Greece · Attica · Athens
Kolonaki, Athens — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Kolonaki is an upscale neighborhood in central Athens on the south slopes of Mount Lycabettus, centred on Kolonaki Square. The name means Little Column.
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Where to stay in Kolonaki
The practical side of choosing where to sleep.
Kolonaki suits visitors who want boutique hotels, quiet streets, and serious window-shopping over cheap dorms or late-night noise. Rooms here cost more than in Plaka or Psyri, and the district keeps few hostels. You come for the cafes on Kolonaki Square, the designer stores along Skoufa Street, and short walks to the Benaki Museum and the Museum of Cycladic Art.
Evangelismos metro connects the district to Syntagma, with the Acropolis a short ride beyond. Nights stay quiet.
Things to do in and around Athens
Ranked by global recognition; descriptions from Wikidata (CC0).
Museums & Galleries
3- National Archaeological Museum of Athens
- Acropolis Museum
- Benaki Museum
Churches & Religious Sites
2- Tzistarakis Mosque Heritage
- Church of the Holy Apostles Heritage
Castles & Historic Sites
8- Panathenaic Stadium Heritage
- Erechtheion Heritage
- Temple of Olympian Zeus Heritage
- Ancient Agora of Athens Heritage
- Temple of Athena Nike Heritage
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- Theatre of Dionysus Heritage
- Odeon of Herodes Atticus Heritage
- Propylaea of Athens Heritage
worth knowingacross 3 categories in and around Athens
About Kolonaki
What are the main landmarks in Kolonaki?
Kolonaki's sights are museums, not ruins. The Benaki Museum, at the corner of Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, gathers Greek art from antiquity through the modern era. A short walk east leads to the Museum of Cycladic Art, and further along the avenue stands the Byzantine and Christian Museum.
Above the rooftops, a funicular climbs Mount Lycabettus to a hilltop chapel and a wide view across the city.
What is the history of Kolonaki?
Kolonaki takes its name from a small ancient column that once stood on the square long before houses rose around it. The district grew during the nineteenth century, after Athens became capital of the modern Greek state and building spread up the slopes of Mount Lycabettus. Wealthy families, foreign embassies, and later art galleries settled around Kolonaki Square.
The little column gave the whole quarter its identity. Fashion followed the money.
Where is Kolonaki?
The neighborhood climbs the southwest side of Mount Lycabettus, just east of Syntagma Square. Its southern edge runs along Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, the museum-lined artery locals call the Museum Mile. Shopping streets such as Skoufa and Patriarchou Ioakeim thread uphill from Kolonaki Square, while Evangelismos metro station serves the lower, southeastern corner.
The climb is steep.
Good for
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Updated October 2026