*at the risk of having this post removed*

Omonia Square is in a area of Athens where a lot of imigrants and Greeks of non-Greek decent live and it shows on the square and the surounding streets. Omonia also has some prostitues and junkies but, as Athenas said, if you use common sense and take the same precautions you would take anywhere else, there hardly is any risk. Because of the above tourists have an unsafe feeling where they should not have.

Omonia square is perfectly safe.Street crime is absolutely unheard of.

It has a GREAT inner city vibe WITHOUT the dangers commonly associated with it.

The presence of emigrands from all over the world make the area colorful & very interesting.

The junkies & prostitutes "reside" in some backstreets and NOT on Omonia Square (in other words YOU have to look for them ,they won't come to you :)!)

I've never-ever in my 40 years that I live in Athens heard of a junkie related mugging incident.

The only problem with Omonia square is that due to the metro station beeing directly under it,the fountain & trees were removed & it is now by far the UGLIEST central square in Europe :(

hi.

i don't believe that omonia area is dangerous.

it is not a very pleasant area to stay otherwise don't worry about safety.

Omonia square is not as unsafe as it used to be; nevertheless, I always feel a little uncomfortable when walking there after dark, maybe because I know what the situation was like, say, 20 years ago. It's a fun place to be, kind like Montmartre in Paris: a major tourist attraction along its main street, but a lot of brothels all over the area. They won't bother you if you don't bother them, it's that simple.

Ugly yes, unsafe no!

Foggy Omonia was NEVER unsafe (especially 20 years ago!)

There never was a SINGLE incident of mugging or beating or street crime in the area.

Street crime is virtually unknown in Greece,I am sure you agree with me!

I don't mean to sound patronizing to you but declaring an area "unsafe" sounds REALLY bad to an American/European who misunderstand the term (par example to an American the BRONX & HARLEM are considered unsafe & of course they have no resemblance to Omonia that is like a kindergarden compared to the really unsafe areas of the major cities in the world!)

Postoumios,

1. I never said Omonia is not safe, just mentioned that I feel a bit uncomfortable.

2. Me and a friend were mugged and beaten one night in Omonia back in 1987, so there is your single incident!

3. I agree that street crime is not an issue in Greece as it is in other large cities of Europe and the world.

4. I have found out that Bronx is a rather safe area, but I definetely feel safer in Athens.

5. Here are some numbers regarding crime statistics in various countries:

- Greece has 461 police officers per 100,000 population, while the EU average is 337 and USA is 230, so citizens and visitors to Greece are protected twice as good as in USA.

- In 2001 there were 0.57 murders per 100,000 population in Athens, compared to 0.94 in Ottawa, 1.24 in Rome, 2 in Paris, 2.6 in London, 2.87 in Brussels, 3.13 in Amsterdam, 8.65 in New York, 18.38 in Moscow and 42.87 in Washington DC (!)

- Crime in Greece increased by 2% between 1991 and 2001, compared to an EU average of -0.1%. Other countries performed as follows: Switzerland: -3.2%, UK: -3%, Italy: -2%, USA: -2%, Denmark: -0.9%, Cyprus: +2.2%, Russia: +3.2%, Poland: +4.8%, Japan: +4.8% and Estonia: +6.3%.

- Here is an extract from a recent survey by Mercer (14 March 2005) regarding personal safety and security in various European countries: "Many Western European cities appear at the top of the rankings. Luxembourg scores highest for personal safety and security, followed by Swiss and Scandinavian cities. Other high-scoring cities include Vienna, ranked 6th with a score of 116, followed by Düsseldorf, Munich, Nürnberg, Frankfurt, and Oslo, sharing 8th place with scores of 113. In contrast, Athens, Rome, and London appear at the lower end of the rankings for this region, at positions 83, 74, and 69 respectively (score 93.5, 95.5, and 99), due to high levels of petty crime. Madrid also scores relatively low, sharing 69th position with London, due to terrorism".

- And here are the results of the same survey for north American cities: "All of the Canadian cities covered by the survey appear in the top 20 rankings for personal safety and security. Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver rank jointly in position 18 with scores of 112. In the US, Honolulu, Houston, Lexington, San Francisco, and Winston Salem rank highest in joint 45th position with scores of 104. Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Minneapolis, Pittsburgh, Portland, and New York all follow in 58th place with scores of 100. The lowest scoring city in North America is Atlanta, ranked 90 with a score of 90.5, due to street crime and burglary. In Mexico, Monterrey and Mexico City rank 87 and 126, scoring 92 and 72.5 respectively".

Thank you very much for information.I have heard what I wanted to know.

hi.

foggy you are amazing!

everytime you find such interesting things to post.well done!

you are a great help to these forums.