Cecil Hotel

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The best of the budget hotels in central Athens: a family-run, neoclassical building with air-con & private bathrooms.

Athens is one of those places which you have to visit once in your lifetime - home of democracy, cradle of European theatre and philosophy, city of the Parthenon and Acropolis, and birthplace of Socrates, Plato and chums. Even if this is not your thing, you may be forced to spend a night here en route to / from the islands or mainland.

But finding a reasonably-priced, reliable hotel with even an ounce of charm has been like finding a Minotaur in a Labyrinth. With the help of various local Ariadnes, we've found a good budget hotel that is centrally-located - you can see the Acropolis from its roof top - so no need for that ball of thread! It's a neoclassical building on bustling Athinas street, just outside the Plaka on the way to the commercial Omonia square. Run by the friendly Trevlakis family, its 37 simple, en-suite rooms have air-con (to shut out the street noise at night), high ceilings and wooden floors. It may not be quite fit for the gods, but for most humans it's a lifesaver.