15 of the best hotels in Athens under £200

Times

21-07-2025

Athens is one of the world's top city breaks and with good reason: the climate is mild, the food delicious and affordable, the ancient sights, museums and art galleries are world class, and the nightlife remains as vibrant as ever. Plus, most of the city's hotels are conveniently located in or near Plaka and Monastiraki, the lively antiquity-filled neighbourhoods under the Acropolis, within walking distance of almost everything you'll want to see and do. Many have rooftop bars with views of the Parthenon, gorgeous sunsets guaranteed.
As Athens has become more popular, hotels have upped their offerings. Greek taste naturally tends towards minimalism, and even the city's budget hotels are (mostly) models of contemporary cool. Prices have upped as well, but you can still find a good deal, often in the neighbourhoods just outside the ancient core, including the nightlife vortex Psirri and the quieter, residential districts of Thissio and Koukaki. But staying even further away from the tourist hotspots to get a better sense of daily Athenian life is an option, thanks to the city's excellent and inexpensive metro system. Besides, the Acropolis is so dominant you can see it from nearly anywhere in the city.
Here are our picks of the best affordable hotels in Athens. Rates for hotel rooms in Athens are very dynamic, but in general the prices of these affordable places are based on a midweek stay in low season (October to March); at other times prices may be significantly higher. That said, even if you're travelling in high season, you can bag a great deal if you book well in advance.
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Best for being in the heart of action
With a touch of 1960s flair, this little hotel is located near Monastiraki Square and the buzzing nightlife of Psirri, but also right off the main shopping streets of Ermou and Athinas. Rooms have parquet floors, colourful pop-art wallpaper and handy mini fridges; rates include a generous buffet breakfast and access to the rooftop bar with the view of the Acropolis at its nearby big sister hotel, the 360Degree. Add to the mix great staff and it's no surprise this is a hotel that gets a lot of repeat guests.
Best for alternative Athens
Located near the National Archaeology Museum, the Exarchia is the vibrant bohemian alternative neighbourhood of Athens. Nicknamed 'Anarchia' by the stodgy and old fashioned, it's full of bookshops, cafés, bars and small restaurants on narrow lanes where tourists seldom venture. This super-friendly little hotel, one of the very few in the area, has ship-shape rooms, tea and coffee makers, walk-in showers and a very affordable family suite, sleeping four.
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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, hot tub and massage room.
SPA | POOL | 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 hot tub and bar, where breakfast is served with breathtaking views of the Acropolis.
SPA | ACCESSIBLE | 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.
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.
ACCESSIBLE | 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.
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.
ACCESSIBLE | 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.
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.
SPA | ACCESSIBLE | 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.
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.
POOL | ACCESSIBLE | 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.
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.
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 delivered to your room.
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Additional reporting by Oliver Berry