In Athens Creativity in Art, Food and More Rises

Here’s a surprise: While Athenians were locked down because of the pandemic, a flurry of creative and entrepreneurial activity was underway. The outcome? A total of 272 new restaurants, according to the local industry association, as well as hundreds more cafes and bars. The city also acquired 34 new hotels, offering 1,982 rooms over the last two years. And its cultural landscape blossomed, with major national projects coming to fruition.

“We’ve witnessed a cultural revival and a growing gastronomical scene that showcases the new dynamism of the city,” said Vassilis Kikilias, Greece’s tourism minister. Adding in the construction of new hotels and the upgrading of older ones, Mr. Kikilias said made him “optimistic for the season.”

As of May, the number of foreign visitors to the city was still below 2019 levels, but only by about 12 percent, and since then crowds have returned to the central squares and landmarks in numbers reminiscent of prepandemic days.

Covid vaccination certificates are no longer required to enter the country or to visit shops, restaurants and museums, and since June 1, face masks are no longer required in closed public spaces with the exception of hospitals, pharmacies, public transport and ferries.

Cultural gems shine again

The Greek capital’s newest cultural gem (or rather an impressively burnished old one), the National Gallery reopened last year after an eight-year, 60-million-euro overhaul. Twice the size of the original, the sleek new building has a glass facade that allows natural light to illuminate exhibits and offers visitors a glimpse of the city at every corner. You could spend hours exploring the three floors charting the evolution of Greek art over nearly seven centuries. But even a brief visit should not skip the arresting works of the Greek modernist painters Konstantinos Parthenis and Yannis Tsarouchis with their dreamlike symbolism, and the luminous paintings of the Orientalist Theodoros Rallis and the postimpressionist Iakovos Rizos.

A fourth floor dedicated to Western European art is to open in the coming weeks and will include paintings by Picasso and Mondrian stolen in a daring one-man heist in 2012 and recovered last year.

Another treasure trove for art lovers is the Νational Museum of Contemporary Art, a former brewery which opened in late February 2020 after an extended renovation, but closed almost immediately with the country’s first lockdown. Five floors of thought-provoking sculptures,…