In Remote working is admittedly becoming one of the top trends of the decade. Even before the COVID19 pandemic lock-downs worldwide many companies started to allow employees to work from home (or basically from anywhere) remotely.
When it comes to choosing the best places for remote workers or digital nomads, the key factors are the cost of living, community, local culture and infrastructure are practical key factors. Based on all those factors and well, the 300 days of sunshine and the tastiest mediterranean food, we think that Athens is one of the best places to work remotely.
Back in May 2020 Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckenber announced that that many of Facebook employees will be allowed to work from home permanently even after the Covid19 lockdowns. He projected that around 50% of the company’s workforce could be working remotely in the next 5-10 years.
Remote work means basically working from anywhere- not only from your home. Which brings on enormous advantages into individuals’ lives and has positive impact ecologically.
Remote work contributes greatly to sustainable development – something that we are very happy about:
The shift to remote work will cause a redistribution of workers away from high density cities, lowering pollution and increasing the liveability of those metropolises. Less traffic, less pollution.
Employees will move to areas less crowded, perhaps a lot less developed. This will mean bringing some income to those areas (rentals, local taxation) and creating economical opportunities (services, job opportunities) in those areas.
Employers can make saving on eliminating the need of big office buildings (with all the connected maintenance costs) and perhaps bring regional hubs to less popular (less expensive) areas to host the personnel who don’t work permanently remotely.
So pack up your laptop and check out why the sunny city of Athens is the best place to make use of your new, flexible working conditions.
The Greek capital and the surrounding areas have everything you need for a perfect workation stay.
(workation is a new travel trend, that increased further with the unfortunate outburst of Covid19 pandemic)
Whether you are a full-time digital nomad and working permanently remotely or have some flexible “working from anywhere” time temporarily, Athens offers unbeatable opportunities for your stay.
Here are the reasons why:
- Athens has its own airport with train and taxis and buses – so you can easily commune from and to to most parts of the city and the suburbs.
- The rents are lower compared to major European cities. If you work remotely, you can find an area outside of the city and rent a nice big house or villa. Villas with private on the south part of Attika can be rented from 300-400 euros / day for 10-12 persons (off season). If you are looking for something simple, you can find 2–3-bedroom rentals in the nicer suburbs for around 900 euros /month.
- Most people speak English, so you can easily ask for help, advice or direction.
- The sun shines 300 days a year. The weather is warm most of the year. The best months to plan your stay are April, May, September, October and even November – these are off season months. During these months there is much less crowd and the accommodation are cheaper.
- People are kind: despite economic hardship people are cheerful and helpful. They are very welcoming and will help foreigners.
- The history: Athens is world famous about its renowned historical places. In the centre visit the Acropolis – perhaps one of the most well-known historical monuments around the World. Take a walk around plaka or Monasiraki and spoil yourself with local soaps, handmade sandals and souvenir T-shirts. Additionally, you can plan a one-day excursion to nearby notable places, like Cape Sounion, Marathon – just to name a few.
- Alternative activities for serotonin boost. Who wouldn’t like to go sailing or visit a close-by Greek island for a day? You can leave your work behind for few hours or days and immerse yourself in the superb adventures.
- The country is safe. There’s no danger because of riots, no attacks.
Moreover, it’s safe from health aspect: no danger to drink water from the tap and no exotic diseases. - Lastly: it is easy to travel from or to the rest of Europe – by train, plane or by car.
Where to stay when yo plan your workation in Athens?
Your choice of accommodation in Athens (or around Athens) depends on your preferences. Your criteria should be based on some simple factors, like location preferences (centre or suburbs), public transport, coffees and restaurants, nearby supermarkets.
The hippest areas around the center of Athens for digital nomads/remote workers
Areas located within walking distance of the historical Acropolis, like Kerameikos, Psirri and Exarcheia.
Prices there are bit lower than in the city centre, and the transport is convenient.
Kerameikos is located a 15-minute walk from the Acropolis and is near the popular shopping street, Ermou.
The closest metro stations are Thiseio and Kerameikos on the green and the blue lines respectively, which connects the neighbourhood to Piraeus (the major port where most ships leave to the Greek islands) and to the Athens Airport.
Psirri, also known as the “Athenian SoHo”, is located in the centre of Athens near the Syntagma and Monastiraki squares.
This area is only 15-minute pleasant walk away from the Acropolis. The area is very vibrant, full of small iconic shops, eateries, traditional tavernas.
You want to be close to the sea during your remote working days?
Here are the best seaside areas around Athens and on the south part of the Attika peninsula:
Palaio Faliro is an attractive neighbourhood on the south part of Athens.
The area is a gateway between the city centre and the Athenian riviera. This area has unbeatable vibes all year round with its seaside promenade and diverse selection of restaurants and cafés.
The seaside walkway is spacious and surrounded by palm trees. It is a great place for a refreshing jog or walk during your working hours.
There is a tram that runs from the seaside right to the city center (syntagma station) and also further down to other southern areas –like Glyfada.
Glyfada is perhaps the next great choice when it comes to seaside accommodation around Athens.
This seaside settlement is sometimes referred to as the hippest suburb.
We love this area for the vibrant atmosphere, superb cafes and restaurants. In addition, Glyfada offers high end shopping, but you can also find affordable stores as well, from all the international clothing chains.
We recommend to take a look inside the smaller boutiques as well on the main street of Glyfada, called Metaxa. You can find unique fashion items from local suppliers.
South Attika – an hour drive from Athens, but it feels like being on a Greek island
Moving further down to to the southernmost parts of Attika Peninsula, away from Athens you can find cute seaside settlements with riviera vibes.
Prices of rentals tend to get much cheaper as you move away from Glyfada. Little villages like Varkiza, Saronida, Anavyssos have their own charm. No wonder that recently more and more people seek to move to these areas.
If you chose to rent on these bit more remote areas be prepared to rent (or buy) a car. Although these settlements have regular buses, but they run not as frequent as you might need. And anyways you want to drive around the coast to see the magical seaside of the Attika peninsula.
The best part when you live on these areas is that you get the have a taste of traditional tavernas and fish restaurants. The local fish places get fresh fish all year round from the local fishermen. You just can’t ask for tastier meals.
Ready to make your move to Athens?
Find a nice home (apartment or villa ) from the riviera experts of the Athenian Riviera villas. The site offers selected properties on the nicest areas around the Athens Riviera. And the best part: the properties are equipped with high-speed internet, so you don’t need to worry about the quality of your Zoom meetings.