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Best Hotels in Plaka, Athens

Greece › Athens › Plaka Hotels
Updated: April 5, 2026 • By Santorini Dave
Questions? dave@santorinidave.com

My Favorite Plaka Hotels

Staying in Plaka

  • For most first-time visitors, Plaka is the easy choice. If you want to step outside your hotel and immediately feel like you’re in historic Athens, this is the neighborhood. You’re right below the Acropolis, and a lot of the big sights are within easy walking distance.
  • It is not my pick for everyone. Plaka is expensive by Athens standards, and parts of it can feel a too polished and tourist-focused. There are streets I love here, and there are other streets that are mostly souvenir shops and menus in six languages.
  • The main advantage is convenience. You can easily walk to the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the Roman Agora, the Ancient Agora, and Syntagma. If you are only in Athens for two or three nights, that matters a lot.
  • The atmosphere is why people book here. Small lanes, old houses, cafe tables spilling into little squares, steps covered with flower pots, and views up to the Acropolis. It’s the prettiest setting in central Athens, especially early in the morning.
  • Food is plentiful, but do not choose blindly. There are lots of good places to eat in and around Plaka, but there are also plenty of average restaurants trading on the location. Do a little homework before picking where to have dinner.
  • Hotels here tend to be small and full of character. If you want a stylish little hotel in the middle of everything, Plaka is hard to beat. If you want better value, more nightlife, or a more local everyday feel, look at Koukaki, Psiri, or Pangrati.
Me and my wife in Plaka, Athens.

My wife and I in Plaka.

Map of Plaka in Athens, Greece.

Why Stay in Plaka: The Historic Heart of Athens

Plaka is the part of Athens that most first-time visitors picture before they arrive. It sits on the slopes below the Acropolis, and in many spots it feels surprisingly calm for such a central neighborhood. The streets are narrow, walkable, and full of old houses, little churches, cafe tables, and corners that feel more like a small town than a capital city.

It is also one of the most visitor-focused parts of Athens, and that comes with tradeoffs. Some streets are lovely and full of character; others lean heavily into souvenir shops and tourist menus. Even so, Plaka remains an appealing base (even for me, and I’ve been to Athens over 30 times).

The biggest reason to stay here is simple: it makes Athens easy. You can walk to the Acropolis, the Ancient Agora, the Roman Agora, the Acropolis Museum, and Syntagma Square without much effort. For first-time visitors, that convenience is hard to overstate. If you want the prettiest, most atmospheric part of central Athens and do not mind paying a bit more for the location, Plaka is usually the best place to stay.

Best Things to Do in Plaka

  • Walk up to the Acropolis. This is the big advantage of staying in Plaka: you can reach Athens’s most famous sight on foot. Depending on where your hotel is, the walk usually takes about 5 to 15 minutes, and even the route there feels like part of the experience.
  • Wander without a plan. Plaka is one of those neighborhoods that invites aimless walking. Some of the best moments are just turning down a quiet lane, finding a little square, or stumbling onto a view of the Acropolis. Adrianou Street is the busiest area, with lots of shops, cafes, and places to stop for a drink.
  • Spend a little time in Anafiotika. Tucked into the slope below the Acropolis, this tiny pocket of whitewashed houses feels completely different from the rest of central Athens. It is small, quiet, and worth seeking out, especially in the early morning or late afternoon.
  • Use Plaka as your base for the ancient sites. The Roman Agora is right here, the Ancient Agora is a short walk away, and Hadrian’s Gate and the Temple of Olympian Zeus are close by too. If ancient Athens is the reason you are visiting the city, Plaka makes sightseeing very easy.
  • Do not skip the Acropolis Museum. It is just outside Plaka, easy to reach on foot, and one of the best museums in Greece. Even travelers who are not usually museum people tend to enjoy this one.

Best Restaurants and Bars in Plaka

  • The Old Tavern of Psaras: A classic Plaka choice and a good one if you want an old-Athens setting that feels memorable. Yes, it is well known and firmly on the visitor radar, but it has real history and a much better atmosphere than other generic tourist places nearby.
  • To Kafeneio: One of the better picks in Plaka if you want something that feels a little more traditional and a little less polished. It is cozy, old-fashioned, and a good place for simple Greek dishes in a setting that still has character.
  • Brettos: Come here for a drink, not for a full meal. It is famous for the wall of colorful bottles, the old distillery history, and the fun atmosphere.

Best Hotels in Plaka

Plaka has a fantastic range of hotels, from 5-star properties with rooftop pools to charming, family-run guesthouses.

Luxury Hotels

  • Electra Palace Hotel: A classic 5-star hotel with a rooftop pool and restaurant offering direct, jaw-dropping views of the Acropolis.
  • The Dolli (on the border of Monastiraki/Plaka): A spectacular new luxury hotel in a restored 1920s building, featuring a stunning rooftop pool with unobstructed Parthenon views.
  • AthensWas (on the border of Makriyanni/Plaka): A chic, high-design hotel located on the grand pedestrian promenade that circles the Acropolis, with a great rooftop restaurant.

Boutique Hotels

  • A77 Suites: A collection of stylish and luxurious suites located right on Adrianou Street, in the absolute heart of the action.
  • The Zillers: A stunning boutique hotel housed in a neoclassical building across from the Metropolitan Cathedral. Its rooftop garden bar and restaurant is a destination in itself, offering some of the best cocktails and Parthenon views in Athens.
  • Ava Hotel: One of my favorite hotels for families in Athens. It offers large, elegant suites with kitchenettes in a quiet and beautiful part of Plaka.
  • IPEL Luxury Apartments: Exceptional apartment-style accommodation that bridges the gap between a hotel and a rental. These are perfect for families who want extra space, privacy, and a fully equipped kitchen without sacrificing central location and service.
  • Sweet Home Hotel: A lovely and intimate boutique hotel in a restored historic building, known for its charming decor and warm, personal service.

Mid-Range & Good Value Hotels

  • Plaka Hotel: A fantastic mid-range hotel whose main selling point is its incredible rooftop bar with panoramic Acropolis views. A superb value.
  • Adrian Hotel: A wonderful 3-star hotel with a prime location right between the Roman Agora and Monastiraki Square. Some rooms have Acropolis views.
  • Phaedra Hotel: A simple, clean, and charming budget hotel in a great location. An excellent value choice.
  • Hotel Byron: Another great-value option, this family-run hotel has some rooms with Acropolis views.

Getting Around

  • Walking: Plaka is a walker’s paradise. You can reach the Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Ancient Agora, Monastiraki, Syntagma Square, and the National Garden easily on foot.
  • Metro: While the heart of Plaka is pedestrian-only, it’s perfectly surrounded by three of the most useful Metro stations for tourists: Syntagma, Monastiraki, and Akropoli. These three stations form a triangle around the neighborhood, so you are never more than a 5-10-minute walk from a station. The Metro provides direct, easy links to the airport, the port of Piraeus, and the rest of the city.
Hotel in Plaka.

The Ava Hotel in the Plaka, with Hadrian’s Arch in the background.

My Favorite Athens Hotels

About Santorini Dave

Santorini Dave in Athens, Greece Santorini Dave was started in 2011 when I posted a short guide to visiting Santorini with kids. Now, my site publishes regularly updated guides to Santorini, Naxos, Paros, Mykonos, Crete, Athens, and all of Greece.

Questions? Email me at dave@santorinidave.com.