By type of crime
- 42Overall safety
- 25Property crime
- 59Violent crime
Plaka scores 42 out of 100 (modelled estimate, Eurostat 2021–2024) for overall safety — above-average crime, on a scale where 50 is the average for Greece. Plaka 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 Plaka. An estimated 10,972 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 Plaka is actually like
Plaka is the old village under the north and east slopes of the Acropolis - narrow lanes, neoclassical houses, small museums and an unbroken run of tavernas and souvenir shops. Adrianou is the main tourist artery and Kydathineon the more atmospheric pedestrian spine; above them, Anafiotika is a pocket of whitewashed Cycladic-style houses built in the 1840s by workers from Anafi, and the quietest corner of the district. It is heavily touristed and genuinely beautiful at the same time.
After dark
Plaka stays lit and populated late - restaurant terraces, walkers and evening tour groups. It is one of the most comfortable places in Athens to walk at midnight.
What to watch for
- Pickpocketing and bag-snatching from chair backs at taverna terraces - Plaka sits inside the police 'first sector' where 520 pickpocketing arrests were made in 2025
- Tourist-menu overcharging, concentrated on Adrianou and Kydathineon; Greek authorities have prosecuted restaurants that withhold prices and then present inflated bills
- Bracelet and rose scams at the Plaka entrance near Hadrian's Arch and along Ermou
- The 'friendly local' bar invitation, reported along the Plaka restaurant rows
Staying here
The default first-trip choice, and rightly so: everything is walkable and the streets feel safe at any hour. Expect tourist-priced food and steps everywhere; travellers with mobility needs or a car will find Makrygianni easier.
Reputation against reality. Plaka has no meaningful safety reputation problem - the common complaint is the opposite, that it is a tourist-trap. Fair enough on the main two streets; one block off Adrianou or Kydathineon the crowds thin quickly.
Streets and squares: Adrianou · Kydathineon · Anafiotika · Hadrian's Arch (Plaka entrance) · Dionysiou Areopagitou
Other neighbourhoods in Athens
Nearby municipalities
Questions people ask
Is Plaka safe?+
SafetyMap estimates Plaka (Πλάκα) at 42 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 Plaka; there are no police figures for Plaka itself. As a rate, the estimate comes to roughly 2,200 property and 77 violent offences per 100,000 residents a year. The written notes on this page class it as “A good place to stay”.
Is Plaka safe at night?+
Plaka stays lit and populated late - restaurant terraces, walkers and evening tour groups. It is one of the most comfortable places in Athens to walk at midnight.
How does Plaka compare with the rest of Athens?+
Plaka 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 Plaka.