AthensWas Boutique Hotel, Athens
If you want to stay exactly where the pulse of ancient Greece beats, AthensWas Boutique Hotel is pretty much unbeatable. Situated right on Dionysiou Areopagitou—the legendary pedestrian promenade walked by Socrates and Plato—this five-star spot sits directly in the foothills of the Acropolis. Its quirky name is a playful nod to the continuum of time, bridging the “Athens that was” with the vibrant city it is today.
Instead of copying ancient columns, Greek design firm Stage Design Office took a completely different approach. Spearheaded by designer Stavros Papayiannis, the hotel’s aesthetic is a sleek, gorgeous homage to Athenian “classic modernism” from the 1930s to the 1970s. It beautifully pairs the city’s nostalgic, mid-century golden era with clean, minimalist lines.
The building itself is a showcase of premium local craftsmanship. The interiors are swathed in rich Greek walnut wood and a stunning variety of domestic marbles. In fact, it features the exact same white Pentelic marble used to build the Parthenon. Scattered throughout the spaces are iconic furniture pieces from legendary designers like Le Corbusier, Ettore Sottsass, and Franco Albini.
The absolute crown jewel of this 21-room property is its rooftop. Up at the hotel’s SENSE Restaurant, you can sip a cocktail while staring face-to-face with the illuminated Parthenon. It’s an intimate, design-forward oasis that lets you experience ancient history without feeling like you’re sleeping inside a dusty museum.
Expert reviews
“The 21-room AthensWas, with its clean-lined Classic Modernist interiors, is steps away from the Acropolis Museum.”
Featured in New York Times’ 36 Hours in Athens.
“The location, a two-minute walk to the east gate of the Acropolis, couldn’t be better. Staff are friendly, adding a warm touch to the minimalist decor, and standard rooms have big balconies overlooking the pedestrianised street.”
“A revamped apartment building fitted out with a collection of modern classics, this 21-room Design Hotel is all about location, location, location. From the boxy rooftop restaurant, you can almost reach out and touch the Parthenon.”
What guests liked
- Excellent location
- Friendly staff
- Great breakfast
- Boutique style
- Comfortable beds
Location
Recent guest reviews
27 October 2025
A perfect well run boutique hotel ideally situated to explore Athens.
Design element to the room, spacious, balcony, ideal location on the edge of the Plaka. Acropolis view from rooftop terrace. Excellent degustation menu at the hotel Sense Restaurant.
14 October 2025
Perfect location with great hospitality and comfort.
Superb location for casual walks or visiting the Acropolis and surrounding sites. Exceptionally friendly and helpful staff. Room was large and comfortable with excellent bathroom. Despite overlooking the pedestrian area, the doors provided good soundproofing for comfortable night’s sleep. The breakfast was excellent. The hospitality and welcome gifts were also greatly appreciated. We’d happily stay here again.
Not Applicable
13 October 2025
Perfection in Athens
AthensWas is a charming, elegant, comfortable oasis in the heart of Athens' old city, a short walk to the Parthenon and other sies, close to lots of restaurants and shopping. The staff is fantastic. The breakfast is excellent. We enjoyed our stay immensely.
One cautionary note forfolkswithmobilityissues. There are a few steps up to the elevator and more to the restaurant.
7 October 2025
Brilliant location with helpful pleasant staff and very nice rooms.
Location is perfect for visiting all the main attractions in Athens. Very good view from the restaurant.
No bar as such (restaurant is upstairs) but drinks can be ordered in the downstairs sitting area but probably easiest to put on room tab as paying by card took a while to complete.
7 October 2025
A lovely hotel in a great location. Would stay again
Staff were polite, friendly and helpful. Breakfast was exceptional and you could order from the menu and food and drink were brought to the table. Room was a good size and the shower was great
Unfortunately the Roof bar was unavailable late evening for a drink. It seemed to be only for the restaurant users. A bar was available on the ground floor.
6 October 2025
Wonderful
Location, clean. Friendly
Coffee maker in room Very loud
29 September 2025
central location for sucking the marrow out of athens
AthenWas is very centrally located for Acropolis visiting and viewing. There are also a ton of good restaurants nearby. I liked that it was small and the breakfast with a view was fabulous. A generous size room especially with the balcony which was much appreciated as my partner is a tall guy. I wish the restaurant with a view was open for drinks and more causal dining rather than just a set multi course menu. We ended up not dining there.
You do get some cigarette smoke from the street on your balcony if you are the lower floors. (We were on two)
22 September 2025
Friendly professional staff, restaurant superb
Central location and views from restaurant
Nothing
18 September 2025
Such a gorgeous hotel to stay in complete with a rooftop view, comfortable rooms & friendly staff
Breakfast was delicious with an amazing view over athens
Fitness centre could have had a bit more equipment or free weights
12 September 2025
Nice modern Hotel in a great location.
Location, staff and excellent breakfast every morning included.
Shower was small.
8 September 2025
Loved our stay and will definitely recommend to anyone looking for a stay in Athens.
Loved the location as well as the excellent service provided.
8 September 2025
5 star hotel near the Acropolis
The 5 star facilities with the view of the Acropolis from the balcony.
I would have preferred a buffet breakfast.
6 September 2025
Fabulous
Perfect location, very good rooms, breakfast very good .
4 September 2025
pleasant staff
Location, location, location, nice, clean hotel, amazing view
1 September 2025
A great start to our holiday in a beatiful location with excellent views.
Excellent location & amazing views. Staff were very pleasant and friendly. Breakfast was really good and the view from the roof-top restaurant was spectacular.
Room furniture and fittings were a little tired. Also very expensive but that’s probably due to the location and views.
27 August 2025
Staff were so helpful! Breakfast and coffee fantastic!
Everything! Location was the best!
22 August 2025
Great location, lovely view, delicious breakfast
Lovely room with beautiful view of the Acropolis....very centrally located and convenient to the pedestrian area of the city center. Breakfast was excellent
The gym is nothing to write home about...there's also no pool or spa....but we weren't really there for any of those things in the first place....
14 August 2025
The perfect spot with the perfect team
Everything! The location The food The people They make you feel like family and take care of you, especially Themis at the feont desk, he really went out of his way to make our stay memorable. The room Very spacious and well designed
Maybe invest more in the fitness corner
8 August 2025
Exceptional
Terrace suit upstairs is to dream off!
5 August 2025
Perfect for a short city break, excellent service and high standards.
Fantastic location, walking distance of everything.
Musack played in small corridor outside room early in the morning.
18 July 2025
The staff were extremely helpful in addressing any requests and consistently exceeded expectations for their customers.
Location was very central
No pool
7 July 2025
Exceptional
Room was great. Location is perfect. Next to Plaka, under the Acropolis. I was at the center of the city but had a small balcony in my room , loved that. Roof was nice with an Acropolis view, had a drink there at the evening. I recommend especially for single travelers, for women. Hotel team were helpful, kind and supportive.
21 June 2025
A perfect oasis in a very busy and hot city!
Great location. Nicely designed.
No bar, restaurant a lacks atmosphere but the food at SENSE is very good.
17 June 2025
A very enjoyable stay in the most interesting part of fabulous Athens
Location couldn't be better, two minutes walk to Acropolis Museum, one minute walk to Plaka!! View from the rooftop restaurant was exceptional. The included breakfast, a la carte, was amazing. Staff were incredibly helpful and friendly.
While our room was quiet because it didn't face the main street, it was very dark because the lighting was abysmal. The bathroom was functional and modern but the shower was miniscule and very difficult to turn around. More power points needed in the bedroom.
Hotel facilities
Food & Drink
- - Restaurant
- - Bar
- - Breakfast in the room
- - Snack bar
- - Special diet menus (on request)
- - Kids' meals (additional charge)
- - Wine/champagne (additional charge)
- - Fruits (additional charge)
- - Coffee house on site
General
- - Room service
- - Non-smoking rooms
- - Family rooms
- - Lift
- - Safety deposit box
- - Soundproof rooms
- - Car hire
- - Heating
- - Non-smoking throughout
- - Air conditioning
- - Designated smoking area
- - Shuttle service (additional charge)
- - Airport shuttle (additional charge)
Reception services
- - 24-hour front desk
- - Express check-in/check-out
- - Tour desk
- - Luggage storage
- - Concierge service
- - Private check-in/check-out
- - Invoice provided
Activities
- - Fitness centre
- - Massage (additional charge)
- - Evening entertainment (additional charge)
- - Beauty services
- - Facial treatments
- - Waxing services
- - Make-up services
- - Hair treatments
- - Manicure
- - Pedicure
- - Haircut
- - Hair colouring
- - Hair styling
- - Body treatments
- - Spa/wellness packages
- - Fitness
- - Fitness classes
- - Personal trainer
- - Pub crawls (additional charge)
- - Walking tours
- - Bike tours (additional charge)
- - Tour or class about local culture (additional charge)
- - Aerobics (additional charge)
Outdoors
- - Garden
- - Terrace
- - Sun terrace
- - Outdoor furniture
Entertainment & family services
- - Babysitting/child services (additional charge)
Cleaning services
- - Laundry (additional charge)
- - Dry cleaning (additional charge)
- - Ironing service (additional charge)
- - Daily housekeeping
Transport
- - Airport pick up (additional charge)
- - Airport drop off (additional charge)
Miscellaneous
- - 24-hour security
- - Key card access
- - Security alarm
- - Smoke alarms
- - CCTV in common areas
- - CCTV outside property
- - Fire extinguishers
- - Breakfast takeaway containers
- - Delivered food is securely covered
- - Access to health care professionals
- - Thermometers for guests provided by property
- - Face masks for guests available

More photos

29 October 2025
Exceptional