The ground-floor level stocks vintage movie posters and other memorabilia, while jaw-dropping views of the Acropolis upstairs more than compensate if the film’s a dud. It has been operating in its current form at the two-storey building across the road from Filomousou Etairia’s Square in the heart of Plaka since the 60’s (though it closed and was re-opened again with a new owner in 1986). The brainchild of a Greek hairdresser from Paris, it opened its doors in 1920 on a plot of land that was swallowed up by urban development. The selection of films featured are retro Hollywood flicks from the Golden Age of Cinema, adding to its old-world appeal.ħ Apostolou Pavlou Street, Thision, Athens.
Nestled in a green cocoon of vines, with spectacular views of the flood-lit Parthenon, the open air cinema doesn’t need to try too hard to be considered one of the most beautiful cinemas in Greece – and the world for that matter, according to reports by CNN, Conde Nast Traveler and the BBC. While the experience may be lacking in the latest state-of-the art technology, it more than makes up for it as far as summer nostalgia is concerned.īuilt in 1935, Cinema Thission is one of the oldest outdoor movie theatres in Athens. Cherry soda and buttered pop corn at hand with the faint hum of cicadas in the background and the latest Hollywood flick on the big screen and, perhaps, a stray cat stroking by your legs. Open-air cinemas are the stuff that childhood memories are made of in Greece.