From the classic Grande Bretagne to the purpose-built beds of the Nubian Hostel, Athens has interesting accommodation options for all budgets.
Best Athens accommodation for backpackers: Nubian Hostel
Hostel beds are often hideous, noisy, rattling metal things that groan in the night as someone attempts to clamber on to the top bunk. That is not, mercifully, the case at the Nubian Hostel. It opened in March 2018, and had the beds made to spec. That means they’re sizable, solid wooden things, bordering on capsules, with lockers built into the bottom and individual lights and plug sockets.
All but one dorm is en-suite, and the look of the place is livened up considerably by getting the street artists in. The walls are turned into artworks, as are the beds themselves and the cute, pot plant-surrounded terrace that has a giant giraffe on one side and wry-looking vultures on the other.
It’s not a party joint – a plus point for some, a minus for others – and the private rooms are somewhat spartan, but the Nubian makes for a thoughtful budget sanctuary in buzzily studenty Exarhia.
Best Athens hotel for location: The Hera
There’s an old school elegance about the Hera that gives the vibe of the discerningly classy neighbourhood hotel that those in-the-know choose every time they visit a big city. The lobby comes with a gorgeous stained glass ceiling and rich dark wood panelling, stout doors have brass knockers and headboards are plumply padded. Enter the bathroom, and the green marble overload adds a “woah there!” factor.
It’s a short amble away from the Acropolis entrance and New Acropolis Museum, and also offers rather cool, rentable wooden-framed bikes for those who want to explore further afield.
The most stylish Athens hotel: InnAthens
Good luck finding it – InnAthens hides in a courtyard and requires walking through a fairy-lit atrium next to a wine bar. But it’s highly agreeable when you get there, with spot on friendly service.
The whole place looks effortlessly cool, too. Low-rise superking beds come next to tables with huge chunks of stone at the bottom – a nod to Athens’ omnipresent ruins. Little balconies overlook the courtyard, bathrooms have stone-hewn basins and black glass shower screens, and the lobby is full of lounge-y sofas and bookshelves. It somehow manages to be homely, minimalist and sprinkled with little detail at the same time.
Best Athens hotel for local life: Fresh Hotel
The Fresh Hotel was one of the glut that arrived in 2004, bringing a bit of style to Omonia – the somewhat rough-and-ready ‘hood that’s home to the markets, but borders bar-packed Psirri.
It still feels, well, fresh. The rooftop pool has a Balearic chillout feel by day, and becomes a scene-y bar-restaurant by night.
There’s a considerable amount of sass throughout. The lift comes with cartoonish images of fishing nets, the lobby is sprinkled by 3D model cityscapes in glass cubes and ‘secret’ guides to luxury Athens are knowingly placed in the rooms. Big bold paint splodge-esque spots dominated feature walls above the low-rise beds, while every table and mirror seems custom-designed rather than mass produced.
Best Athens hotel for a late flight: The Melia
On the cusp of grungily hip Exarchia, the Melia oftens veers too far into generic business hotel territory. But there are just enough cool touches – flip-up mirrors built into the desks, jacuzzi baths in the superior rooms, corridors full of black and white photography of old Athens – to stop it being interchangeable.
Where the Melia really excels, however, is on the rooftop. The 22-metre pool doesn’t have the greatest views, but there’s also a windowed sauna and hammam up there, plus changing rooms with showers. Which is mighty handy if you’re flying out late after a day spent getting sweaty.
The coolest Athens hotel? The New Hotel
Sometimes, it’s best not to ask why. The entrance to the New Hotel has a barrage of cacti in clay pots, while head inside and the walls are covered in bits of old wooden furniture. This extends to the restaurant, where the supporting pillars are made to look like trees of bed knobs and chair legs.
The rooms have various themes – one of which is the Evil Eye – and often ludicrous furniture, such as the chair with a back that doubles as a ladder stretching to the ceiling.
It’s clearly pitching towards Instagrammers, but the New also does a nice line in old-fashioned service. Little cakes, macarons and strawberries are amongst the goodies you can expect left alongside the complimentary bottles of water.
Best Athens hotel pool scene: Electra Palace
Let’s be honest, the rooms in the Electra Palace are nothing to get excited about. They feel like they belong in a slightly dated Intercontinental in a second tier US city, albeit with a few photos of turn-of-the-century Athens framed on the walls.
But you’re probably not going to spend all that much room thinking about how solid but unspectacular the rooms are when you head up to the rooftop. There’s one indoor pool, but it’s the outdoor pool, surrounded with sunbeds and staring out towards the Parthenon that will inspire envy in anyone who sees photos of it.
The classic Athens hotel: The Grande Bretagne
No-one seriously debates the Grande Bretagne’s status as the top address in town. It’s the sort of place where afternoon tea is served amongst the stained glass windows of the winter garden, while the Indian President’s delegation flits between the function rooms and the gazebo-esque cigar lounge serves barrel-aged cocktails. Bedrooms come with big bronze chandeliers, plus custom-made, peacock and fountain-emblazoned fabric bedheads. Big drape curtains, golden Olympic laurel wreaths and marble-topped bedside tables add to the décor’s sense of grandeur.
The proper wow factor comes with the bathroom’s black marble blitz, however. Or, maybe at sundown in the rooftop restaurant, where – you guessed it – the Acropolis views take centre stage.
Best Athens hotel for art: The King George
On Syntagma Square, home of the Greek Parliament, the King George invites you in with art nouveau awnings, then turns the lobby into an art gallery. A giant tapestry hangs by the reception desk, paintings curated by an in-house art advisor are for sale on the back walls and an extraordinary portrait of David Bowie by the lifts is made from thousands of test tubes.
Head up said lifts, and you’ll find the Tudor House restaurant has A grade Acropolis views, and bright rooms that get more interesting the more you nosy around. Creamy marble bathrooms have leaf-shaped art nouveau lamps and olive oil soaps, while beds stand on parquet floors and opposite glass cabinets filled with oddities such as model trains and old Victorian stopwatches.
More Greece travel
Other Greece travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Why Rhodes is a great cruise destination to explore independently.
- Opening times and ticket prices for the Rhodes city walls walk.
- How close is Mykonos Town to the cruise terminal?
- Where are the original Lions of Delos?
- Is it possible to visit Delos in the winter?
