Athens: The Gateway City to the Greek Islands
Athens is the capital of Greece and the gateway most island-hoppers pass through: you fly in, see the Acropolis and Plaka in two or three days, then head for an island. The city of about 4 million people is large and vibrant, and it holds every historic sight travellers want — the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the National Museum — but it has little of the peace of the islands. Stay close to the Acropolis, see the monuments, then sail from Piraeus. Hire a car at the airport for day trips beyond the city, covered in our Athens airport car rental guide.
- Role
- Gateway city
- Population
- ~4 million
- Recommended stay
- 2–3 days
- Best area
- Plaka / Acropolis
Athens, the gateway to the islands
Athens is not an island, but most visitors start and end a Greek holiday here, so it is worth a short stop. The city is large and vibrant and carries all the historic sights everyone wants to see, yet parts of it run busy, crowded and noisy, and the traffic of a four-million city fouls the air. Athens sits in a valley ringed by hills, which traps the heat, and unlike most of the islands it gets little wind, so the summers turn very hot. Prices climb too: food, drink and hotels all cost more here than on the islands. The advice is simple — see the Acropolis and the other Greek masterpieces, visit the National Museum, give the city two or maybe three days, and then head for an island.
The sights: Acropolis and Plaka
The ancient heart of Athens gathers below the Acropolis, and this is the nicest part of the city — less traffic, more authentic buildings. The Acropolis and the Parthenon crown the rock above the old town; nearby stand the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch, and the National Museum holds the Greek masterpieces most people come to see. The Plaka district that wraps around the foot of the Acropolis is the most prestigious quarter and the best base, within a short walk of Constitution Square (Syntagma), the Parliament, the National Gardens and the Ermou shopping street. This old core is now surrounded by the modern concrete blocks where the city’s 4 million people live, so keep to the streets around the Acropolis for the Athens worth seeing.
Where to stay in Athens
| Hotel | Area | Distance to Acropolis | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ava Hotel Apartments & Suites | Plaka | Foot of the Acropolis | Apartments & suites, longer stays |
| Athens Gate Hotel | By the Temple of Olympian Zeus | 500 m | Roof-garden views, central base |
| Carolina Hotel | Near Plaka & Ermou | Walking distance | Budget, shopping district |
Book a good hotel close to the Acropolis rather than the cheapest room — the area around the ancient rock is the pleasant part of Athens, and everything worth walking to is within reach. Three hotels near Plaka cover the range.
Ava Hotel Apartments and Suites, Plaka
The Ava is a boutique apartment hotel in Plaka, the most prestigious quarter of Athens, renovated in 2004 and set at the foot of the Acropolis just steps from the Parthenon, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian’s Arch. It offers self-contained apartments and suites of 32 to 55 m² with a kitchenette, private bathroom and a balcony or veranda, several looking straight at the Acropolis; the regular apartments sleep 2–3, the executive apartments up to 5 and the neo-classical suites up to 4. Syntagma, the Parliament and the Ermou and Kolonaki shopping areas are a 10-minute walk away, and the staff work 24 hours a day. It suits couples and families on a short or a longer stay.
Athens Gate Hotel
The Athens Gate is a fully renovated hotel (2007) in the historic heart of the city, directly opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian’s Gate, 500 metres from the Acropolis and 100 metres from the new Acropolis Museum, with Syntagma Square 500 metres away. It has 7 floors and 99 rooms — 60 with a queen bed, 38 twins and a junior suite with a jacuzzi — a lobby bar-cafeteria and a roof-garden bar and restaurant whose view over the city is among the best in Athens. The front rooms look onto the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the 7th-floor back rooms onto the Parthenon. Rooms carry an LCD TV, mini bar, safe, individual temperature control and high-speed internet.
Carolina Hotel
The Carolina is the budget choice, renovated in 2004 and set by the Athens shopping district within walking distance of the tourist sights. It offers clean, spacious rooms in a range of sizes for couples or groups, a café serving the complimentary buffet breakfast and drinks, and an internet point. Its location near Plaka puts the Acropolis, the National Gardens and the Parliament on foot, next to the Ermou shopping street, and Monastiraki and Syntagma metro stations are a 5-minute walk for reaching the rest of the city.
Getting to the islands
Athens is where most island trips begin and end, by air or by sea. Aegean Airlines and its subsidiary Olympic Airlines fly from Athens to a large number of Greek islands, so for the farther islands a connecting flight is often the quickest way on. For everything within ferry range, the boats leave from Piraeus, the main port of Athens. Fly into Athens, spend your two or three days on the Acropolis and in Plaka, then continue to the island by plane from the airport or by ferry from Piraeus.
