Skip to content
The Acropolis and the Parthenon on their rock above the white apartment blocks of Athens, with the Saronic Gulf and the Peloponnese mountains beyond

Where to stay in Athens

Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Places to stay in Athens

Add your dates above to compare prices for your stay.

About Athens

Central Athens is easy on foot and hard on a car: visitor bays allow three hours, and on weekdays outside the summer the Daktylios ring admits cars on alternate days by plate. The seaside suburbs to the south suit a car better.

Greece. Guide last checked .

Facts and rules

Last checked . Each fact links to its source.

Airport
Athens International (ATH) near Spata, about 20 km east of the city and reached by the Attiki Odos toll motorway; about 34 km by road to Syntagma Square. Source
Climate resilience fee
Per night and per room or property, the same across Greece. April to October: short-term rentals EUR 8, or EUR 15 for a detached house over 80 m2; tourist residences EUR 8, or EUR 15 from 80 m2; tourist villas EUR 15; hotels EUR 2 to 15 by stars. November to March: EUR 0.50 to 4. Article 44 of the Code of indirect taxes (Law 5177/2025); unchanged for 2026. Source
Municipal visitors' fee
0.5% of the price of stays under six months, which the City of Athens raised to 0.75% (council decision 680/2024, no end date) and Vari-Voula-Vouliagmeni too (512/2024). Private hosts with one or two properties do not charge it. Source
Registration ban in the centre
No property in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd municipal district of Athens can be registered as a short-term rental for the first time until 31 December 2026. Rentals registered earlier continue. Source
Listing number
Every short-term rental must show its 11-digit AMA, the registry number from the tax authority AADE, on every platform and advert. Licensed properties show a 16-digit ΕΣΛ or a 7-digit ΜΑΓ number instead. Source
Street parking
White bays for visitors: paid weekdays 09:00 to 21:00 and Saturdays 09:00 to 16:00, 3 hours maximum, EUR 6 for 3 hours, payable in the myAthensPass app. Blue bays: residents with a permit only, all day, all year. Source
Car park in the centre
Municipal underground car park under Kotzia Square, 500 spaces: EUR 12 up to 10 hours, EUR 15 over 10 hours (December 2025 tariff). Source
Daktylios traffic ring
Cars enter the centre on alternate days by the last digit of the plate, Monday to Thursday 07:00 to 20:00 and Friday 07:00 to 15:00. The last period ran from 20 October 2025 to 24 July 2026; the autumn 2026 restart date is unverified as of September 2026. Source
Monthly stays
Under 60 days per contract is a short-term rental in Greece, with the per-night fee and the AMA; 60 days or more without extra services is an ordinary lease. Airbnb calls 28 nights or more a monthly stay. Source
Emergency number
112 Source

Areas of Athens

Taverna tables and parasols on the stepped Mnisikleous Street in Plaka, with potted plants and a yellow house with red shutters
Photo: Jakub Hałun, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Plaka and Monastiraki

The old lanes under the Acropolis and the square at Monastiraki, with the ancient Agora, the Acropolis and the main museums within walking distance. It suits a first visit of a few nights on foot. Evenings around Monastiraki are busy.

Athens airport
about 34 km
Syntagma Square
under 1 km
Piraeus port
about 11 km
Edem beach, Palaio Faliro
about 9 km

Car and parking

Street parking follows the city system: white visitor bays for up to 3 hours, paid weekdays 09:00 to 21:00 and Saturdays 09:00 to 16:00, and blue bays for residents only. For a night, the municipal car park under Kotzia Square, about 2 km by road, charges EUR 15 for more than 10 hours. The area lies inside the Daktylios ring.

The Theatre of Dionysus on the south slope of the Acropolis, with the Acropolis Museum and the apartment blocks of Makrygianni behind it
Photo: Roderich Kahn, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Koukaki and Makrygianni

Residential streets south of the Acropolis around the Acropolis Museum, a short walk from Plaka and quieter at night. It suits a longer stay and travellers who prefer neighbourhood cafes and bakeries to the busiest lanes.

Athens airport
about 37 km
Syntagma Square
about 2 km
Piraeus port
about 9 km
Edem beach, Palaio Faliro
about 7 km

Car and parking

The city parking rules apply where the signs show them: white bays for up to 3 hours, blue bays for residents only. The area lies inside the Daktylios ring. Ask the host whether a space comes with the flat.

Apartment blocks of central Athens and Kolonaki spreading up to the wooded slopes of Mount Lycabettus, seen from the Acropolis
Photographed in 2021. Photo: Artemco, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Kolonaki

Streets of shops and galleries on the lower slopes of Lycabettus hill, with the Benaki and Cycladic museums close by and Syntagma a short walk away. It suits a city stay built around shops, galleries and museums.

Athens airport
about 33 km
Syntagma Square
about 1 km
Piraeus port
about 12 km

Car and parking

The same city parking rules as the rest of the centre: white visitor bays for up to 3 hours, blue bays for residents only. Kolonaki lies inside the Daktylios ring.

The marble Panathenaic Stadium among pine trees, with the dense apartment blocks of Pangrati rising on the hill behind it
Photographed in 2015. Photo: Jebulon, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Pangrati

A residential district east of the Panathenaic Stadium, with neighbourhood squares, tavernas and bakeries and fewer visitors than Plaka. It suits a month or a repeat visit.

Athens airport
about 32 km
Syntagma Square
about 2 km
Piraeus port
about 12 km

Car and parking

The Daktylios perimeter runs through Pangrati along Spyrou Merkouri, Vryaxidos and Ymittou streets, so part of the district is inside the ring and part outside; ask the host which side the flat is on. Where the city's controlled parking applies, blue bays are for residents only.

The entrance to Mikrolimano harbour in Piraeus, with moored yachts and white apartment buildings climbing Kastella hill under a summer sky
Photographed in 2021. Photo: George E. Koronaios, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Piraeus

The port city, with the ferry quays for the islands and the small harbour of Mikrolimano below Kastella hill. It suits the night before an early sailing or after a late one.

Athens airport
about 48 km
Syntagma Square
about 11 km
Edem beach, Palaio Faliro
about 8 km

Car and parking

No official parking source for Piraeus was found as of September 2026, so ask the host before arrival. Piraeus is a separate municipality, outside the Athens registration ban and the Daktylios ring.

Aerial view of the bay and beach of Vouliagmeni, with the built up coast running north past Voula and Glyfada towards the former Hellinikon airport
Photo: Chepry, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Glyfada and Vouliagmeni

The Athens Riviera: seaside suburbs south of the city with beaches, marinas and the shops of Glyfada, on the coast road towards Sounion. It suits a summer stay with a car, families, and trips that mix the city with the coast.

Athens airport, from Glyfada
about 24 km
Syntagma Square, from Glyfada
about 14 km
Syntagma Square, from Vouliagmeni
about 19 km
Piraeus port, from Glyfada
about 16 km

Car and parking

Glyfada's paid parking gives visitors up to 4 hours, EUR 1 for the first hour and EUR 5 for four, by machine or app, Monday to Friday 08:00 to 22:00 and at weekends 09:00 to midnight. Vouliagmeni's runs from 1 May to 30 September, weekdays 19:00 to 01:00 and weekends 10:00 to 01:00. Both towns are outside the Athens registration ban.

Guides

Questions

Is there a tourist tax in Athens?

Yes. Greece charges a climate resilience fee per night and per room or property: a short-term rental pays EUR 8 from April to October and EUR 2 from November to March, a detached house over 80 m2 EUR 15 and EUR 4, and hotels EUR 2 to 15 from April to October, by star rating. Hotels and professional hosts also add a municipal visitors' fee on the price, which the City of Athens raised to 0.75% by council decision 680/2024.

Where can a rental car park in central Athens?

In the white visitor bays for up to three hours, paid through the myAthensPass app on weekdays from 09:00 to 21:00 and on Saturdays from 09:00 to 16:00. Blue bays are for residents with a permit. For a night or a full day, the municipal car park under Kotzia Square charges EUR 15 for more than 10 hours.

Can new holiday rentals open in central Athens?

Not before 2027. No property in the 1st, 2nd or 3rd municipal district, which include Plaka, Koukaki, Kolonaki and Pangrati, can be registered as a short-term rental for the first time until 31 December 2026. Rentals registered earlier still operate and must show their AMA number.

Which area is best for a first visit to Athens?

Plaka and Monastiraki put the Acropolis and the old lanes on the doorstep. Koukaki and Makrygianni, south of the Acropolis around the Acropolis Museum, are quieter at night. For a car and the beach, Glyfada and Vouliagmeni on the coast are about 14 and 19 km by road from Syntagma.