How to Get to Athens

Most people fly into Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos, ATH), about 30 km east of the centre. The others arrive by ferry at Piraeus, or by cruise ship.

From the airport

• Metro line 3 (blue): runs from the airport station straight through the centre, stopping at Syntagma and Monastiraki, then on to Piraeus. No change needed. Around 40 minutes to Syntagma. The airport ticket is more expensive than a normal city fare, and you need the right one or you'll be fined at the other end.
• X95 express bus: to Syntagma Square, around the clock. Slower than the metro when there's traffic, but it's the answer for night flights.
• X96: straight to Piraeus port, useful for an island ferry the same day.
• Taxi: official yellow taxis from the rank outside arrivals charge a fixed flat fare to the centre, with a higher night rate. Confirm the fare before you get in.
• Suburban railway: the Proastiakos also runs from the airport, handy for Larissa station, where trains from the north arrive.

Piraeus and the other ports

Piraeus, the main port for the Cyclades, Crete and the Saronic islands, is on both metro line 1 (green) and line 3. The metro station sits by the central gates, but the port is huge: some gates are a long walk or a free port bus away, so check your gate on the ticket. Saronic boats to Aegina and Hydra use gate E8, close to the station. Rafina and Lavrio, on the east coast near the airport, serve some Cycladic routes and are reached by KTEL bus.

Buses and trains from the rest of Greece

Long-distance KTEL buses leave from two terminals: Kifisos, for the Peloponnese, and Liosion, for Delphi and central Greece. Trains from Thessaloniki arrive at Larissa station, on metro line 2.

Getting around the city

Three metro lines, a tram to the coast and a web of buses share one ticket system. Buy a reloadable card or single tickets from the machines in any station. Line 4, a new metro line through the northern and eastern districts, is still under construction and isn't expected before the early 2030s. In the old centre you'll walk.

Driving

Don't, in the city. Pick up a rental car at the airport on the day you leave Athens, as our day trips guide suggests, and choose a hotel near a metro stop using our where to stay guide.