By type of crime
- 28Overall safety
- 25Property crime
- 31Violent crime
Ano Petralona scores 28 out of 100 (modelled estimate, Eurostat 2021–2024) for overall safety — above-average crime, on a scale where 50 is the average for Greece. Ano Petralona has no police figures of its own. Its estimate starts from Athens's rate — Athens scores 25 for overall safety — and is adjusted for documented local reporting about Ano Petralona. An estimated 9,522 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 Petralona is actually like
Ano (Upper) Petralona is the half of Petralona above the Line 1 railway, climbing towards Filopappou hill. Low neoclassical houses, courtyards full of plants, narrow stepped lanes and the pedestrianised Troon street give it a village feel unusual this close to the centre. Mercouri Square is its social anchor and the mezedopoleia around Troon and Dorieon are why Athenians come over from other neighbourhoods. Visitors come for dinner and the Filopappou walk, not for sights.
After dark
Busy around the tavernas and on Troon until late, then quiet. The residential lanes empty out after midnight, and local guides suggest sticking to lit main streets and being ordinarily careful getting back to the metro.
What to watch for
- No neighbourhood-specific crime reporting found in Greek press for Ano Petralona
- Pickpocket teams reported working the boarding crush at Petralona station alongside Thiseio and Monastiraki
- Smaller residential lanes empty out late; local guidance is to use lit main streets after midnight
- Ano Petralona does not appear in either sector of the Hellenic Police 2026 central Athens plan
Staying here
A strong choice for repeat visitors and anyone who wants to eat where Athenians eat, with the Acropolis a twenty-minute walk or two metro stops away. Limited hotel stock, steep streets, and not the right call for a first, sight-packed trip.
Reputation against reality. Petralona is at the point Metaxourgeio reached ten years ago: still filed under 'working-class and a bit scruffy' by older guides, in practice one of the more desirable central neighbourhoods. Greek press has covered its shift from quiet laiki geitonia to a sought-after destination.
Streets and squares: Troon (pedestrianised) · Mercouri Square (Plateia Merkouri) · Dorieon · Kydantidon · Filopappou hill · Petralona metro station
Sources
- in2life - Petralona: two neighbourhoods, Ano and Kato
- Angels Athens - Petralona: tavernas, Filopappou and an evening walk (honest guide)
- This Is Athens (official city guide) - Thissio & Petralona
- newmoney - How a quiet working-class Athens neighbourhood became a sought-after destination
- Greek Wikipedia - Petralona
Other neighbourhoods in Athens
Nearby municipalities
Questions people ask
Is Ano Petralona safe?+
SafetyMap estimates Ano Petralona (Άνω Πετράλωνα) at 28 out of 100 for overall safety — above-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 Athens, adjusted for documented local reporting about Ano Petralona; there are no police figures for Ano Petralona itself. As a rate, the estimate comes to roughly 2,200 property and 180 violent offences per 100,000 residents a year. The written notes on this page class it as “A good place to stay”.
Is Ano Petralona safe at night?+
Busy around the tavernas and on Troon until late, then quiet. The residential lanes empty out after midnight, and local guides suggest sticking to lit main streets and being ordinarily careful getting back to the metro.
How does Ano Petralona compare with the rest of Athens?+
Ano Petralona has no police figures of its own. Its estimate starts from Athens's rate — Athens scores 25 for overall safety — and is adjusted for documented local reporting about Ano Petralona.