museum of Greek Culture which offers a one-stop panorama of Greek history from prehistoric times, and end with the stunning exhibits of the Benaki Islamic Art Museum collection. Bone up on your art education with Hellenic Together, and hear video talks about everything from wedding rituals in Classical Greece to the charmed 20th century lives of British grecophiles Patrick Leigh Fermor and John Craxton.

Affairs Of The Art

Step inside the mind of American art superstar George Condo as he leads a fascinating video tour through the light-filled spaces of the Cycladic Museum and explains how these ancient wonders inspired his recent collection.

Dive into the Neon Art Foundation’s colourful video bank and watch Athens-based dialogues with famous international artists who’ve staged recent projects in the Greek capital like Michael Landy and Lynda Benglis.

Ogle at one of the world’s most astounding private art collections (including a 1580s El Greco). The Basil and Elise Goulandris Foundation has uploaded a virtual exhibition of 198 masterpieces on display at their new Pangrati gallery. Flit between Van Goghs, Rodins and Picassos and give yourself a crash course in the leading lights of modern Greek art as well (such as Parthenis, Tsarouchis, Moralis and Tetsis). There are detailed descriptions and background to each work in English.

Soak up Athens’ red-hot street art scene with our slideshow gallery of the city’s most loved murals, such as WD’s piercing, all-seeing owl in Metaxourgio or the Praying Hands of Pavlos Tsakonas that descend God-like over Pireos Street.

Opera lovers and drama queens of all ages can roll back the clock with the Greek National Opera’s immersive photography archive of productions, spanning the last 80 years. Worth it for the incredible costumes alone!

Take a crash course in what to see (and why) at Greece’s new contemporary art temple EMST - then listen to the gallery staff talk about their favourite exhibits in English here. Or take the temperature of Athens’ hottest emerging art hub, Piraeus, with a virtual tour of new art space, Carwan gallery.

Contemporary & Alternative Culture

For the ultimate escapism, grab a front row seat at the history-making fashion show of Greek designer Mary Katrantzou, staged last year at Poseidon’s mighty temple at Cape Sounion, with an original score by the legendary Vangelis.

From digital dives down black holes, to an immersive new world of BioArt, glimpse a future where art meets science as trippy visual arts platform, Athens Digital Arts Festival (ADAF), broadcasts live highlights for both adults and kids. Tune in on their ADAF Live YouTube channel.

From sold-out shows and virtual cinematic experiences to secret concerts, the Onassis Stegi has launched a brilliant free library of content through its We Stay Close, Not Closed showcase (some of it never before seen). New content is made available every week but here are some current highlights:

• In these dystopian days, what could be more cathartic than tumbling down the rabbit hole with the scriptwriter who lit the spark for a new golden era of Greek Cinema with Dogtooth and The Lobster? Get lost in Efthimis Filippou’s bizarre Emata (Bloods), a performance-concert about our open wounds that’s ripe with oddness and black humour (Greek and English sub-titles available).

• Hear hot New York author Daniel Mendlesohn riff on the Narcissism of Homoerotic Relationships or Hollywood star Paul Giamatti ponder Narcissus and Acting in front of a live audience.

• Dose up on the exquisite melancholy of Rebetika: The Blues of Greece as Lena Kitsopoulou and her band of traditional Greek musicians transport you to the backstreets of Athens and Piraeus from Joe’s Pub in New York.

It’s no secret that buying and selling property in Greece comes with a lot of red tape! Thankfully in recent years there have been significant efforts made to organize and simplify property related processes, not to mention a massive leap in digitization.

To help you along in the process, we recommend that you have the below checklist of Greek property portfolio documents in order. Of course, every case is unique and the below may not cover your specific property needs.

Feel free to reach out to us with your questions and we’ll connect you with a trusted professional.

* Building Permit and revisions if any
* Authorized Drawings attached to the building permit
* Declaration/Drawings of Law No. 3843/10 if submitted
* Declaration/Drawings of Law No. 4495/17 (or Law No. 4178/13, 4014/11)
* As Built Drawings/Floor Plans
* Title Deeds
* Energy Performance Certificate
* Structural Report or Structural Stability Report if required
* Certification of Construction Inspection if issued

Here is a more detailed look at some of these requirements:

Declaration of Property in Greece - Law No. 4495/17
The first step in verifying the legal status of your property in Greece is to conduct an on-site inspection after gathering authorized building plans and licenses.


If illegalities have been determined, we can begin the initial phase of declaring the property. Through the electronic system of the Technical Chamber of Greece, the owner will be given a unique application code of the declaration and the invoice of the initial lump-sum payment necessary to validate the process.


Fines are determined depending on property size, the type of use of the structure, the frame time it was built, as well as the area’s set tax value. The fees required for each declaration and completion of final documentation/property portfolio differ depending on the nature, size and complicity of the structure.

Electronic Building ID Code & Certificate
The Electronic Building ID Code is a key tool that provides detailed information for all registered properties in Greece. Property transactions and title searches are now simpler, faster and most importantly, more transparent. This code, which can also be described as the “as-built status” of a property, is representative of what has been built on-site in terms of dimensions, area surface and use of buildings.


All property transactions cannot be complete without the Electronic Building ID Code Certificate which is issued for all buildings and parcels without structures and valid for 2 months. If there are any layout, facade and property-use changes, the Building UD Code must be updated to ensure the legal status of the property.


All information collected from building permits and drawings, the Greek Tax Authorities, Hellenic Cadastre details, Declarations of Legality and Energy Performance Certificates are all recorded on an electronic database. These details are then all electronically linked to Greek authorities and public entities related to property ownership to secure access to the exact same property information.

Energy Performance Certificates & Inspections
According to Greek Law, all deeds of conveyance and rental agreements for existing buildings are complete and valid only after an Energy Performance Certificate is issued and submitted to the Greek tax office or notary public. Energy Performance Certificates (or EPC’s) are unique documents issued through an electronic system of the Greek Ministry of the Environment only by Certified Energy Inspectors; they state the level of efficiency in terms of energy consumption after concluding an inspection of the building in question.


In order to collect the data needed for certification, we will visit your property and its surroundings to conduct a thorough inspection. During this process we will access each room for a general overview of insulation/exterior shading, note the size and type of glazing structures, inspect the heating, hot water, cooling and lighting system (in cases of commercial property). If floor plans are not provided, the property will be measured on-site. Following the inspection process, a certificate will be issued and valid for 10 years regardless of rental and ownership title changes.

If you're looking for the right professional to handle things efficiently and stress-free - we can help! Contact us whenever you’re ready and we’ll connect you with tried and trusted partners.

The tasteful thyme honey and the fresh fish are also some of the great gifts of nature to the lucky island.

The history of Lemnos is lost in the mists of time. According to mythology, Hephaestus had his forge on the island and taught its first residents, the Sinties, the art of processing copper. The Island flourished during prehistoric times. In 512BC it was conquered by the Persians, but it regained its liberty after the end of the Persian Wars. Since then, it had been subjugated consecutively by the Romans, the Venetians and the Turks, until its definitive liberation in 1912 during the 1st Balkan War.

Capital of the island is Mýrina, a town beautiful for its traditional paved alleys, its old stone mansions, its promenade by the sea, and last but not least for its Byzantine Castle. The impressive castle that overlooks the town lies on a rocky and steep peninsula, on the hillside of which small deer roam free.

Touring around the island is as much an enviable experience as choosing only some of its beauties to write about is a nasty task. Still, a visit to Lemnos is not complete without having been to:

• The Petrified Forest near the town of Moudros, where one has the chance to see fossilised trunks, leaves, fruit and palm-tree roots aged 20-22 million years.
• The prehistoric settlement of Poliochni which is thought to be the oldest Neolithic city in Europe. Actually, a rectangular building with a double row of stepped seats that had been found on the site resembles a parliamentary architectural structure; that’s why it is presumed to be the oldest parliament discovered in the world!
• The archaeological site of Hephaestia, the prehistoric capital of the Pelasgians, whose glory days lasted well over 2000 years (1000BC to 1200AD). Admire the ruins of a complex of a city built and rebuilt in 10 layers, including palaces, baths, Christian churches, a Hellenistic-Roman theatre, a necropolis, and a sanctuary dedicated to the great goddess Lemnos.
• The two small lakes Alyki and Chortarolimni which constitute wetland habitats, refuge and breeding places for rare and endangered bird species.
• The ideal for skin conditions and urinary system problems thermal springs of Hephaestus, at only 4km from Mýrina.
• The waterfalls near the village of Káspakas, where the waters rush off a height of 15m to create an appealing natural site dotted with small plateaus and tiny ponds.
• The village of Kontiás, one of the biggest and most beautiful ones, which is built on a pine-clad hill and is decorated by traditional stone houses, deserted windmills, and the picturesque church off Ághios Dimitrios with the stone bell tower.
• The gorgeous sandy beaches of the islands, which range from peaceful, remote, romantic to busy and well-organised ones. Especially the water sports lovers will go crazy for the beaches of Thanos, Gomati (treat yourself with the pleasure of rolling on the sand dunes there) and Keros, with the last one being a well-known centre for aquatic pleasures and sports activities. Nevertheless, the repeaters of the island and the locals would answer Platý or Chavoúli should they be asked to choose a beach to appear on a postal card from Limnos.

Source: Visitgreece.gr