MAKRIGIANNI AND KOUKAKI, BEHIND THE ACROPOLIS
Map: Makrigianni & Koukaki Hotels & Restaurants
Athens has a fine array of accommodations. The Plaka and Syntagma have some big, fancy, business-class hotels, but small, inexpensive guesthouses are relatively scarce and overbooked. For more options, expand your search beyond the old center. I’ve found a few gems in the Makrigianni and Koukaki neighborhoods, behind the Acropolis and a short walk from the Plaka action. These offer a more neighborhoody, less touristy experience, and slightly lower prices.
The accommodations listed here cluster around the €95-150 range, but include everything from €25 bunks to deluxe €350 doubles. In general, temper your expectations. Athenian buildings are often cheaply constructed, with well-worn public spaces and temperamental plumbing and elevators. A welcoming front-desk staff can help compensate, but be ready for hiccups. Any hotel charging less than about €100 may include a few quirks. Spending just €20-30 extra is enough to buy you a much higher degree of comfort. If you’re even a little high maintenance (be honest), consider splurging here. If you want an Acropolis-view room, you’ll usually pay a higher rate. Budget travelers: Don’t be sucked in by very cheap, too-good-to-be-true deals (most of those hotels are located in sleazy districts around Omonia Square, or down in the coastal suburbs of Glyfada and Voula).
Athens is a noisy city, and Athenians like to stay out late. This, combined with an epidemic of flimsy construction and the abundance of heavy traffic on city streets, can make things challenging for light sleepers. I’ve tried to recommend places in quieter areas, but finding a peaceful corner isn’t always possible (be ready to use earplugs).
Short-term rentals (such as Airbnb) can be a good option in Athens. You can often find a well-equipped, spacious, centrally located apartment for less than the cost of a midrange hotel room. Given the hit-or-miss quality of Athenian hotels, a carefully chosen apartment can be an excellent value; search for places in my recommended hotel neighborhoods.
Wherever you sleep, book accommodations well in advance, especially if you’ll be traveling during peak season or if your trip coincides with a major holiday or festival (see here).
For information and tips on pricing, getting deals, making reservations, and finding a short-term rental, see here.
Sleeping in the Plaka and Syntagma area offers close proximity to the sights (you’ll rarely need public transportation). It can be more congested and more touristy than outlying neighborhoods, but in general, the pluses of sleeping in this zone outweigh the minuses.
$$$ Hotel Plaka, buried on an urban street in the busy heart of town, has a rooftop bar/terrace and 67 modern rooms (some with Acropolis views) with updated bathrooms. Its classy management adds some nice touches, such as a staff member on hand at breakfast to answer travel questions (RS%, elevator, at the corner of Mitropoleos and Kapnikarea, reservation tel. 210-322-2706, reception tel. 210-322-2096, www.plakahotel.gr, plaka@athenshotelsgroup.com).
$$$ Hermes Hotel, professionally run by the folks at Hotel Plaka, has lower rates and a slightly more appealing location on a less-trafficked street closer to Syntagma. Many of its 45 rooms have balconies, and guests share an inviting lobby, a pleasant lounge, a kids’ activity room, and a rooftop patio with a peek at the Acropolis (RS%, possible to add child’s cot, elevator, Apollonos 19, reservation tel. 210-322-2706, reception tel. 210-323-5514, www.hermeshotel.gr, hermes@athenshotelsgroup.com).
$$$ InnAthens feels urban and urbane. It sits at the edge of the Plaka—a bit less convenient than the others I list here—with 20 industrial-mod rooms ringing an atrium, and a recommended wine bar on the premises (elevator, Souri 3 at intersection with busy Filellinon, tel. 210-325-8555, www.innathens.com, info@innathens.com).
$$$ The Zillers is a conveniently located boutique hotel that fills an old townhouse facing the cathedral. It feels posh—with marble, hardwood, and a classic spiral staircase—but still friendly. Six of the 10 rooms have Acropolis views, as does the roof garden’s restaurant and cocktail bar; streetside rooms are more expensive and come with some traffic and church-bell noise (Mitropoleos 54, tel. 210-322-2278, www.thezillersathenshotel.com, info@thezillersathens.com).
$$$ Central Hotel has 84 cookie-cutter rooms, sleek public spaces, and an anonymous business-class vibe. There are several classes of rooms with prices based on whether they have balconies and/or views. If you stick with the cheaper rooms, it’s a good value (elevator, swanky rooftop terrace with café and Jacuzzi, Apollonos 21, tel. 210-323-4357, www.centralhotel.gr, reservation@centralhotel.gr).
$$$$ Hotel Grande Bretagne, a five-star splurge with 320 sprawling and elegantly furnished rooms, is considered the best hotel in Greece and ranks among the grand hotels of the world. It’s the place to stay if you have royal blood—or wish you did and feel like being treated like royalty for a few days. Built in 1862 to accommodate visiting heads of state, it became a hotel in 1874 and still retains its 19th-century elegance. No other hotel in Athens can boast such a rich history (breakfast extra, elevator, overlooking Syntagma Square at Vassileos Georgiou 1, tel. 210-333-0000, www.grandebretagne.gr, info.gb@starwoodhotels.com). If you’d rather just eat here, consider their recommended rooftop restaurant.
$$$$ Electra Palace Athens is a luxury five-star hotel with 155 rooms in a quiet corner of the Plaka, not far from Syntagma. It’s pricey but plush, if a bit snooty, with top-notch service and elegance (elevator, garden patio, indoor pool, Acropolis-view outdoor pool in summer, Nikodimou 18, tel. 210-337-0000, www.electrahotels.gr, salesepath@electrahotels.gr). Nearby, the same company operates two similarly equipped hotels: $$$$ Electra Metropolis Athens, with 216 rooms in the busy heart of Syntagma near the cathedral (Acropolis-view roof garden, Mitropoleos 15, tel. 214-100-6200) and $$$$ Electra Hotel Athens, at #5 on the busy pedestrian Ermou street (tel. 210-337-8000).
$$ Hotel Adonis, with 26 retro-simple but thoughtfully managed rooms, stands on the quiet, traffic-free upper reaches of Kodrou, right in the heart of the Plaka. A couple of rooms on the fourth floor have good views of the Acropolis, as does the rooftop bar (reserve with credit card but pay in cash; includes breakfast on roof terrace—which is also open at night for drinks and snacks, elevator, public areas can be smoky, Kodrou 3, tel. 210-324-9737, www.hotel-adonis.gr, info@hotel-adonis.gr, owner Spiros, assisted by Nikos).
$$ Hotel Acropolis House was once a wealthy lawyer’s villa, and it still feels homey. While it has more “personality” than amenities, you’ll find antiques scattered amid the dark-wood furnishings in its lobby and 23 tight, old-fashioned rooms, offered at what its owners call “realistic prices.” Many rooms have balconies—ask when you reserve (cheaper rooms with private bathroom across the hall, reserve with credit card but pay in cash, no elevator, Kodrou 6, tel. 210-322-2344, www.acropolishouse.gr, hotel@acropolishouse.gr, run by Emmanuella with help of charmingly gregarious Jasmine, Andreas, and others).
$$ Alice Inn Athens, with four rooms filling a classic townhouse tucked on an untouristed street deep in the Plaka, feels more like an Irish B&B than an Athenian hotel. Irish-Greek owner John provides hospitality and funky charm; each room is different and well-described on their website (breakfast extra, Tsatsou 9, tel. 210-323-7139, www.aliceinnathens.com, stay@aliceinnathens.com).
$$ Hotel Kimon rents 15 well-worn but perfectly fine rooms over a jolly, suitcase-themed lobby. Its location—in the Plaka, near the cathedral—is handy, and the price is right (cheaper “economy” rooms are simpler and very affordable, breakfast extra, no elevator, top-floor terrace with a corner that looks up at the Acropolis, Apollonos 27, tel. 210-331-4658, www.kimonhotelathens.com).
$$ Hotel Phaedra is simple but nicely located, overlooking a peaceful Plaka square with ancient ruins and a Byzantine church. The institutional hallways lead to 21 plain rooms—most with balconies and views. Six rooms have private bathrooms across the hall (breakfast extra, Acropolis-view rooftop terrace, elevator, 2 blocks from Hadrian’s Arch at Herefondos 16, at intersection with Adrianou, tel. 210-323-8461, www.hotelphaedra.com, info@hotelphaedra.com; Marianna and Periklis).
At Central Market: Part of the Plaka and Hermes Hotel group, $$ Athens Center Square Hotel is less expensive than its sister properties—mostly because it’s farther away from the main sightseeing action. It overlooks the seedy market square, but it’s close to the Central Market and Psyrri dining areas. Its 54 rooms are functional, minimalist, and colorfully painted, and the roof garden has Acropolis views (RS%, elevator, just off Athinas street overlooking the produce market at Aristogitonos 15, reservation tel. 210-322-2706, reception tel. 210-321-1770, www.athenscentersquarehotel.gr, acs@athenshotelsgroup.com).
On St. Irene Square: Expect old-fashioned hospitality at old-fashioned prices at $ Hotel Tempi, run by friendly Yiannis and Katerina. The 24 rooms are spartan, and the bathrooms are cramped and minimal (especially the shared ones)—but the rates are just right. It’s well-situated on lively St. Irene Square (Agia Irini), which is filled with trendy cafés, bars, and cheap eats. Rooms in front come with balconies overlooking the square, with views of the Acropolis and nighttime noise (cheaper rooms with shared bathroom, breakfast extra, lots of stairs, elevator is for luggage only, kitchen, Aiolou 29, tel. 210-321-3175, www.tempihotel.gr, info@tempihotel.gr).
Hostel: A classic backpacker place in the Plaka, ¢ Student & Travellers’ Inn is the perfect spot to meet up with young travelers, with renovated rooms and an in-house travel agency specializing in trips to the Greek islands (elevator, pay laundry service, courtyard bar, kitchen, Kidathineon 16, tel. 210-324-4808, www.studenttravellersinn.com, info@studenttravellersinn.com; managed by Pericles, a.k.a. Perry).
With the Acropolis Museum standing boldly as their gateway, the adjoining residential areas of Makrigianni and Koukaki, just south of the Acropolis, feel typically Athenian urban. (Some locals call Makrigianni the “south Plaka” instead.) Full of six-story concrete apartment buildings, hole-in-the-wall grocery stores, and corner cafés, these neighborhoods let you feel like a temporary Athenian while still providing relatively easy access to major sights. Most can be reached by a longish walk—figure 5-10 minutes to the edge of the Plaka (which involves passing a gauntlet of aggressively touristy eateries near the Acropolis Museum), then another 10 minutes to Monastiraki. These hotels are all located between the Akropoli and Syngrou-Fix Metro stops. Be aware that to reach most points of interest from these stops, you’ll change Metro lines at Syntagma.
$$$ Hotel Hera is a tempting splurge, with 38 plush rooms above a classy lobby. With helpful service, lots of thoughtful little touches, an air of elegance, and a handy location near the Acropolis end of this neighborhood, it’s a fine value (elevator, rooftop Acropolis-view restaurant, Falirou 9, tel. 210-923-6682, www.herahotel.gr, info@herahotel.gr).
$$ Art Gallery Hotel is a comfy, well-run small hotel with 21 faded but affordable rooms in a quieter part of this neighborhood, sitting above the busier main thoroughfares. The original artwork in the halls and rooms adds charm (breakfast extra, elevator, fourth-floor bar open at night, look for ΞΕΝΟΔΟΧΕΙΟ sign at Erechthiou 5, tel. 210-923-8376, www.artgalleryhotel.gr, artgalleryhotel@gmail.com). Say hello to Artie, the hotel’s cat.
$$ Athens Studios, run by the gang at Athens Backpackers (described later), rents 37 nicely appointed, good-value apartments with retro-mod decor, kitchens, a rooftop bar with a Thai restaurant, and other nice touches (elevator; sports bar, fish café, and public launderette on ground floor; pay long-term luggage storage available, Veikou 3A, tel. 210-923-5811, www.athensstudios.gr, info@athensstudios.gr, Daniel).
$ Marble House Pension is a small, family-run place hiding at the end of a little cul-de-sac, a few minutes’ walk past my other listings in this area. The 16 cozy rooms—most with small balconies—are simple but well cared for, and (true to its name) it’s decorated with real marble. If you don’t mind the more remote location, it’s an excellent deal (cheaper rooms with shared bath, reserve with credit card but pay in cash, breakfast extra, air-con extra, 3 floors with no elevator, closed Jan-Feb; 5-minute walk from Syngrou-Fix Metro at Zini 35a—from Zini street take the alley to the left of the tidy Catholic church, tel. 210-923-4058, www.marblehouse.gr, info@marblehouse.gr; Christos with mom Nancy and dad Thanos). They also rent a beautifully appointed modern apartment next door.
Hostel: The best place in town for backpacker bonding, ¢ Athens Backpackers is youthful and fun-loving with two bars, including one on the rooftop. Well-run by gregarious Aussies, it offers good bunks and an opportunity to meet up with other travelers (big communal kitchen, public launderette at Athens Studios; cheap city walking tours offered daily in summer, less frequent off-season; Makri 12, tel. 210-922-4044, www.backpackers.gr, info@backpackers.gr).