A for Athens hotel in Monastiraki, with a rooftop cafe-bar

©Marissa Tejada/Lonely Planet

A for Athens

Athens

LoginSave

Modern and simple, A for Athens is a good, central base – and its location just across from the Monastiraki metro makes it a straight shot from the airport. The rooftop cafe-bar is grand, with sweeping 360-degree views that take in the Acropolis (as do some of the rooms). The downside is street noise, particularly on the weekends.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • ATHENS, GREECE - OCTOBER 19, 2016: The Acropolis Museum is an archaeological museum focused on the findings of the archaeological site of the Acropolis of Athens in Greece. 572766724 acropolis, ancient, archaeological, archaeology, archeology, architecture, athena, athens, attraction, building, capital, city, civilization, classical, culture, europe, european, exterior, greece, greek, heritage, history, inside, interior, landmark, modern, museum, new, parthenon, sculpture, site, tourism, travel, view

    Acropolis Museum

    0.6 MILES

    This dazzling museum at the foot of the Acropolis' southern slope showcases its surviving treasures. The collection covers the Archaic period to the Roman…

  • Parthenon.

    Parthenon

    0.37 MILES

    Designed to be the pre-eminent monument of the Acropolis, the Parthenon epitomises the glory of Ancient Greece. Meaning 'virgin's apartment', it's…

  • Erechtheion Temple (or Erechtheum) with the figures of Caryatids at the archaeological site of Acropolis in Athens, Greece at sunset. It was dedicated to both Athena and Poseidon. Golden soft light; Shutterstock ID 2144514097; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Digital; full: Digital 2144514097

    Acropolis

    0.35 MILES

    The Acropolis is the most important ancient site in the Western world. Crowned by the Parthenon, it stands sentinel over Athens, visible from almost…

  • Greece, Attica, Athens, ancient grave yard Kerameikos, old columns antiquity, archaeological excavation, archaeological site, athens, attica, column, difference, divers, grave yard, historical, landmark, remains, stone, stony, travel destination, various Old columns in the ancient grave yard at Keramikos Archaeological Site.

    Kerameikos

    0.48 MILES

    This lush, tranquil site is named for the potters who settled it around 3000 BC. It was used as a cemetery through the 6th century AD. The grave markers…

  • Odeon of Agrippa statues in the Ancient Agora of Athens, Greece 637930866 Triton, Travel, People Traveling, Ancient Civilization, Tourism, Looking At View, Cloudscape, Giant, Antiquities, Mythology, The Ancient Agora, Art, Stone Material, Statue, Sculpture, Archaeology, Speculative Being, Greek Culture, Number, Roman, Classical Greek, Ruined, History, Ancient, Old, Cultures, Famous Place, Architecture, Travel Destinations, Tourist, Roman Forum, Acropolis - Athens, Athens - Greece, Attica - Greece, Greece, Europe, Animal, Marble, Cloud - Sky, Architectural Column, Monument, Old Ruin, Cityscape, agrippa, odeion, God, Odeon Cinemas

    Ancient Agora

    0.16 MILES

    The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…

  • ATHENS, GREECE - APRIL 8, 2011: Statue of hunter on the horse killing lion in Byzantine and Christian Museum in Athens; Shutterstock ID 1701764272; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1701764272 ancient, art, athens, building, carving, culture, decoration, detail, greece, heritage, history, horse, hunter, landmark, late antique, lion, monument, old, relief, religion, religious, roman, sculpture, statue, stone, temple, tourism, travel, warrior

    Byzantine & Christian Museum

    1.04 MILES

    This outstanding museum, based in the 1848 Villa Ilissia, offers exhibition halls, most of them underground, crammed with religious art. The exhibits go…

  • G2NPXM Traditional Greek costumes on display at The Benaki Museum, Athens, Greece G2NPXM Benaki, museum, costumes, clothes, clothing, Athens, Greece, Greek, art, arts, capital, cities, city, traditional, costume, craft, crafts, cultural, heritage, culture, design, designs, display, dress, embroidery, museums, needlework, sewing, Attika

    Benaki Museum of Greek Culture

    0.8 MILES

    In 1930 Antonis Benakis – a politician's son born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the late 19th century – endowed what is perhaps the finest museum in Greece…

  • Ceramic vase like hedgehog in National Archaeological Museum, Athens, Greece. Remains of famous Ancient Greek culture. Old artifact, historical dishes, crockery and pottery. Athens - May 7, 2018; Shutterstock ID 1522798868; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: digital; full: poi 1522798868 amphora, ancient, animal, antique, antiquity, archaeological, archeology, art, artifact, athens, civilization, clay, crock, crockery, culture, dish, europe, exhibition, exposition, famous, fix, greece, greek, hedgehog, hellenistic, historical, history, indoor, jar, landmark, museum, mycenae, mykines, national, old, ornate, peloponnese, pitcher, pot, pottery, roman, showcase, sightseeing, tableware, tourism, tourist, travel, vase, ware, zoomorphic

    National Archaeological Museum

    0.92 MILES

    Housing the world's finest collection of Greek antiquities in an enormous neoclassical building, this museum is one of Athens' top attractions. Treasures…

View more attractions

Nearby Athens attractions

1. Mosque of Tzistarakis

0.06 MILES

Built in 1759, this building on the south side of Monastiraki is one of few surviving examples of a tzami (mosque) in Athens. It has not functioned as a…

2. TAF

0.08 MILES

Whether you want a shot of art, a clever design morsel or a refreshing drink, stop in at TAF, a just-barely updated complex of 1870s brick buildings. The…

3. Hadrian’s Library

0.09 MILES

These are the remains of the largest structure erected by Hadrian (2nd century AD). Not just a library, it also held music and lecture rooms. It was laid…

4. Museum of Greek Folk Art

0.11 MILES

This museum has been closed since 2015, when it began its transition to this new site at Adrianou. Once it reopens in 2020, it will display secular and…

5. AD Gallery

0.14 MILES

Contemporary Greek artists. Look for the building entrance between the basket vendors that line this street.

6. Agora Museum

0.14 MILES

Within the Ancient Agora, this museum is packed with archaeological finds, but can get uncomfortably crowded if a tour group is cycling through. It is set…

7. Church of Kapnikarea

0.16 MILES

This small 11th-century church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, stands smack in the middle of the Ermou shopping strip. It was saved from the bulldozers and…

8. Ancient Agora

0.16 MILES

The Agora was ancient Athens' heart, the lively hub of administrative, commercial, political and social activity. Socrates expounded his philosophy here;…