Stay at the Herodion Hotel, Athens

Stay at the Herodion Hotel, Athens. Whether you’re planning on Greek island hopping around the Aegean Sea or exploring the ancient historical sights of the Peloponnese, chances are you’ll pass through Athens at some stage. And where to stay? Athens is a busy city and attracts countless tourists each year. So picking somewhere relaxing can make your visit to the Greek capital much more enjoyable. Read on for a run down of one of my favourite hotels in Athens: the Herodion Hotel.

Read my other posts about Greece here.

Why Stay at the Herodion Hotel, Athens?

I love Athens, but it can be busy, hot and dusty, especially if you’re visiting in summer. However, all of that melts away as soon as you cross the threshold of the Herodion Hotel. Discretely located right in the centre of the city, within walking distance of the Plaka, this hotel is an oasis of calm amongst the busy-ness. As well as comfortable rooms, the Herodion Hotel has the following facilities:

Rooftop terrace with views of the Athens Acropolis
Rooftop jacuzzi / hot tubs with views of the Athens Acropolis
Fitness workout area
Fine dining restaurant
Bar restaurant
Comfortable lounge with chess and backgammon
Buffet breakfast

Full information can be found on the Herodion’s website here.

Relax at the Herodion Hotel, Athens

The Herodion Hotel is perfect for relaxing. We spent our evenings after dinner playing backgammon and then making our way to the rooftop to sit in the hot tub and gaze out over the Acropolis, where the Parthenon is lit up at night. A truly wonderful way to experience Athens!

How to Get to the Herodion Hotel, Athens?

The Herodion Hotel is located right in the centre of Athens. It is within walking distance of the Athens Acropolis and also the Plaka area where you can find lots of restaurants and cute cafes. To get to the Herodion from the airport, you can either take a taxi (for the best prices book your taxi via the Uber app as otherwise drivers are known for scamming tourists) or you can take the Metro from the airport to the city centre.

Practical Guidance for Greece

Hopefully this post will have inspired you to stay at the Herodion Hotel, Athens. I’ve also included some useful information for Greece in general below. If you plan all the boring stuff in advance you can relax and enjoy your trip more!

How to get around Athens, Greece

The easiest way to get around Athens is to use Uber. In Athens, Uber is linked to the yellow taxi companies so you’re still taking a local taxi but with the safety of an agreed price upfront and being able to track your route. If you just hail a taxi from the street you risk being charged far too much. Taxi drivers in Athens are famous for scamming tourists, but using Uber helps protect against that. The best card to link in order to avoid high FX exchange fees is a WISE card (see below).

Athens also has a good metro system allowing you to get around the city easily. There are only 3 lines so it’s quite easy to navigate. Further information can be found here.

Money in Greece: (EUR)

If you’re visiting Greece you’ll need Euros (EUR). To get EUR at the best rates, I highly recommend getting a WISE card before you go. This allows you to convert money into Euros (or any other currency!) at the best rates and then spend on your Wise card as though it were a local bank card or withdraw cash in Greece without hidden fees. Wise is a UK-based financial services company (available in most countries worldwide) and is highly regulated in the various regions it operates in (in the UK it is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority).

Get your WISE card here.

SIM Card and Data for Greece

There are two main options for getting a SIM card and data to use in Greece:

Option 1: eSIM with Airalo

The main advantages of purchasing an eSIM via Airalo (enter the referral code ROWAN1271 for a discount) are:

you do not need to insert a physical SIM card, so you can keep your home country SIM in your phone
you can get a multi-country eSIM rather than having to get a new one each time you go to a new country
you can download the eSim before you leave your home country, meaning that you will have data immediately on arrival. This gives you peace of mind and is perfect for using Google Maps and rideshare apps etc.
You can top up your data allowance via the app

Option 2: Buy a local physical SIM card

The main advantages of purchasing a local SIM card are:

Local SIM cards generally offer better rates. You can often (depending on the country) get a lot more data for a lower price.
You will get a local phone number which is better for making local calls / text messages

Personally I think Airalo is the best for short holidays or if you are only spending a short time in each country. If you’re staying for a longer time, or if like me you use a lot of data, a local physical SIM card may be better.

Get your Airalo eSIM here. Enter the referral code ROWAN1271 for a discount.

Travel Insurance

Make sure that you have travel insurance to cover you for your trip. I can highly recommend Heymondo. I use them to cover me for all my trips and their app is very easy to use.

Purchase Heymondo travel insurance here.