Where to Stay in Athens: A Neighborhood-by-Neighborhood Guide
Athens is a city of neighborhoods, and where you sleep shapes the whole trip. Stay in one part of the centre and you wake to church bells and the smell of fresh bread under the Acropolis. Stay in another and your evenings run late in crowded bars and mezedopoleia. Go a little further and you have the sea outside the door, or quiet tree lined streets that feel a world away from the traffic.
Below is an honest look at each area worth considering: who it suits, what it feels like, how well it is connected, and what to watch out for. Each section also suggests one or two well reviewed hotels at different budgets. Some hotel links in this guide are affiliate links, so GetGreece may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Plaka
Plaka is the oldest continuously lived in part of Athens, a maze of pedestrian lanes, neoclassical houses and small Byzantine churches wrapped around the northern and eastern slopes of the Acropolis. Above it sits Anafiotika, a cluster of whitewashed cottages built by islanders that feels more Cycladic than Athenian. It suits first time visitors, couples and anyone who wants to walk out of the door and be among the sights, and Syntagma, Akropoli and Monastiraki metro stations are all within a few minutes on foot.
The trade off is that Plaka lives for visitors. Restaurant prices are higher, menus are often aimed at tourists, and there are few supermarkets or everyday shops. Lanes are quiet late at night but busy all day. For a splurge, Electra Palace Athens has a rooftop pool facing the Acropolis, while the Plaka Hotel on the edge of the district is a simpler, well priced base with a roof terrace of its own.
Monastiraki and Psyrri
Monastiraki is the crossroads of old Athens, with its flea market, the square below the Acropolis and a metro station where Lines 1 and 3 meet, so the airport and the port of Piraeus are both a direct ride away. Next door, Psyrri is a grid of narrow streets full of street art, craft workshops, tavernas, rooftop bars and live music. A souvlaki eaten standing up on Mitropoleos Street is a rite of passage here.
This is the area for people who want energy, food and nightlife on the doorstep. Light sleepers should be careful: music can carry until the early hours, and some streets towards Omonia feel scruffy after dark. Keep an eye on your bags in the crowds around the square. A for Athens sits right on Monastiraki Square with a rooftop bar overlooking the Acropolis, and the Cecil Hotel, in a restored old building on Athinas Street, is a friendly budget option.
Koukaki and Makrygianni
South of the Acropolis, Makrygianni and Koukaki are where many Athenians would send a friend. The streets are residential, lined with bitter orange trees, small bakeries and neighborhood cafés, and you are a short walk from the Acropolis Museum, the pedestrian promenade of Dionysiou Areopagitou and the pine covered Filopappou Hill. Akropoli and Syngrou Fix stations on Line 2 link you to Syntagma in a few minutes.
It suits couples, families and repeat visitors who want calm nights and a local feel without giving up the sights. The downsides are small: the streets climb in places, nightlife is a walk away, and many buildings have become short term rentals. The Herodion Hotel is steps from the Acropolis Museum and has a roof garden with Acropolis views, and the Philippos Hotel nearby is a comfortable mid range choice with breakfast included.
Syntagma
Syntagma Square is the city's front door, with the Parliament, the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the National Garden all here. It is the best connected spot in Athens. Lines 2 and 3 meet beneath the square, airport trains and the express bus run straight here, and the tram leaves for the coast. Our guide to getting around Athens explains how the metro, buses and taxis fit together.
The catch is character. Syntagma is a business and shopping district, busy with traffic, and the square is also where demonstrations gather, which can disrupt a day now and then. It suits short stays, business trips and anyone with an early flight. The Hotel Grande Bretagne is the city's grande dame, facing the square since the nineteenth century, while the Athens Cypria Hotel a block away is a well located mid range option.
Kolonaki
Kolonaki climbs the slopes of Lycabettus Hill and is the most polished part of central Athens. Designer boutiques, galleries, smart cafés and some of the best museums in the city, including the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art, are all here, and the path up Lycabettus starts at the top of its steep streets. Evangelismos station on Line 3 is at its edge, and Syntagma is a ten minute walk downhill.
It suits travellers who like a safe, elegant base, good coffee and people watching more than ancient ruins on the doorstep. It is expensive, the hills are real, and the main sights are a walk or a metro ride away. St George Lycabettus has a rooftop pool and views across to the Acropolis, and Periscope is a smaller, design led hotel in the heart of the neighborhood.
Pangrati
Pangrati spreads east from the marble Panathenaic Stadium and is one of the most liveable neighborhoods in Athens. Life revolves around squares such as Plateia Varnava, with bakeries selling warm bougatsa in the morning, neighborhood tavernas, wine bars and some of the most interesting new restaurants in the city. You will hear far more Greek than English.
The downside is transport. Pangrati has no metro station of its own, so you walk 15 to 25 minutes to Syntagma or Evangelismos or use the trolleybuses. It suits longer stays, repeat visitors and food lovers who want to live like a local. Hotels are few here, so apartments are the norm, and The Omnia Collection Pagrati is a highly rated option close to the stadium.
Exarchia
Exarchia is the most talked about neighborhood in Athens and the most misunderstood. It grew up around the Polytechnic and the universities and has long been home to students, artists, anarchist groups and the political left. Its streets are covered in graffiti and packed with bookshops, record stores, cheap tavernas and bars that fill up late. The National Archaeological Museum is on its edge, and Omonia and Panepistimio stations are a short walk away.
Be honest with yourself about what you want. By day Exarchia is relaxed and friendly, but clashes with police still happen around the central square, especially on political anniversaries such as 17 November and 6 December, and parts of it look rough. It suits budget travellers, students and anyone who enjoys a city with an edge, and it is not the place for a polished first visit. The Q Hotel is a stylish small base, and Dryades and Orion Hotel near the museum keeps things simple and affordable.
Kifisia
Kifisia, in the green northern suburbs, is where wealthy Athenians built summer villas to escape the heat of the centre. It is still leafy, quiet and upmarket, with grand old houses, boutiques and cafés around Kefalari Square. The end of Line 1 is here, and the ride to Monastiraki takes about 40 minutes.
It suits business travellers, families visiting relatives in the north and anyone who wants calm evenings and is happy to commute to the sights. For a short first trip it is too far out, and the airport is reached by taxi or bus rather than a direct train. Semiramis is a colourful design hotel on Kefalari Square with a pool, and Theoxenia Palace is a classic grand hotel set in gardens nearby.
The Athens Riviera: Glyfada and Vouliagmeni
The coast south of the city, known as the Athens Riviera, puts the sea at your door. Glyfada has marinas, beach clubs, smart shopping streets and plenty of cafés, while Vouliagmeni is quieter, with rocky coves, clear water and a lake fed by warm springs where you can swim all year. The coastal tram links the area to Syntagma, with a change at Pikrodafni, and buses connect to Elliniko station on Line 2.
It suits beach lovers, families and anyone combining a city break with a seaside stay. The trade off is time: the centre is 45 minutes to an hour away by tram and longer in traffic. The Margi is a calm boutique hotel a short walk from the beach in Vouliagmeni, and the Emmantina Hotel in Glyfada has a rooftop pool and sensible prices.
Piraeus, for early ferries
Piraeus is a city in its own right and the main port for island ferries. If your boat leaves at seven in the morning, a night here can save a stressful dawn dash across Athens. Line 1 and Line 3 both end at Piraeus station, opposite the main ferry gates, and the X96 bus runs to the airport. Our guide to Greek ferries covers tickets, gates and how to choose a route. You can also find island routes and book tickets here.
The streets around the port are busy and functional rather than charming, so for a nicer evening head up to Kastella and the little harbour of Mikrolimano, lined with fish tavernas where grilled octopus comes straight off the coals. Piraeus Theoxenia is a comfortable hotel close to the port, and the Phidias Piraeus Hotel is a friendly, good value option with a shuttle to the gates.
How to choose
First visit with sightseeing as the priority: Plaka, Koukaki or Makrygianni.
Nightlife and street food: Monastiraki and Psyrri.
Short stay or an early flight: Syntagma.
Elegance, shopping and cafés: Kolonaki.
A local feel on a longer stay: Pangrati.
A budget base with an edge: Exarchia.
Quiet and green: Kifisia.
The sea: Glyfada or Vouliagmeni.
An early ferry: Piraeus.
Your first evening
Whichever area you choose, the first evening is when the city starts to make sense. As the light goes, the Acropolis is lit up above the rooftops, families come out for a stroll, and the lanes of Plaka and Monastiraki fill with the clink of glasses and the smell of grilling meat. Ending a walk with sweet, honey soaked loukoumades is never a bad idea.
Something I would highly recommend is a guided walk on your first night, before you settle into your own routine. A local guide helps you get your bearings in the very neighborhoods you have been reading about, shares the stories behind the squares and churches, and points out where locals actually eat. Consider a guided tour with Athens by Night Enchanting Walking Tour with Dinner Delights, it's a great way to take in Athens while also learning a bit as well.
There's no wrong choice in Athens, and it is easy to switch neighborhoods halfway through a trip. Pick the area that fits your plans for the first few nights, and do not be surprised if you come back next time to try a different one. Before you go, grab a sesame koulouri from a street cart and wander. The city is best understood on foot.
Photo: Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE. Hotel Grande Bretagne photo: Chabe01, CC BY-SA 4.0
