Hotels

The preparations for the 2004 Olympics gave the Athenian hotel industry the opportunity to finally reinvent itself. Most hotels were renovated and many new ones appeared, and the landscape now is strikingly different than it was before the Games, with new hotels popping up seemingly weekly. Apart from the renovated favorites, now there are ultramodern cutting-edge hotels and boutique hotels. Nearly all hotels have greatly improved their facilities and services; features that were once found only in luxury hotels can now be found even in budget hotels. (It remains to be seen how the recession and global economic crisis will affect tourism and hotel pricings). Even so, Athens hotels have some of the lowest average room prices in Europe, so even during peak season you can often find very good deals. Most hotels consider Easter through October high season; you can easily find discounts of 25% to 35% during low season. Interestingly enough, the opposite occurs with expensive and deluxe hotels downtown as upscale visitors tend to avoid Athens during the tourist rush of July and August, so you can find significant reductions in their prices during those 2 months. The hotels below concentrate mostly on the closest neighborhoods to the sites and attractions.

Keep in mind that Athens is a city in the midst of an incredibly rapid urban transformation. As recently as 5 years ago, nobody would recommend a hotel in areas such as Gazi or Psirri, for example. Even though Makrigianni has always been a semipopular tourist destination due to its proximity to the sites and charming residential feel, the opening of the new Acropolis Museum will significantly change that as well. I have also listed some hotels in the northern suburb of Kifissia and by the coast. One interesting development in the Athenian hotel scene is that some of the most popular lounges, bars, and restaurants are now in hotels. The Galaxy bar atop the Hilton, the Frame lounge at St. George Lycabettus, the lounges in Fresh Hotel and Ochre & Brown, the rooftop bar of Hera Hotel, and the restaurant/bar on top of Electra Palace are just a few to check out. Be advised that reservations are essential any time you're going to Athens (particularly in summer).

Koukaki & Makrigianni (Near the Acropolis)

With all the Koukaki and Makrigianni hotels, you'll do some extra walking to get to most places you'll want to visit, but you will also be rewarded with a more quiet, tourist-free atmosphere -- at least until the opening of the New Acropolis Museum changes all that.

Here & There -- Worth the Journey

The following selections are most likely to appeal to travelers seeking a different kind of Athenian experience, away from the downtown scene but not having to travel too far to get to the city center. The northern suburbs -- lush, aristocratic, and green -- and the coastal suburbs with their beaches and buzzing summer nightlife are two excellent options, depending which time of year you are in Athens. Kifissia is a half-hour train ride from downtown on Metro line 1, and the coast is accessible by tram (up to Voula) and farther out (from the center or Glyfada) either by bus or taxi.

Kifissia -- Leafy and aristocratic Kifissia has long been the favorite destination of the rich and famous, thus its many elegant 19th-century neoclassical mansions found in tree-lined streets and squares, alongside audacious modern mansions and modern apartment buildings. The streets and squares are jampacked with people, cafes, restaurants, and clubs, but the side streets are charming and ideal for strolling. Although the scene is more low key than downtown, it definitely isn't any less fun. Kifissia also has two excellent museums (Goulandris Museum of Natural History and the Gaia Center), a wonderful outdoor cinema dating back to 1919, and ample elegance to spare (even the local Pizza Hut is housed in a beautifully restored neoclassical mansion). Despite its high profile and outrageous real estate prices, Kifissia is surprisingly relaxed and (mostly) attitude-free, making it pleasant and accessible to all.

The Coast -- Athens has many beaches -- nearly all of them have been awarded the E.U. Blue Flag for clear waters -- but the coast is not only for swimming and watersports. Excellent restaurants and open-air clubs and bars by the sea, as well as excellent shopping options, make the coast irresistible during the summer and are a good choice if you won't have time to make it to the islands. The hotels below epitomize the best this area has to offer.