ekathimerini.com
What are so many Turkish people doing in Kolonaki?
An increasing number of well-heeled Turks are visiting Athens because they like the atmosphere and lower prices. Some of them decide to stay
Last Sunday afternoon, if you strolled through Kolonaki, passing by the popular restaurants, you would most likely hear Turkish from at least one table. Seventy-five people were just one group that had traveled from the neighboring country for the wedding of Sebnem and Mert. The couple love Greece – the bride comes at least five times a year. For the first night’s reception, they had chosen the high-end restaurant Athénée, and for those who were in the mood (and brave enough) to continue until dawn, they had booked tables at a nightclub where popular singer Anna Vissi performs.
On Saturday, most of the guests went shopping, while the couple’s 10 closest friends went to the Turkish Consulate for the wedding. The wedding party was held at WooWoo, an Asian restaurant on Patriarch Ioakeim Street, where Turkish and Greek music was played. There was nothing planned on Sunday, so the WhatsApp groups that had been created for the festive weekend caught fire. “Everyone was writing about their favorite places in Kolonaki and where they would go for dinner before their flight home. We’ve all been here before. Most of us several times,” says Can, one of the wedding guests.
Tastes and luck
Can has been visiting Greece for years, mainly the islands in the summer. At one point, in 2018, he was ready to buy a house in Athens, as well as a small factory in the countryside. Those plans did not pan out, but he is now increasingly often in the Greek capital – in the last two years, five times for weddings. One of them, last March, was his own wedding with Baldan. The two chose to get married without any guests at the Turkish Consulate. “It’s easy, because the marriage is automatically recognized back in Turkey,” he explains. On their wedding day, it was pouring with rain, but the taxi driver (who they have called every time they come to Athens since then) and the photographer Baldan had found on the internet – both called Giorgos – assured them that it was “good luck” for their married life. “We chose Athens because we both liked it. I think the main reason is that you are doing something special and different, in a new city, but at the same time we felt a real intimacy – it’s not just the culture, but something in the atmosphere.”
‘Athens reminds us of the dynamic that Istanbul had in the early 2000s. I think that’s why we choose it and come back again and again. We feel very close to it – not just because of geography or the similarity in culture’
For friends who also chose to get married in Athens, there are other, more practical reasons. “If you’re getting married in Istanbul, you have to invite your distant uncle Ahmet, but also your parents’ neighbors. You can easily end up with weddings of 500 guests,” they explain. “A wedding in Athens is the perfect excuse to have only your own people and at the same time it’s an easy and quick trip. It’s also very economical. With the money we would pay for a regular room in a good hotel in Istanbul, we can rent an impressive venue with a view of the Acropolis.”
And the most important thing? The cost of alcohol in Turkey has skyrocketed due to taxation. For example, when they go to the bouzoukia (a favorite choice for those who come simply for tourism), “a good table costs about 150 euros per person. A similar outing in Istanbul costs over 500 euros per person,” they say. “In general, in Turkey, with high inflation and a currency under pressure, everything is very expensive. Coming for a weekend in Athens or any Greek island is now cheaper than going for a weekend in Turkey.”
Seda’s list
Seda Domanic has noticed a rise in the number of Turkish visitors over the last few months. “There hasn’t been a week when someone hasn’t asked me for my list. I adapt it depending on the recipient, but it definitely has the things I love. A walk on Philopappou Hill and in Anafiotika, the Goulandris Museum in Pangrati and the EMST [National Museum of Contemporary Art Αthens]. Some of my favorite restaurants,” she says.
In the list, she makes comparisons with the famous restaurants in Istanbul. “Our food may be very similar, but here we see more and more restaurants with real character and new spirit opening up,” she explains. In the summer version of the list, she insists that they shouldn’t miss a screening at an open-air cinema – Cine Thissio is her favorite. “They don’t exist in Turkey anymore and it makes me personally nostalgic.”
When we spoke, she had just sent the list to a friend who was traveling to Athens alone. “I was surprised that she would come alone and I asked her why. She said she needed to breathe. She knows the city, she feels safe – it’s easy for her.” Another friend recently celebrated his 40th birthday with friends who traveled from Turkey, with a big party at the underground Burger Disco in Syntagma.
For her, Athens is now her second home. In 2023, she bought an apartment in the district of Koukaki and lives here a few months a year, renting it out the rest of the time, while she is now increasingly involved in Greece professionally. Through the travel agency she runs with her husband in Turkey, they specialize mainly in the American market and those who want to combine both countries – Greece and Turkey – in one trip. A year ago, she published with Yannis Zaras the second book of the travel series “Monday to Sunday,” which approaches Athens through the rhythm and life of the residents. The book had great visibility and success in Turkey.
All together
More and more Turks are developing their ties to Athens. Among them is Fatos Yalin Arkun, whom we met in Kolonaki. She had been coming to Athens for 25 years, but usually for a few hours, mainly as a gateway to the islands. Three years ago, she traveled with her husband urgently, mainly due to the news that the Golden Visa program they wanted to join would be abruptly ended. The first apartment a Turkish realtor showed them was in the downtown Exarchia district – they liked it and booked it the same day.
Fatos worked for over two decades in Turkish magazines – she was fashion director of Turkish Marie Claire for many years and then at seven other magazines. When, 15 years ago, this professional cycle ended, she made the decision, without much thought or a business plan, to open a store selling clothes, accessories and art. Her shop in Nisantasi, an upper-class neighborhood in Istanbul, was a huge success from day one. With the same enthusiasm, she decided to open the same store in Athens this year. With the valuable help of an accountant, a Greek from Istanbul, she opened the doors of Fey on Valaoritou Street last May. “It became known through social media and almost every day one of my compatriots who visits Athens will stop by. Slowly, the locals are also learning about it,” she says. She decided not to rent out the house she bought and is spending an increasing amount of time here. “Your city remains humble and down-to-earth.” The previous night she had dined with friends in the Ratka bistro. “Everyone knew each other – it was like a big party. Maybe I’m getting old, but in my own city I don’t feel that anymore. I miss it and I’m happy to find it here again,” she says.
“Athens reminds us of the dynamic that Istanbul had in the early 2000s,” adds Seda. “I think that’s why we choose it and come back again and again. We feel very close to it – not just because of geography or the similarity in culture. Unfortunately, Istanbul has evolved into a difficult, expensive city with too much tourism, mainly from the Middle East, and incredible traffic on the streets. Athens, on the other hand, is manageable, accessible and friendly. New restaurants and cultural venues are opening all the time. There is joy, optimism and energy in the streets. It may not be beautiful in the traditional sense, but it wins you over with its warmth,” she concludes.
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