Cinema Under the Stars

Every Athenian has a story to tell about Cine Paris. For some, it is the Friday night family outing of childhood summers. For others, the setting of a memorable first date. Many have browsed its vintage poster shop, while others have lost count of back-to-back screenings beneath the warm night sky. Today, this beloved institution stands as one of the oldest open-air cinemas in Greece—a living thread in the fabric of Athenian summer.

Nestled in the historic Plaka neighborhood, Cine Paris is impossible to miss. Its terrace offers a view that often rivals the films themselves: the Acropolis, illuminated and eternal, rising just beyond the screen. Here, cinema and antiquity converge in a setting so uniquely Athenian that it has captured hearts for generations.

First opened in the 1920s on Kidathineon Street, Cine Paris was named after the city of lights by its Greek founder—a hairdresser who had spent years in Paris. Originally operating year-round in an indoor space, it relocated in the early 1960s to the characterful building at Kidathineon 22, where it remains today. After a period of closure, it reopened in 1986 as an exclusively open-air cinema, embracing the seasonal magic that would define its legacy.

Following a four-year closure for extensive renovation, Cine Paris reopened in May 2024 under the curatorial guidance of Cinobo, Greece’s leading streaming platform dedicated to film. Now operating within a building owned by the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation, the cinema promises to deliver an experience like no other on its breathtaking terrace—where classics, contemporary gems, and Greek cinema unfold under a canopy of stars, with the Parthenon as your eternal backdrop.