Entertainment

Night Life

When you talk about nightlife in Greece, we mean till dawn

Bouzoukia, Clubbing It, Bars, Cafes, Tavernas and Speciality Clubs

Bouzoukia is a place that you will be asked if you want to go but you will not understand the reply when you ask what it is

This is the place you go to have a party, in the traditional style, you will be booking a table for your party, you may say 10 of you are going, and 15 turn up, this is no problem as you will all be squashed up to fit, you want to be close, because it will be noisy

You will automatically be given a bottle of whisky, I can not say which brand, this whisky will cost you 50€, this is for the rental of the table all night, you will also be given bottles of water, this is about 3 -5€ a bottle, it is expensive to be there

Your guests can order drinks that they want, but they are expensive, you will be given nuts and crisps to go with the whisky, but there is a menu that runs all night and you can order food or fruit off it for your guests

The entertainment is Greek Traditional Music, a well known singer, singing the usual Greek songs in their own style, Greeks go for the popularity and style of the singer when choosing a place

The singer will sing till about 1am and then they put on popular music for you, it will carry on with music to dance to till the last person goes home or 8am ish arrives, you get up on the stage to dance

Throughout the night you may find a Greek or two dancing close to you in the isle, to the traditional music, or on their tables or chairs, this is normal

They do not throw plates any more, they throw carnation flowers head instead, these you can by from the young lady going round with silver foil covered paper plates, usually 3 flower heads to a plate, these flowers you are meant to throw at the feet of your favourite singer or at a moment in time when your favourite song is on

If your partner is dancing on the stage or table you may want to throw some flowers to show your appreciation of the dance

This is a night you will remember, maybe not all of it, but it is an experience, if an expensive one

Clubbing It

In Greece they have many nightclubs, these places run till dawn, they are different from some other countries for a few reasons

There are a few areas in these places

Private guests have booked a table and good chairs, these guests will have a waiter catering to their needs and the waiter is not for you to order from

Then they have the guest tables, these you book, these you claim as you come in, there is not waiter service but you do have the table to yourselves, it is a great place to put your drinks and there are a few chairs for the party, never enough

Then there is the bar area, here you may stand, their are tall tables about to stand drinks on, but no chairs or stools

Both the guest tables and the bar patrons must order from the bar

There is smoking in the club

There is a menu for food in the club

The club stays open till dawn or about 8am

You do pay a nominal fee to get in

The private guest really pays for the service

You can not have a stripper for your party unless you have prearranged it with the owner / manager, and then he may insist you use his service contacts

You can have a cake presented though

There is no live music but usually a named DJ

Bars are another matter, there are gentlemen bars and normal bars

Gentlemen bars provide the services of hostesses, to have them at your table or at the bar entertaining you will cost you a bottle of champagne

A normal bar is where you meet your friends; watch football on the big screen to music, play pool, darts, bowling or what ever gimmick the bar is offering to get people through its doors

Bars do beers, spirits, cocktails and coffee, rarely food beyond the nuts and crisps served with the drink

If you want to reserve a bar to have a party it is easier than you think, here they can allow you to have outside catering delivered and served, here they can allow you to have a private show, these are the places that can accommodate you, but it is not normal for this sort of thing in Greek society, normally it is family affairs, not Stag Nights

A cafe is a bar without the gimmick, they sell alcohol and give nuts, but they will not have a full drinks menu, in a cafe, if they do not provide food, you may bring your take away and eat it in the cafe as long as you order the drinks there and have the receipt for the food in case anyone official asks to see it

A Taverna is full Greek food with Beer and Wine, no spirits, the food in dishes is the same as a Greek person may cook in their own home, their is often meats off a spit, or even souvlikia, they may do a speciality of the house

These places are often open from 6pm till 2am, some very, here you can not have your own personal show, this place is for families, this is a place where you may get live music of Greek instrumentalists, not a singer

This is a relaxing atmosphere and though some times a Greek will dance a traditional dance, it is not for showing off, it is as the mood takes them or because it was a request to the musicians

Yes, late at night they may get on the table and dance, but it is usually only in the isle as the table are not strong enough

Remember, that most of these places will give you a paper table cloth, bread, salad, water as normal, they will deliver and come when you ask to take your order if they are not one of the super busy places

What else you can find

They do have holes in the wall that are quick and good, especially if you see lots of Greeks standing round eating the stuff, these do souvliki (meat cooked over flame on a stick, or giros which are meat cooked on a large skewer and carved off), wrapped in pita bread with salad and different dressings for the meat, tadziki (onion yoghurt) for beef and pork, and for chicken, a sauce make from American mustard, usually with chips

Then there is the Goodies, which is the Greek (originally form Italy over 20 years ago so they feel it is more Greek) usual rivalling McDonalds, these you will find competing for customers every where

There are some Brand Franchises in the food world turning up in Athens and some major places; I will leave you to find these yourself unless they advertise with me

Ah yes, you were told about the strippers, yes, well they do have them in the Bars, some times in the Gentelmen Bars and their are of course Clubs that are Speciality Clubs

We have Clubs for all types of interest and these are not the kind of clubs you join to spend a couple of hours playing cards, these are the extreme clubs, the strip joints for guys

This is what you want, no problem, state your preference and you will be taken, they run like the Bazoukia and Club mix, expensive and all night long, your preference for services can be catered to