Choosing where to stay in Athens is not always easy because in addition to there being many areas and neighborhoods, and many accommodation options, most of them very economical, unfortunately in the heart of the city, there are some areas that are not recommended to sleep in Athens, although the city is very safe nowadays.
With this in mind, we want to leave you a selection of the best neighborhoods and areas so you can get to know the city in a quiet and comfortable way, having also close to the essential places to visit in Athens.
Based on our visit to the city during our 32-day trip to Greece, in which we wrote this guide to Athens, we leave you a selection of places to stay in Athens and the best neighborhoods. Let’s get started!
Neighborhoods where to stay in Athens
The first thing you should know is that Athens is made up of different districts and neighborhoods. If we focus on reality we could say that Athens are the neighborhoods that make up the central area, and that would be Plaka, Anafiótika, Monastiraki, Thisseio, Keramikós, Psirí, Kolonaki, Syntagma Square, Omonia Square, and Exarhia in addition to the neighborhoods Pangrati, Výronas, Kessarianí, Ilíssia and Zoografou.
From these are formed different districts that function as independent municipalities, although in practice they are also part of the city of Athens.
In this case and to talk about the best areas to stay in Athens, we will focus on the most central neighborhoods and the most famous, which are where most tourist attractions are concentrated but also as we said before, we will make special mention of the areas that despite being central, we believe that they are not the best places to sleep in Athens.
1. Plaka, the most central area and the best place to stay in Athens
Undoubtedly Plaka is the best place to sleep in Athens as well as being one of the areas of the city with more atmosphere and charm. Here you can get lost among cobbled streets where time seems to have stopped, enjoy shopping in craft stores and of course, taste the best cuisine of the city in its incredible and wide range of restaurants.
Besides this, here you will be at the foot of the main tourist attraction of the city, something that will allow you to visit the Acropolis of Athens early in the morning.
Keep in mind that despite being such a central area there are not many accommodations, so it is important to book early if you want to have options and good prices as there are not few travelers who choose Plaka to sleep in Athens.
The price of accommodation in Plaka is usually 60 euros.
2. Monastiraki, another of the best areas to sleep in Athens
Known for being one of the liveliest neighborhoods in Athens, Monastiraki is another of the best options where to stay in Athens if you are looking to be close to everything, have multiple accommodation and dining options and also want to be close to the metro, as this is where you will find one of the stops of Line 3 which is the one that connects to the airport.
Here you will find the impressive Monastiraki Square, which is one of the meeting points of the city and its market, where you can enjoy not only some shopping but also its atmosphere and of course, its gastronomy in some of its nearby restaurants.
Monastiraki is also close to the Plaka neighborhood, so you can move without problems in the tourist area and be in the Acropolis in a few minutes walk, if you choose to sleep in Athens in this neighborhood.
The price of accommodation in Monastiraki is usually 50 euros.
3. Syntagma Square, the most central area
Although it is not our favorite area to stay in Athens, it is important to keep in mind that in the city, the radius in which most tourist attractions are concentrated is relatively small and Syntagma Square is one of the most central areas of the city, so you can access all of them in a comfortable, quick and easy way.
Here you can find the Royal Palace, seat of the Greek Parliament, where the famous changing of the guard is held every day, which is another of the things to do in Athens that you can not miss.
Besides this is a shopping area, which does not lack a good range of restaurants, bars and cafes where you can take a break and enjoy the Greek cuisine that is one of the best in the world.
And although in Athens you can move perfectly walking around all the places of interest, if you want to go to the airport by public transport, this is the best area where to sleep in Athens, as the metro is direct to the Syntagma Square stop.
The price of accommodation in Syntagma Square is usually 50 euros.
4. Piraeus, the best area if you want to sleep near the harbor
If you are looking to sleep near the port in Athens, without a doubt, the best area to do so is in Piraeus. Here you will be within walking distance of the departure and arrival of the ferries that will take you to the best Greek islands and it is the best option to stay in Athens if your ferry arrives at night or leaves very early in the morning.
Note that the area does not have any tourist attractions, so we recommend it only if you need to be in the area for the boat schedules, as it happened to us who stayed here one night during the trip to Greece for free.
The price of accommodation in Piraeus is usually 30-40 euros.
5. Omonia Square and Metaxourgeio, the places where you should NOT stay in Athens
Although we did not stay and did not even walk around the areas of Omonia and Metaxourgeio, we were not recommended at all to stay in Athens. It is important to take this into account because although the prices in some cases may be cheaper, from what we were told and especially at night, the atmosphere is not very good, something that we believe is best avoided.
Considering the number of areas where to stay in Athens that have much better options and that the prices are relatively tight in most cases, we recommend you to avoid these areas so you don’t get any unpleasant surprises.
Tips for finding cheap accommodation in Athens
After talking about the best areas and neighborhoods to sleep in Athens, we want to leave you with a series of tips and recommendations so that the search and selection of your hotel is easy and comfortable and above all, suits your trip and needs.
- As we have already mentioned, the best areas to stay in Athens are Plaka, Monasteraki and Syntagma, in that order. Keep in mind that they are all very central and close to each other, so whichever one you choose, you will be within walking distance of most of the city’s tourist attractions.
- Although accommodation in Athens is cheap, if you are traveling in high season or during a weekend, it is important to book in advance in order to get the best prices.
- Remember that to avoid paying commissions and to always have the current exchange rate we recommend you to use the Revolut card and the N26 card, which are the ones we use, are free of charge and will save you a lot of money.
