The Athens Gate Hotel

The Arrival

The Athens Gate occupies one of the city's great vantage points, rising opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus and Hadrian's Arch, with the Acropolis itself crowning the skyline beyond. It is an efficient, welcoming hub for a family bent on intertwining the ancient and the modern, with large, comfortable rooms and a service culture repeatedly described as courteous, helpful and flexible — exactly the qualities that smooth the unpredictable dynamics of travelling with children. But the hotel's signature, the thing guests rhapsodise about, is the rooftop: a breakfast space and terrace with an incredible, sweeping view across the city and its archaeological treasures. To begin each day up there, with the Acropolis and the great temple laid out before you over good, plentiful food, is to frame the day's adventures in the most spectacular way imaginable — a daily ritual that becomes, for children and parents alike, the highlight around which everything else arranges itself.

A Day in the Life

The Athens Gate's superb central position makes it an effortless base for a family's exploration. Directly opposite stand the colossal columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the elegant span of Hadrian's Arch; a short walk brings you to the Acropolis and its museum, the pedestrian promenade that skirts the sacred hill, and the tavernas and lanes of Plaka. The lovely National Garden — with its shady paths, ponds, playground and small menagerie — lies within reach, a green refuge from the midday heat, as does Syntagma Square, where the ceremonial changing of the guard, performed by kilted Evzones in their extraordinary high-stepping march, is a guaranteed hit with children. Days unfold as an easy weave of ancient sites and contemporary city, all reachable on foot, and each one begins and ends with that astonishing rooftop view — a base from which the whole of central Athens opens up.

The Rooms

The rooms are large and decent, offering comfort and a sense of moderate, unfussy luxury without excess — ample space for a family to spread out and rest between expeditions. The welcoming, flexible service is felt throughout, smoothing the small complications of family travel, and the overall impression is of a well-run, comfortable base in an unbeatable spot. After a hot day among the ruins, a spacious, restful room is exactly what a family needs — and the promise of that rooftop breakfast in the morning makes even bedtime something to look forward to.

The Table

The rooftop breakfast is the headline, and deservedly so: plentiful, good food eaten before one of the great urban views on earth, the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus laid out in the morning light. It is the kind of daily ritual that becomes the defining memory of a stay. Beyond the hotel, the tavernas of Plaka and the cafes of the surrounding streets offer the warm, generous, family-friendly pleasures of Greek dining a short stroll away, so lunch and dinner can follow the day's wanderings.

Beyond the Doors

The Athens Gate stands at a crossroads of the ancient and modern city, opposite the Temple of Olympian Zeus, with the Acropolis, Plaka and the National Garden all within easy reach.

• Temple of Olympian Zeus & Hadrian's Arch2 min walk

  Colossal ancient columns and a Roman triumphal arch directly opposite the hotel — monumental history right across the road.

• The Acropolis & Acropolis Museum12 min walk

  The sacred hill and its superb modern museum, a short walk away — the heart of any Athens visit.

• National Garden8 min walk

  A shady royal park with ponds, a playground and a small menagerie — a cool, green refuge for children on a hot afternoon.

• Syntagma & the Changing of the Guard12 min walk

  The kilted Evzones' extraordinary high-stepping ceremony outside Parliament — ceremonial spectacle children adore.

Why You'll Remember It

The Athens Gate sells a view that becomes a daily ritual — breakfast before the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the ancient city laid out in the morning light. It gives a family a comfortable, welcoming, perfectly placed base from which to weave together the monuments and the modern streets, all on foot. The memory it leaves is golden and specific: the whole family on the rooftop each morning, plates of good food before them and two and a half thousand years of history filling the view, framing a day in Athens before it has even begun.

The Practicalities

Moderate luxury without excess, and a welcoming service culture.