Athens public transport received an overhaul in the lead up to the Athens Olympics, giving a significant boost to the overall standards in getting around the city. The last couple of years has also seen new metro stations open, connecting greater Athens to its centre. Find more essential Athens travel info here.
Athens Public Transport – what you need to know
The Athens Metro (or Attiko) consists of three lines:
Line 1, marked in Green on the map, is also known as ISAP and is the electric railway, connecting Kifissia all the way to Piraeus.
Line 2 (marked in red) extends south of the city to the recently opened (amid much scandal) Elliniko station.
Line 3 (marked in blue) operates from Monastiraki all the way to the airport in Spata.
The metro services start at 5:00am on line 1 and 6:30am on lines 2 and 3. The services end at 11:30pm. On Friday and Saturday nights, services extend to 2:30am.
Non-personalised cards, which do not require photos and identification are also available for multi-fare purchases, which include a 4.50 euro one-day unlimited pass, a three-day unlimited pass for 9 euros, or the five-day pass for 22 euros. Children under the age of 6 travel for free.
The Metro station at Syntagma Square. Photograph: Why Athens | Athens Public Transport
Direct train link from Piraeus to Airport
Piraeus, Greece’s biggest port and one of the largest in the Mediterranean, now has a direct rail link to Athens International Airport. Piraeus will become a terminal for the Proastiakos suburban railway, connecting the port to the airport at Spata, northeast of Athens.
The trip between the airport and the port is expected to take around one hour. Connections from Piraeus to central Athens, are now more frequent, running every 15-20 minutes during peak times. More information can be found here: Trainose.gr
Train to and from Airport to central Athens
Journeys to and from the airport (Line 3) are scheduled every 30 minutes, 7 days a week from 6:30am – 11:30pm. See timetable for further information.
Trams
After a 42-year-absence, Athens Trams made a comeback in time for the Olympics. Marked in light green on the map, there are three lines connecting the city centre to the coastline.
CLICK ON MAP TO ENLARGE. Source: Urban Rail Transport S.A | Athens Public Transport
Airport Express Bus
There are three bus lines departing from central Athens that go directly to the airport. They operate every 15-30 minutes. You can purchase tickets from Metro stations. The routes and departure points are:
X95 Syntagma
X96 Piraeus Port
X97 Dafni Metro station
You can catch a bus from the airport. The bus terminal can be found on the arrivals level at exits 4 and 5. They will take you to central Athens or Piraeus port.
Why Athens Tips:
- An English speaking hotline is available for all public transport enquiries:
+30 210 8230 007 from 6:00am-10:00pm Mon-Sat - Urban Rail Transport allows you to plan your route easily online by simply plugging in where you want to go, giving you the best route to consider, you can find it here
Ferries in Greece
The most popular way of getting from the mainland to the islands in Greece is by ferry. They can get extremely busy during the summer months of June, July and August but are known for running on schedule. You can pre-book a taxi to take you to or from the port of Piraeus in Athens.
Book your Ferry tickets here:
Domestic airline travel
The national carrier of Greece is Aegean Airlines and they also operate the local subsidiary airline Olympic Air. Both offer excellent services and frequent flights to dozens of destinations throughout Greece.
You can search for flights on both Aegean and Olympic here.
