Psyri, Athens

Psyri is a neighbourhood in Athens with a lively identity shaped by food, drink, music and lodging. Today, its streets are known for restaurants, bars, live-music tavernas and a small number of hotels. The neighbourhood had an ill reputation until the early 1990s, then became a fashionable choice for accommodation, entertainment and dining in central Athens.

Its square, called Heroes Square, takes its name from nearby streets honouring heroes of the Greek War of Independence. In the era of old Athens, that name was used mockingly for the koutsavakides who gathered there. Lord Byron stayed in Psyri during his time in Athens and wrote “Maid of Athens” here. Alexandros Papadiamantis, its most famous Greek inhabitant, lived in the neighbourhood for more than two decades.