Getting Around Athens – Transportation Guide

A sign at the Athens Airport displaying pre-set rates for taxis into the city center. Taxis are available on the Arrivals level, just out the terminal doors.

Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is 27km east of Downtown Athens and well-connected to Athens by public transportation. This is the only airport near Athens and handles all international and domestic flights. If you’re renting a car in Athens it’s best to pick it up from the Athens airport.

The city center is the best area to stay in Athens for first-time visitors. It’s packed with good hotels in every price range and most of the top historical sites in Athens.

• Metro – Metro Line 3/blue runs from the airport to the city center stations of Syntagma and Monastiraki, departing every 5-10 minutes from 6:10am until about 11:30pm. The trip takes 40 minutes and costs €10 (24€ for groups of 3). The metro station is a 5 to 10-minute walk from baggage claim; elevators are available. There are both machines and ticket windows staffed with people. The metro trains and suburban trains run from the same platform and have different ticket windows – be sure to get metro tickets and get on the metro train if you’re going downtown. The train runs from 5:30am to 11:30pm (but times can change slightly with season). The train’s color does not necessarily match the color of the train line. For example, the “blue line” train might have an orange stripe. Always refer to the electronic sign on the front of the train (not the train color) to determine its route. The airport ticket is good for all transit in the city for up to 90 minutes. Validate when first getting on the train, and then again if you switch to a different train or bus in the city. (Metro timetable)
• Private Transfer – We recommend Welcome Pickups car service over taking a taxi as an easy way to get from the airport to central Athens. It is similarly priced to a taxi, but their drivers will monitor your flight and meet you at the arrivals gate and are guaranteed to speak English. There’s also no waiting in the taxi queue or navigating the airport, and all rides are pre-booked and pre-paid. They have larger vehicles to accommodate groups of more than four, and child car seats are available by request.
• Bus – If you’re arriving or departing at night then the bus is a good alternative to the metro as it runs 24/7. It has several advantages over the metro: the bus is the cheapest way between the airport and downtown and it has much more space than the metro for baggage. The one drawback to the bus is that during the day it has to deal with Athens traffic which can slow to a standstill. The bus can get from the airport to downtown in 40 minutes in light traffic but can take up to 1.5 hours in heavy traffic. The heaviest traffic times are 7:30am-9:30am and 4pm-6pm All airport bus numbers start with an “X”. In the daytime, buy your ticket before boarding and validate your ticket on board. Late at night, you’ll need to purchase your ticket from the driver on the bus. (Airport-Downtown Athens Bus Time Table)
  X95 – To Syntagma Square (€6) in 40 to 80 minutes. It also stops in front of Evangelismos Hospital, on the edge of Kolonaki. Every 15 to 30 minutes.
  X96 – To Piraeus/Ferry Port (€6) in 45 to 90 minutes. Every 15 to 30 minutes.
  X93 – To Kifissos Bus Terminal A (for buses to Peloponnese, Thessaloniki, Corfu) in 60 minutes. Every 30 minutes.
• Taxi – Taxi from the airport to central Athens is done on a flat fee and cost €40 through the day and €55 from midnight to 5am. From the airport to Piraeus by taxi costs about €50 through the day and €70 at night (but this is not a flat fee so watch the meter or pre-arrange the rate with your driver). Taxis are found at Exit 3 on the arrivals level. Taxi fares should include all tolls and airport fees. If you’re asked to pay anything else tell them you’ll call the tourist police and they can help sort it out. Just dial 171 to contact the tourist police operator who should be fluent in multiple languages. (This number will work anywhere in Greece.) There is a limit of four passengers in all Greek taxis.

Most areas in Greece, including Athens and the airport neighborhood, have public transportation strikes throughout the year. These strikes affect all forms of transit, including, buses, trains, ferries, flights, and taxis. During strikes no buses, no ferries, and only a handful of trains and flights will depart on time (or at all); taxis tend to be the least affected mode of transport. Though strikes can occur any time, there is always a huge strike on May 1. Avoid booking any flights, ferries, or trains that day.

How do I get from Athens Airport to the Ferry Port?

• Metro: The metro Line 3/blue is the best way to get to Piraeus Port from the airport. It goes to the port but also stops at Monastiraki and Syntagma stations in central Athens. The trip takes about 60 minutes and leaves the airport about every 5-10 minutes throughout the day. It runs from 6:10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. daily. (Metro timetable). Read more about getting from the Athens Airport to Piraeus on our Piraeus Ferry Port Guide.
• Car Service: Welcome Pickups is similarly priced to a taxi, but their drivers will monitor your flight and meet you at the arrivals gate, and all rides are pre-booked and pre-paid. They have larger vehicles to accomodate groups of more than four, and child car-seats are available by request. Welcome Pickups is an easy way to get from the Athens Airport to Piraeus or Rafina ferry ports.
• Bus to Piraeus Port: The X96 bus goes directly from Athens International Airport to Piraeus ferry port. It takes 45 to 90 minutes depending on the time of day and traffic. It costs €6. Buses run every 15 to 30 minutes, 24 hours per day. Walk out the doors on the Arrivals floor and turn right. Buy tickets from the kiosk beside the buses before getting on board. (Airport-Piraeus Bus Timetable)
• Train to Piraeus Port: The Suburban Railway train departs the airport once an hour for Piraeus from 6:09am until 10:09pm. The suburban train at the airport uses the same station as the metro train, a 10-15 minute walk from the arrival gate, but is located on the other side of the platform from the Metro. (Airport-Piraeus Train Timetable)
• Bus to Rafina Port: From Athens International Airport to Rafina ferry port takes about 30 minutes by bus and costs €4. The bus departs from just opposite the Sofitel Hotel and not from the marked bus area where the X93, X95, and X96 depart from. You do not buy tickets from the kiosk booth adjacent to the X buses but instead pay the €3 fare on the bus. A taxi from the airport to Rafina port will cost €25 and take 20 to 30 minutes. (Airport-Rafina Bus Timetable)

How do I get from Downtown Athens to the Ferry Port?

There are 2 ferry ports near Athens: Piraeus and Rafina. Piraeus is the easiest to access from downtown Athens, and has more daily ferries to the Greek Islands. We generally advise using Piraeus Port, especially for travelers who will be staying in central Athens.

• To get to Piraeus is a 30-minute metro ride from Syntagma or 20 minutes by taxi (assuming it’s not rush hour). Metro costs about €1 and taxi costs €15 to €20. For the metro, there is direct access to Piraeus Port from central Athens via the blue line/#3 (Evangelismos, Syntagma, Monastiraki, and Keramikos stations) and green line/#1 (Omonia, Monastiraki, Thissio, Patralona). In Piraeus, the station is right across the street from the port. The metro runs from 5am to midnight. Many ferries leave Piraeus between 7am and 8am, so the metro is running in plenty of time to make these departures. Read more about Piraeus Port and Piraeus Port transportation on our Piraeus Ferry Port Guide.
• The easiest way from Downtown Athens to the Rafina ferry port is by taxi. It costs about €50 and takes about 45 minutes. There are daily buses that travel from Athens to Rafina (1 hour and 15 minutes, €5), but because of the variability in bus schedules, we do not advise relying on a bus to get to the Rafina ferry port. Using the Rafina port is a good choice if you’re coming from the airport and not planning to spend any time in Athens, but if you’re already in Athens then Piraeus is much easier to get to from central Athens and is the better choice for most travelers.

As mentioned previously, public transportation strikes occur every May 1 and at other random dates throughout the year. Avoid booking any flights, ferries, or trains that day. Taxis tend to be the least affected mode of transport, though even taxis strike occasionally.

Photos of Getting Around Athens

Athens airport X95 bus to downtown Athens. The X93 (to Kifissos Bus Terminal) and X96 (to Piraeus ferry port) are found in the same spot.

You walk out the Arrivals level doors and turn right. You’ll quickly see the airport buses. You buy tickets from the kiosk to the right. Tickets are not sold on the bus. The bus to the Rafina ferry port leaves from across the street and for that bus you do buy tickets onboard.

The X95 bus stops in Syntagma Square in central Athens. This is also where you catch the bus when going to the airport. Buy tickets from the grey kiosk to the right before boarding the bus.

Luggage storage on the Athens airport bus to downtown. That orange box above the luggage is where you validate your ticket. You must do this as soon as you enter and failure to do so can result in a fine (60 times the fare of the ticket).

Screens inside the airport show departing trains and buses from the airport.

Outside the airport near the buses the screens show departing buses. They leave every 15 to 30 minutes so just jump on the waiting bus and don’t worry too much about when it’s leaving.

Airport tickets to downtown on bus. The fare has changed since this photo. Adults now cost €6, kids and seniors €3

Taxis outside the Athens Airport. Located on the Arrivals level. Go out the doors and turn left. There’s a flat fare to downtown Athens: €38 through the day; €60 at night.

The metro train to downtown Athens is located on the Departures level (one floor above Arrivals). It’s a 5 to 10-minute walk from the terminal. You’ll see these ticket machines on the main floor as you approach the station. Don’t go downstairs to the train without buying a ticket.

There are a few different ticket options. A single one-way ticket is what most will want and it costs 10€ from the airport to downtown. Reduced Ticket is for seniors and kids. 2 and 3 group tickets are for 2 or 3 people traveling together. The Return Ticket is good for one week.

You can choose the number of tickets after you choose which kind of ticket.

It will be very easy to tell which train you want. Ag. Marina is the last stop on trains heading downtown so that’s the route you want. The downtown stops of Syntagma and Monastiraki are about half-way along the entire route.

This is the Monastiraki station that many people will get off at. When coming back you want the train heading in the direction of Plakentias and the Airport. You can get on either train. If you get on the Plakentias train you’ll get off at the last stop (Plakentias) and wait for the next train going to the airport.

This is the upper level of Monastiraki station. Obviously when you’re heading from downtown Athens to the airport you’ll want to follow the signs for Airport.

The car rental companies at the airport have desks just outside customs on the Arrivals level.

This is Monastiraki station from the outside. You can see the Acropolis in the background. There’s lots of traffic here until late into the evening so arriving at midnight even is perfectly fine.

This is Monastiraki Square late in the evening. The metro station is just to the left.

This is downtown Athens early in the morning (roughly halfway between Syntagma and Monastiraki Square). Many ferries leave the ferry port of Piraeus early in the morning so you’ll be up catching the train at about 6am when the streets are empty.

There is luggage storage at both Syntagma and Monastiraki stations but they are often broken and not accepting bags so I wouldn’t count on them.

This is a ticket machine at a metro station in downtown Athens. If you’re going to the Piraeus ferry port you’ll want the 1.20 € ticket. If you’re going to the airport then click Airport Tickets.

A view of the Piraeus ferry port from the back of the Blue Star ferry heading to Santorini. (The Blue Star to Mykonos departs just to the left.) You can see the Piraeus metro station across the street by the elevated walkway (no longer in use). The bus stop for the Airport Bus X96 is just visible on the road (directly behind the yellow van).

The X96 bus stop in Piraeus for the Airport Bus. The Blue Star ferry to Mykonos is visible to the left. The metro station is across the street to the right.

Boarding a Blue Star ferry. Sometimes there’s a special walkway for pedestrians and sometimes you enter on the same ramp as the vehicles.

Recommended Hotels

The Sofitel Airport Hotel at the Athens Airport. The only hotel located at the Athens Airport.

A for Athens Hotel located in central Athens near the metro train to the ferry port and airport (same train different directions).

Theoxenia Hotel in Piraeus and a very short walk from the ferry port.

Read More

• The Best Hotels in Athens
• Best Hotels on the Athens Riviera
• The Best Family Hotels in Athens

About Santorini Dave

I'm Santorini Dave. I started this site in 2011 with a short article on tips for visiting Santorini with kids. We're now a small team of writers and researchers dedicated to providing the best travel content on the internet. We focus on Santorini, Mykonos, Athens, and Greece, offering recommendations for top hotels, neighborhoods, and family-friendly hotels worldwide. I can be contacted at dave@santorinidave.com.

1. Ath.ena Ticket Hi, We are coming to Athens for our 2nd honeymoon. We want to use public transportation, but we have some questions… For the 3-day tourist ticket w/round trip airport transport-do the round trip airport transfers have to be within the 3 days?
   Is that round trip on the metro or X95 bus, or either? We arrive to ATH on a Monday at 1:00…need to go to Syntagma.
   We leave Thursday at 6:00 for the ATH airport to fly to Rhodes.
   On Monday 14:00 we arrive back at the ATH airport and need to go to Syntagma.
   On Tuesday 3:00 we need to go back to the ATH airport. Do you have any suggestions for which tickets we should buy? Thanks,
   J
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert Yes, the airport transfer has to be within the 3-day window. When you start your trip in to Athens your 72 Athens will begin. You can take either the express airport bus or the metro.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert Thanks for sharing your experience. That sucks. I have ridden on the metro hundreds of times and not had an incident. But I know that there are pickpockets out there so riders should take precautions with their valuables. I think thieves like it when the train is busy so they can bump into you and distract you. The trains going to the port in the morning are not busy at all (always some riders but not where you’re bumping into each other, you can usually always get a seat), so maybe that might offer you some peace of mind.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert There are no ferries from Athens (or Piraeus) to Kefalonia. You need to take a bus from the KTEL Peloponnisou (Kifissos) Station in Athens to Patras in the Peloponnese. Then get a ferry from there.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert For Cape Sounion, you can take a public bus (leaves from near Syntagma Square), taxi, or guided tour. The bus is cheap, taxi expensive, and tour probably the best value.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert I think there is a daily bus service between Patras and Igoumenitsa but can’t confirm 100%. There is an international ferry than goes from Patras to Bari (usually with stops in Igoumenitsa and Corfu). If so, you wouldn’t need the bus.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The metro is a short walk from the Blue Star ferry and runs until 12:30am. Otherwise, yes there is a bus but it’s not as easy to figure out. Taxis are pretty cheap and there are plenty about to meet ferries.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The only hotel walking distance from the airport is the Sofitel. It is a 4 star hotel. Not super expensive but not cheap. The next two closest hotels are Peri’s and the Holiday Inn Athens’ Airport. Both are inexpensive but about a 10 minute taxi ride from the airport. With all that said, you’ll have more than 24 hours in Athens and it seems a shame to spend it at an airport hotel in the middle of nowhere. Much better to take the train downtown and enjoy the city – even if it’s just dinner beneath the Acropolis and a morning of walking around the Plaka.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The train itself is fine. The question is how close to the Monastiraki station is your hotel?, where is it?, and what time are you traveling? If you were staying at A for Athens (for example) you’d be fine.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The flat rate from the Athens airport to Athens is now 38€ (it recently increased). There might be a few euro charge for bags but that includes up to 4 people so total charge should not be more than 45€ at the most.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert Stay somewhere near Monastiraki, Plaka, or Syntagma – as it’s central and an easy walk from the top sights and the Acropolis.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert Yes, bus is safe and fairly busy at night. Certainly still busy at 10pm. Syntagma Square is the last stop for the airport bus and if your bags aren’t too heavy you could walk from there to Monastiraki. That said, the metro/train from the airport will take you directly to the Monastiraki stop so that’s easier (though it does cost more than the bus). Taxis are easy to get at the airport and there’s a flat rate (38€) to downtown Athens’ hotels (and 54€ between midnight and 5am).
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert There will be taxis waiting as you get off on the Cruise Ship. Most of the ferries are close to the metro station but the cruise ships are a little farther away and a good distance if you have luggage. I would get a taxi and take it all the way to the Hilton. It will cost more than the metro but nothing unreasonable and it will make your life much easier. If you took the metro you would have to change trains at Monastiraki and then get off at Evagelismos station. The Hilton is a short walk from there.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert It’s alway better to leave Athens until the end so that you have some built in “buffer days” should your flight or ferry back to Athens be canceled.
   1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert It does close, yes. If it’s closed you buy tickets on the bus – not a problem.
      1. Bus from Athens to Delphi and Cape Sounio Thanks a lot Dave! I’m going to Delphi and Cape Sounion as well. Are there kiosks to purchase the tickets to/from those destinations or do I buy them with the bus driver? Do you have any tips to these destinations?
         Thanks once more.
         Thiago Lima
         1. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The bus from Athens to Delphi takes 2.5 hours and costs €15.10 (one way). You buy tickets at the Liossion Bus Terminal (Terminal B). Buses leaves Athens for Delphi at 7:30, 10:30, 15:00, 17:30, and 20:00 (not Saturday). Buses leave Delphi for Athens at 5:30 (not Saturday and Sunday), 7:40 (only Saturday and Sunday), 8:20 (not Saturday and Sunday), 11:00, 16:00, and 18:50. You can get from the airport to the bus station by taking X93. It’s best not to do Delphi as a day trip as it will be very busy by the time you get there even if you take the 7:30am bus. It’s better to go the night before, stay the night in Delphi, and then get up early to do your sightseeing. You should be able to see the highlights by the time the crowds arrive. The bus from Athens to Sounio takes about 90 minutes and costs €6.30 (one way). You buy tickets on the bus. The bus will stop on Fillenion St just off Syntagma.
            1. Athens Busy in Winter Thanks for the datailed info! I’m going on January 31. Even so, do you think the sites will be crownded? I heard that on winter season, the places tend to be less crowded then on summer. Thanks for your attention Dave,
               Thiago Lima
            2. Santorini Dave The Hotel Expert The tourist sites will be quiet in Athens in January and February.