Athens Hotels
Athens hotels are flourishing right now, with a new hotel opening almost every year. Small to medium sized boutique hotels are a specialty in this city, offering personalised service and a consistently high standard. Bigger hotel groups such as the Hilton are also available. For absolute decadence and luxury you can’t go past the Hotel Grande Bretagne.
We’ve scoped out the Athens hotel scene to provide you with a selection of the best.
Where to stay in Athens
Working out where to stay in Athens is an important decision in your holiday planning and cost really shouldn’t be the only factor in where to stay. Greeks are a very hospitable bunch and are very suited to the service industry. The standard of boutique hotels in Athens is incredibly high, with many of them offering luxurious, design focused spaces with good-sized rooms. More and more travellers prefer the personalised service you get over the big brands but you need to evaluate what is most important to you when you’re away from home. Things like room sizes, Wi-Fi, 24-hour room service and breakfast are often not standard inclusions, so be sure you’re aware of what you’re getting before you arrive.
Acropolis Hotels, should you or shouldn’t you?
There are only a few hotels in the Acropolis district that we would recommend right now and you will find them listed on this page. In case you don’t already know, the Parthenon is built up very high on a hill and there are strict building height restrictions in Athens. You will notice there are no sky scrappers in the heart of the city. This means the Parthenon can be enjoyed from many points around the city. By majority, hotels in Athens have rooftop gardens (some with open air bars) and stunning views of the Acropolis.
If you’re wanting to get as close as possible and have a room with a view, you will pay a premium, even if the hotel is sub par. Staying smack bang in the Acropolis district (i.e. within 2-4 km or 1.5-3 miles) does bring you within walking distance with the Acropolis Museum as well. The area is very much a part of old Athens and the nearby suburb of Koukaki is proving to be very popular with locals and tourists recently, with a good standard of new eateries and bars opening up. The rest of the action (restaurants, bars, shopping) will be a 10-minute walk away or a short taxi/train ride. You should expect to see the typical tourist style strips close by, around the area of Makrigianni.
Be aware of online claims such as ‘near the Acropolis’ because almost everywhere in the centre of Athens is near the Acropolis! The question is, how close do you want to be?
