I can’t explain it. It’s spiritual for me; a place that gets under my skin. But you never come here, because you have no reason to – you only stop over en route to a Mykonos beach party. Peeps, stop and stay a while. Athens is back, and back in a big way! They say pressure makes diamonds and this city currently is, and has been before, a polished diamond. Yes, Athens is still going through tough times economically. However, through adversity comes opportunity. The city is buzzing. The Greek youth have had enough and are now upstanding. Areas throughout this city are coming alive, from the art culture right through to my favourite, the food culture. Some of the coolest young chefs have opened amazing eateries and the bars are mind-blowing. Don’t be afraid to walk; Athens is awesome on foot. And please do me a favour: when you’re standing at the foot of the Acropolis, remember that it was built mid-5th-century BC. Well before you and I were born, as well as our great, great, great grandparents.

Great new souvlaki bar serving ‘true pita’.

Fine dining on the rooftop of the AthensWas Hotel with incredible views of the Acropolis.

Ring the bell for entrance to this hidden cocktail bar that’s well worth tracking down.

An ‘all-day’ bar from two award-winning bartenders. Out-of-this-world cocktails.

Outside dining in the centre of Athens. Hugely talented head chef Christoforos Peskias serves up Greek/Asian cuisine. A must.

Dessert bar owned by my great friend Stelios Parliaros. Awesome for sweets, cakes, chocolates and more.

Truly great cutting-edge food in an elegant and calm setting.

Very casual place selling meat and salad. Simple but tasty.

One of Athens’ oldest souvlaki bars. Just a hole in the wall, but so good.

Only serves one thing: the fried pastries, loukoumades, with different toppings.

ATHIRI Casual and creative Greek/Mediterranean cuisine.

Imaginative Greek/ Japanese flavours in a cool space.

Great-value Greek.

Casual Indian in the centre of Athens – order the Indian souvlaki. Yum!