Photo by flickr user Jay Carroll
Not just Greece's capital city, but the cradle of European civilisation, Athens had a huge boost from the 2004 Olympic Games, emerging with an enviably efficient new airport and public transport system to complement its ancient temples and superb museums. Every hotel in the city got a facelift, and dozens of shabby old drums re-emerged as colourful, fun boutique hotels. Unfortunately for the budget traveller, prices went up accordingly - it's now hard to find a decent hotel room for much less than 70 euros. The city's notorious pollution has been tackled and downtown areas such as Gazi and Psyrri have been reborn as trendy eating, drinking and nightlife areas. In short, Athens is just a great place to be, whether you want wonders of the ancient world, trendy dining or dusk-till-dawn nightlife. Unlike the rest of Greece, it's open all year round, and arguably at its best in autumn and spring. Many Athenians flee the city in July and August, when it's just too hot for comfort; on the other hand, you can cheerfully swim and sunbathe until the end of October (this is the only European capital with its own beaches, at Glyfada and Vouliagmeni, just a 20-minute tram ride from the city centre) and lunch outdoors almost all year round.
Athens is, of course, also the gateway to the Aegean islands, via its huge harbour at Piraeus, about 20 minutes from the city centre by Metro. But these days, savvy travellers cut Piraeus out of the loop and take ship, catamaran or hydrofoil from the little port of Rafina, only a few miles from the airport, where we recommend two hotels for an overnight stay. All the hotels listed are open throughout the year and have en-suite bathroom and WC and air conditioning. The order by which the hotels are listed bears no reflection on our preference.
Written by Robin Gauldie
