Gay Athens guide
Ancient city by day, Gazi by night, in a capital that got a great deal more relaxed in the last few years. Here's where to go and when to turn up.
Athens, in short
Where it happens
- Gazi: the old gasworks district around Kerameikos metro. This is Athens' gay village, and the centre of gravity for the night.
- Metaxourgeio: next door, quieter and more creative. Queer-friendly bars and tavernas that don't make the guidebooks.
- Agia Irini square: in Monastiraki. Daytime café scene, gay friendly and central, the civilised way to start an evening.
Bars & clubs
- Beaver: Gazi. Casual café-bar run by a women's collective; alternative crowd, loud after dark.
Saunas
- Alexander Sauna Men's Club: In the heart of Gazi, so it fits around the rest of your night. Three floors of sauna, steam room, jacuzzi, cabins and play areas.
- FLEX Sauna: Monastiraki, on a quiet pedestrian street a couple of minutes from the metro. The oldest in the city, open since 2004, four floors with a roof garden.
Timing your night
- Gazi is walkable: the venues sit within a few streets of each other, so there's no need to plan a route.
- Summer moves to the coast: in high summer much of Athens' nightlife migrates to the seafront. The city empties in mid-August.
Good to know
- Athens Pride, every June: takes over Syntagma Square and the centre, with over 40,000 people, and one of southeast Europe's largest. Dates are announced each spring.
- Everyday Athens: the centre is relaxed and cosmopolitan; holding hands raises no eyebrows in Gazi, Monastiraki or Koukaki.
- Marriage equality since 2024: Greece became the first Orthodox-majority country to legalise same-sex marriage in February 2024.
Gazi is two metro stops from Monastiraki, so you can be at the Acropolis by day and out in the gay village the same night without a taxi.
Where the scene is: Gazi
Athens has one clear gay district, and it's Gazi. Most of the clubs are there, within walking distance of each other, so a night out can easily mean three stops.
Your first night in gay Athens
Start with dinner in Psyrri. Visitors often eat from 7pm; Athenians eat closer to 10pm. Bars get going from midnight. Walk round to Rooster for drinks, then head to Gazi for another at Del Sol. On a Friday or Saturday, finish at one of the Gazi clubs, or several: they're a short walk apart. Weekdays are for bars more than dance floors.
Gay bars and clubs in Athens
| Venue | What it's like | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Rooster | Bar with food, open during the day, on Agia Irini square | An easy drink and a bite. Our usual spot for meeting clients |
| Del Sol | Bar with food, open during the day, in Gazi | Drinks and food before the clubs |
| Sodade2 | Club with a younger crowd. Gets going around 1am on Fridays and Saturdays. Monday is Greek night: contemporary Greek pop, and very crowded | Late nights, and Greek night on Mondays |
| Shamone | Club with drag shows and a mixed age crowd | Dancing and drag. Where we take clients dancing |
| Moe | Club with a young, alternative crowd that starts late | Late nights out |
| S-Cape | Club with a young, alternative crowd that starts late | Late nights out |
| Big | Athens' first bear bar, in Votanikos, with a beer garden and an older crowd | Relaxed drinks outdoors |
| Noiz | The longest running lesbian club in Athens, and still a dance floor | Dancing |
| BEqueer | A very alternative crowd | Something less mainstream |
| Koukles | Drag shows for everyone, gay and straight, in Koukaki | A fun night out with friends |
| SMUT | All ages dance party on occasional nights, with guest international DJs | A big dance night. Check smutathens.com for dates |
Nights and line ups change, so check a venue's social pages before you go.
Is Athens safe for gay travellers?
Athens is a very safe city, and gay couples hold hands without a second thought, particularly in the central areas. Our one practical tip: book rides through the Uber app rather than hailing a cab on the street.
For the country as a whole, is Greece gay friendly.
Drinks with us
We meet clients for drinks all the time, usually at Rooster or Del Sol for an evening drink and something to eat. We've taken clients to Greek night at Sodade2 on a Monday, and dancing at Shamone. Travelling with us? Ask about meeting up.
See our gay tours in Greece.
Ancient Sites & Gay History
Athens was queer long before the word existed. Four hours through the Acropolis, its museum and Plaka with Ioanna, a licensed archaeologist who specialises in ancient Greek gay history, uncovering the stories of desire, gender and same-sex love hidden in plain sight.
- The Acropolis Museum's hidden stories of love, gender and desire
- Stand on the Acropolis where philosophers loved men openly
- Plaka and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, ancient LGBTQ+ stages
- Private to your group, four hours, entry tickets included
Make more of Athens with a Day Tour
Private Sunset Tour: Cape Sounion
An hour down the coast, the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion turns gold and everyone stops talking.
See the tour →
Athens Walking Food Tour
Athens is a food city long before it's a ruins city. Markets, mezedes, and the places locals actually queue for.
Food tour →
Sunset Wine Tasting on the Athenian Riviera. Aboard Your Private Yacht
Five or six hours on the Athenian Riviera with a sommelier, five Greek wines, and a swim off the back of the boat.
See the tour →
Private Wine Tasting
Ninety minutes, five Greek wines, cheeses and olives, and someone who can explain why the volcanic ones taste like that.
See the tour →40 day tours in and around Athens
Private guides, walking tours, food tours and full day trips out to Delphi, Meteora and the Argolis. All bookable, all run by people we know.
Browse Athens day toursSee Athens with us
Guided ancient sites by day, the right neighbourhood to stay in, and local tips for the nights, all arranged.