Best Places to Live in Greece

Top-10 Places Matt Would Live if he lived in Greece All Year

#1KYPSELI, ATHENS. Why? Because I already live there and would not have to move. Plus it is easy to get downtown, it is an international neighborhood full of artists, musicians and young people, has lots of restaurants, and soon the metro will be here. See www.athensguide.com/kypseli

#2 KEA, CYCLADES. Same as above but I would need to import a few more dozen friends to get me through the winter. But it is close enough to Athens so even if I don't I can still go there to see for excitement. I can leave my house and be in downtown Athens in about 2 hours if I time it right. Plus Kea has great beaches and restaurants are open year round since Athinians visit on weekends even in the winter. If I was a small high-tech company looking to relocate this would be the place I would choose. See www.greektravel.com/greekislands/kea

#3 SYROS CYCLADES. Not too crowded in the summer and enough people in the winter so that just about EVERYTHING stays open. I would not live anywhere but HERMOUPOLIS, one of the best port towns in Greece and the capital of the Cyclades with lots of great restaurants, bars, cafes and shopping and you can get to just about any island in the Cyclades you want to from here. See www.greektravel.com/greekislands/syros

#4 Volos. University City. On the sea. Close to swimming, hiking and winter skiing on Pelion and maybe the best mezedes in Greece and only a couple hours from Athens. Lots and lots of great restaurants too. See www.greecetravel.com/pelion/volos.htm

#5 NAFPLION. Great place for the winter though a bit too hot in the summer so I would have to rent my house out and use the money to go to the Cyclades or Lesvos. Lots of good restaurants and you can explore much of the Peloponnesos from here which should keep me busy for the rest of my life. See www.greecetravel.com/nafplio

#6 THESSALONIKI. Because whenever I hear one of those laika songs about Thessaloniki I get nostalgic and teary-eyed for a place I have probably spent a total of 3 weeks in during my entire life. But they were the formative 3 weeks. Cool university town, on the sea, close to some of the best beaches in Greece and another place known for its mezedes. See www.greecetravel.com/thessaloniki

#7 MYTILINI, LESVOS. Perfect size town for me. Great mezedes. On the sea. University town. Far from Athens but an overnight ferry makes that manageable and the flight is about 20 minutes total in the air. Lesvos is an island that you can spend a lifetime exploring. We actually have an apartment but I am hoping the island will be so thankful for the work I have done promoting it that they will give me a nice historic mansion to fix up and use for the rest of my life, after which they can have it back. See www.lesvos.com/mytilini.html

#8 PAROS. Beautiful island, not too far from Athens, great beaches, lots of good restaurants, large Xpat community, and my wife Andrea's best friend lives there so she will be happy too. Touristy in the summer but that can be a good thing. Honestly I would probably be just as happy on Naxos or Sifnos. But would Andrea? That matters. See www.greektravel.com/greekislands/paros

#9. CHANIA, CRETE. Same reasons as Lesvos pretty much. A livable city with a lot of great restaurants, hundreds of nice beaches, young people, and an island that is too big to explore in one lifetime. Overnight ferries are important to me. I'd rather sleep in a cabin for 12 hours than sit in a chair for 6. See www.greecetravel.com/crete/chania

#10 ATHINAS STREET, ATHENS. Yes I am sure you expected somewhere more idyllic and romantic but if I could live in a penthouse apartment on either side within 3 or 5 blocks of Athinas street with a view of the Acropolis and the Saronic Gulf I would be quite happy. To me this is the true heart and soul of Athens and plus all my friends either live or work nearby. See www.athensguide.com/athinas-street