Choosing where to stay in Athens usually comes down to one question: how far is the walk to the sights? This review answers it for Central Hotel at Apollonos 21, which the Booking.com listing places about 200 metres from Syntagma Square. It rests only on hotel listings and guest reviews, with no site visit, and it flags where the figures disagree.
Last checked: 2026-11-06
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Location: Heart of the Plaka old town, near the Acropolis · Distance to Constitution Square: About 200 m, with the business district nearby · Address: 21 Apollonos Street, 10557 Athens, Greece · Phone: +30 210 3234350 · Breakfast: Extensive free breakfast, per guest review snippet · Views: Acropolis view, per guest review snippet
At a glance: Central Hotel, Athens
- Address: Apollonos 21, Athens 105 57, Greece, in the Plaka old-town area (TripAdvisor)
- Listed at 4.2 of 5 from 2,389 reviews, ranked #69 of 376 Athens hotels (TripAdvisor) (TripAdvisor)
- About a 5-minute walk to Syntagma Square and Ermou Street (Hotels.com)
- Acropolis listed at about 3 minutes, 0.3 km (Hotels.com) (Hotels.com)
- 84 rooms (Oyster.com)
- Check-in at 3:00 PM and check-out at 12:00 PM (KAYAK)
- 19.6 km from Athens International Airport (Agoda)
- Overall rating 8.7 of 10 from 3,802 reviews (Agoda) (Agoda)
Key facts and how we checked them
- Distance to Syntagma Square (Constitution Square): about 200 m on one booking listing and a 5-minute walk on another
- Location scores: 9.6 of 10 on Booking.com and 9.2 of 10 on Agoda, while TripAdvisor’s 4.2 of 5 uses a different scale
- Most repeated criticism: small room size, raised across several reviews; one TripAdvisor reviewer said the rooms were nothing like the hotel’s website described
- Neighbourhood options compared: three, Plaka, Syntagma and Monastiraki
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Plaka old town, Apollonos 21, Athens 105 57, Greece |
| Distance to Syntagma Square | About 200 m (Booking.com listing) |
| Walk to Syntagma Square and Ermou Street | About 5 minutes (Hotels.com) |
| Walk to the Acropolis | About 3 minutes (Hotels.com) or about 15 minutes (Oyster.com) |
| Walk to Monastiraki Flea Market | About 7 minutes (Hotels.com) |
| Rooms | 84 (Oyster.com) |
| Check-in and check-out | 3:00 PM and 12:00 PM (KAYAK) |
| Distance to Athens International Airport | 19.6 km (Agoda) or 19.3 km (Trip.com) |
| Guest ratings | TripAdvisor 4.2 of 5; Hotels.com 9.0 of 10; Agoda 8.7 of 10; KAYAK 8.5 of 10 |
How we researched this
Last checked: 2026-11-06.
Sources reviewed: hotel listing pages on booking and review platforms (TripAdvisor, Hotels.com, Agoda, Booking.com, KAYAK), an editorial listing (Oyster.com), travel-platform listings (Wego, Travelated, Trip.com, Postcard), and search-result snippets. Listings for an unrelated hotel named Athens Central Hotel in Ohio, United States, were excluded.
We made no on-site visit and held no staff or guest interviews, did not measure walking times ourselves, did not check live prices, and no official hotel website or Greek tourism-board source was supplied.
What is the centre of Athens?
The supplied sources do not define the city centre. The nearest measure comes from Wego, which puts the city centre 1.07 km from the hotel, though that is a low-confidence figure from a travel platform (Wego).
What the listings do establish is the hotel’s position. It sits in Plaka, the old town, and Oyster.com describes it as being in the Old City, near popular attractions, public transport and dining.
Walking times to the Acropolis are where sources disagree. Hotels.com lists about 3 minutes (0.3 km), while Oyster.com estimates about 15 minutes. Neither is a measured walk.
Note: The gap between 3 and 15 minutes is the largest disagreement in the location data. Check a map before you book.
What is the nicest part of Athens to stay in?
The supplied research includes no ranking of Athens neighbourhoods, so “nicest” cannot be settled from it. Location is the most repeated praise across the reviews.
“The location is perfect, walkable distance to everywhere.”
Ka M., Agoda guest reviewer (Hong Kong SAR, China)
Other reviewers make the same point. One TripAdvisor reviewer called the location great and in the centre of Athens, and a Hotels.com reviewer described the hotel as within 10 to 15 minutes’ walk of the Parliament, the Acropolis, Plaka and Hadrian’s Arch.
Rooms are the trade-off. Oyster.com notes that some rooms, particularly Standard Rooms, are quite small. One TripAdvisor reviewer described the rooms as small, really small, and several reviews across platforms raise the same point.
Getting there: Agoda puts Athens International Airport 19.6 km away. Oyster.com estimates 40 to 60 minutes by car depending on traffic, or about 50 minutes by public transport. Hotels.com lists the Monastiraki and Syntagma metro stations at about 7 minutes’ walk each.
Tip: One reviewer said the rooms were nothing like the hotel’s website described. Ask for the specific room category in writing before you book.
What this means: The walking data favours a base in the old town. It cannot tell you whether the room you get will suit you.
TL;DR: The hotel is about 3 to 15 minutes’ walk from the Acropolis, depending on the source, and about 5 minutes from Syntagma Square. Room size is the recurring complaint.
Where do most tourists stay in Athens?
The supplied research contains no tourist-share figures, so it cannot say where most visitors stay. It also contains no named guide’s recommendation, so this article cites none.
What reviews do show is that guests treat the hotel as a tourist base. One Agoda reviewer from Ireland wrote:
“Location is perfect, it’s in the heart of the tourist area.”
Ruth, Agoda guest reviewer (Ireland)
That is one reviewer’s framing, not a count of visitors. The narrower claim the sources support is that one reviewer places the hotel in the heart of the tourist area, and Oyster.com lists attractions and dining nearby.
The catch: Location praise shows where guests feel well placed, not where most visitors stay.
Where to avoid staying in Athens?
The supplied research contains no guidance on areas to avoid, so this article names none. Whether a neighbourhood suits you depends on your budget, your plans and your tolerance for noise, and the evidence here does not rank areas on those terms.
Is Plaka or Monastiraki better?
The inputs cannot rank the two neighbourhoods on quality. They can compare distance from this hotel and how each area is described in the sources.
| Neighbourhood | Character from inputs | Relation to Central Hotel Athens | Best for | Evidence in inputs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plaka | Old-town district; Oyster.com describes the hotel as in the Old City | The hotel’s own district; Acropolis about 3 to 15 minutes’ walk depending on source | Walkers who want sights within a short distance | Oyster.com, Hotels.com, TripAdvisor listing |
| Syntagma (Constitution Square area) | Square with Ermou Street shopping nearby | About 200 m away per the Booking.com listing; about 5 minutes’ walk per Hotels.com | Shoppers who value proximity to shopping | Booking.com, Hotels.com |
| Monastiraki | Flea market and metro station; no further character data supplied | Flea market about 7 minutes’ walk; metro about 7 minutes’ walk | Visitors who want the flea market within easy reach | Hotels.com only; no safety or nightlife data supplied |
Is Plaka a tourist trap?
That is an opinion question, and the inputs do not settle it. The data show that Plaka is where the hotel sits and that guests describe it as the tourist area.
The trade-off runs both ways. Walking access to the sights is what guests praise, while several reviewers on Trip.com and TripAdvisor describe rooftop bar and restaurant prices as expensive compared with eating outside the hotel.
The trade-off: Walking access to the Acropolis comes with rooftop prices that reviewers call high. Whether that makes the neighbourhood a trap depends on what you want from it.
TL;DR: Monastiraki is compared on distance only, since the sources supply no character data beyond its flea market and metro. Plaka is the hotel’s own district, and its trade-offs are walking access against higher rooftop prices.
Is it safe to walk in Monastiraki at night?
The supplied inputs contain no crime or safety statistics for Monastiraki, so this article cannot say whether the area is safe or unsafe at night.
General guidance applies. Check current local conditions and your government’s travel advice before you go out, keep to well-lit streets you have seen by daylight, and plan the walk back to the hotel. Hotels.com estimates about 7 minutes’ walk from the hotel to the flea market, which keeps the trip short.
Warning: No safety data was supplied for this area. Verify current conditions locally before walking after dark.
The bottom line: The data gives distance, not safety. Plan the route as well as the timing.
Who this location suits
Three reader groups fit the evidence in this review.
- Walkers who want sights within a short distance. The Acropolis, Plaka and Syntagma Square are all within the walking times reported above.
- Shoppers who value proximity to shopping. Hotels.com lists Ermou Street as about a 5-minute walk.
- Visitors who want Acropolis views. Reviewers describe a rooftop terrace with an Acropolis view, and Postcard, a low-confidence travel listing, describes a rooftop bar with Acropolis views and a relaxed restaurant with Wi-Fi.
Pros and cons
The evidence points in two directions. Location and views are the strongest points, and room size is the weakest.
- Pro: Walking access to the Acropolis, Plaka and Syntagma Square.
- Pro: Location scores of 9.6 of 10 on Booking.com and 9.2 of 10 on Agoda.
- Pro: Hotels.com reviews praise the rooftop Acropolis view, with 133 reviews specifically citing it.
- Con: Some Standard Rooms are quite small, according to Oyster.com, and several reviews say rooms are small.
- Con: Some reviews report thin walls, noise from adjacent rooms, and air-conditioning or power interruptions.
- Con: One Trip.com reviewer complained about uphill streets on the approach, and that source is low-confidence.
- Con: Rooftop food and drink prices are described as high compared with eating outside.
A four-day walking plan
Four days allows one focus per area. The walking times below are platform estimates, so allow extra time.
- Day 1: The Acropolis and Plaka. Hotels.com lists the Acropolis at about 3 minutes’ walk, and Oyster.com at about 15 minutes.
- Day 2: Monastiraki and the Ancient Agora. The flea market is about 7 minutes away, and Oyster.com lists the Ancient Agora at about 11 minutes.
- Day 3: Syntagma Square and Ermou Street. Syntagma is about 5 minutes away, and Ermou Street is listed at the same distance.
- Day 4: Keep the day flexible and return to the rooftop terrace if you want the Acropolis view again.
Our pick
Our pick: Central Hotel suits walkers who want the Acropolis, Plaka and Syntagma Square on foot, and shoppers who want Ermou Street close by. Book it for that reason, and read the room-size reports before you commit. If room size is your main concern, the evidence here does not support choosing it.
For a different property with its own location data, see Athens Gate Hotel Review: Location & Guest Ratings. To compare live prices, see Athens Hotel Deals: Compare Prices & Save on Your Stay. This review did not check prices.
kayak.com, expedia.com, us.trip.com, us.trip.com, travelated.com, tripadvisor.es
Frequently asked questions
What are the best hotels in Athens?
This review covers one property, and the supplied research includes no ranking of Athens hotels. The one ranking it does contain is TripAdvisor’s listing, which places Central Hotel #69 of 376 Athens hotels.
Is there a hotel inside Athens International Airport?
The supplied sources give no evidence of an airport hotel. Central Hotel is 19.6 km from Athens International Airport according to Agoda, so it is not inside the airport. Confirm any airport-property question with the airport operator.
Is four days in Athens too long?
That depends on your interests, and the supplied data does not measure it. The data does show that the Acropolis, Syntagma Square and Monastiraki are each 3 to 15 minutes’ walk from the hotel, so four days fits a walking plan with one focus per area.
Which neighbourhoods are good to visit from this hotel?
The supplied comparison covers three: Plaka, Syntagma and Monastiraki. Syntagma Square is about 5 minutes’ walk from the hotel, and the Monastiraki Flea Market about 7 minutes’ walk.
What do guests say about Central Hotel?
Guests most often praise the location. Ratings are 9.0 of 10 on Hotels.com, 8.7 of 10 on Agoda and 8.5 on KAYAK, and reviewers mention the rooftop Acropolis view. Complaints centre on small rooms, which several reviews raise.