Athens is a city filled with history. It appeals to a lot of travelers, including school groups, backpackers, cultural clubs, educational programs, friends, and families. Also, the city has many landmarks and attractions that can keep you occupied for several days or even weeks.
By Lizzy
Some hostels prefer to work only with smaller groups, while others are more accommodating to larger groups. So, it is best to ask directly with your hostel of choice to ensure that they are prepared to meet your needs.
Top 4 Hostels in Athens:
The 4 Best Party Hostels in Athens
Athens Backpackers
Price: $19.96 to $23.01
Athens Backpackers is a hostel that is located between the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The atmosphere is very social and lively, and the staff wants guests to interact and get to know each other. There’s a rooftop bar that is the most active part of the hostel. The rooms are comfortable and clean, and the convenient location ensures that your trip to Athens will be memorable.
Aussies own the hostel, and the staff is very welcoming and friendly. Also, there are regular activities for guests, such as karaoke nights, quiz nights, soup nights, special events, happy hours, and organized walking tours.
There is also a variety of rooms that you can choose from, and the dorms are very bright and large. Also, there are private rooms available too, and each room has a bathroom. Read more..
- Great location, friendly staff, and good amenities
Dioskouros
Price: $13.74
Dioskouros is located conveniently near many of the city’s best restaurants and museums. It’s also close to the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The hotel can be easily reached from the airport, and it’s also accessible to public transportation. Aside from that, the hostel’s prices are very affordable, and the amenities will help guarantee that your visit to Athens goes without issue.
The hostel also offers free breakfast for guests, and it includes fresh loaves of bread, homemade French toast, coffee, jams and spreads, tea, and milk. But for an added fee, you can upgrade your meal to include bacon, eggs, and yogurt, among others. Also, there’s a restaurant on-site where you can try Greek salads, fries, hamburgers, and other dishes.
The hotel is in a peaceful and quiet area. They offer private rooms with shared bathrooms. The area is also rich with history, and guests can feel a connection to the rich history in the community. Read more..
- Easy access to public transportation, free breakfast, and exciting activities
Fivos
Price: $17.92 to $21.51
Fivos is located conveniently a few meters away from the Monastiraki train station, which offers guests easy access to the airport and the port. It’s also close to the Acropolis Rock and is surrounded by many exciting attractions and restaurants in the center of the old city of Athens Old City.
The hostel has clean rooms that are very comfortable and cheap. Also, both central heating and air conditioning are provided for all rooms. Aside from that, the hostel also has the usual amenities like free breakfast, Wi-Fi in all rooms, laundry facilities, an internet cafe, and a roof terrace with scenic views of the whole Acropolis. The staff can also help organize all-inclusive tours of the Greek Islands and mainland Greece, or they can answer any questions you might have about local attractions. Read more..
- Convenient location, great amenities, and friendly staff
City Circus Athens
Price: $20.33 to $24.99
City Circus Athens is located in the middle of Athens, and just a five-minute walk from the Monisteraki and twenty minutes from the Acropolis. Several restaurants and events encompass the hostel. Also, the staff is very knowledgeable about the activities around the city throughout the year.
The facility is recently refurbished and provides comfort for guests in a welcoming vibe. The wooden floors have been restored, and the walls and ceilings have been painted to highlight the neoclassical buildings. The hostel is decorated with antiques, retro furniture, and art that is created by local artists. There are 19 rooms available at great prices. Both doubles and twin rooms are available with private bathrooms. There are also larger dorms that sleep between four and six people. Rooms are air-conditioned, and there is a lounge where guests can chill out. A free breakfast is also available every morning to guests. Other amenities include a restaurant that serves traditional Greek cuisine, a welcoming staff, and a terrace with views of the city. Read more..
- Great location and design, free breakfast, and can accommodate large groups
How is the Nightlife in Athens?
In Athens, the line separating a coffee shop and bar is very blurry. Most places segue from coffee to alcoholic drinks, as well as live music and a DJ each night. Also, there is always food – although places that only serve drinks are more common during economic crises (in which case, you can bring your snacks). Also, the smoking ban is often ignored by the locals.
Cafes Everywhere
Greek social life centers on massive, cozy cafes that cater to anyone’s needs, no matter the time of day. Also, several venues in Athens are equally fantastic in the mornings and evenings – so you just might be tempted to let the day pass by and relax.
Summer Clubs
During the summer months, most of the city’s partygoers turn to glamorous and massive seafront clubs spreading out from Glyfada. Also, many take the tram route, which runs to 2:30 am on weekends. If you book for dinner, you don’t need to pay for cover fees. Otherwise, admission varies from about $11.05 to $22.09 and includes one drink. Glam up to get in.
Nightlife Tips
Bars begin filling after 11 pm and usually stay open until 2 am, or 4 am every weekend.
Transit stops or slows slightly past midnight, but cabs are very affordable.
Athenians drink a lot, but public intoxication is rare and frowned upon. If you’re visibly drunk, you’re a clear target for petty crimes like pickpockets or worse.
Gazi and Kolonaki tend toward sleeker and more premium clubs. For more affordable drinks and live music, you should head to Keramikos or Exarchia. Meanwhile, Monastiraki and the north of Syntagma are the best areas in the city center for more exciting bars.
For the best dancing in the summer months, take a cab or tram to the many beach clubs along the coast near Glyfada – city locations close earlier.
Prices of Drinks
Athens has some of Europe’s most expensive coffee (between €3 and €5 in popular neighborhoods) – think of it more as the price of feeling entitled to sit for hours, as locals do. On the other hand, alcoholic drinks are relatively cheap, with beer and wine for €3 in many places. You can spend more on cocktails (€10 or so), but you’ll want to, as Athens bartenders are gaining global attention for their creativity and devotion to craft.
The Best Bars and Clubs in Athens
1. Island
The most popular option on the Athens Riviera, Island, was created to offer a relaxing environment right by the sea. It is also prevalent among Athenians, visiting celebrities and influencers. The club also includes a restaurant that serves dishes from different cuisines, while the bar makes delicious cocktails. With weekly parties and a lot of patrons, this is no doubt one of the best places in Athens for a night of fun and entertainment.
2. Cinderella
Situated in Kolonaki district, Cinderella is a disco-club where anyone who wants to feel the 1970s nostalgia will find comfort. With its psychedelic décor, chill vibe, and 1970s to 1980s themed playlist, Cinderella instantly became one of the nightlife hubs in the city. As the club attracts a considerable crowd, make sure to book a table or come early. After that, you need to be prepared to get loose and surrender to the fun vibe to dance the night away.
3. Kitty Cat
Located in a long-forgotten arcade, Kitty Cat is a well-thought-out concept. Serving as a bar/club/restaurant, it has established itself as a fixture in Athens’ nightlife scene. With live gigs, excellent resident DJs, and Asian-inspired décor, Kitty Cat is an eclectic venue that will surely seduce any party animal.
4. Osterman
Osterman is a stylish resto-bar with an elegant French-style vibe in the hipster district of Agia Irini square. Also, the bar is open from early in the morning, and it serves coffee and sandwiches, while from 1 pm it serves meals from a long list of options and a fixed menu. At night, the soft lighting, jazz music, relaxed mood, and high-quality drinks (the options range from great Greek wines to cocktails and premium drinks) compose an enticing atmosphere that will keep you until late.
5. Lord Hu
This recently opened cafe-bar is located in a scenic and beautiful detached house in Ano Petralona, near the metro station of the same name. Lord Hu is a beautifully adorned place with bright-green painted walls, traditional tables and chairs, and a tranquil yard. Also, some of the most excellent concoctions of the bar include the light purple cocktail, the homemade sangria, the 2Spicy, and, of course, the traditional (and, beware, it’s pretty intense!) raki.
About Athens
Athens is a historic city and the capital of Greece. Many of Classical civilization’s philosophical and artistic ideas started from here, and the city is generally held to be the birthplace of Western civilization.
Athens, with its modern shops and tall buildings, is the first European city when you come from the Middle East. When you are from the west, or elsewhere in Europe, what strikes the visitor is the influence of the East—in the food, music, and loud streetlife—perhaps remnants of a time when Athens was separated from European society under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Nevertheless, the city isn’t a blend of East and West: it is Greek and, more specifically, Athenian. The city, after all, was the cradle of Western civilization in ancient times. Still, Athens remains on the world stage right to this day.
Notably, in 2004 the world came to the city for the Olympic Games, which spurred a dramatic makeover for Athens. In addition to building a raft of new sports venues and facilities (including a stadium designed by Santiago Calatrava), Athens undertook massive transportation infrastructure improvements that included a dramatic expansion of public transportation and the construction of a new international airport.
Lizzy
Traveler & Blogger
Hi, I’m Lizzy! In the past 10 years I’ve travelled 60 countries and I’m still counting. While I was backpacking I could not find a website that provides valuable information about hostels. After months of thinking, doubting and brainstorming, hostelstobook.com was born.
I hope to make your trip easier, so you’d only stay in the best hostels around the globe. Do you have any questions? Don’t hesitate to send me a message.
Related Questions
Athens is regarded as a very safe city, even for female tourists. The crime rate is low, and as long as you take the right precautions, you will feel safe in the city. Most visits are trouble-free, but the theft of passports and wallets are common on the metro and in crowded tourist sights.
Greeks speak Greek. But since all schoolchildren start learning English in the third grade, most Greeks under 40 years old also has some knowledge of the language. Also, those in the tourism industry, particularly in the locations favored by foreign tourists, usually have a good command of English as well as a few other languages.
If you are planning a 10-days holiday in Greece then:
Spend 5-6 days in Santorini, 2-3 days in Mykonos and 1-2 days in Athens (if you are flying through Athens)
Athens is a very walkable city, and its historic center is easy to explore, while public transport is affordable. If you have time for more adventure, you can also visit places like Istanbul and Stockholm.
International ride-sharing (or ride-hailing) company Uber offers three versions of its service in Greece’s largest city of Athens. You can either ride with a driver in his or her vehicle using the Uber X service or have a more taxi-like experience using UberTAXI.