“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is certainly true of Athens, Greece, which has come out of a brutal economic crisis as the hippest city in Europe, with its contemporary art scene, fabulous restaurants and easy tram links to the beaches of the Athens Riviera.
Best of all, for anyone who has stayed in Athens in the past, a cheap hotel no longer means a hot and noisy room where you’d spend as little time as possible. Affordable boutique hotels have sprung up across the city, and air conditioning and high-speed wi-fi are standard (although it never hurts to pack ear plugs — Athenians are inveterate night owls). Many choices are around Monastiraki and Plaka in the historic centre, while others are a bit further out in edgy neighbourhoods where you’ll feel more like a local — but still be only minutes by metro from the sights.
Main photo: Brown Acropol
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1. Plaka Hotel, Thissio
Best for Acropolis views
Centrally located in the heart of ancient and early 19th-century Athens, in easy walking distance of the sights and the Monastiraki and Syntagma metro stations, the Plaka Hotel is a reliable old favourite for its immaculate rooms and helpful staff. The real standout here is its fabulous rooftop bar, perfect for sipping a cocktail (they are delicious) while contemplating a view of the Acropolis, which seems so close you can almost reach out and touch it.
Rooms from £73 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
2. Be My Guest Athens, Thissio
Best for families
Located in the lively residential Thissio neighbourhood, just west of the Ancient Agora and a five-minute walk from the metro station, this stylish contemporary hotel has a range of 14 budget rooms in minimalist charcoal and white tones and marble and pine that can sleep families of all sizes, from triples to two-bedroom suites in the nearby annex that can sleep up to six. The hotel has a beautiful rooftop terrace, and rents out Coco-Mat wooden bikes for exploring.
Rooms only from £89 per night
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
3. Dave Red Athens, Omonoia
Best for young travellers
You’ll find this pad just off Omonoia Square in the former KKE (Greek communist party) headquarters. It’s full of bright colours (especially shades of red), with industrial-style exposed walls, pipes and neon lines. Funky retro touches add to fun, including dial phones and vinyl albums in the rooms; if romance is in the air, book the Foxy Room with its round bed. Other goodies include Nintendo and Pac-Man consoles, hammocks, pool tables and a roof terrace sundeck, Jacuzzi and massage room.
Rooms from £107 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
4. O&B Athens Boutique Hotel, Psiri
Best for cosiness
Athens is a busy, noisy city, and it’s a bonus having a cosy room to return to kick off your shoes. One of the first boutique hotels to open in Athens, the 22-room O&B gets all the essentials right: comfortable beds and Egyptian cotton linens in ample rooms, all in calming shades of ochre, brown and beige. There are great showers, made-in-Greece Korres toiletries, an all-day bar-restaurant and great staff — all near the Thissio metro and Ancient Agora.
Rooms from £108 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
5. The Marblous, Plaka
Best for service
On the edge of the historic Plaka district, just two streets away from Syntagma Square, the Marblous is a complete renovation of a building that dates back to 1934 — the name is a combination of “marble” and “marvellous”, which aptly fits the sleek black marble façade. Rooms are designed for comfort, some sleeping up to four, some with views of the nearby Acropolis. The staff couldn’t be more friendly and helpful, and serve an exceptional à la carte breakfast until 11am in the breakfast bistro.
Rooms from £94 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
6. The Residence — Christokopidou Hotel & Spa, Psirri
Best for a super spa
This urbane little hotel with only 16 rooms is in Psirri, a web of narrow streets filled with restaurants and bars just north of Monastiraki. Rooms have good soundproofing, Coco-Mat beds and linens, balconies and staff who will make you feel perfectly at home. The spa includes an indoor pool, hammam and sauna; last but not least, on the top there’s a Jacuzzi and bar, where breakfast is served with breathtaking views of the Acropolis.
Rooms from £91 per night room only
Spa Y
Pool Y
Accessible rooms N
7. Athens Starlight Hotel, Monastiraki
Best for nightlife
This cheerful hotel opened in a conversion of a commercial building, on a quiet street, a short walk north of lively Monastiraki Square and all the main sights of ancient Athens. Rooms, white and bright with dashes of colour, come in a range of configurations that sleep up to four — if your budget stretches to a splurge, book the Penthouse Hot Tub Acropolis View. There’s a bar and a little library in the lobby, a good breakfast buffet and excellent staff full of useful tips to help you make the most out of visiting Athens day and night.
Rooms from £86 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms Y
8. NLH Keramaeikos, Kerameikos
Best for hanging with the cool kids
The once undesirable neighbourhood by the evocative ancient cemetery of Kerameikos has evolved into a vortex of edgy bars, clubs, galleries and murals. This new hotel is around the corner from the Benaki Museum of Islamic Art, a five-minute walk from the Thissio metro. Rooms are minimalist and luminous, with views of the Acropolis or the hilltop National Observatory; even the economy rooms have king-size beds with Egyptian cotton linen, climate control units, fridges, tea and coffee makers, and ergonomic desks. Added bonuses are the fitness room in the basement and the breakfast box, with a menu to order from the night before.
Rooms from £86 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms Y
9. Royalty Hotel, Monastiraki
Best for a central location
It’s hard to be more in the centre of Athens — a minute’s walk from Monastiraki Square and its very useful metro station, linked to both the airport and the port of Piraeus, and within walking distance of the city’s main attractions. Soothing, contemporary rooms, including interconnecting rooms for families, come in shades of taupe and cream. There’s a beauty spa and cocktail bar and creative restaurant on the roof with fabulous views; you can enjoy DJs on Friday and Saturday nights and tango nights on Thursdays.
Rooms from £130 per night B&B
Spa Y
Pool N
Accessible rooms Y
10. Athens Center Square, Monastiraki
Best for the market vibe
If you love big city markets, you can’t get much closer. Located on a pedestrian street by the fruit section of Athens’s central market, this hotel is a landmark with its colourful outdoor lighting. Rooms are classic and modern (try to bag one on the eighth floor) and there’s also a roof terrace with panoramic views. The breakfast buffet is excellent, including many Greek choices, and ample enough to keep you going; the nearby Taverna Klimataria is good fun, and often has live music. The Monastiraki metro with its direct link to the airport is a seven-minute walk.
Rooms from £60 per night B&B
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
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11. Coco-Mat Athens BC, Kallithea
Best for food and beds
A Greek success story, Coco-Mat was founded in 1989 to produce handcrafted beds from natural fibres. It has since expanded to include a small chain of affordable boutique hotels, including this five-star just south of the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis. Expect luxurious beds, linens and pillows, wooden Coco-Mat bikes to rent, a delicious breakfast, open kitchen restaurant, spa with an indoor pool and a splendid rooftop bar with a plunge pool — plus smiling service throughout.
Rooms from £95 per night B&B
Spa Y
Pool Y
Accessible rooms Y
12. The Stanley, Piraeus
Best for a rooftop pool
The big Stanley is away from tourist Athens next to the Metaxourgio metro station, so it’s within minutes from the sights. But what it gains in being removed from the vortex of tourist Athens is the remarkable, wide-ranging view from Cloud 9, the largest rooftop terrace in the city, with a good-sized pool, bar and excellent restaurant, and views of the Acropolis, Lycabettus Hill, and Mount Hymettos. Room choices include family rooms and two-bedroom suites; rare in a budget hotel, there’s parking on site.
Rooms only from £76 per night
Spa N
Pool Y
Accessible rooms Y
13. Acropolis Stay, Plaka
Best for getting to the beach
This stylish hotel, run by a very charming couple, is a short walk from the Acropolis Museum, the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, so it’s handy for getting a good dose of ancient Athens — and for taking the tram (the stop is just down the street) to the beaches of the Athens Riviera. Everything is immaculate, every room, from the economy to the family apartment, comes with useful kitchenettes, and you can choose between six different delicious breakfast menus (£10) delivered to your room.
Rooms from £63 per night room only
Spa N
Pool N
Accessible rooms N
14. Brown Acropol, Piraeus
Best for vintage cool
This hotel in a stylish neoclassical building is on the metro-equipped Omonoia Square in the heart of modern Athens — but the design is a throwback to the 1960s and early days of Greek tourism, in burnt orange and brown. Along with the usual mod cons, rooms have vinyl record players, trolley bars and dial phones. Breakfast is excellent and there are great Acropolis views, which you can enjoy day or night from a sunbed, hammock, or one of four strategically placed hot tubs.
Rooms from £99 per night B&B
Spa Y
Pool N
Accessible rooms Y
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