London-based Wallpaper magazine urges readers to visit Athens, and to look beyond the clichés.

While the sun, seashore and well-preserved sites from classical antiquity are the obvious draws of the city, it also has a lot to offer in terms of modern architecture, design and art, the article emphasizes.

Listing new and upcoming attractions for art and design aficionados visiting Athens, special focus is given to the municipality of Piraeus, the new art district of which contains three interesting galleries worth heading to the port city for: Rodeo, Carwan, and The Intermission. By the actual port meanwhile, the Pireaus Tower, Greece’s second tallest building, which is currently being renovated according to sustainable principles, is also listed as a site worth seeing.

The site of the city’s old airport, Ellinikon, also appears on the list twice. While the huge development project will eventually include enough to see and do that visitors may choose to spend a whole trip here, for now, Wallpaper notes the Ellinikon Experience Centre, roomed in an old airplane hangar, where visitors can currently learn all about the project, as well as the Marina Tower, by Foster + Partners – Greece’s first eco-conscious skyscraper set to be completed in 2026.

On the magazine’s list are also two central Athens hotels, and a number of tips for art lovers. Three exhibitions are highlighted: the digital art exhibition “Plásmata: Bodies, Dreams, and Data” at Pedion tou Areos park; “Brice Marden and Greek Antiquity” at the Museum of Cycladic Art, which brings the audience on a tour of Greek landscapes through the eyes of New York artist; and Albert Oehlen’s first exhibition in Greece, currently running at the Gagosian Athens.

In addition, of course, the recently reopened National Museum of Contemporary Art Αthens (EMST), which launched just as the pandemic started, is recommended, not only for its wealth of upcoming events and exhibitions, but for the building itself, which serves as an attraction in its own right.

As for events, visitors this summer should check out the programming for the Athens Design Forum, which promotes Greek design, art and architecture, taking place for the second time this year. It is set to begin this Sunday, July 10, with the inaugural opening of the Fassianos residence and atelier on the nearby island of Kea, making for a charming day trip during one’s stay in Athens.