By type of crime
- 51Overall safety
- 56Property crime
- 45Violent crime
Ano Poli scores 51 out of 100 (modelled estimate, Eurostat 2021–2024) for overall safety — average crime, on a scale where 50 is the average for Greece. Ano Poli has no police figures of its own, so its estimate is Patras's: both score 51 for overall safety. An estimated 833 people live there: the 2021 census counts the surrounding community as a whole, and this is its share by area.
The score is absolute, not a ranking: 50 is the offence rate of Greece as a whole and every doubling of the rate costs the same points, so any two places compare directly. How the scores are made
Updated · police figures: Eurostat 2021–2024 · What's new
What Ano Poli is actually like
The historic upper town, spread over the slopes below the Byzantine castle and the Roman Odeon, reached from the lower city by the famous flights of steps. It is the one genuinely atmospheric quarter of Patras: low stone houses, small squares, tavernas and a handful of boutique guesthouses, mixed with an elderly resident population and a steady trickle of students and short-let visitors. Travel guides routinely call it the best base in the city, and it is the only part of Patras people visit for its own sake rather than to catch a boat. Compared with the flat commercial grid below, it is quieter, greener and better looking, but also patchier: restored terraces sit next to derelict plots and empty buildings.
After dark
Evenings are calm and sociable around the tavernas and the lit Agiou Nikolaou steps, which were rebuilt and given colour lighting and are busy in spring and summer. Away from those few lit spines the lanes empty early and street lighting is thin. Residents have publicly complained about neglected empty plots and abandoned buildings in the urban fabric.
What to watch for
- Unlit side lanes and stepped alleys once you leave the taverna streets
- Derelict buildings and overgrown vacant plots between restored houses
- The long stair climbs back up from the lower town late at night — poorly lit in stretches
- Uneven steps and no street lighting make the descent to the centre slow after drinking
Staying here
Yes — the best-regarded area to stay in Patras for anyone spending a night or two in the city. For an early Italy ferry it is the wrong end of the walk: the Italy boats leave from the South (New) Port about 4 km from the centre, so budget a taxi. For the Ionian boats from the North (Old) Port it is a 15-20 minute downhill walk.
Reputation against reality. Reputation lags reality upward here: guides sell Ano Poli as uniformly picturesque, but it is a half-restored quarter with real dereliction between the pretty streets. Nothing in the 2024-2026 police or press record singles it out for crime.
Streets and squares: Agiou Nikolaou steps (Σκάλες Αγίου Νικολάου) · Germanou · Ileias
Other neighbourhoods in Patras
Nearby municipalities
Questions people ask
Is Ano Poli safe?+
SafetyMap estimates Ano Poli (Άνω Πόλη) at 51 out of 100 for overall safety — average crime, on a scale where 50 is the Greek average. It is a modelled estimate, not a count of crimes recorded there: it comes from the estimate for Patras, since there are no police figures for Ano Poli itself. As a rate, the estimate comes to roughly 560 property and 120 violent offences per 100,000 residents a year. The written notes on this page class it as “Fine by day, care after dark”.
Is Ano Poli safe at night?+
Evenings are calm and sociable around the tavernas and the lit Agiou Nikolaou steps, which were rebuilt and given colour lighting and are busy in spring and summer. Away from those few lit spines the lanes empty early and street lighting is thin. Residents have publicly complained about neglected empty plots and abandoned buildings in the urban fabric.
How does Ano Poli compare with the rest of Patras?+
Ano Poli has no police figures of its own, so its estimate is Patras's: both score 51 for overall safety.