In a city like Athens, blessed with sunshine throughout much of the year, commercial arcades might seem unnecessary. Yet, Athens has an extensive network of arcades, designed and constructed from the late nineteenth to mid-twentieth century. Inspired by French passages and English arcades, these covered routes transformed building interiors, reduced street congestion, and provided convenient pedestrian connections. Today, they remain fascinating architectural features, offering glimpses into the city’s evolving commercial and urban history.
Although many of these arcades have declined, they remain integral to Athens’ social and commercial life. Some, however, still retain their vitality, character, and everyday usefulness. In this article, we explore ten Athenian arcades, each with its own distinctive history and atmosphere. They are well worth visiting, offering opportunities to discover Athens through hidden corners and stories often overlooked. The ancient Greek word for arcade is “stoa”, which we have used in naming each arcade.
[Note: The address of each gallery is its most famous entrance]
Stoa Pantazopoulou – Hollywood
This relatively small arcade near Kaningos Square once served as the centre of Greece’s film industry. During the golden age of Greek cinema and for several decades afterwards, film production and distribution companies filled the arcade and its imposing building with offices. This strong connection with the Greek film industry earned the arcade its nickname, “Hollywood”.
From this arcade and its cafe, which still operates today in a renovated form, many famous Greek actors and directors once passed through. Filmmakers also frequently chose the arcade as a shooting location, further strengthening its connection with Greek cinema. Today, only a few reminders remain of its glorious past: the marble inscription above the entrance, “ΜΕΓΑΡΟ ΕΒΔΟΜΗΣ ΤΕΧΝΗΣ” (Seventh Art Hall), and a commemorative plaque listing the Greek producers who once maintained offices in the building. (Akadimias 98)
Stoa Fexi
This arcade has operated since 1920, when Georgios Fexis built it. Fexis founded one of Greece’s most important publishing houses, which dominated the book industry during the early decades of the twentieth century. His publishing house brought works by prominent Greek and international authors to Greek readers. The arcade enjoyed its golden age during the decades when the historic Minion department store attracted shoppers and transformed the area. At that time, the arcade developed into a thriving shopping centre of its own, complementing Minion’s commercial activity.
During the same period, its basements were probably the largest typing centre in Athens, used by the lawyers of the time and the professors of the Technical University. Although today nothing reminds of its glorious past, the arcade still operates with a few shops and typing offices. (Patision 14)
Stoa Arsakeiou – Orpheos
Built at the beginning of the twentieth century, Stoa Arsakeiou ranks among Athens’ most impressive arcades. The building originally combined ground-floor shops with the Arsakeion Schools of the Filkpaideftiki Etairia. In 1907, the organisation commissioned architect Ernst Ziller to design the buildings along Stadiou Street. The arcade’s most striking feature remains its central glass dome, which crowns an elegant octagonal space beneath it.
In 1937, builders added the Orpheus Theatre to the arcade’s central section, further enriching its cultural character. In 1996, part of the arcade became Stoa Vivliou (Book Gallery), creating a dedicated space for bookstores. Its basement also houses the historic Theatro Technis (Art Theatre) of Karolos Koun, one of Athens’ important cultural institutions. Today, in February 2022, renovation work has closed the arcade’s shops, with plans to transform the space into Greece’s first food hall. (Stadiou 44)
Stoa Nikoloudi
The arcade that connects Panepistimiou Street with Stadiou Street is one of the most famous commercial and historical arcades in the city. It was built in 1936 by the famous Greek architect Alexandros Nikoloudis. He was one of the central figures of Greek architecture of the first decades of the twentieth century.
The arcade developed into an important commercial point of Athens and inside it housed shops that left their mark in the city, such as the historic bookstore Estia and the cafe of Loumidis. It is noteworthy that the architect lived on the top floor of the building until his death in 1944. The arcade was renovated in 2001 at the expense of Alpha Bank, which owns the building and today is a real gem in the city centre. (Stadiou 40)
Stoa Korai – Galleria
The beautiful and impeccably preserved arcade is a key point of everyday life in the city centre, especially on weekdays until the afternoon. It was built in 1938 and is part of the building of Ethniki Asfalistiki. Inside there are shops, cafes – one of them is Montakiou which serves one of the best sandwiches in town – and two historic cinemas, Astor and Asty, which are favourite destinations of the city’s cinephiles.
However, the arcade’s most intriguing feature lies hidden beneath its surface, in the basements originally constructed as an air-raid shelter. During the German Occupation, the Kommandantur used these underground spaces as detention centres, where German forces tortured thousands of Greek resistance fighters and several German dissidents. Today, the site operates as a museum and remains one of Athens’ lesser-known historical attractions, offering visitors a powerful glimpse into the city’s wartime past. (Read also our article: Revealing the secret sights of Athens) (Stadiou 30)
Stoa Ypourgeiou Ergasias – Tristrato
Three arcades run through the building block between Stadiou, Aristeidou and Dragatsaniou streets, where the Ypourgeio Ergasias (Ministry of Labour) is housed. The largest of them is known as Tristrato (meaning junction of three roads), due to its three outlets.
It houses shops with electrical appliances, collectibles (such as stamps and coins) and a unique shop with handmade wooden toys. The impressive fact about the arcade is that in its basements the ancient walls of the city are visible in many places. Finally, it is worth noting that the gallery was used for the shooting of the Netflix-produced Beckett movie. (Stadiou 29)
Stoa Aristidou – Anatolis
This arcade is one of the most picturesque small arcades in Athens. According to one theory, the architect who built it had lived in Alexandria in Egypt in a similar arcade and wanted to represent in the city centre the same place in which he had grown up.
In the past, the gallery housed many printing houses, of which few survive today, while some have been converted into photocopying centres. The indoor patio with the small cafe is really reminiscent of a small urban neighbourhood where time seems to have stopped. (Aristidou 12)
Stoa Emporon
Although it experienced glorious days in the 1950s and 1960s with the Tameio Emporon (Merchant Insurance Fund) being housed there and crowds wandering from Syntagma Square to the city’s Commercial Triangle, this arcade declined in the following decades and deteriorated. In 2018, an original effort was made by the Municipality of Athens for its renovation and the operation of new stores. Unfortunately in the long run the project proved to be a failure, with the result that today (February 2022) all the stores have been closed.
Nevertheless, the beautiful vintage light signs and the hidden murals at the exit to Lekka Street are a pleasant surprise during a walk in the city. Finally, the mere existence of the historic Ariston, at the entrance of the arcade on Voulis Street, which serves one of the best cheese pies in Athens, is a reason to come here. (Read also our article: 4 snacks that Athenians have grown up with) (Voulis 4)
Stoa Pyrrou
The beautiful neoclassical arcade at the end of Ermou Street is the second oldest commercial arcade in Athens. The three-storey building together with the arcade was built in 1885 on the site of the Louka Pyrrou House. It was designed according to the standards of the respective European galleries and the adjacent arcade of Megaro Mela that now houses the H&M store.
From Ermou Street, the gallery leads you to the busy Agias Eirinis Square. Right at the exit to the square is the famous School Pizza Bar. It is one of the best places in the city centre for delicious pizza. (Read also our article: Slice by slice – The best pizza in Athens) (Ermou 56)
Stoa Petropoulou
This small arcade in the centre of the busy Romvis Street, full of sewing, wedding and christening shops may not have any historical value. However, it is one of our favourites, because of the two lions guarding the entrance on Evangelistrias Street.
These are two excellent replicas of “Canova lions” that add a strange and original note to a common arcade, one of the dozens that exist in the Shopping Triangle of the city. (Read also our article: The Canova Lions of Romvis Street) (Romvis 13)
A part of the city to rediscover
Of course, there are many more arcades in the centre of Athens. Some have been turned into bars, others into restaurants, others have been closed to the public and others continue their operation in the bustling daily life of the city. The commercial arcades of Athens are an interesting part of the city that seems to be moving at its own pace. It is a part for the inhabitants of the city to rediscover it.
