City Hotel
Athens, Greece
8.7
Hotel Grande Bretagne
Athens' 19th-century grande dame on Syntagma Square, with Acropolis views from its rooftop and marble grandeur throughout.
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Greece
Athens
Athens has shaken off its reputation as a mere gateway to the islands and reclaimed its place as a destination in full. The Acropolis still presides over everything, but beneath it a confident modern city has emerged: rooftop restaurants angled at the Parthenon, world-class museums and neighbourhoods where ancient ruins share blocks with galleries and natural-wine bars.
The luxury scene has kept pace, from restored grande dames on Syntagma Square to design-led boutique hotels under the Acropolis and beach resorts along the Athens Riviera. Few capitals let you follow a morning among fifth-century marbles with an afternoon swim in the Aegean.
The best hotels in Athens
Best areas to stay
Syntagma & Kolonaki
The city's establishment quarter pairs grand hotels and designer shopping with museum access and leafy café squares.
Plaka & Monastiraki
The old town beneath the Acropolis offers atmospheric lanes, rooftop views and boutique hotels steps from the ancient sites.
The Athens Riviera (Vouliagmeni & Glyfada)
The coastal strip south of the centre holds beach resorts, marinas and summer clubs with the Aegean at their feet.
Dining & nightlife
Athens eats brilliantly at every level, from psistaria grills and seafood tavernas to a rising generation of creative Greek kitchens. Rooftop bars compete for the best Parthenon angle, and the city's nightlife runs genuinely late, from Kolonaki cocktail rooms to summer clubs on the coast.
Travelling as a family
Children respond to Athens' mythology made visible — the Acropolis, the temple of Poseidon at Sounion, the excellent Acropolis Museum with its glass floors over excavations. Riviera beaches and hotel pools balance the ruins, and tavernas welcome families as a matter of course.
Travelling as a couple
Couples should book an Acropolis-view suite, time the sacred rock for the last hour before closing and let evenings run from wine bars in Plaka to a moonlit drive to Sounion. A day cruise to the Saronic islands adds Aegean blue to the itinerary.
Cultural highlights
- The Acropolis and Parthenon
- The Acropolis Museum and National Archaeological Museum
- The ancient Agora and Temple of Olympian Zeus
- Sunset at Cape Sounion's Temple of Poseidon
The Browntravels Edit
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