The Living Stone Athens apartments
Wherever you want to stay in Athens, you can find apartments to suit your needs. Whether you are a solo traveler, a couple, a large family or a group of friends, there are apartments in Athens for you.
A couple or two friends travelling together? The Living Stone Sapphire awaits you with its Acropolis view. A family of four, or two couples off for your Athens adventures? The Living Stone Diamond in Psirri, the vibrant heart of Athens, is all you need to make the most out of it! A larger family or group of friends? Living Stone Emerald is the ideal for you, both in location and amenities!
All renovated within 2019 and decorated according to the philosophy of Bohemianism. Created with care and attention to detail! All available for bookings through online platforms or directly with us!
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Athens apartments – Housing and short-term lease
During the recent economic crisis in Greece, many business fields had a difficult time. Professionals were unable to secure work. A great number of businesses and companies shut down. Even in the most lucrative of fields, the economic downturn forced major, sometimes historic companies to fold. One of the most affected fields was that of construction and housing. During the last decades, construction was one of the driving forces of the country’s economy. Along with tourism, it was the “locomotive” of the Greek economy. Hundreds of different professionals involve themselves in the building of a house or other construction. This means that benefits from construction are distributed in a large portion of society. They bring value to an extended economic circle. Statistics said that many professional fields flourished, directly or indirectly with the construction of a new building.
Along with the hold on new construction activity, the crisis had an effect on the existing buildings. Many smaller or larger apartments constitute the classic form of habitation in Athens, the apartment building. Apartment buildings are omnipresent in all neighborhoods of Athens. They satisfied the housing needs of the ever-growing Greek capital for decades. Their construction, along with the construction of country cottages, was the driving force behind the flourishing of the construction sector. Everyone wanted to have an apartment In Athens for their family, then another for their kids when they grow up.
Athens apartments today
Today the economic crisis seems to be over. Athens recovers fast. Tourism flourishes, new food & beverage spots and nightlife spots are opening every day. Moreover, Tourists from all over the world visit the ancient city to marvel at its attractions. Greek & international companies and associations hold conferences and meetings with many international participants. All these people require accommodation in Athens. Many new boutique hotels and hotels in Athens city center open every year. However, due to the rise of the sharing economy, cheaper solutions for travelers do exist.
Athens apartments come in all shapes and sizes, to accommodate the needs of a varying array of guests. Solo travelers or traveling couples can find themselves in cozy, bright spaces that leave no nook or cranny unused. Families, groups of sightseeing friends or colleagues traveling in business trips all together, are also welcome to Athens. They can find larger, 3- and 4-bedroom apartments in strategically-placed locations, to make their stay more comfortable and memorable. All can use the short-lease apartments in Athens as launching pads for their excursions and their exploration of the ancient city.
The process of renovation of apartments in Athens
To participate in the sharing economy, Athens apartments as in all over the world must comply to certain standards. Moreover, owners who wanted to upload their properties to online platforms had to renovate them. As such, the construction sector once again heated up, as various construction professionals and handymen found work in those projects. People that were unemployed for long periods of time, due to the slowing down of the sector. Additionally, Greek and immigrant workers proceeded to work on those projects and cash started to flow again in the businesses.
Suddenly, entire neighborhoods and areas of Athens with comparative advantages, became “construction sites” (a term used by locals). Multiple apartments were renovated at the same time. Not only in Athens, but also in Thessaloniki, Crete and all of the Greek islands, construction was reinvigorated. In some cases, owners of entire buildings changed their face, even their structure, rearranging internal spaces to make more apartments. The result was not only the renovation of the buildings. It was a whole economic uplifting of the construction sector and several local economies! The process benefitted the government, as the required permits came with fees. Also, according to Greek law, the owners paid mandatory social security contributions to the retirement funds.
There were opposing voices of course, as in all major cities of the world. Neighbors who didn’t quite liked the idea of short-term lease and its effects protested. This didn’t stop the process of renovation of old, worn-down and closed apartments to participate in the sharing economy. It however gave the owners the added responsibility of respecting their areas, their local culture and the people.
Common traits of neighborhoods with Athens apartments
Neighborhoods who many considered underdeveloped, even infamous, are getting new life through renovation and reclamation. Whole areas or squares become centers of activity, because a new hip place opened its doors a few meters down the street. Apartment buildings who were not cared after during the crisis, are now filled with newly renovated apartments. Some of them wait for out of town students or professionals coming for work in Athens to rent them. However, most are up for short-term lease through online platforms, such as AirBnB, Booking, Expedia etc.
The new hip neighborhoods of Athens have some common traits:
- In or close to the historic center of Athens.
- Within walking distance of major attractions.
- Near an Athens Metro or Railway station.
- A concentration of nightlife spots, cafes and restaurants.
- Newfound publicity from free-press publications & online city guides.
- Instagrammable attractions, either accidental or intended.
- Older or newer apartment buildings with an array of unused apartments of all sizes.
- Recently renovated apartments by their owners.
Guide to the hip neighborhoods of Athens historic center
Psirri
The most hip and bohemian neighbourhood, in the heart of the city center. Vibrant Psirri Athens, is the place of the best bars, restaurants, brunch houses, bakeries and some of the best hotels in Athens, Greece. It is also located near all major attractions, be them ancient or modern. The Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, important museums, Syntagma sq., are all within walking distance of Psirri. Notably, there is a kind of magic in place, as Psirri, Monastiraki and Plaka seem to be “conjoined”. In fact, one can walk through a street in one of those neighbourhoods and find himself in some other, with much more things to explore. And the progression feels natural, as the surroundings do change subtly. That is the nature of Psirri and of the heart of Athens.
Psirri is the location of Living Stone Diamond. A 2-bedroom stone house property, in the crossroads of two picturesque promenades. There not enough words to describe accurately the experience of Psirri. One can only understand it only by living it, experiencing the full of what it has to offer.
Metaxourgheio
Very close to Omonoia, Metaxourgheio is the best example of how Athenian neighborhoods transform themselves and follow the new trends. Once, it was the area of the silk processing workshops, (hence the name, which means Silk Workshop). With the moving of the workshops to other parts of Greece, the neighborhood fell into recession for years. A big bang of new restaurants, bars, galleries & art spaces, 4* and 5* hotels, gives life to Metaxourgheio.
Karaiskaki square is teeming with activity as 24h bakeries attract tourists after their night out and 2 5* hotels illuminate it with their lights. Metro station of the Red Line connects the neighborhood to the entire Athens transportation system. The same metro station connects it with Larissa station, the Terminal of Hellenic Railways, spanning the entirety of continental Greece. Metaxourgheio is a very safe neighborhood, due to the presence of the Metaxourgheio Police Department 100 meters from the square.
It is also the location of Living Stone Sapphire apartment and Living Stone Emerald apartment, the newly renovated apartments of Living Stone. Both decorated according to the BoHo philosophy, both following the tenets of stylish simplicity. Living Stone Sapphire is a cozy, comfortable Athens apartment with a view of the emblematic Acropolis. Living Stone Emerald is a 3-bedroom apartment for families and groups of friends. Their close proximity makes them ideal to be booked individually or even combined, for the guests’ convenience.
Koukaki
Once Koukaki was a middle-class residential neighbourhood in the shadow of the Acropolis. Today, it is one of the most up-and-coming and most famous neighbourhoods of Europe. Top Ten Listings from various media place it in the hottest areas to live on the continent. Its two promenades, Drakou and Georgiou Olympiou, buzz with cafes and nightlife spots, but also with traditional Greek food restaurants and taverns. “Syngrou-Fix” Metro station nearby connects it thoroughly with all the major attractions of the centre of Athens. The ancient Acropolis, symbol of western civilization and the Acropolis museum are within walking distance. Koukaki connects to the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade under the Acropolis hill, voted one the best walking and biking routes globally.
The owners of many smaller apartments in Koukaki renovated them to attend to the ever-growing number of tourists who seek affordable accommodation. This area has now a large assortment of short-term leased properties, a number ever growing. Growing accordingly is its recognisability! Koukaki has become some sort of household name within the community of travellers to Athens.
Pagrati
A historic residential neighbourhood in walking distance from Syntagma Sq. and close to Evangelismos Metro station. Long considered a privileged neighbourhood, due to its proximity to the historic centre of Athens as well as the business heart of the city. Pangrati has the distinction of being midway through Syntagma and Kifissias avenue, but also close to other residential blocks. A place of parks, squares and promenades, behind the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympic Games where held in 1896. It is a quiet area, full of families, little grocery stores and cafes. In fact, one can find some of the most historic, continually-operating cafes of Athens, gathering places of artists and intellectuals. Full of convenience stores and mini-markets, there is always somewhere to shop for needed items or for the preparation of a meal!
Pagrati was filled to the brim with unused smaller apartments, that took on life when renovated to serve as short-term lease properties, or to be sold. Its excellent location relatively to all major attractions of Athens make it a tourist magnet for short stays. Similarly, the same is true for business travellers who can be very close to business centres and conference halls when staying there.
Guide to the hip neighborhoods in other parts of Athens
Kerameikos
An ancient neighbourhood that even Thucydides, the father of History, mentions in his writings. Today Kerameikos is more famous as Gazi, due to the gas refinery present there during much of the 20th century. Furthermore, it is a hotspot of nightlife, entertainment and culture. Many older buildings of the area are in use as theatres, cultural spaces and art schools. Newly constructed buildings serve as music halls and performance spaces for contemporary Greek music artists. All this give Kerameikos an artistic vibe.
Young actors & actresses renting cheap accommodation to be close to their schools and theatres. Entertainment-seekers crowding the place to hang-out in their favourite venues. A big presence of Athens vibrant LGBTQ community. Also, Kerameikos is the place of the “Technopolis”, the former gas refinery, which now serves as a municipal conference and exhibition space. All that, while very close to all other attractions through the “Kerameikos” Metro station of the Blue line. The Blue line connects Kerameikos directly with the heart of Athens and also the Athens airport, without the need for change!
Kerameikos has many small Athens apartments, lofts and also individual houses that are in the short-term lease market. Following the artistic feel of the area, they are suitable for visual artists, actors, dancers etc. In addition, if you came to Athens to discover its ancient and contemporary culture, along with Psirri, this is the place to book your short stay. Also, if you are a student of art and you came to study in an art school, it is also for you.
Petralona
A quiet, historic residential neighbourhood, close to the centre of Athens. The first convenience stores in Athens opened in Petralona, creating the collective notion of the “friendly neighbourhood grocery store”. These family-owned businesses give it a distinctive feel, akin to an old black-and-white Greek family movie. It’s not a coincidence actually that many beloved old movies that Greeks adore to this day, were set in Petralona. Petralona was the quintessential Athens family neighbourhood and many aspects of it survive today! In fact, Petralona is the hidden gem of Athens, an area many have not discovered, yet it is so close to everything.
A multitude of apartment buildings for families lay here, with large apartments, suitable for traveling families and groups of friends. The buildings here are somewhat older, with some newer constructions providing better amenities.
Kallithea
Up-and-coming, colourful and with many selections of food and drink, Kallithea has it all. Midway through the centre of Athens and the coastal regions, Kallithea offers easy access to everywhere, through the Athens Railway, buses and trolleys. The outer parts of Kallithea are so close to Koukaki and the Acropolis that even an evening stroll can get you there. Large squares and green parks give the area a much-desired break from the urban landscape.
Kallithea Railway station connects it directly with the port of Piraeus and the Greek islands. Within Kallithea, bordering Faliro, lies the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center, one of the modern landmarks of Athens. The SNFCC is home to the Athens State Opera and the National Library of Greece, plus a multitude of other facilities and parks. It is the site of hundreds of cultural events each year and a favorite place of relaxation for all Athenians.
Apartments in Kallithea are not different from that in other neighborhoods. There are both larger and smaller apartments, catering to different needs. Travelers in transit to or from the Greek islands can stay in Kallithea for a night. There they can indulge themselves with the sounds and tastes of the area. People who come to attend a cultural event at the Niarchos Foundation can also briefly stay there. Although there are not so many renovated apartments for short-term lease as in other areas, their number increases fast. The advantages of a stay there are so many that Kallithea will be the next booming neighborhood.
Kolonos
The “Sepolia” station of the Athens Metro brings you to Kolonos, another ancient neighborhood. Moreover, Kolonos was the birthplace of the ancient playwright Sophocles and immortalized in “Oedipus at Colonus”, his last tragedy. Here, Plato created his “Academy”, the famous school of philosophy to educate his students. The ruins of the complex are here to this day! All this make Kolonos one of the most historic areas of Europe and with global significance.
A residential area, Kolonos has individual houses and Athens apartments in newer buildings for short-term or longer stays. The area is quite open, with shorter buildings and a lot of greenery, that give it a pleasant feel, not reminiscent of the rest of the center of Athens, but more of a village. Hence, its location is perfect for those who want a quieter stay, but also to be near major landmarks of the past and the present. The status as a lower middle-class neighborhood makes the local inhabitants friendlier and more open towards travelers.
Athens and apartments
Athens through the decades accumulated a great housing infrastructure. It went unused or semi-used during the economic crisis and found a new purpose with the rise of the sharing economy. The coming of short-term rentals changed the face of many neighborhoods and gave incentive for extensive renovations of properties. Today Athens is adorned with beautiful, newly-renovated apartments for its visitors, tourists or professionals. Furthermore, panning a great deal of the heart of the city and adjacent areas, apartments in Athens can satisfy all needs. Greeks always had a penchant for hospitality and for entertaining their guests. It is part of their culture, known and respected since the ancient times. The sharing economy and the short-term lease is something that appeals to Greeks. And what was ever more hospitable than bringing the guest to your own home?
Stylish simplicity, superior quality of service, attention to detail, all combined to offer guests the best experience possible. A stay at one of the Living Stone properties is certain to create beautiful memories to all guests! Book a stay with us, directly by sending us an email at bookings@livingstone.gr or with a phone call at +30 213 0354432. We are here to welcome you!