Rebetiko

Rebetiko took shape in the early twentieth century in the harbours and working quarters of Athens, Piraeus and Thessaloniki, and it stayed there long enough to become the sound of urban Greece rather than the countryside. The instruments are bouzouki, the small high-strung baglamas that could be hidden in a coat, guitar and sometimes accordion. The modes are borrowed from further east and the songs are short, direct and mostly about hardship, love, drink and leaving. Two dances belong to it: the zeibekiko, danced alone and improvised, and the hasapiko in a line. UNESCO listed the tradition in 2017. It is still played nightly, and the audience sings along.

What you actually see

• The bouzouki and baglamas - the long-necked lute and its pocket-sized companion.
• The zeibekiko - a solo dance improvised on the spot, which nobody joins uninvited.
• The old repertoire - songs from the 1920s and 1930s that most Greeks still know by heart.
• The instrument museum in Plaka - a small collection that explains what you are hearing.

When to go

The live season runs roughly October to May, when the city venues are open and full; in high summer many close or move outdoors and the scene thins. Nights start very late by most standards, often after eleven, and the good part comes after midnight. Weekends are packed enough to need a table booked; weeknights are quieter and often better played.

Honest expectations

What is billed to tourists in Plaka is usually a diluted set with amplification and a cover charge, and it is not the same thing. Real venues are smoky in practice whatever the rules say, loud, and conducted entirely in Greek. You are expected to order food and drink for the table rather than sit with one glass. Nothing gets going before you would normally want to sleep.

Nearby

Most venues cluster in the central Athens districts and around Piraeus, within reach of the metro until it stops running.