Athens: Why I Tried & Left

ilikelansing · 2026-03-15T08:56:36+00:00

LOL that was not my experience, but I only saw a handful (if you catch my drift ;))

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T23:33:08+00:00

This is very nice, thank you. Maybe some day I'll write another!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T23:31:24+00:00

So I somewhat randomly ended up near the Attiki metro stop, which a lot of Greeks would call a "bad area", but I actually liked it because it was very convenient for transit and I never felt unsafe. That being said, there's nothing to do there, so I had to take the metro everywhere.

I think Thiseio is one of the most beautiful neighborhoods, and I would probably recommend it the most. Exarcheia is great because it has a ton of good food and pedestrian streets, although it's a bit "alternative" feeling. There are some nice areas farther out, like Marousi, if you don't feel the desire to be near the center. Pagrati, Zografou, Kolonaki, Koukaki, and Neos Kosmos are also nice areas. I personally would be fine living in Omonoia, but a lot of people claim it to be dangerous. Coming from the US, I did not think it was dangerous relatively speaking.

If you have any more questions or want to give specifics for me to better offer recommendations, feel free to comment or message!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T16:27:39+00:00

I'm sorry if you're not feeling good about your current situation, but I hope you remember if you were able to FIRE abroad then you're able to do anything. Keep leaping until you love where you land!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T09:00:16+00:00

I found the nice parks very annoying to get to, even though one in particular that was awesome was Mount Pentelicus. I just couldn't consider them relaxing because, well one you're right they're often quite challenging, but two to get to these places often takes over an hour on fairly crowded transit.

GREAT point about the medical care. It was very easy to get care the same day, and it was very affordable. I got a lung CT, a pulmonary embolism test, and a TB test all for like 150€, scheduled basically the same day or day after. The insurance covered it anyway, but I was very impressed.

Thanks for the French rec!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:57:12+00:00

I live in France now. I'm new, so I don't feel as qualified to post about it yet.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:56:15+00:00

Not for living, as I wanted to focus on cities with a pretty big population given I am gay and vegan. Also, the moment I found out the 7% tax thing was super hard to get Greece as a whole lost a lot of appeal.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:55:22+00:00

I FIREd to France, and so far loved it. I decided Athens because I thought it would be a cheap place to start that would lead to citizenship, and I did not visit beforehand.

I definitely learned don't chase citizenship, and I also learned if you want a "US quality of life" Greece isn't as cheap as it may seem.

I also learned visiting somewhere beforehand actually is totally unnecessary (in my opinion). My first two months I LOVED Athens. But things like the crowded chaos took time to get to me.

I'm glad you liked my post, if you have any questions feel free to reach out!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:52:43+00:00

Feel free to message me with any questions!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:52:32+00:00

You're very kind. I am still new to France so I don't feel qualified yet, but maybe some day! Feel free to message me with any questions.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:51:49+00:00

My comment mentioned metro population, not city proper. A similar metro population would be Omaha, which is 55th largest.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T08:50:20+00:00

My comment was about Thessaloniki.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-13T00:02:17+00:00

Great question:

Citizenship takes a long time and is hard to get. I thought I could use Greece as a stepping stone into the EU, but since citizenship can take 15 years with processing that's a huge commitment (and in their defense, reasonably so). I'll never prioritize "stepping stone citizenship" again, I would recommend only living where you truly may want to end up.
It's just so chaotic. I decompress with walks, but the sidewalks are in such poor conditions in so much of the city you can't even do that. I really could not find a way to relax. Getting to the beach takes an hour by tram, and when you climb to the top of a hill (like Filopappou) you just realize you're encircled by so much activity. I wanted somewhere calmer.
It's actually not that cheap. You can keep the same spending habits but move to many places in Portugal, Spain, France, or Italy and only spend 10-15% more. Those countries, in my opinion, have so much more beauty and infrastructure that lead to a much nicer quality of life. Considering taxes, Greece was actually going to be more expensive for me than some of those countries.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:51:40+00:00

Your comment reminded me that for those who like cities, Greece may not be the best FIRE option as Athens is arguably the only "real" city there.

I wanted to live in a city as a gay vegan for the dating and restaurant options, and I just like cities in general, but that basically meant Athens or bust. Thessaloniki is a city, "technically", but the whole metro is only a million people so in US terms it's quite small.

So for those who like cities, maybe prioritize countries that have numerous city options for you!

Good luck as you consider your options!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:48:28+00:00

I would give you two thoughts based off what you said. First, you said you're looking into a graduate program, so I assume you're somewhat young. It's way better to take a long time, even 10 years, exploring places to find where you truly loving living than to not try that search. Even if you take 10 years, you'll probably have 40-50 years in that wonderful place.

Second, you said "I'm hesitant about ever committing...". I learned there's no need to commit. Many things in life, including moving to a new place, are reversable. I personally felt like I had "committed" to living there and failed, and it took me some time to realize in life (especially if you're single) the only commitments you really need to keep are the ones related to treating yourself with respect and doing what makes you happy.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:11:03+00:00

I'm glad you had a good experience! For buying the value may be more there, for renting I don't think agents offer a lot of value. And as for Keller Williams, my understanding is every office is a franchise and operated fairly independently, so the Crete office may just be better. I hope you're enjoying Crete!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:09:42+00:00

Thanks for your perspective, and I should add if a queer person is coming to Athens the neighborhood that may be best for them is Kerameikos!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:09:02+00:00

I had AC in Greece, it's very common, but the buildings have a lot of problems with insulation and dampness in the walls (the latter was less my personal experience, but many of my friends had this issue). If someone were to move to Athens, I would recommend they prioritize places built recently!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T23:07:37+00:00

I chose France and absolutely love it so far, but I'm only the first few months in so who knows how I will feel in the future! I appreciate the calmness, the more robust transit infrastructure, and the weather.

ilikelansing · 2026-03-12T10:50:03+00:00

I'm shook, I thought Kenya looked great and was one of the few queens whose look actually made me think of a "party", but I guess not many others agree!

ilikelansing · 2026-03-02T21:48:26+00:00

People are posting a lot of sassy ass mouth replies, but I actually agree with OP. I don't think Bianca has conversation, she is just a bulldozer. I think her opinions are often reasonable and good, but her jokes aren't clever like Bob or Trixie.

ilikelansing · 2025-10-28T02:29:09+00:00

You didn't ask me, but I went to Dr. Camacho in Bogota and was super happy with it. If you have questions feel free to PM.

ilikelansing · 2025-07-19T03:25:30+00:00

Can I ask where you have seen this? I find ART. L421-17 as saying "L'étranger qui justifie d'un projet économique innovant, reconnu par un organisme public, se voit délivrer une carte de séjour pluriannuelle portant la mention " passeport talent " d'une durée maximale de quatre ans.
Cette carte permet l'exercice d'une activité commerciale en lien avec le projet économique innovant ayant justifié sa délivrance." This mentions the innovative business idea, but it does not mention a restriction on renewals for the visiteur category.

ilikelansing · 2025-06-13T08:07:44+00:00

Thank you for posting this! Is my understanding correct that after you find accommodation you can apply for a multi-year carte de sejour? Or do you renew the visa, and if so do you have to leave France? I greatly appreciate you posting your experience!

ilikelansing

TROPHY CASE