Koukaki District: Does it really deserve all the hype that surrounds it?

Koukaki district is like a bed in many ways. It may seem like a stretch, but if you use your imagination, you can see how its long streets along Syggrou look like a big bed. This comparison is fitting because Koukaki got its name from Georgios Koukakis, who used to own a large iron bed factory. His factory was later taken over by Charles Fix, who expanded his famous brewery there in 1893. The district is also considered the “tail” of Athens’ center and Plaka.

Athens: The neighborhood named after a bed factory

Koukaki district: It possesses everything and more than what others lack.

Koukaki district has it all and more than what others miss. It has two metro stations and many buses and trolleys running through its streets. There is a variety of restaurants and entertainment options, from Mexican and Thai cuisine to colorful smoothies. It has barber shops, self-service laundries, bike repair shops, independent Greek designer labels, new-age tourist items, and the best street parties in the city on Halloween.

Koukaki’s rise on the Athenian map was almost “violent”. It happened when Athens became a hot tourist destination in the world. Or in other words, the four years that changed everything for Koukaki. Its “geostrategic” location right under the Acropolis and its short distance from Athens’ center and the sea via Syngrou Avenue made Koukaki a tourist magnet.

Koukaki also has other unique spots in Greece, such as Filopappou Hill, Dionysiou Areopagitou Street, the Acropolis Museum, and beautiful neoclassical houses. That’s how Koukaki made it to fifth place in Airbnb’s survey of the 16 best neighborhoods in the world in 2015. It had an 800% increase in bookings and great reviews from guests. How did Koukaki become more expensive than Ekali and Vouliagmeni?
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The area goes from Dionysiou Areopagitou Street to Kountourioti Square (“Playground”). It reaches the edge of Filopappou at its highest and Syngrou Avenue at its lowest. The entrance to Koukaki from the southwest is through the playground, at the end of Veikou and Dimitrakopoulou streets. It also borders Petralona, in the part called “Filopappou”. To the northeast, it borders the area that used to be called “Gargaretta”. Now, all these places, along with Makrigianni’s part, are known as Koukaki.

Koukaki district: How the map changed

Koukaki changed from a small and medium-sized urban area, full of apartment buildings from 1960 to 1980, to a district that drew all the attention and the most attractive and innovative people in the city. The first big boost and transformation for Koukaki was the opening of the Acropolis Museum in 2009. People started to get off and stroll along Dionysiou Areopagitou Street. The second big “boom” was the pedestrianization of Drakou, Makrigianni, and Georgiou Olympiou streets.

The creation of the Acropolis Museum also changed Koukaki

Koukaki is among the rare parts of the center that still have elegant neoclassical buildings and interwar apartment blocks. It is not just a neighborhood… Koukaki used to have a (well-defined) underground reputation and a strong erotic aura before it became an urban ‘fun park’.”

Apart from the sex workers who had set up their piazza on the vertical streets of Syggrou on Jean Moreas Str. there were also "The Dolls", the historic hangout club that houses the most famous drag show in Greece. It already counts many years of life since it started operating in 1994. And of course, Syggrou, especially at its lowest, continues to host both sex shops and the most famous strip clubs in Athens.

Koukaki District: One of the most touristic corners of Athens

A popular tourist destination in Koukaki is the junction of Dimitrakopoulou and Veikou. Here you can find everything from trendy hostels to laundry services, pubs showing English football on their screens, and fish and chip restaurants.

Koukaki has lost much of its old charm and now displays more varied images as if it were a changing New York neighborhood. A case in point is Falirou Street, which is parallel to Syngrou Avenue, where you can find some of the most fashionable bars and cafes, while it was once a hub of garages and repair shops.

The street with the most charming taverns and bars is Georgiou Olympou Street, where all the establishments have a warm atmosphere. But many doubt if Koukaki is still a neighborhood… or just a passage and stop for travelers?

To greet or bid farewell to Koukaki, you can listen to the song “To Koukaki” (The sky throws chairs) from 2012, with lyrics by Yiannis Logothetis and music by Petros Vagiopoulos. The vocalist is Orpheus Peridis, who frequents a specific billiard spot in the area. Here are two lines from the song:

"In Koukaki, in the corner with love’s arrows, oh I will get pneumonia and melt like honey’ And the rain has made me like a duck in Makrigiannis, and I have nowhere to cry, no clothes to change"