Where to stay in Athens: the best neighbourhoods and hotels

Syntagma Square is where Athens does its business, its protesting and its showing off. Parliament sits at the top, the kilted Evzone guards go through their slow-motion changing ceremony out front, and the National Gardens offer shade behind. Ermou, the main shopping street, runs downhill from the square straight towards Monastiraki.

It's the most practical base in the city. The metro from the airport stops here, Plaka is within walking distance and so is almost every big sight. The hotels are the grand old names of Athens, with spas, pools and roof-garden restaurants where dinner comes with the Acropolis as a backdrop. A newer five-star sits between the square and the foot of the Acropolis hill, about ten minutes' walk from Plaka.

Plaka is the Athens of the postcards. Neoclassical houses in faded ochre, bougainvillea tumbling over stairways, cats asleep on warm marble and taverna tables set out on the steps. Yes, the souvenir shops are relentless, and yes, you should come anyway. Early in the morning, before the tour groups, it's one of the loveliest corners of any European capital.

Stay here and the Acropolis is your neighbour: the Parthenon ruins are a few minutes' walk from some hotels, and one sits directly opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch. This is the pick for couples and for anyone on a short trip who wants to walk everywhere and never look at a metro map.

Monastiraki Square is Athens at full volume: a flea market spilling down the side streets, the smell of grilling meat, buskers, and the Acropolis rising behind it all like a stage set. Next door, Psyrri's backstreets are covered in street art and packed with meze bars and live music that runs well past midnight.

The hotels are newer and more design-led than Syntagma's old guard: boutique five-stars with Acropolis views beside Agia Irini Square, a tech-minded hotel next to Monastiraki Square, and stylish rooms on Ermou itself. Light sleepers should ask for a quiet room. Everyone else should head for the roof.

Kolonaki is where well-heeled Athenians drink their coffee. The streets climb the lower slopes of Lycabettus Hill, lined with galleries, designer boutiques and pavement cafés where an espresso can last all morning. From the top of the hill the whole city spreads out below you, Acropolis included, all the way to the sea.

Hotels range from a five-star on the slopes of Lycabettus with a spa and sweeping views, to suites in a 1930s building between Syntagma and Kolonaki, and big-name hotels a few minutes from both. It suits return visitors and anyone who wants the sights close but the tour groups elsewhere.

North-west of the centre, Athens gets scruffier and a good deal cheaper. Omonia and Metaxourgeio won't win beauty contests, but they are central, well connected and close to the National Archaeological Museum, which holds some of the greatest ancient treasures in Greece.

The reward for staying here is more hotel for your money. Large, renovated properties sit right beside Metaxourgeio metro station, and several have rooftop pools and bars looking across the city to the Acropolis. Good value, as long as you are happy to hop on the metro and are not expecting Plaka prettiness outside the door.

Glyfada is where Athens goes to the beach. This breezy coastal suburb south of the centre has a marina, a golf course, a famously good shopping district and a seafront lined with beach clubs. In summer it feels more like a resort town than part of a capital city.

Hotels run from boutique suites near the sand, with views over the Saronic Gulf, to a spectacular resort set in a protected forest reserve by the sea. It's a fine choice in the hot months, for families who want a pool, or for a trip that mixes sightseeing with sunbathing. The tram runs along the coast and into the centre; allow the best part of an hour.

Keep going south from Glyfada and the coast turns greener and quieter. Vouliagmeni is the most exclusive stretch of the Athenian Riviera: pine-covered peninsulas, sheltered sandy bays and clear, calm water that makes you forget there is a city of millions just up the road.

This is resort territory. One landmark hotel has two outdoor pools, a private beach and four restaurants; others offer thalasso spas, sea-view suites and an adults-only hideaway. There's a boutique hotel that serves produce from its own farm, too. Come for a beach holiday with a day or two of ruins, not the other way round.

Piraeus is Greece's biggest port and the gateway to the islands. It's a working city with a busy harbour front, the yacht-filled Pasalimani marina and some very good fish restaurants, and it makes no effort to be pretty for visitors.

The case for staying is purely practical: if your ferry leaves at dawn or your cruise docks here, a bed near the port saves a scramble. Hotels are modern and good value, several within a few minutes' walk of the train and metro terminal, which links you to central Athens about 10 km away.