Athens and the Athenian Riviera, four houses
Luxury hotels in Athens & the Athenian Riviera
4 hotels
Athens keeps its luxury in two places, around Syntagma Square and along the Athenian Riviera. Around the square a grande dame has faced Parliament since the nineteenth century and a neoclassical mansion looks up at the Acropolis from its roof; along the Riviera, the coast road south of the city, the pines of Vouliagmeni and the shore of Glyfada hold the resorts, twenty-odd kilometers from the center and a world away from it. Most stays pair the two, a city night beneath the Parthenon with days on the Saronic Gulf. We list four houses, each described at exactly the tier it holds, with a concierge behind every stay.
Syntagma & Plaka
The city's center, the square where Parliament faces the grande dame, with the Acropolis a short walk uphill. Below it lie the lanes of Plaka, and the metro runs to the port and the airport.
The neighborhoods
Syntagma & Plaka
The city's center, the square where Parliament faces the grande dame, with the Acropolis a short walk uphill. Below it lie the lanes of Plaka, and the metro runs to the port and the airport.
Athenian Riviera & Vouliagmeni
The coast road south of the city, running out to the pines, the lake and the beaches of the Vouliagmeni peninsula. Glyfada's shore and cafés come first, twenty minutes out; the peninsula lies half an hour from Syntagma and a world away.
Good to know
Which are the five-star hotels in Athens?
One. The five-star hotel we list in Athens is Four Seasons Astir Palace Hotel Athens, the resort on the Vouliagmeni peninsula of the Athenian Riviera, with its three beaches and its pines. Three more houses hold four-star standing: Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens, the grande dame on Syntagma Square; THE DOLLI at Acropolis, the neoclassical mansion on Mitropoleos Street with a rooftop pool level with the Parthenon; and One&Only Aesthesis, the beach resort on the Glyfada shore of the Riviera. Each has its own page, reachable from the list above, with a concierge behind every stay.
Which part of Athens should I stay in?
Syntagma and Plaka for the city itself: Parliament and the Changing of the Guard, the Acropolis a short walk uphill, the museums, the Plaka lanes and the tavernas of Psyrri, with the metro to the port and the airport at the door. The Athenian Riviera for the sea: Glyfada for its shore and its cafés twenty minutes down the coast road, Vouliagmeni for the peninsula, its lake and its beaches half an hour from the center, with Cape Sounion an hour further south. Most stays pair a city night with the coast.
When is the best time to visit Athens?
April to June and September to October are the sweet spots: warm, clear and busy without the crush, with the Riviera beaches open from May. July and August are hot, the Athenians leave for the islands and the coast fills up; the city itself is quieter. November to March is mild and rainy in bursts, the museums are yours and the Riviera hotels run at a slower pace. Easter week and the September weekends book first.
How do I get to Athens — and do I need a visa?
Athens International Airport lies east of the city; the metro reaches Syntagma in about forty minutes and the coast road reaches Vouliagmeni in about thirty by car. Greece is in the Schengen area: visitors from the European Union enter freely; visitors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Japan enter without a visa for short stays; the rules change, check them before you travel. The hotels arrange their own airport transfers.
How do I reserve a stay?
Search your dates on the hotel's page to see reference rates, then send the concierge a request. The concierge confirms exact rates and availability with you before anything is booked, and any payment and its timing are set out before you confirm.
