Hey guys ! Welcome to my channel Greece Explained. Sebastian here, I'm a tour guide in Athens and today we're talking about where you should be staying in Athens. Alright, so Athens, as you can see, is pretty massive but we don't care about anything else other than this section. That is where all the things you're looking for are located, namely the cute historical center, the archaeological sites and the museums. So, let's zoom in on this. This here is the Acropolis, that is the Ancient Agora, the second most important archaeological site after the Acropolis, and this part here is for food and nightlife. Now, in my opinion, you absolutely should be staying within walking distance of all these places. So, roughly in this area. Farther away from that, you'll have to start taking cabs or the metro every time and that's going to be a waste of time and money. There are seven neighborhoods I want to tell you about : Thiseio, Psyri, Monastiraki, the city center, Syntagma, Plaka and Makrygianni. To give you an idea of distances on foot walking from here, for instance, in Psyri, to the entrance of the Acropolis that's around 20 minutes on foot. So you see, if you're staying in one of these seven neighborhoods, you will never need a cab. You can literally do everything on foot. Something else that makes those seven neighborhoods awesome is that they're all near to at least one metro station and that is great for when you'll be coming from the airport : you can just take the metro straight to your area. Because, yeah, a taxi from the airport will cost you around 50 euros. The metro is 10 euros per person and goes as fast. So, it's pretty big difference. And, if you're wondering how safe the metro is in Athens : it's very safe. More information about the public transport of Athens, here (when it's ready). So, back to the map. Let's start with Psyri. Psyri is full of mezedopoleia which are these tiny taverns where you order small portions of food that you share with your friends like tapas in Spain. These mezedopoleia are often more affordable than actual restaurants. That's why you will see many young Greeks hanging out there, both by day and by night, because, yeah, Psyri is also one of the best areas in Athens for nightlife. Another plus point for Psyri is that it's mainly pedestrian, so it's much more relaxing than neighborhoods like Syntagma, for instance, which we will talk about in a second. Psyri also has decent amount of hotels with the Acropolis view from their rooftop and these hotels are amongst the most affordable ones in the center of Athens. Now, on the con side, since Psyri has a busy nightlife, it can sometimes get a bit loud on Friday and Saturday nights. But, then again, hotels in Psyri usually orient the room so that you're not directly above a loud alley. So, it shouldn't be that bad. And another con of Psyri is that it's 20 minutes away on foot from the entrance of the Acropolis ... all the other neighborhoods are nearer than that. Alright, next, let's talk about Monastiraki. Monastiraki is the name of this square but also the area around it. Now, it's more open than Psyri : less of those narrow alleys and more large squares, ideal for walks along the several archaeological sites in the area. Monastiraki also has a bunch of flea markets and street markets, great for you to buy souvenirs. Try as much as you can not to buy your souvenirs in Santorini and Mykonos : you'll literally pay double for the exact same item ! And, of course, I can't talk about Monastiraki without mentioning the rooftop bars with the Acropolis view. Nearly all of them are located in that neighborhood. I'll make a video on them at some point. I will put it here when it's ready. And regarding cons, Monastiraki Square is the main hub for pickpockets ! So be careful : keep your bags close to you at all times. Also, at Monastiraki Square you will see quite a few homeless people at night, unfortunately. Alright, next we have the city center. Now, just to let you know, locals don't call it the city center : they use street names like "Kolokotroni", "Aiolou" but to make it simple for you let's call it "the city center". It's a bit similar to Psyri, it's a maze of narrow pedestrian alleys going left and right. But, what's most important for you to know about the city center is that's where all the street food is. The most famous souvlaki of Athens, for instance, is there at a place called "Kostas" and then, you will also see many places that sell burgers, falafels, koulouria or even Mexican tacos or Lebanese lahmajoun ... There are two cons in my opinion : one, this area is a bit more expensive and two, there are nearly no hotels there with the Acropolis view, which is a shame. Next, we have Syntagma. Syntagma is all about shopping : Ermou street is the shopping street of Athens. This is where all the locals come and buy their clothes. Syntagma has all the most glamorous and upscale hotels in town. Many of them are five star like the King George Hotel, for instance, with this amazing rooftop swimming pool with the Acropolis view. When I asked you, a few days ago on Instagram, where you had stayed in Athens and how you liked your hotel, there was one constant : all people who had stayed in one of these five-star hotels in Syntagma were over the moon ... but, as a con, these hotels are obviously pretty expensive : three, four, five hundred euros a night, so it's definitely not for everyone. And the second con is that Syntagma is not really a cute and charming place : it has big metropolitan vibes with large boulevards full of traffic and, instead of some local street food, you'll see Starbucks and McDonald's. Next, there's Plaka ... I'm sure you've already heard of Plaka. It's one of the "must" visit areas of Athens. It's a super cute neighborhood located just at the bottom of the Acropolis Hill and all these cafes and restaurants, on the stairs going up the hill, are one of the most iconic sites of Athens. Another pro of Plaka is that the hotels there are usually much older buildings than the rest of Athens. So, everything looks more cute and authentic there. Of course, on the con side, you are staying in the most touristy area of Athens ... so it gets pretty busy, everything is obviously more expensive and the food isn't always the best over there. Another con is that the Acropolis view you have from Plaka hotels is nice but not as spectacular as from other neighborhoods because you're at the bottom of the hill so all you see is the sidewall of the Acropolis. You often don't see the actual Parthenon on top. It's not a huge deal but worth keeping in mind. Alright, next, we have Makrygianni. Now, this is the neighborhood for me with the best Acropolis view from the hotels ... I mean, look at this ... Another good thing is that you're just next to both the entrance of the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum, which are the two most important attractions of Athens and you're also very close to Philopappou Hill, a large park, great for romantic walks and stunning views at the Acropolis. On the con side, Makrygianni is definitely not that great for food nor for nightlife but then again it's only a 15-20 minute walk to Monastiraki and Psyri. So, if you don't mind walking for a bit it's not a huge deal. And, finally, we have Thiseio, which you will also sometimes see written as Thissio, like this : it's the same. Thiseio is by far the quietest neighborhood of the seven. There's this long pedestrian alley called Apostolou Pavlou where you'll see dozens of street vendors selling all sorts of handmade items. Great place to go souvenir shopping. And, as for the Makrygianni neighborhood that we just saw, Thiseio is fairly close to Philopappou. So, all in all, Thiseio is a great place for peaceful walks amongst the trees, far away from the craziness of mass tourism. Now, on the con side, there's not much going on in that neighborhood : not many restaurants, no nightlife but you're only five minutes away from Psyri, which has the best nightlife. Now, where do you NOT want to be staying. Well, here in a neighborhood called Omonia. There are many hotels there and they're usually pretty cheap. But, don't go. Omonia is the neighborhood where homeless people suffering from drug addiction are staying. It's not exactly a dangerous neighborhood but it's definitely a deeply disturbing one. Here's what someone wrote me on Instagram about her experience in Omonia. You can pause the video if you want to read it. So, yeah, Omonia starts from this street here called Evripidou : anything north of that ... you should avoid. Alright, so a quick recap before we move on. Psyri is for local traditional taverns, nightlife and the cheapest hotels. Monastiraki is for flea markets and rooftop bars with the Acropolis view. The city center is for street food. Syntagma for shopping and top-notch hotels. Plaka is the cutest area of Athens and has these iconic stairs cafes. Makrygianni is for the best Acropolis view from the hotels and the proximity of the Acropolis and Thiseio is to be away from the crowds. Now, one question I get all the time : "Should I be staying by the sea ?" and what they're referring to is basically this area here called the Athens Riviera. My answer is : if you plan to also visit some islands, don't lose time with the beaches in Athens, they're not as good. But if Athens is your only stop in Greece and you're gonna stay there for, let's say, a whole week, then yes it would make sense to spend a few days by the beach. So that you get to enjoy something else than the busy center of Athens. Alright, now that you know what all the neighborhoods of Athens are about, it's probably time for you to choose a hotel ... I'm working on that video and as soon as it's ready it'll be here and, over here, is my video on "Where to stay in Santorini ?" because, yes, I also do videos on Santorini. And there you go, that's it for today, hope you liked it. See you in the next one. Bye !