The Acropolis and the Parthenon rising above the rooftops of central Athens at sunset

Where to stay in Athens: the best neighbourhoods, and the night before a ferry

Eight neighbourhoods and Piraeus, who each one suits, the metro line it sits on, and the hotels in every one.

Updated October 2026

For a first stay of two or three nights, the answer to where to stay in Athens is Plaka, Koukaki or Monastiraki: the Acropolis on foot, a metro station a few minutes away. Plaka is the prettiest and the dearest, Koukaki the best value, Monastiraki the best connected, with direct trains to Piraeus and the airport. If your ferry leaves at dawn, the right bed is in Piraeus.

The best neighbourhoods in Athens, and the hotels in each

Everything a first visit needs fits in a square of about two kilometres around the Acropolis, so the neighbourhoods below differ less in what you can see than in how loud the night is and which metro line is at the door. Where each one sits against the rock and the stations is on our map of Athens. The hotels are listed from the most expensive down in every area.

For a first visit, on foot to everything

Plaka

No metro inside · Syntagma, Monastiraki and Akropoli 5 to 10 min walk

The village of lanes, bougainvillea and neoclassical houses that wraps the north-east slope of the rock, and the answer most people want to hear. You walk to the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora and Syntagma, and the streets go quiet after the tavernas close, which Monastiraki never does. You pay for it: rooms are smaller and dearer than anywhere else in the centre, the lanes are pedestrian and stepped, so the taxi stops at the edge and you drag the case the rest, and there is no metro station inside the quarter.

Luxury
Electra Palace Athens
Plaka, Nikodimou Street
From
$201
The five star of Plaka, with a rooftop pool and restaurant looking straight at the Parthenon. The view is from the roof, not from every room: ask for an Acropolis-view room if that is the point.
- Rooftop pool
- Acropolis from the roof
- Five star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
AVA Hotel & Suites
Plaka, Lysikratous Street
From
$226
Suites rather than rooms, on a quiet street by the Lysicrates monument, two minutes from the Acropolis Museum side of the quarter.
- Suites
- Quiet street
- Four star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Plaka Hotel
Plaka, on Mitropoleos
From
$119
On the Monastiraki edge of Plaka, with a roof garden that faces the Acropolis. The most useful mid-range address of the quarter: a few minutes to two metro lines.
- Roof garden
- Acropolis view from the top
- Near Monastiraki metro
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Hermes Hotel
Plaka, Apollonos Street
From
$104
Two minutes on foot from the cathedral and five from Syntagma, on the flat northern side of Plaka, which spares you the steps with luggage.
- Flat street
- Near Syntagma
- Central
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Adams Hotel
Plaka, Herefondos Street
From
$57
A simple two star on a corner in the middle of the old quarter. You are paying for the address, not the room.
- Budget
- In the lanes
- Simple rooms
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Nefeli Hotel
Plaka, Hatzimichali Street
From
$67
Small and plain, on a pedestrian lane between the Lysicrates monument and Kydathineon. One of the few genuinely cheap beds inside Plaka.
- Budget
- Pedestrian lane
- Small
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the metro, and for rooftop bars

Monastiraki

Metro lines 1 and 3 · direct to Piraeus and to the airport

The most connected square in Athens. Monastiraki station is on line 1, straight to Piraeus, and line 3, straight to the airport, so it is the base that makes both transfers trivial. The flea market, the Ancient Agora and the rooftop bars with the best-known Acropolis views are all on the square or a street away. The price is noise: the square is busy until late, buskers included, so ask for a room off the front or on a high floor.

Mid-range
A for Athens
Monastiraki Square
From
$123
On the square itself, facing the metro, with a rooftop bar that looks across at the Acropolis. The location is the product. Light sleepers should ask for the back.
- On the square
- Rooftop bar
- Metro at the door
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
360 Degrees
Monastiraki Square
From
$123
The other hotel on the square, named for its rooftop. Same trade as A for Athens: the view and the metro at the door, the noise of the square below.
- On the square
- Rooftop
- Metro at the door
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Attalos Hotel
Monastiraki, Athinas Street
From
$65
A long-running three star on Athinas, two minutes up from the square, with a roof garden facing the Acropolis. The cheapest rooftop view in the centre.
- Roof garden
- Acropolis view from the top
- Budget
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Arion Athens Hotel
Monastiraki, Agiou Dimitriou
From
$93
On a side street between Monastiraki and Plaka, so you get the station a few minutes away without the square under the window.
- Side street
- Between Plaka and Monastiraki
- Near metro
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
The Zillers Athens Boutique Hotel
Monastiraki, Mitropoleos
From
$125
A small boutique hotel on Mitropoleos, steps from the cathedral and Ermou, in the walk between Monastiraki and Syntagma.
- Boutique
- Small
- Central
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For the airport, and for the grand hotels

Syntagma

Metro lines 2 and 3 · X95 airport bus 24 hours

The administrative centre of the city, Parliament on one side and the grand hotels on the other. It is the transport hub that matters most to a visitor: line 3 to the airport, line 2 to Akropoli, and the X95 bus to the airport around the clock, which is the fallback when the metro is not running. Plaka begins on the other side of Ermou, so you are ten minutes from the Acropolis on foot. It is less charming in the evening than Plaka and less lively than Psyrri.

Luxury
Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens
Syntagma Square
From
$449
The historic hotel of Athens, on the square since the nineteenth century, with a roof garden restaurant facing the Acropolis. Some rooms have the view, most look over the square or the city.
- Roof garden
- On Syntagma Square
- Five star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens
Syntagma Square
From
$309
Next door to the Grande Bretagne and smaller, with the same square and the same metro entrance across the road.
- On Syntagma Square
- Five star
- Metro opposite
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
Athens Capital Center Hotel-MGallery Collection
Syntagma Square, Venizelou Avenue
From
$206
A five star on the corner of the square, on the side of the metro exit for the airport line.
- Five star
- On the square
- Airport metro
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
New Hotel
Syntagma, Filellinon Street
From
$207
A design hotel on Filellinon, two minutes from the square and five from the first lanes of Plaka.
- Design hotel
- Near Plaka
- Five star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
innAthens
Syntagma, Souri Street
From
$145
A small four star on a side street off Filellinon, between Syntagma and Plaka, quieter than anything on the square.
- Side street
- Between Syntagma and Plaka
- Small
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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The cobbled Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street in Makrygianni, Athens, wet at night, with a large mural on a building near the Acropolis Museum — Koukaki, the neighbourhood south of the Acropolis. Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

For the Acropolis at the door, without the souvenir shops

Koukaki and Makrygianni

Metro line 2, Akropoli · Acropolis south entrance about 12 min

The south side of the rock. Makrygianni is the strip along the Acropolis Museum and the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade, where the hotels with the closest views sit. Koukaki, behind it, is a residential grid with pedestrian streets of cafés and bars, Drakou and Georgiou Olympiou, and the best value for a first visit: Plaka's location without Plaka's prices. Akropoli station on line 2 is the stop, and the airport is one change away, at Syntagma.

Luxury
AthensWas Design Hotel
Makrygianni, Dionysiou Areopagitou
From
$288
On the pedestrian promenade under the south slope, a five-minute walk from the Acropolis Museum and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. As close to the rock as a hotel gets.
- On the promenade
- Five star
- Walk to the Acropolis
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Herodion Athens
Makrygianni, Rovertou Galli
From
$123
Behind the Acropolis Museum, within five minutes of it and of the Theatre of Dionysus, with a roof terrace facing the Parthenon.
- Roof terrace
- By the Acropolis Museum
- Four star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
Divani Palace Acropolis
Makrygianni, Parthenonos Street
From
$144
A large five star on a quiet street below the rock, ten minutes on foot from the south entrance. The family option of the area: big rooms and a pool.
- Five star
- Pool
- Large rooms
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
COCO-MAT Athens BC
Makrygianni, Falirou Street
From
$196
Four minutes from the Acropolis Museum, at the Makrygianni end of Falirou, run by the Greek mattress maker, which is the point of the beds.
- Five star
- By the museum
- Rooftop
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Athens Gate Hotel
Makrygianni, Syngrou Avenue
From
$143
At the top of Syngrou, opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus, with a rooftop restaurant that takes in the temple and the Acropolis together. The avenue is busy, the rooftop is the reason to stay.
- Rooftop restaurant
- Opposite Olympian Zeus
- Four star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
See availability
Mid-range
Urban Stripes Athens
Koukaki, Veikou Street
From
$82
On Veikou in the middle of Koukaki, ten minutes from the museum and from Filopappou Hill. Suites rather than standard rooms, for a longer stay.
- Suites
- In Koukaki
- Near Filopappou
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Philippos Hotel
Makrygianni, Mitseon Street
From
$82
A plain three star five minutes from the Acropolis Museum and the Theatre of Dionysus. You pay for the walk, not the décor.
- Walk to the museum
- Three star
- Quiet street
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Acropolis Select Hotel
Koukaki, Falirou Street
From
$61
On Falirou, five minutes from the Acropolis Museum, and one of the cheaper three stars this close to it.
- Budget
- Near the museum
- Three star
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Acropolis Hill
Koukaki, Mousson Street
From
$113
On the Filopappou side of Koukaki, ten minutes from the hill and the museum, with a small pool. Quieter, and a longer walk to the metro.
- Pool
- Filopappou side
- Quiet
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For nights out, and for value

Psyrri

Monastiraki metro 5 min walk · lines 1 and 3

The few blocks north of Monastiraki where Athens goes out: tavernas with live music, mezedopolia, bars and street art, busy until two or three. It is cheaper than Plaka for a bigger room, and Monastiraki station is five minutes away. It is also the wrong choice for a light sleeper, and its northern edge, towards Sofokleous and Omonia, feels rougher after dark: stay on the Monastiraki side of Evripidou.

Mid-range
O&B Athens Boutique Hotel
Psyrri, Leokoriou Street
From
$72
A small boutique hotel on the quiet western edge of Psyrri, towards Thissio, where the bars thin out.
- Boutique
- Quiet edge
- Near Thissio
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
See availability
Mid-range
Kerameion
Psyrri, Agion Anargyron
From
$104
On Agion Anargyron, the street of the old church, in the middle of the quarter and two minutes from the bars.
- In the middle of Psyrri
- Three star
- Lively
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
The Foundry Suites
Psyrri, Sarri Street
From
$200
Suites in a converted building on Sarri, the street with most of the nightlife. Space for the money, noise in season.
- Suites
- On Sarri
- Nightlife
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Fresh Hotel
Sofokleous, by the central market
From
$126
A design four star with a rooftop pool, between Psyrri and the central market. Good value, but on the Omonia side: take a taxi back late.
- Rooftop pool
- Four star
- Market side
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For a quiet base with the view in the street

Thissio

Metro line 1, Thissio · direct to Piraeus

The pedestrian promenade of Apostolou Pavlou runs along the west side of the Acropolis and the Ancient Agora, with café tables that face the rock. Thissio is calmer than Monastiraki, ten minutes away on foot, and its station is on line 1, direct to Piraeus, which makes it a good last night before a ferry. For the airport, change at Monastiraki. It has few hotels, so book early.

Mid-range
Hotel Thissio
Thissio, Apostolou Pavlou
On the promenade itself, facing the Acropolis across the Agora. The location most hotels in Athens would pay for.
- On the promenade
- Acropolis in front
- Small
Check live prices and availability
See availability
Mid-range
Hotel Jason Inn
Thissio, Assomaton Street
From
$77
Between Thissio and Psyrri, a few minutes from Thissio and Monastiraki stations.
- Between two stations
- Three star
- Quiet street
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For shopping, museums and a grown-up evening

Kolonaki

Metro: Syntagma or Evangelismos at the edges · Acropolis about 25 min walk

The smart quarter on the lower slopes of Lycabettus: boutiques, galleries, the Benaki and Cycladic museums, and cafés where Athenians sit for hours. It is safe, residential and quiet at night. It is also uphill, further from the Acropolis than the other bases, and there is no metro station in the middle of it: Syntagma and Evangelismos, both on line 3, are at its edges.

Luxury
St George Lycabettus Hotel
Kolonaki, Kleomenous Street
From
$129
On the slope of Lycabettus at the top of Kolonaki, with views across the city to the Acropolis from the upper floors. A steep walk back from anywhere.
- Five star
- City views
- On Lycabettus
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
COCO-MAT Hotel Athens
Kolonaki, Patriarchou Ioakim
From
$165
In the middle of the quarter, on one of its main shopping streets, a short walk from the Benaki and Cycladic museums.
- In Kolonaki
- Four star
- Near the museums
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Lozenge Hotel
Kolonaki, Valaoritou Street
From
$107
On the Syntagma side of Kolonaki, so the flattest walk to the metro and to Plaka.
- Syntagma side
- Four star
- Small
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Sir Athens
Kolonaki, Kaplanon Street
From
$106
A small hotel on a side street off Akadimias, between Kolonaki and the university.
- Small
- Side street
- Central
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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For living like an Athenian

Pangrati

Metro: Evangelismos, line 3, at the edge · Acropolis about 30 min walk

The residential neighbourhood behind the Panathenaic Stadium, with the best neighbourhood tavernas and bars in the centre, around Varnava Square and Archimidous, and almost no tourists. It is mostly apartments rather than hotels, and it has no metro of its own: Evangelismos, on line 3, is at its northern edge, and the Acropolis is about half an hour on foot through the National Garden or the Zappeion. A base for a second visit, or for a longer stay.

Luxury
Divani Caravel
Edge of Pangrati, Vassileos Alexandrou
From
$134
A large five star on the avenue between Pangrati and the Hilton, with a rooftop pool, a few minutes' walk from Evangelismos station.
- Five star
- Rooftop pool
- Near Evangelismos
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
Pagrati Park
Pangrati, Zinodotou Street
Small and inside the neighbourhood itself, for people who came for Pangrati rather than for a hotel.
- In Pangrati
- Small
- Residential street
Check live prices and availability
See availability

For the night before an early ferry

Piraeus

Metro lines 1 and 3, Piraeus · opposite gates E5 and E6

Not a place to spend a holiday, but the right bed when the boat leaves at seven. The hotels around the port and Karaiskaki Square put you on foot from the gates. Kastella and Mikrolimano, above and beside the port, are nicer for dinner and a taxi ride away. The port is large: the metro faces gates E5 and E6, while E1 to E3, for Crete and the Dodecanese, are more than a kilometre further.

Value
Hotel Triton
Piraeus, Tsamadou Street
From
$60
A five-minute walk from the port, with a cruise terminal shuttle for a fee. The practical choice for a dawn sailing.
- 5 min walk to the port
- Budget
- Cruise shuttle
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Value
Piraeus Port Hotel
Piraeus, Notara Street
From
$57
Ten minutes on foot from the port, a two star for one night and an early alarm.
- 10 min walk to the port
- Budget
- Simple
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Luxury
Piraeus Theoxenia Hotel
Piraeus centre
From
$62
The five star of Piraeus, in the centre of town, about five minutes by taxi from the gates and from Mikrolimano.
- Five star
- Taxi to the port
- Central Piraeus
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
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Mid-range
The Alex
Piraeus, Kastella
From
$83
Up in Kastella, on Papanastasiou Avenue, close to the tavernas of Mikrolimano. A nicer evening than the port, and a taxi to the boat.
- Kastella
- Near Mikrolimano
- Taxi to the port
Nightly rate from the Hotels.com catalogue
See availability

Scores, review counts and photos are Booking.com data checked in September 2026, and the buttons open the property on Hotels.com. Rates move with the dates, so check them there.

Athens neighbourhoods by metro: the Acropolis, Piraeus and the airport

Hotel lists leave this out. Three metro lines cross the centre, and only two of them matter for a transfer: line 1 runs to Piraeus, and line 3 runs to the airport at one end and Piraeus at the other. A hotel on one of those lines turns a ferry morning or a flight into a single train.

Athens neighbourhoods compared: nearest metro station, walk to the Acropolis, and how to reach Piraeus port and the airport
Neighbourhood	Metro	Acropolis on foot	To Piraeus	To the airport
Plaka	None inside: Syntagma, Monastiraki or Akropoli on foot	5 to 15 min	Walk to Monastiraki, then direct	Walk to Syntagma, then direct
Monastiraki	Monastiraki, lines 1 and 3	About 15 min, uphill	Direct	Direct, line 3
Syntagma	Syntagma, lines 2 and 3	About 20 min	Direct, line 3	Direct, line 3, or X95 bus
Koukaki, Makrygianni	Akropoli, line 2	About 12 min to the south gate	One change	Change at Syntagma
Psyrri	Monastiraki, 5 min walk	About 20 min	Direct from Monastiraki	Direct from Monastiraki
Thissio	Thissio, line 1	About 15 min	Direct, line 1	Change at Monastiraki
Kolonaki	Syntagma or Evangelismos, line 3, at the edges	About 25 min	Direct, line 3	Direct, line 3
Pangrati	Evangelismos, line 3, at the edge	About 30 min	Direct, line 3	Direct, line 3
Piraeus port	Piraeus, lines 1 and 3	Metro, about 25 min	Opposite gates E5 and E6	Direct, line 3, about 1 h

Two traps catch people on the transfer. The airport section of line 3 needs its own ticket, €9 one way, and the ordinary €1.20 ticket is not valid on it. A contactless bank card works at the gates. And on the way to the port, get off at Piraeus, not Dimotiko Theatro, the next stop on line 3, which leaves you a long walk from the ferries. Only every other line 3 train goes to the airport, about every 36 minutes. The timetable and the night options are on the Athens airport page.

For the Acropolis itself, the 2026 ticket is €30, with no winter rate any more, and entry is by timed slot booked in advance on the official site, tickets.hh.gr. The site opens at 8:00, and closing time moves with the season, so check it for your dates. From Koukaki or Makrygianni you can be at the south gate in a quarter of an hour, which is the reason to stay there if you want the first slot of the day, before the heat and the cruise groups.

Hotels in Athens with an Acropolis view

Read the small print first: in almost every case, the view is from the roof, not from your room. The rooftop bar or pool faces the Parthenon, and the rooms look onto the street, the courtyard or the building opposite. A room with the view exists in a few hotels, costs a clear supplement and has to be booked as that room category, not requested at check-in.

From the roof, on Monastiraki Square
A for Athens and 360 Degrees, side by side on the square, both with rooftop bars facing the rock across the Agora. Attalos, two minutes up Athinas, has the cheapest roof garden with the same view.
From the roof, in Plaka and Syntagma
Electra Palace, with a rooftop pool looking straight at the Parthenon, and Plaka Hotel's roof garden on the Monastiraki edge. On Syntagma Square, the Grande Bretagne roof garden restaurant, and some of its rooms. Electra Metropolis on Mitropoleos has a rooftop too.
From the south side, closest to the rock
Herodion's roof terrace behind the Acropolis Museum, AthensWas on the Dionysiou Areopagitou promenade, and Athens Gate's rooftop, which adds the Temple of Olympian Zeus to the frame.
From across the city
St George Lycabettus, high on the slope above Kolonaki, sees the Acropolis from a distance with the whole city around it, the view the postcards are taken from at sunset.

Areas to avoid in Athens for a first stay

Athens is not a dangerous city, and nowhere in the centre is off limits by day. But a few areas where hotels are cheap are the wrong base for a first visit, because the walk home at night is through streets that are empty, rough or both.

Omonia and the streets around it
The square is a metro hub and the hotels on it are cheap for a reason. The area is being cleaned up, but at night it still has drug dealing, homeless camps and the petty crime that goes with them. The bargain usually costs you a taxi every evening.
Metaxourgeio and the north of Psyrri
Metaxourgeio is arty and changing, with good bars, and also dark and empty on many blocks after midnight. In Psyrri, the streets towards Sofokleous and Omonia feel noticeably different from those near Monastiraki: pick a hotel on the southern side.
Exarchia, if you came for the sights
The student and anarchist quarter, with the best bookshops and some of the cheapest bars in the city. It is not a sightseeing base, it is a walk from the Acropolis, and protests there occasionally turn into clashes with the police.
The Athens Riviera, for a short city stay
Glyfada and Vouliagmeni have beaches and beach hotels. They are also 40 minutes or more from the Acropolis by tram or taxi. For a city break of two nights, that is most of a morning lost each day.
The airport, unless your flight is at dawn
It is 33 km from the centre. A night there makes sense only before a very early flight, and the only hotel connected to the terminal is the Sofitel.

Wherever you stay, the realistic risk is pickpockets on the metro, particularly on the airport and Piraeus lines, and in the crowds at Monastiraki and the Acropolis entrance. Phone in a front pocket, a hand on the bag in a packed carriage.

Where to stay in Athens before a ferry: Piraeus or the centre

The rule is the departure time. Before about 7:00, sleep in Piraeus, a walk from the gates, rather than crossing the city before dawn on a thin metro service and hoping a taxi turns up. For a later boat, stay in the centre and take the metro: from Monastiraki or Thissio, line 1 reaches the port in 20 to 30 minutes for the price of an ordinary ticket.

Piraeus is bigger than people expect. The metro station faces gates E5 and E6, where most Cyclades boats leave, but gates E1, E2 and E3, for Crete, Rhodes and the Dodecanese, are more than a kilometre further along the quay: add 20 to 30 minutes, or use the free port shuttle. The gate map and which island leaves from where are on our Piraeus port guide. If you are heading for Santorini, the Athens to Santorini ferry page has the morning departures, most of which leave early enough to justify the night in Piraeus.

On the way back, the same logic runs in reverse. A boat that docks late in the evening leaves you an hour from a central hotel by metro, so a hotel near the port is the easier last night if your flight is the next afternoon, since line 3 runs from Piraeus to the airport without a change in about an hour.

For an early flight, the calculation is the airport's. The metro does not run at night, the X95 bus from Syntagma does, around the clock, and the Sofitel is the only hotel connected to the terminal. If you land late and leave the next morning for the islands, check whether your boat sails from Rafina, which is much closer to the airport than Piraeus.

Where to stay in Athens for couples, families and solo travellers

Two nights, first time
Plaka or Makrygianni. Everything you have time for is a walk, and you will not use the metro except to leave.
A couple
Plaka for the evenings in the lanes, or a rooftop hotel in Makrygianni for the Parthenon lit up at dinner. Kolonaki if you would rather eat where Athenians eat.
A family
Koukaki or Makrygianni: flat streets, the Acropolis Museum next door, bigger rooms than Plaka, and hotels with a pool, such as Divani Palace Acropolis. Avoid Plaka's stepped lanes with a buggy.
Solo, and on a budget
Koukaki or the Monastiraki side of Psyrri, where the cheaper hotels and hostels are, both well lit and busy in the evening. Not Omonia, however cheap.
A second visit, or a week
Pangrati or Koukaki, for the neighbourhood tavernas and the feeling of living in the city rather than visiting it.

How much a hotel in Athens costs, and the climate fee

Athens is cheaper than the famous islands, and the neighbourhood moves the price as much as the star rating. Plaka and Syntagma are the dearest for the size of the room. Koukaki, Psyrri and Thissio give the most space for the money, and Piraeus is cheaper still. The starting prices on the cards above come from the Hotels.com catalogue and are an order of magnitude, not a quote: they move with the dates, and spring and autumn cost noticeably less than July and August.

Greece also charges a climate resilience fee per room and per night, paid at the hotel and rising with the star rating and the season. It is rarely included in the price you see online, so check the booking conditions before you compare two hotels. If you are still deciding which islands follow Athens, the Greece hotels guide sets the prices of each one against the others.

Questions people ask about staying in Athens

Which district in Athens is the best to stay in?

For a first visit of two or three nights, Plaka, Koukaki or Monastiraki. Plaka is the prettiest and puts the Acropolis, the Agora and Syntagma on foot, at the highest price for the smallest room. Koukaki, on the south side of the rock by the Acropolis Museum, has nearly the same location for less money and a more local evening. Monastiraki is the most connected, with metro lines 1 and 3 running direct to Piraeus and the airport, and the noisiest. Syntagma is the choice for the grand hotels and the airport bus.

Where to avoid staying in Athens?

On a first visit, Omonia and the streets around it, Metaxourgeio, and the northern edge of Psyrri towards Sofokleous. None of them is dangerous by day, but they are rougher at night, with less to walk back through and more of the petty crime that crowds attract. Exarchia is lively and student, not a sightseeing base. Avoid the Athens Riviera and the airport area for a short city stay too: both are a long way from the Acropolis.

Is Plaka or Monastiraki better?

Plaka if you want quiet lanes in the evening and do not mind walking to a metro. Monastiraki if you want the station at the door: lines 1 and 3 stop there, direct to Piraeus and to the airport, which makes it the better base before a ferry or a flight. Monastiraki is louder, with a square that stays busy late and rooftop bars on every side. The two touch, so the difference is mostly about the night, not the sights.

Where should I stay in Athens for the first time?

Inside the triangle formed by Syntagma, Monastiraki and the Acropolis Museum, which means Plaka, Monastiraki, Syntagma or Makrygianni and Koukaki. From any of them the Acropolis, the Agora and most of the museums are a walk, and a metro station is a few minutes away. Two or three nights is the usual length before the islands. Pangrati, Kolonaki and Exarchia are better for a second visit, when you no longer need the sights on the doorstep.

Where to stay in Athens before a ferry?

It depends on the time. For a sailing before about seven in the morning, sleep in Piraeus, within walking distance of the gates, rather than crossing the city before dawn. For a later boat, stay in the centre near Monastiraki or Thissio, both on metro line 1, which takes 20 to 30 minutes to the port. Get off at Piraeus, not at Dimotiko Theatro, and allow extra time if your gate is E1, E2 or E3, more than a kilometre from the station.

Is it safe to stay in central Athens?

The centre is generally safe for visitors, including at night in Plaka, Koukaki, Syntagma and Kolonaki. The common problem is pickpocketing, on the metro, especially the airport and Piraeus lines, and in the crowds of Monastiraki and the Acropolis queue. Keep your phone out of back pockets, keep a hand on your bag in packed carriages, and take a taxi rather than walking through Omonia late at night. Check your own government's travel advice before you go.

How many nights should I stay in Athens?

Two or three, for most people heading to the islands. Two nights give you one full day for the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and Plaka. A third adds the National Archaeological Museum, Lycabettus at sunset or a half day at Cape Sounion. If your flight lands late or your ferry leaves early, count those nights separately: they are transit nights, and the right neighbourhood for them may be Piraeus or the airport rather than the centre.

Where to stay in Athens: the best neighbourhoods, and the night before a ferry

The best neighbourhoods in Athens, and the hotels in each

Plaka

Electra Palace Athens

AVA Hotel & Suites

Plaka Hotel

Hermes Hotel

Adams Hotel

Nefeli Hotel

Monastiraki

A for Athens

360 Degrees

Attalos Hotel

Arion Athens Hotel

The Zillers Athens Boutique Hotel

Syntagma

Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens

King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens

Athens Capital Center Hotel-MGallery Collection

New Hotel

innAthens

Koukaki and Makrygianni

AthensWas Design Hotel

Herodion Athens

Divani Palace Acropolis

COCO-MAT Athens BC

Athens Gate Hotel

Urban Stripes Athens

Philippos Hotel

Acropolis Select Hotel

Acropolis Hill

Psyrri

O&B Athens Boutique Hotel

Kerameion

The Foundry Suites

Fresh Hotel

Thissio

Hotel Thissio

Hotel Jason Inn

Kolonaki

St George Lycabettus Hotel

COCO-MAT Hotel Athens

Lozenge Hotel

Sir Athens

Pangrati

Divani Caravel

Pagrati Park

Piraeus

Hotel Triton

Piraeus Port Hotel

Piraeus Theoxenia Hotel

The Alex