There are lots of ways to test the durability of your connection with someone. Like bringing your mum on a date, say, or having one too many drinks and telling a near-stranger about how you’ve started collecting cat figurines. But perhaps the best way to find out in a hurry if you’re compatible with someone is to take them to an escape room. First, you’ll know if you can literally stand to be near them for more than an hour. You are locked into a small space together with only two choices: to work together to solve an interactive puzzle or use a glowing red panic button to make an early exit.
But the second, and perhaps most important, part of doing an escape room is discovering your companion’s true personality. Are they bossy? Will they let you express an idea without judgement? Will they yell at you if you mess something up? How do they handle pressure? How competitive are they? Sure, you can ask a person these things, but they will probably lie. And if YOU want to reveal how you would react under pressure, here’s your opportunity to do what we in journalism refer to as “showing, not telling”.
A little medieval magic.
Courtesy: Great Escape Rooms
Full disclosure: I have done an escape room on a date before. It did not go well. We didn’t solve the puzzle because my approach is one of intense laid-backness. Maybe we’ll finish, maybe we won’t, but we had fun, right?
Unfortunately, this is not how my date felt. The more he pushed me to find a clue, the more inclined I was to press the panic button. So with this experience in mind, I briefed my date this time about my general attitude towards escape rooms, and to my immense relief, he was totally fine with the “let’s just see how it goes” approach.
We headed to Great Escape Rooms in Psirri, a choice I made based both on location (surrounded by bars and cafés for after our escape) and the variety of rooms. It was a drizzly weekday, so the reception area was crowded with tourists who were dodging the rain.
Great Escape Rooms have seven choices in total; the Circus is the easiest room, and Release the Kraken is hardest. If you have the time and feel up to the task, the staff at Great Escape highly recommends choosing a room with an actor. They are professionals who are there exclusively to help you and your group to solve the puzzle, and those rooms last longer than the other options.
The room we ended up in was called The Perfect Crime, where the idea is to solve a murder by finding the weapon and then getting out of there. I don’t want to give anything away, so I won’t get into too much detail, but we spent a lot of time feeling pretty stumped. We ended up getting 8 clues in total, and escaped with a little more than 2 minutes to spare. It was more active than I remembered—my date and I spent a lot of time running from one end of the room to the other, and I definitely broke a sweat by the end; so if you’re planning on participating with a full face of makeup, consider the waterproof route (and definitely don’t wear heels).
The secret garden.
Courtesy: Great Escape Rooms
You're going to need to eat.
Photo: Amalia Kovaiou
We toasted our escape with a casual drink at Handlebar, an unpretentious, bike-themed bar with seating that spills onto the narrow street outside. This place has lots of beer options and some decent raki. While it can get pretty touristy, a very loyal contingent of locals hang out here all the time. And there are plenty of other options within walking distance. If you’re looking to continue the immersive, fantasy theme in an outlandishly decorated atmosphere, try Little Kook. If you want to celebrate your big escape room win with a sit-down meal, Nikitas and Avli, two local favourites that serve traditional Greek food, are both just a short walk away. And if all you need is a quick (but very good) souvlaki to top off your evening, there’s always Tsiknaboom, conveniently just around the corner from Handlebar.
If you want to explore escape rooms in other parts of the city, or if you want to try more than one while you’re here, check out our list of the top escape rooms in Athens:
Top Escape Rooms in Athens
The Mystery Lab
This Peristeri-based “lab” has five escape rooms to pick from, ranging from 70 minutes to two hours. We recommend Requiem (a two-hour experience that also features actors) and Enigma, where you’ll work to crack the code of German messages during the Second World War. Make sure to note that you’re requesting the room in English when you book.
Trapped
Trapped has a few locations around the city—Neos Kosmos, Palio Faliro, and Halandri. Our favourite room is Experimentum X at the Halandri location: you’re a willing participant in an experimental trial, one that requires you to make quick decisions to (hopefully) evade death. You won’t find information in English on their website, but if you have questions you can call them or send them a Facebook message. All of their rooms are in English except for A-Maze.
GameOver
This escape room franchise can be found across Europe, with two locations here in Athens. It might not have the biggest selection of rooms, but the quality of the experience itself is great. Try Aztek Empire: Temple of the Skull, a challenging room that also features a live performance.
Is the game ever really over at Game Over?
Courtesy: Game Over
Enter if you dare.
Courtesy: Mastermind
Lockhill
The themes of all the rooms at Lockhill are connected; they are all part of the same “house” and the clues you get come from a diary left by Professor Nathan Jones, a researcher who went to Lockhill for archaeological research and never returned. There are three rooms available to everyone, but start with Lockwood Manor. You’ll want to come back to do the rest.
Mastermind
Mastermind is another centrally-located option surrounded by great places to go once you’ve broken out of the room. There are only three choices here (all in English), but the themes are unique compared to others around the city; we suggest Thomas Crown, which allows you to investigate art theft and possible fraud.
Paradox Project
Located in a gorgeous neoclassical building in Kallithea, Paradox Project is a little different from other escape rooms in the city. There are only two puzzles, Paradox Project and Paradox Project II, and they both last more than two hours, perfect for escape room devotees. These rooms are available in English, but require some setup, so make sure to book well in advance.