To ask where you'd stay in Athens (and if it really is as scary as San Francisco in terms of street chaos)

[valianttortoise]

Have heard a few scare stories but determined to give it a go and I know some people love it

Stayed in plaka with DH and DS11 at Easter this year at Athens Cypria hotel which we loved. It was really central, very touristy area between shopping streets, had a roof top bar and a pizza place across the road that did amazing take aways.

We went out altogether some nights and DH sometimes went for a walk on his own and I don’t think we ever felt unsafe. It just felt like any other big city in terms of looking after your bags, being aware of your surroundings etc.

we absolutely loved Athens. We did the Acropolis, Olympic stadium, national gardens, temple of Zeus, museum of technology and walked everywhere. We did a coastal open top bus tour one day just because it was too far to walk realistically.

Dh and I have stayed in the centre for a few days several times, before heading to Nafplion on the Peloponnese coast. We’ve stayed at the Grande Bretagne twice, but more often at the small Hotel Adrian in the Plaka. Rooms on the non-street side have balconies where at night you can see the Acropolis all lit up.
We’ve always wandered all around the Plaka and have never encountered any sort of problem.

BTW, IMO the National Museum (not the Acropolis one) is a must, if only for the truly astonishing gold artefacts that came from the tombs in the ruins of Mycenae.

Stay in Plaka and you will be fine. There are def some areas I wouldn’t walk round on my own very late at night but if you are mostly in the touristy bits you will be fine. The Acropolis is amazing!

Athens is a little scruffy but we didn't find it frightening. There are so many beautiful things just in neighbourhoods!

If you get a ticket online get one to see everything and go to the Acropolis really early.

We stayed at Radisson Blu so don't stay there! It was loud all the time with huge groups of tourists. If I went again I'd get an Airbnb.

I was wondering about the Radisson as I've got VIP status but decided I wanted a bit more space - glad I didn't go for it!

We went with 2 kids 8,10 in summer and stayed at the hotel Stanley. Amazing pool on top of the hotel with restaurant serving sushi (and to your loungers). Was amazing. We took taxis to the main areas but walked round the bustling streets, squares and bars and cafes at close to midnight with our kids. Didn’t feel at risk at all personally. We can’t believe we haven’t been sooner as it’s a stunning city and food and drink amazing x

I’ve been going to Athens with work for decades.
parts are run down for sure same as anywhere.
You could stay in say Glyfada which is south of Athens along the coast and is really buzzy and lots of nice places to eat/drink (its one of the wealthy suburbs). Getting to Plaka from there would be around euro 25-30 take 30-40 min, spend the day and go back. Plenty of hotels or nice apartments to stay in.

Oh and Glyfada is not touristy so not need to worry about tourist traps!

As cabin crew I regularly have layovers in both Athens and San Francisco. The two cities could not be more different and I wouldn't describe either as "street chaos" (though San Fran does have a homeless and drug problem) Both are amazing places to visit!

I went to Athens about 6/7 years ago and stayed really centrally in an Airbnb. Thought it was lovely. Did witness a dog lie down in the middle of the street and have a nap which I assume was a stray. I’m sure it has its sketchy areas (what city doesn’t) but I wouldn’t describe it as chaotic. Though my dads from the south of Italy so I have a fairly high chaos tolerance!

I'm in Brussels right now having a lovely time and if I'd believed half of what I've heard about Brussels I would never have left my sofa.

And Naples, honestly, you'd think every other person who visited Naples got robbed or stabbed.

I think only people with bad experiences share them and the majority of people have a perfectly nice and safe time.

Enjoy your holiday op. I'd love to visit Athens. It's definitely on my list.

Athens is fabulous. Stay at the NOT Hotel. Hotel Athens | Luxury Hotel | Elegant Suites share.google/xF6wgnga5OyfzjCvJ NOT hotel

We went last year
it was lovely, had a great time
didn’t feel especially chaotic, and it was definitely cleaner and (felt) safer than London

We stayed at the Electra Metropolis earlier this year. Fantastic location. I wouldn’t describe the streets as chaotic and I didn’t see any stray dogs. I would definitely have noticed the latter as I am highly allergic to dogs. There was a lot of graffiti but I find that a lot in some European countries. The only thing that I noticed was the air quality was poor.

We stayed here; https://www.plakahotel.gr and it was really central and had a good breakfast. We’ve also stayed at an Airbnb which was great.

Fab city with amazing food, and some excellent museums. Try a food tour or a tour around the city, we’ve done several with 'With Locals'.

We stayed at the Herodian, near Acropoli metro station. It has a roof terrace and wonderful views of the Acropolis.

We walked everywhere - it's a very walkable city. There's something interesting to see round every corner. You can just take the Metro if you get tired.

I didn't notice dogs or homeless people particularly, and would have been quite happy to wander around on my own, night or day. The only issue is pickpockets on the Metro, specially around Acropoli, Syntagma and Monastiraki stations. They are very bold and swift, so you need to make sure your pockets/bag are secure all the time. Watch out for pairs of middle-aged women!

We stayed in the Makriyanni area on this map this August. 5 mins walk from the Acropolis south entrance. Great evenings in the area, and in the trendy Koukaki neighbourhood with the locals - great restaurants!

We walked most of the area during our stay, and we’re so happy we stayed where we did: clean, safe, interesting. Was very glad we didn’t stay north of Plaka 😳

I love Athens, it's a great city and I've never felt unsafe. Usual precautions apply, as they do in any City.

What?! Don’t recognise Athens in your description at all. Just returned and had a great time. Central area is small and very touristy. Felt very safe to me but I live in London.

That’s good to see. Looking to stay there next summer before going to Aegina.

Really not scary at all! A bit run down in places but really beautiful in other's. We stayed in Kolonaki area last time and loved it.

I don't recall seeing a single stray dog! Or distressed mentally ill people (see that a lot in London though). Don't recall any sewer issues.

As long as you avoid Omonoia in Athens, especially at night then you will be grand.

There used to be stray dogs when I spent a lot of time in Athens, but that was about 35 years ago. They were lovely, ridiculously chilled.

I think they were "got rid of" for the Olympics 😪

We stayed in the hotel Plaka in 2019. Lovely hotel. One entire floor given over to the breakfast room, that also served complimentary drinks and biscuits throughout the day if you needed a sit down and recharge in your sight seeing. Beautiful view of the acropolis, lit up at night, especially from the rooftop bar.

I was in awe of the lady who went round each morning talking to each table and making recommendations for their day depending on their plans. Speaking in several different languages depending on the guests.

Nice little square in the centre of Plaka itself.

Turning one direction was lovely, in the direction of the ancient sites. Walkable. Felt safe.

Turning the other direction I was less keen - lots of begging (with children on laps whose job was to sit there all day), and approaching you to sell things in the street. I was less of a fan of that. Lots of graffiti.

We went very off season, which was amazing. They'd had snow in February in the hills (q rare apparently) and despite that it was q warm but we could walk and walk without getting hot and bothered.