How to get from the airport in to Athens

The airport of Athens is called “Eleftherios Venizelos” or “Athens International Airport” and it is situated about 33 km north-east of the center of Athens.
There are six different bus lines that takes you from the airport and in to different parts of Athens. The most suitable for visitors wanting to go to the center of the city is bus X95 which takes you right to the Syntagma square as well as bus X96 that goes to Pireus from where all boats that go out to the islands depart. Most boats and ferries are parked at dock C. Bus line X97 takes you to the metro station of “Elliniko” which is in the south of Athens near the riviera. The buses depart almost every 15-20 minutes on a 24-hour basis.

The bus-tickets are bought either directly from the bus driver or from the small white kiosks which are located next to most bus-stops. This is probably the easiest way for you to get your tickets. It is also possible to buy bus-tickets in the various newspaper-stands around Athens or through the special ticket-machines located in every metro- or train-station. The same goes also for tickets for the normal city buses going around Athens.

The bus trip from the airport in to Syntagma takes around 45 minutes and almost the same ammount of time is needed to get to Pireus from the airport.

There is also a metro-line going to the airport and back. If you prefer using the train you buy your tickets from the machines at the metro-station. If you feel a little insecure about buying your ticket from the machine not knowing what buttons to press etc there is always someone there who can help you.

Ticket prices:

• The ticket which is valid for 1,5 hour for buses, train, metro and other means of public transfer costs 1,40 euro. This ticket is not valid for trips to or from the airport.
• The 24-hour ticket costs 4,50 euros. This ticket is not valid for trips to or from the airport.
• The 5-day ticket for all public transfers costs 9 euros. This ticket is not valid for trips to or from the airport.
• The special tourist-ticket which is valid for 3 days and includes a trip to or from the airport costs 22 euros.
• A one-way ticket to or from the airport costs 6 euros. Students and young people from 6 to 18 years of age as well as pensioners over the age of 65 pay 3 euros.

By foot

Most popular tourist attractions in Athens are situated in the center of the city not so far from each other, so you can easily walk from place to place. But Athens is a big city and if you are going to stay here more than a couple of days it can be nice to spread theese walks out a bit.
One day you can walk around in Plaka, Monastiraki and go up on the Acropolis-cliff to see the Parthenon-temple. The next day you could maybe go for a day-trip to the island of Aegina which is only 1 hour away from Athens and Pireus by ferry. Or why not rent a car and drive to some smaller town nearby like Lavrion for example (read more about Lavrion under the category Attica).
A tip! Here in Athens you have to be a bit extra careful when crossing a street by foot. Even if it is green for the pedestrians check for cars once more because here it is as if the car drivers always have precedence in traffic.

Train and metro

Athens is, as we’ve said a couple of times now, a big city and walking may not always be the best choise, especially during the summer when temperatures rise. The best and cheapest way to get around and see a lot of this beautiful city is actually by metro and train. Syntagma is the main metro-station for both the red and blue metro-lines.

Line 1 (green line) is a commuter-train. It takes you from the subburb of Kifissia in the north, by Omonia and Monastiraki in the center and all the way down to Pireus. If you take the green line and want to reach Syntagma you change to the red line at Attiki station or Omonia.

Line 2 (red line) is a metro line. It takes you from Agios Antonios in the north-western parts of Athens, through Omonia and Syntagma, to Agios Dimitrios in the south-eastern parts of the city.

Line 3 (blue line) is also a metro line. It goes from Egaleo through Syntagma and all the way to the airport.

Observe that the metro only runs between 05.00-00.00. During the summer months it can be extended to 02.00 but please confirm it when you are on site.

Taxi

The taxi-drivers of Athens don’t have the best reputation. They have been known for sometimes fooling tourists into paying a bit to much by saying that the taximeter is broken and then proposing a fixed price. If a taxi driver should say that to you just take another cab. If you don’t get fooled though, which you probably wont, taxi-drives are really cheap here in Greece. A 15-20 minute trip can cost around 7 euros but a shorter one is around 4-5 euros. The minimum price you have to pay though taking a taxi is 3,20 euros.