Athens, Greece

We arrived in Athens far too early in the morning, having taken a very cheap but barebones Scoot flight back from Singapore. Coming to Athens is always simultaneously awe-inspiring and underwhelming. The dirty streets, tatty buildings and senseless traffic struggle to distract you from the magic of the Acropolis and the persistent charm of the city.

Settling in at the Intercontinental Hotel, and after a few hours napping, we took a taxi ride into the city's old Plaka district. Here you'll find an impressive number of independent shops, narrow cobbled streets and as always, a few solid watering holes.

Tapfield is a pleasant place to begin an evening, with a large selection of beers on tap and a small but relaxing outside area to enjoy a pleasant December evening. Barley Cargo, on the other side of the Plaka, has a very convincing selection of beers on tap, including, at the time of our visit, a number of Belgian beers. I picked out a St Bernardus ABT 12 to round the evening out.

To the South of the Philopappos Hill, we found a cluster of breweries closer to our hotel including Strange Brew Taproom & Bottleshop🍺 and Blame the Sun Taproom. Both had a nice selection of beers and were very busy in the pre-christmas period.

For more of a pub vibe, you'll find The Lucky Sparrow Pub a shortish walk to the West of the Plaka. With a friendly atmosphere, hearty portions of pub fayre and an solid beer selection this is a nice place for the homesick traveller.