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Spend Christmas in Athens 2024 | Christmas Carnivals, Light Displays, Winter Wonderlands, and More!

Athens is the place to be at if you wish to celebrate a traditional White Christmas. With snowfall, brightly decorated streets, festive delicacies, and the sound of carols in the air – it paints the perfect picture of Christmas right out of a fairytale. Here are 12 festive things to do in Athens this Christmas season.

Why spend Christmas in Athens?

Christmas in Athens - Why Spend Christmas in Athens?
  • Christmas celebrations in Athens begin with Saint Nicholas Day on the 6th of December and go on up to Epiphany on the 6th of January.
  • A Greek Christmas is very traditional with festive lights decorating the streets, little stalls and cafes serving holiday delicacies, and children singing Christmas carols.
  • The holiday season in Athens is spent pursuing winter activities such as snow sliding, ice skating, and skiing.
  • Most public squares, halls, and parks in Athens turn into winter wonderlands with Christmas markets, carnivals, ice rinks, and more.
  • December is off-peak tourist season in Athens, which lets you get great discounts on airfare, accommodation, and even entry tickets to certain landmarks.

Top 14 things to do during Christmas in Athens

1. Check out the festive light displays

Christmas in Athens is marked by brilliantly lit-up squares, streets, and cafes, with the sound of traditional carols wafting in the air. More than Christmas trees, you will find decorated boat-shaped light displays called Karavaki adorning these streets.

The best Christmas lights in Athens are seen at:

2. Visit the Winter Wonderland at Syntagma Square

Join the Christmas festivities at Syntagma Square where a winter wonderland awaits you. The city’s central square and the streets leading to it are decorated and set to welcome the holiday season with a variety of displays and activities.

Christmas festivities at Syntagma Square include:

  • The lighting of a 19-meter high, heavily ornamented fir tree to welcome the festive season.
  • Massive and marvelous light displays including a giant teddy bear, a Christmas train, and hot air balloons.
  • Choreographed music and light show
  • An ice skating rink

3. Try Skating on Ice

Athens is home to plenty of indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks, most of which stay decorated and host special events throughout the holidays. Visitors are sure to have fun at these rinks irrespective of their ages and experience levels.

Find the best ice skating rinks in Athens at:

4. Tour the Christmas Factory

The Christmas Factory at the Technopolis City of Athens is where all the festive magic is made! With a range of festivities for people of all ages, this is surely the most popular family holiday destination in Athens.

Here is what awaits you at the Christmas Factory:

  • 8 different festive workshops with Santa and his elves.
  • A theatrical performance of Elafontaine, Aesop in Another Way.
  • A Christmas market for festive ornaments, gifts, holiday delicacies, and drinks.
  • An ice rink, a dance floor, the elf band, and more!
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5. Celebrate Christmas at Santa Claus Kingdom

Where better to celebrate Christmas in Athens than at the Santa Claus Kingdom? A festive special amusement and theme park, open only during the holidays to give you and your kids, a memorable and magical Christmas.

The Santa Claus Kingdom features:

  • A dream of a carnival complete with a roller coaster and a Christmas train.
  • Life-size figures of festive movie and fairy tale characters.
  • Children’s Christmas plays.
  • Largest indoor ice rink in Athens along with snow slides.
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6. Experience SNFCC’s Christmas World

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) sets up a Christmas World every year where the holiday season is celebrated with decorated fir trees, dancing fountains, cultural shows, and a variety of festive activities.

Here’s what’s lined up for you at SNFCC’s Christmas World:

  • Light Installations at the Stavros Niarchos Park.
  • Music concerts every Sunday until Christmas at the Lighthouse.
  • Enactment of the play The Suitcase of Ourania Celeste.
  • A revamped ice skating rink.
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7. Attend a show at the Christmas theatre

Many Christmas special shows including plays, concerts, ballet performances, etc. take place at various indoor and outdoor venues across Athens. While some of these events may be free, others require you to buy your ticket before seats run out.

Some of the most popular Christmas shows in Athens are:

8. Indulge in Greek festive food

Streets in Athens are fragrant around the festive season with the mouth-watering scents of Greek festive food, consisting of different kinds of bread, biscuits, and sweets. The distinct taste of each of these delicacies would surely make you want to try them all.

Some of the must-try Greek festive food are:

  • Melomakarona – soft cookies dipped in honey syrup and covered with chopped walnuts
  • Kourabiedes – vanilla almond cookies covered in powdered sugar
  • Diples – a fried snack made from folded dough, drizzled with honey syrup, cinnamon, and chopped nuts
  • Christopsomo (Bread of the Christ) – a special bread decorated with a cross on top, made on Christmas Day

9. Celebrate Saint Nicholas Day

Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated on the 6th of December every year, marking the beginning of the holiday season in Greece. All major Christmas festivities start on this day and go on till the Day of Epiphany, observed on the 6th of January.

Here’s how Saint Nicholas Day is celebrated in Athens:

  • Decorated boats (Karavaki) are kept on display at all main squares.
  • Special ceremonies and prayers are held in churches.
  • Children go around the neighborhood singing Christmas carols in exchange for treats.
  • People eat a traditional dish of fried cod with garlic sauce.

10. Go skiing on the mountains

Skiing is one of the best things to do during a snowy Christmas season in Athens. Head to the ski resorts to have a memorable holiday experience as the mountains get covered in sheets of white.

Book your slot for skiing at these popular centers:

11. Visit archaeological sites

The holiday season is the best time to visit historic monuments and archaeological sites in Athens owing to the fewer crowds. Moreover, the entry tickets to these tourist attractions are reduced to half during this time of the year.

The must-visit archaeological sites in Athens are:

12. Explore the museums in Athens

This festive season, visit any of the museums in Athens amidst half the usual crowds, at half the usual ticket price! Take your own time exploring the various exhibits and artifacts with a free downloadable audioguide.

Here are some of the important museums to visit in Athens:

13. Join the Athens Santa Run

In early December, Athens hosts a special a festive run featuring a Half Marathon, 10K, 5K, and Kids Dash, where hundreds of locals and visitors dressed as Santa Claus run through the city center’s usually busy streets. Whether you join the crowd or cheer from the sidelines, this is a fun and festive way to celebrate Christmas in Athens.

Why visit?

  • Every participant gets a Santa hat, beard, and a finisher medal to jingle in style. Enjoy holiday music, candy stations, and seasonal treats, then stick around for the after-party with snacks, music, and photos with Santa!
  • Perfect for all ages, the Santa Hustle supports local charities, so dress up, bring friends, and celebrate the season together!
  • Athens’ Ultimate Santa Hustle | Find on Map

14. Experience Kalanda: Traditional Greek Carols

One of Greece’s most charming Christmas traditions unfolds on December 24, 31, and January 6, when children gather to knock on their neighbors’ doors, asking, “Shall we sing it?” (“Na ta poume?”). They then sing carols and are rewarded with pocket money or sweets.

Here’s how you can experience Kalanda:

If you spend some time in the shops, bars, and patisseries across the city, chances are you’ll come across groups of kids and adults spreading festive cheer by singing carols just for fun.

Frequently asked questions about celebrating Christmas in Athens

Christmas is a great time to visit Athens since festive celebrations here go on for a month from Saint Nicholas Day on the 6th of December to Epiphany on the 6th of January. Moreover, December is off-peak tourist season in Athens, which lets you get great discounts on airfare, accommodation, and even entry tickets to certain landmarks.