Bus, taxi or metro?

Depends where you are. Anyway, these are the best means of transport in Athens. From the airport to the city or Piraeus I would prefer the bus or metro to a taxi. After all, the airport is just under an hour’s drive outside of the city center or the port of Piraeus.

In the city itself I prefer a taxi, it’s not expensive and with the new taxi app (read below) it’s super safe, convenient and easy. The metro is also very practical and fast, especially during rush hour, but you are much more exposed to pickpockets, for example (which have unfortunately increased significantly since the crisis worsened).

I travel to Athens several times a year and always keep my eyes peeled for new, interesting tips for my readers. If you have a good tip of your own, write to me in the comments below.

Arrive in Athens

I often travel through Athens and have collected and listed a lot of information for you about Athens airport, arrivals-departures, currency exchange, luggage storage, nearby hotels, etc. By the way, I would also be happy to tell you where I find cheap flights.

If you want to visit Athens, here are my best travel tips for a successful stopover. Athens is a fascinating metropolis and is always worth a visit! When I travel, I always intentionally plan an extra day for this fantastic city and actually one day is never enough!

Of course, I have only selected the most beautiful, best located, cheapest hotels in Athens for you. Right in the center, easily accessible, something for every taste.

Metro

From the airport to the center

If I want to go to the center, I prefer the metro to the express bus. It’s faster and less dependent on traffic. If they ever go on strike, I’ll just take the bus. The easiest way is to take the elevator up to the departure hall, go out across the street and you’ll find the main entrance to the metro opposite. Tickets are available at the metro station. The journey into the city by metro takes exactly 45 minutes and the metro runs every half hour via Sintagma to Monastiraki. From 5:00 a.m. to midnight.

Return trip to the airport

The line starts at Monastiraki metro station, next station is Syntagma. You have a train every half hour. Here you can find the exact travel times from the city center to the airport. As a reminder: always at half past… and on the hour. Be careful on the return journey! If you miss a train, you have to factor in a 30 minute wait! Not all metro trains from Monastiraki go to the airport, some only go to Doukissis Plakentias. You can then change to the airport train. When you arrive in Monastiraki or Syntagma, I recommend that you ask at the counter the departure times for your return journey so that you don’t risk any unpleasant surprises. Metro route map

Ticket prices: From and to the airport 10€. Within the city 1.40€ (0.60€ reduced ticket for children, students, seniors) and the ticket is valid for one and a half hours. A day ticket costs €4.50. Recently there are also discounted tickets for 3 or 5 days for all public transport (metro, bus, tram). A 5-day ticket (5×24 hours) costs €9.

My tip: Returning is cheaper (€18 return ticket, valid for 48 hours), traveling with two people is also cheaper (€18 for a 2 person group ticket, €24 for a 3 person group ticket), children, students and seniors also have a reduction (5€ reduced ticket).

Bus

From the airport to the center

Of course you can also take the express bus X95 to Syntagma, which is handy if the metro goes on strike. The buses never actually go on strike. From the airport there is a direct express bus X95 with the final stop at Syntagmaplatz. Travel time: 1 hour if you don’t get caught in a traffic jam during rush hour. Here too, be careful when calculating the return journey times, as the bus can always get into heavy traffic… The bus leaves every quarter of an hour. You buy the ticket in front of the airport when you come out of the arrivals terminal on the far right at exit 5 at a tiny ticket booth. It costs around €6. Here too, a return is cheaper (valid for 48 hours) and if necessary, ask about group tickets or senior fares.

To Piraeus

If you want to continue by ship or just want to get a taste of the harbor atmosphere, the X96 express bus is the most elegant solution. Since most people make this choice when they want to continue by ship, I have put together an extra page with all the travel tips around the port of Piraeus. Here you can find all the important links: Ikaria by ship

Taxi

I would only take a taxi from the airport to the center or to Piraeus in extreme emergencies (e.g. during a general strike), as it is quite expensive! Taxis are available at the airport at exit 3. Be careful! Taxis are yellow, the black ones are limos! Official pricing information

However, within the city I often travel by taxi. Especially since the new Taxibeat free app is available!

Taxibeat

The ultimate taxi app. All you need is a smartphone. Taking a taxi in Athens has never been so easy and safe! The young Greek company Taxibeat offers a service that is unique in the world: it bypasses the intermediary companies and connects you directly with your driver. You can instantly see all the taxis in your area using a free app. Instead of standing on the street and shouting “Taxi!” like before, you can now order it with just one click. If there are several nearby, you can choose. In addition to the order, the taxi driver also receives directions. You can see on the map where the taxi is going, when it will be at your location, what its car number is, what the driver’s name is, how his most recent customers have rated him, his telephone number (handy if you accidentally leave something in the taxi ), whether he speaks English and how much your trip will probably cost. Absolutely easy, safe and extremely practical!

As always, all of this information is of course intended as support and is without guarantee!

City guides, pocket guides and city maps of Athens

In the travel guide from Michale Müller Verlag you will find a whole chapter about Athens, sights, ancient sites, taverns and much more. This book reports in detail from the Ionian Sea to Turkey, from Macedonia down to Athens and Attica and of course the offshore islands in the Ionian and Aegean Seas – nothing is left unaccounted for! So it is a good investment for your trip to Greece.

If your focus is on art history, I recommend the DuMont art travel guide to the Greek mainland. It is very well-founded and provides a lot of background information on the ancient sites and for a better understanding of the exhibits in the National Archaeological Museum. Or the practical paperback city guide from DuMont direct Athens travel guide. Baedeker Allianz Travel Guide Athens is the classic of all travel guides and offers a large city map. Or you can browse further Athens city guide here

This might also interest you:

Athen ist eine herrliche Metropole, da kann man lecker essen und herrlich flanieren. Du findest alles, moderne Geschäfte direkt neben antiken Stätten, kleine Bazare mit arabischen Flair, den berühmten Flohmarkt und die verwinkelte Altstadt. Von der Akropolis und dem antiken römischen Markt fange ich gar nicht an. Lies meine aktualisierten Tipps für einen gelungenen Aufenthalt in Athen. Falls du übernachten möchtest, findest du hier meine Top-Hotel-Liste und alle wichtigen Informationen zum Flughafen Athen. Oder was du tun kannst, wenn du in einen Streik gerätst?

Athens is a wonderful metropolis where you can eat delicious food and stroll around. You will find everything, modern shops right next to ancient sites, small bazaars with an Arabic flair, the famous flea market and the winding old town. Don’t even get me started on the Acropolis and the ancient Roman market. Read my updated tips for a successful stay in Athens. If you want to stay overnight, you can find my top hotel list and all important information about Athens Airport here. Or what to do if you go on strike?