Passengers are required to wear face masks/coverings (simple medical masks or cloth masks) while using Athens Transport or waiting at stations.
Passengers are asked to keep safe distances while using the transport system, pay by credit/debit cards instead of cash if possible and follow instructions of the personnel.
Bus passengers cannot use the front door to get on or off the bus.
Metro and Tram do not run for the extended 2-hour service after midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. All lines of all means of transport run according to their published timetables.
Athens International Airport ‘Eleftherios Venizelos’ is the largest airport of Greece and the only international airport of Athens. If your scheduled flight has ‘Athens’ as its destination, this is where you’re going to land.
Athens airport isn’t a huge airport (consists of one main and one satellite terminal) and it’s definitely not a chaotic one. There are plenty of signs and English speaking staff to help you find your way.
To the bus departures: Buses and taxis depart just outside the exit at the (airport) Arrivals level. Just follow the “Buses / limousines” signs. At the bus departures area there is also a ticket booth which is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
To the metro/suburban railway station: The airport’s train station is where the Metro and Suburban railway trains depart, from adjacent platforms. The station’s building is at the (airport) Departures level (if you arrive in Athens you’ll take the elevator up) and it’s connected to the main building via a passageway with a moving walkaway. It takes 3 – 5 minutes to get to the station from the main airport terminal’s entrance/exit. Again, follow the signs “to Trains”. At the station, there are ticket booths open when the trains are running.
The passageway that connects the airport’s terminal to the metro/suburban railway station
Getting to/from the Athens International Airport and the city center, located about 20 km (12 miles) east, can be achieved via:
>> 24-hour express buses <<
The Athens Transport authority operates four 24-hour express bus lines to the airport. A special fare costing 6 euros (2021 price: 5.50 euro) is needed to board the buses (or 3 euros for a reduced price ticket) (2021 price: 2.70 euro).
Just outside the (Airport’s) Arrivals is where buses depart. On your right, the 24-hour ticket booth.
The lines are:
Χ95 : Syntagma – Airport The line that takes you to the central Syntagma square of Athens (there are also stops at Nomismatokopio, Ethniki Amyna, Megaro Moussikis and Evangelismos metro stations along the way, as well as a few more).
The 3 other lines that don’t go to the center of Athens:
Χ97 : Eliniko Metro Station – Airport The line takes you to Eliniko Metro station (and up to Dafni metro station during night-time). Use it if your destination is southern Athens.
Where to take: Buses arrive at the airport’s Departures level (just outside the terminal’s entrance) and depart outside the airport’s Arrival’s level (see above).
Schedule information: Click on the links above to see each line’s schedule as well as a map with live information about each line. You can view the same information on ‘OASA Telematics’ app for Android or iOS.
Ticket information: Tickets for the express bus lines to the airport cost 6 euros (2021 price: 5.50 euro) (3 euros for reduced price tickets) (2021 price: 2.70 euro). You can also use a 3 day (tourist) ticket for a return trip from/to the airport by bus or metro or any long term fare (from 30 days) as long as it includes trips to the airport. You can buy tickets at the ticket booth next to the buses departure point in the airport (open 24/7/365) or at any ticket machine or open ticket office. Bus drivers of those bus lines also sell €6 tickets. For detailed ticketinfo see Athens Transport tickets and cards.
>> Metro trains <<
Athens airport is connected to downtown Athens via Metro line 3 (Nikea– Douk. Plakentias – Airport) – the blue line.
Athens Airport Railway/Metro Station
Where to take: Trains for Metro and the suburban railway depart from the airport’s train station which is less than 5 minutes away from the main terminal via a passageway with a moving walkaway (see above).
Schedule information: Trains run every 30 minutes, 7 days a week from 6:32 a.m. (first train from the airport) to 11:32 p.m (last train from the airport). The trip from/to the Airport to Syntagma station (Athens center) lasts 40 minutes. See the Metro timetable to the airport here.
Ticket information: One way metro tickets to the airport cost 10 euros (2021 price: 9 euro) (5 euros for reduced price ticket) (2020-2021 price: 4.50 euro). You can also use return tickets within 48 hours (18 euros) (2021 price: 16 euro) and the 3 day (tourist) ticket which costs 22 euros (2021 price: 20 euro) or any long term fare (over 30 days) which includes airport trips. As of 2019, the ticket office at the Metro/train station doesn’t issue personalized Athe.na Cards but only Ath.ena Tickets. To issue a personalized card, head to the nearby ticket booth at the buses departures. For detailed ticketinfo see Athens Transport tickets and cards.
A metro train at the Athens airport station’s platform
>> Suburban Railway <<
Athens Suburban Railway, also known as Proastiakos connects Athens Airport with the central railway station of Athens (Larissa Station), the port of Piraeus and -through connections- to destinations all over Greece.
A suburban railway train at the Athens Airport Station
Where to take: Trains the suburban railway as well as for Athens Metro, depart from the airport’s train station (see above).
Schedule information: There are 2 trains per hour: One with direction Piraeus (port) which goes through Athens Central Station and one with direction Ano Liosia (if you want to go to a station between Ano Liosia and Kiato take the train to Piraeus and change at Kato Acharnai station to a train towards Kiato). Trains run 7 days a week. Trains from the Airport to Athens Central Station and the port of Piraeus run on the hour at xx:09, the first at 06:09 and the last at 22:09. There is also a train to Athens Central Station at 22:50. Trains from the Airport to Ano Liosia run on the hour at xx:52, from 05:52 to 20:52. From summer 2020 there are also trains connecting Athens Airport (as well as Piraeus) directly to Egio, near Patras
Combining suburban railway/Metro to save time: Suburban railway trains depart the Airport at xx:09 and xx:52. You can take it to Doukissis Plakentias station, where you can change trains (platforms are on different levels) and continue to the city center (Metro Line 3 to Nikea), using the same ticket.
Ticket information: Tickets to/from the airport to any station in Athens/Piraeus cost 10 euros (2021 price: 9 euro). The ticket, although it looks different, is virtually the same as with the metro (and can be used for trips on buses/metro/tram). For detailed ticketinfo see Athens Transport tickets and cards and trainose.gr.
>> Taxi <<
A taxi from the airport to the city center costs a flat rate of €38 from 5:00 a.m. to midnight, and €54 from midnight to 5:00 a.m. which includes all costs. You can confirm that with the driver before entering the vehicle. Taxis depart just behind the buses on the airport’s Arrivals level.
From Athens to the port of Piraeus
The port of Piraeus is the largest port of Athens and the main gateway to the Aegean islands. It is 10 km (6.2 miles) away from Athens center and 47 km (29.2 miles) away from Athens airport.
Moving around the port: The port covers a large area and it might not be practical to move around it on foot (although gates E4 to E8 are relatively close to the metro station). On your boat ticket you will see the gate from which your ship will depart (from E1 to E12, the cruise terminal) but check again as soon as you arrive at the port as last minute changes are possible. The port authority offers a free bus line that goes around the port and stops at every gate. Also, a number of bus lines travel along part of the perimeter of the port.
The free buses of the port of Piraeus
From the center of Athens you can get to the port via:
Metro: Take Metro line 1 towards Piraeus (from 5am till just after midnight). The terminal station is just across the street from the port. If you’re coming from or going to the airport, change lines at Monastiraki station.
Inside the Piraeus Metro station
Suburban railway: From Athens Central Station the train to Piraeus departs on the hour at :52 from 6:52 am to 22:52. The train station is next to the Metro station.
Buses and trolleys: A large number of buses and trolleys connect the port of Piraeus to different areas of Athens. Bus line X80 is an express tourist bus line running during summer months between Piraeus cruise terminal and Athens center (only tickets valid on X80 line are the 3-day tourist ticket and the 24-hour ticket). Bus line 040 runs 24-hours a day, between Syntagma square and the port. Bus route X96 is an express 24-hour line, running between Athens airport and the port of Piraeus.
Map of the port of Piraeus. Click to enlarge.
From the Airport to the port of Piraeus
To go directly from the airport of Athens to the port of Piraeus you can take:
Suburban Railway: Take the train towards Piraeus. It departs on the hour at :09 (from 6:09 am to 22:09) and the journey takes about one hour. For the return journey from the port to the airport, trains depart every hour at :44 (from 4:44 to 20:44). The railway station is right next to the metro station and in front of the port. Ticket costs 10 euros (2021 price: 9 euro).
Metro: Take the Metro (direction to Nikea) and get off at Monastiraki station (departs from the airport on the hour at :02 and :32, from 6:32 to 23:32). There, change trains (platforms at different levels) and take line 1 towards Piraeus. Ticket costs 10 euros (2021 price: 9 euro).
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