Hotels in Athens
Athens has a wide range of accommodations, from the luxurious and opulent landmarks such as the Grande Bretagne (dating from 1878), to designer chic boutique hotels, small pensions, and basic budget hotels and hostels. Nearly all hotels were renovated and updated with modern features and amenities at the very least in 2004, and new hotels appear all the time.
Athens hotel rooms come in basically the same size as most of their European counterparts and generally smaller than their U.S. ones. Athens has a large range of accommodations, from luxury historic hotels to designer boutiques and everything else in between, nearly all of them offer the same amenities, including at the very least an Internet corner if not Wi-Fi in the room, comfortable bathrooms (again on the small size), decent beds, a minibar, and a large number of the rooms have balconies.
On the whole Athens hotels are less expensive per average than the rest of Europe and bargains can be found even during peak season.
What You'll Really Pay
The prices quoted within this guide are the hotel's rack rates, the maximum they can charge during the height of the season. Athens hotels have some of the lowest average room prices in Europe, so even during peak season you can often find good deals. Most hotels in town consider Easter through October high season; you can find discounts of 25% to 40% 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. Deals can be found either by contacting the hotel directly, through online services such as Priceline.com or Expedia.com, or through a reputable local travel agency The recent economic woes in Greece have thrown the hotel industry off balance as well. Not long ago, you wouldn't have found a double in the Baby Grand Hotel (for the summer season) available for as low as 80€ and even lower online. Whether it's a sign of the bad economy or the plethora of options remains to be seen.
The best way to getting what you want is to either contact the hotel directly and inform them of the prices you have found online and negotiate from there -- most times they will match the online price.
Price Categories
Very Expensive 250€ and up
Expensive 150€-250€
Moderate 80€-150€
Inexpensive Under 80€
Getting the Best Deal
High season is considered from Easter to October with the height of the season between July and late September but deals can be found even then if you begin your search early enough. If you're making your plans last minute you can also find quite decent deals especially if you're willing to compromise and not stay in Makrigianni and the Plaka districts. At press time, the best deals were to be found in or near Omonoia Square, Metaxourgeio, and the National Archaeological Museum, all seedy parts of town that can get unpleasant, if not dangerous, after dark, so you should consider that when booking. Deals for all hotels can be found online, but it's best to contact the hotel personally and negotiate the online deal you have found or have a reputable local travel agency do the work for you. Off-peak season visitors will discover a cooler (temperature wise) Athens with less tourists, far less crowded sites and great deals.
Reservation Services: To get the best deals in town, you will need a reputable local travel agency that will do the hard work for you. Thankfully, Athens has many, but our three favorites are Fantasy Travel, 19 Filelinon (tel. 210/331-0530; www.fantasytravel.gr); CHAT Tours, 4 Stadiou (tel. 210/323-0827; www.chatours.gr); and Key Tours, 4 Kalliroïs (tel. 210/923-3166; www.keytours.gr).
Alternative Accommodations: Athens has many hotel options (including the hostels recommended), but you can also rent or swap apartments if you're in town for a longer stay. In that case, popular websites to check out would be www.expatriates.com, www.vacationrentals.com, www.craigslist.gr, www.homeaway.com, and www.worldhomeexchanges.com. As always, proceed with care, and if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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21 Results
- Hotel
Acropolis Hill
Opened in 2010 near the Filopappos Hill (Hill of the Muses), it was once the modest Austria Hotel, but you would never guess that from the newly chic lobby and guest rooms. Those on the top floor have balconies commanding Acropolis views, while some overlook the…$$Filopappou
- Hotel
Acropolis House Hotel
With a central location on a largely pedestrianized side street that is as quiet as you get in Plaka, the venerable Acropolis House gets lots of return visits from teachers and thrifty Hellenophiles. Rooms are small, but several (notably 401 and 402) have good views…$Plaka - Hotel
Acropolis View Hotel
This hotel does a brisk business with repeat guests so it's not always easy to get a room. Its residential side street allows for pleasant people watching as children head off to school and neighbors visit each other in the evening. It is often possible to hear part of the…$Acropolis - Hotel
Art Gallery Hotel
A nicely furnished townhouse is now the Athenian home-away-from-home for many Hellenophile students, artists, and professors, who prize it for excellent prices and homey atmosphere. There's always the chance to have lively conversations with fellow…$Koukaki - Hotel
Astir Palace Resort
It was front-page news in Greece when it was announced in September 2013 that the Astir Palace Resort largely owned by the Greek government and the National Bank of Greece) would change hands for an enormous sum. The marina is being expanded, and everyone expects that the…$$$Vouliagmeni - Hotel
Athens Cypria
The Athens Cypria has a quiet location on a small mostly pedestrianized side street off Syntagma Square. This hotel's central location and reasonable prices may explain why it is often full and why it is often slow in responding to reservation requests. The rooms and…$$Syntagma - Hotel
Athens Lycabettus Hotel
Price and location are the strong points of this small hotel off Syntagma Square on a short pedestrianized street just off Voukourestiou. Rooms are very small, furnishings include mostly blonde wood, pale leatherette chairs, and the inadequate reading lamps that are…$$Syntagma - Hotel
Athens Studios
Athens Studios, also known as Athens Backpackers and Studios, is on a relatively quiet street near the Acropolis Metro station (and also near a handy laundromat). There are single and double private rooms, beds in 4- or 6-person dorms and 2- to 4- (or 4- to 6-person)…$Makigianni - Hotel
Attalos Hotel
It's a straight run on the Metro from Athens International Airport to Monastiraki Square, and the six-story Attalos is just a block away on busy Athinas Street. The staff is exceptionally helpful, and almost every time I stay here, I notice another computer has been added…$Monastiraki - Hotel
AVA Hotel & Suites
Here's a place with 46 basic self-contained apartments with kitchenettes in a handy location a short walk from the Acropolis. The Ava offers economical convenience for anyone planning a stay of a week or more in Athens, and its kitchenettes make it tempting for even a brief…$$Acropolis - Hotel
Divani Apollon Palace & Spa
Expect the peaceful ambiance of an island resort, with two large swimming pools and innumerable palm trees along sandy Kavouri beach in the Athenian suburb of Vouliagmeni. I've known several honeymoon couples that found this place so romantic that they go back every year.…$$$Kavouri Beach - Hotel
Electra Palace
The recently redecorated Electra Palace, on a quiet side street between Syntagma Square and Plaka, is one of the upmarket, comfortable, reliable Greek chain of Electra hotels. Unusually for a hotel in the heart of Athens, it has both an indoor and outdoor pool. Those…$$Plaka - Hotel
Grande Bretagne
Athens' grand old Grande Bretagne Hotel (which everyone in Athens calls the GB), occupying one of Athens's most distinguished 19th-century buildings, is back after a two-year renovation. The best rooms have balconies overlooking Syntagma Square with a view of the daily…$$$Syntagma - Hotel
Hilton Athens
When it went up in the 1960s, the Hilton was Athens' first "modern" luxury hotel, and it is still one of the best hotels in town. Thanks to the Metro, you can be in Syntagma Square or at the Acropolis in minutes; if you prefer to walk, you're at Syntagma Square in 15…$$$Around town - Hotel
Hotel Achilleas
The Achilleas (Achilles), a few short blocks off Syntagma, is a moderately priced, family-owned and -operated small hotel in a reasonably quiet place. Rooms are tiny, but many have a (just as tiny) balcony. Most floors are polished blonde wood, most walls and curtains are…$$Syntagma - Hotel
Hotel Plaka
Great location, inspiring Acropolis view from rooftop café, and perfectly decent, but not enchanting, rooms. Balcony rooms on the fifth and sixth floors have fine views over the Plaka, while some have Acropolis views. Lots of Greeks stay here, and so do some tour…$$Plaka - Hotel
Magna Grecia
It's always heartening to see a tumbledown 19th-century Athenian neoclassical building renovated and, in this case, turned into a boutique hotel. Magna Grecia is not only on Mitropoleos Street, but it's also right on Mitropoleos Square, steps from Athens' main cathedral (the…$$Plaka - Hotel
New Hotel
The ho-hum old Olympic Palace Hotel just off Syntagma Square was reborn in 2004 as the New Hotel, in the trendy "YES!" hotel chain. This is a seriously design-conscious place, with decent-sized rooms (some with hot pink walls, many with balconies and side street views),…$$Syntagma - Hotel
O&B Athens Boutique Hotel
At an indeterminate point along Hermou Street, the Monastiraki district becomes Psirr. The O&B (once the Ochre and Brown Hotel) is praised for its service and its state-of-the-art shower and trendy elevated marble washbasins. The location also feels like the "real"…$$Psirri - Hotel
Periscope
If you stayed at the Periscope's predecessor, the Athenian Inn, you would have noticed low-ceilinged, small rooms with blah décor. Now, you are in for a very pleasant surprise: aerial photographs of Athens and the Earth projected onto walls and ceilings trick the eye into thinking…$$Kolonaki - Hotel
St. George Lycabettus Hotel
On a flight from Athens to London recently, I sat next to a well-travelled English woman who had just stayed at the classy St. George Lycabettus, on the lower slopes of Mt. Lycabettus. As an independent traveller who felt quite alone in some Greek hotels where…$$Kolonaki
