A couple of years ago, I started pottery classes in Athens. By the time the studio closed for summer, I was so taken with the pleasure of working with clay, and the easy conversation around the table, that I bought 10 kilos online and carried on at home. Making things had become a small but absorbing part of my week, calming my mind and giving space to a creative impulse that work, chores and rushing about tended to crowd out.
That is part of the appeal of a good craft class. There is a technique to learn, a new circle of people to meet and the satisfaction of watching something take shape under your hands. The result might be a slightly uneven cup or a piece you are proud to display. Either way, you have made it yourself. As the days grow shorter, a few hours in a studio can become something to look forward to, whether you join once or make it a weekly habit.
Athens offers plenty of ways to begin. In Pangrati, Keramikos and Kypseli, pottery studios introduce newcomers to wheel throwing, hand-building and painting ceramics. Beyond clay, an iconographer near Plaka teaches painting with egg tempera, a studio on Ermou opens up the patient craft of mosaic-making, and a small museum in Pangrati puts marble-carving tools into visitors’ hands. You can also build a miniature garden inside glass in Ampelokipoi or learn to weave on a loom near the Acropolis.
The 13 studios and workshops below range from short sessions that fit into a day of sightseeing to regular courses worth making room for in your week. Several offer instruction in English; check the language when booking, along with collection arrangements for ceramics that need firing. You can arrive as a complete beginner. A little curiosity is a good place to start.
(Cover: Akron Aoton Ceramics / @sotodemaderaphoto)
FIND YOUR CRAFT
01. The Creative Loft
In Pangrati, The Creative Loft makes pottery painting an easy, sociable introduction to ceramics. Choose from more than 75 ready-made pieces, from mugs to plant pots, then spend 2 unhurried hours painting your own design. The studio handles the glazing and firing, with finished pieces ready to collect 10–14 days later, a detail to plan around if you are visiting Athens. Regular Sip and Splatter evenings add drinks and music to the mix. The painting sessions welcome complete beginners aged 9 and up, with guidance and materials supplied.
Eratosthenous 27, Pangrati
WHEEL THROWING & HAND-BUILDING
02. Threesome Ceramics
In Pangrati, Christina Papadopoulou and Viki Topalidou run Threesome Ceramics, an airy studio where weekly pottery classes leave room to develop a style of your own. Lessons introduce hand-building, pinching, coiling, slab work and wheel throwing, with clay bodies and glazes to experiment with along the way. The regular course meets for 3 hours each week, making this a rewarding choice for a longer stay or a new weekly ritual. The open-plan space also displays finished work, while experienced ceramicists can join through an open-access membership.
Amynta 13, Pangrati
03. Pilos
In Kypseli, Pilos treats pottery as a social experience as much as a technical one. Founder Aris Sihlimiris has created a colorful, welcoming studio where adults and children can discover what clay will do in their hands. Students learn pinching, coiling and slab construction alongside glazing and pigment work, building toward finished pieces from the first session. Single-session workshops suit visitors passing through, while monthly courses give those staying longer time to develop their skills. Family sessions bring parents and children together to make and experiment side by side.
Kefallinias 2A, Kypseli
04. Korkodilos
In Keramikos, Korkodilos brings hand-built ceramics together with lively conversation and room to experiment. Its 4×3 program offers a 3-hour session each week for 4 weeks, giving students time to shape clay by hand and gradually find their own approach. Founder Alexandros Ntouras encourages free expression within the rhythm of a regular class, with discussion of art and ideas becoming part of the experience. Private lessons and team-building sessions offer other ways in, while a membership program gives experienced potters a place to continue their own work.
Plataion 56, Keramikos
05. Akron Aoton
Minimalist, earth-toned ceramics fill Akron Aoton, the quiet Keramikos studio run by Anastasia Damalidou and Konstantinos Karnakis. Their raku-fired pieces draw on nature and history, offering plenty to look at before you begin shaping your own. Current classes welcome beginners and experienced students for wheel throwing, hand-building, surface decoration and high-fire glazing. Around the communal table, a cup or vase becomes a way to explore form and texture with guidance close at hand. Adult sessions run for 3 hours, and English-language lessons are available by appointment. Contact the studio through Instagram to book.
Megalou Alexandrou 104–106, Keramikos
06. Center for the Study of Modern Ceramics
Near ancient Keramikos, the Center for the Study of Modern Ceramics pairs pottery classes with a close look at the craft’s history. Housed in a neoclassical building, this museum and research foundation offers lessons for adults and children, with some sessions available in English. Its collection and archive trace regional pottery traditions, giving the objects you make a wider context. A courtyard and a small shop of ceramics and publications add to the pleasure of a visit. Check the current program for a class suited to your age, experience and length of stay.
Melidoni 4–6, Keramikos
KINTSUGI REPAIR & MOSAIC MAKING
07. The Art Lab
In Gazi, The Art Lab offers a changing calendar of creative workshops, from mosaic-making to candle-making and painting under blacklight. Its kintsugi sessions introduce the Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with visible golden seams, turning the repair itself into part of the design. Other workshops bring in graffiti-inspired techniques and playful experiments with color. The variety makes this an appealing choice for friends who want to try something together without committing to a longer course. Choose a particular workshop from the current calendar and confirm its language when booking.
Aigaleo 8, Gazi
08. Atelier Pilarinos
At Atelier Pilarinos, iconographer Babis Pilarinos introduces beginners to Byzantine icon painting through the traditional egg tempera technique, mixing pigments with egg yolk. Over 3 hours, participants paint the face of a saint onto prepared wood, with all materials supplied. The sessions are held in English on Monday or Wednesday evenings and Saturday mornings, making this a manageable introduction to a detailed, centuries-old craft. Pilarinos also offers fresco and encaustic painting workshops in November 2026 and January 2027 for anyone keen to explore other ways of working with color.
Mitropoleos Square 11, Plaka
09. Anna Karountzou
In her Kolonaki studio, Anna Karountzou offers ceramics classes through a monthly subscription that includes 4 weekly sessions. An Athens-born artist with a background in art conservation, she brings a distinctive sensibility to clay: her own pieces favor raw, tactile forms, with volcanic rock and vine ash among the materials that inform her work. The regular classes offer time to become absorbed in the process and return to it week after week, with a practicing ceramicist’s perspective close at hand. Contact her through Instagram for the current schedule and enrollment.
Deinokratous 13, Kolonaki
10. 13 Mosaic Studio
On Ermou, 13 Mosaic Studio introduces beginners to mosaic-making in a bright studio above the shops and cafes of the historic center. Its 3- and 5-hour experiences connect the history of the craft with the satisfying work of arranging small pieces of marble into a design of your own. Printed patterns, tools and materials are supplied, and workshops are offered in English, Greek and Spanish. There are also family sessions for creating a shared piece. The result is a tangible memory of Athens, made slowly by hand between visits to the city’s sights.
Ermou 36, Syntagma
11. Marble Art
In Pangrati, Marble Art brings visitors close to Greek marble sculpture through small-group carving workshops in a museum and working studio. Surrounded by examples of the craft, participants learn about the material and the traditional hand tools used to shape it before beginning their own piece. The workshop guides you through designing and carving a personal symbol or relief into marble, with the finished work to take home. It is a particularly tactile way to engage with a material seen throughout Athens, from ancient monuments to the city’s everyday streets.
Stasinou 8, Pangrati
12. Mount Moss
In Ampelokipoi, Mount Moss teaches beginners to build a miniature garden inside glass, layering soil, moss and plants into a closed terrarium. The 2-hour workshops combine making with practical guidance on caring for the little ecosystem you take home. No gardening background is needed, and the studio also arranges private sessions and group experiences. Choosing and placing each element is part of the pleasure, with the finished landscape continuing to change after the class. With suitable light and the right conditions, it needs only minimal care. Check the workshop calendar for available dates.
Evrytanias 56, Ampelokipoi
13. Ifenin
Near the Acropolis, Ifenin brings traditional loom weaving to life through an interactive exhibition and workshops led by Chrysa Georgiou’s studio. Museum looms, old tools and a film trace the journey from raw wool to thread and woven fabric, giving the practical work a sense of continuity. Sessions use natural materials and can introduce frame, traditional or modern looms, with the format adapted to individuals and groups. It is an inviting way to discover the patient work behind a textile and begin creating one yourself. Contact the studio to arrange a visit and discuss the workshop that suits you.
Propileon 15, Makrigianni
