Transportation in Athens

Athens International Airport

 
The Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos, opened in March 2001, is dedicated to customer satisfaction, and provides high security standards and top-quality service for all travelers. It is connected daily with over 70 cities around the world.
The Athens International Airport is located 33 km southeast of Athens and is easily accessible via Attiki Odos, a six-lane motorway constituting the Athens City Ring Road.

From the Airport:
Metro:
You may take Metro Line M3 (Dimotiko Theatro - Douk. Plakentias - Athens International Airport), which connects the Athens airport with the city center. Trains run every 30 minutes, 7 days a week from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The trip from/to the Airport to Syntagma station (Athens’ center) takes 40 minutes. For exact times, see the Metro timetable from/to the airport.

There are different ticket options for reaching the airport:
  • 1. Airport Metro Ticket: Single-trip tickets (Regular 9 € / Reduced 4.5 €) to or from the Airport by metro. Allows for transfers to other public transport means within 90 min after validating the ticket.
  • 2. Roundtrip Airport Metro Ticket to be used within 48 hours: Round trip ticket (16€) to the Airport by metro within a 2-day period. It must be validated twice, once per direction. Allows for transfers to other public transport means.
    • Buses:
    Four Express Bus routes (X93, X95, X96, X97) Directly connect the Athens International Airport with Athens (city center & greater area) and Piraeus (port). Express bus X95 provides a direct connection to Syntagma square, and to the Syntagma metro station, which offers connections to the red line (M2) and blue line (M3). The service is provided on a non-stop basis seven days a week including holidays (24/7 operation).

    All buses disembark passengers at the Departures Level (inbound trips to airport) and depart from the Arrivals Level (outbound trips from airport).

    Tickets are sold at the info/ticket-kiosk (located outside the Arrivals between Exits 4 and 5), or onboard (ask the bus driver) at no extra cost. The Airport Express Bus ticket (Regular 5.5 € / Reduced 2.7€) is valid for a single one-way journey to or from the Airport.

    Athens Metro

     
    The state-of-the-art Athens Metro with 3 lines, 66 stations and several new stations being added to the network every year, serves all major city spots and sites of interest. Apart from safety, speed and comfort, passengers also enjoy the unique opportunity to see the ancient ruins and findings that were discovered during the metro construction, which are displayed in various metro stations. Trains run every 3 minutes at rush hours and every 5-10 minutes at all other times. It connects Syntagma Square to the Athens International Airport in 30 minutes.

    Hours of Metro operation
    Lines 2 and 3 operate daily from 05:30 – 00:00
    Line 1 operates daily from 05:00-00:30

    Useful tips for Metro
    While inside the train, announcements are made before every stop. Metro tickets are sold at the stations’ cashiers and by automatic tellers. Remember to validate your ticket before you move on to the platform.

    Tram

     
    The tram was enthusiastically welcomed in Athens, in July 2004, approximately 40 years after the old tram routes were terminated in the Greek capital. Its 5 routes operate daily on a 24-hour basis, serving 59 stations. The tram operates daily from 05:30-00:30

    Suburban train

     
    The suburban train of Athens, a modern project inaugurated in July 2004, connects the center of Athens (Larissis train station) to the Athens International Airport via 9 stations in 41 minutes. The suburban train operates from 04:26 to 23:36, with departures every half an hour. The coaches are modern and offer plenty of facilities for the comfort of passengers.

    For further details on the Athens Metro & Tram please visit www.stasy.gr


    Metro, Tram & Suburban Train Map
    Click here to download in pdf format

    Buses

     
    The broad bus network of Athens covers almost every point of the city and the suburbs with 7,500 stops. The fleet consists mainly of modern buses, environmentally friendly, with air conditioning and facilities for the elderly and passengers with special abilities.
    For further details please visit: www.oasa.gr.

    Useful tips for buses:
    Tickets must be bought before boarding (from bus terminals and from the majority of kiosks) and validated in the designated machines within the vehicles. To stop a bus for embarkation you must make a hand signal to the driver. To disembark you have to notify the driver by pressing the “stop” button in time. The OASA Call Centre (11185 – dialing from within Greece) operates from 06:30-21:30 on weekdays and from 07:30-21:30 on weekends.

    Taxis

     
    Taxis are yellow with a red-lettered taxi-sign on top.
    Keep in mind that taxis in Athens can be stopped on their way with a hand signal (just like buses) and they often take more than one passenger at a time embarking and disembarking at different points. For exclusive use of a taxi, you are advised to call a “radio taxi” or download the application called “Free Now”. In any case you can request a taxi from your hotel’s concierge.