Thiseio or Plaka Airbnb

I spent a week in and Airbnb in Irakleidon in Thiseio in March and really liked it. It was only five minutes walk from the pedestrian walkway round the Acropolis but still had a neighbourhood atmosphere: there was a good baker on the corner, a supermarket two minutes away, and bars with locals hanging out.

Plaka is prettier but is entirely taken over by tourists, so for me it’s no contest.

It’s a matter of taste though and I’m sure you’ll enjoy either.

Alan

The Thiseio and Plaka districts are next to each other, and anyway both very close to the Acropolis and the major archaeological sites which are, I suppose, what you will visit in Athens.

As Alan points out, Plaka is 95% dedicated to tourists with its bars, restaurants, souvenir shops, hotels, etc., and many streets are pedestrianized while Thiseio is (relatively) quieter.

I've been spending a week in Athens every year for quite a few years, I was there 2 weeks ago, and I wouldn't hesitate to choose Thiseio (actually I wouldn't choose either of these two districts and would rather go to the Koukaki district)

But it mainly depends in which part of these neighborhoods these Airbnbs are located and what atmosphere you are looking for.

The advantage of Thiseio is that you are next to the Kerameikos or Ancient Agora archeological sites which are places where you will not have to wait at the ticket office to buy your tickets for the major archaeological sites (most of tourists pick them up at the Acropolis ticket offices in Plaka).

About the Acropolis, if you book your tickets online for the Acropolis be aware that new rules are applicable from tomorrow June 15 due to the significant increase in visitors.

Here they are:

From 15th June 2023, the compulsory selection of a visit zone in the Acropolis Archaeological Site for the purchase of tickets online will be implemented.
Visitors can enter the Acropolis Archaeological Site strictly at the time they selected when they issued their ticket, according to the terms and conditions of use of the e-ticket.
Visitors to the Archaeological Site are kindly requested to be at the site 30 minutes before the zone they have chosen, for the best possible service.

Try to determine more precisely where these Airbnbs are located by looking on the map and the photos of these accommodations and compare with Google Maps and Street View which displays more details.

If you can spot he street ,anotrher tip is to activate the traffic display on Google Maps and see if the traffic is heavy with streets displayed in orange or red

We love staying in the Plaka. True, it is more touristy, but not in a way that bothered me. Its closer to the things you will want to walk to (Acropolis, Syntagma, National Garden, Panathinaikos stadium).