Hundreds of hotels are concentrated in the business and tourist district around Syntagma Square. The better hotels are usually booked well in advance for Easter and Christmas. Early reservations may not be necessary at other times, but be prepared to pay full price for a room if you're booking on short notice (same day to three weeks). Booking your room early (three months in advance) will get you a much better rate. We suggest that you request a room away from the street because of the noise from the motorcycles that buzz through Athens at all hours. Some hotels offer special rates to business travelers.
Budget travelers will want to find a room in a small hotel in the Plaka area. The only drawback to those properties is that the dancing at the bar below your window may not stop until dawn (it won't do much good to ask them to turn it down; you might as well go downstairs and join the party). In the cheapest hotels, be prepared to pay extra for every shower you take and for air-conditioning. All accommodations have fairly high taxes.
