Athens Airport is home to many car rental agencies, and the terminal is also directly connected to the metro, suburban rail, public transport buses and regional bus routes in the surrounding area.
Cheap hotels in central Athens
| Destinations | Travel time | Frequency | Price |
| Syntagma (centre) |
Metro: 38 minutes |
metro: 36 minutes bus: 15-20 minutes |
metro: 9 eur bus: 5,50 eur |
| Piraeus (port) | metro: 58 minutes bus: 95 minutes train: 57 minutes |
metro: 36 minutes bus: 30 minutes train: 60 minutes |
metro: 9 eur bus: 5,50 eur train: 9 eur |
| Kifissos (bus station) | bus: 65 minutes | bus: 25-30 minutes | bus: 5,50 eur |
Metro
Thefastest service to central Athens is by metro line 3, with 36-minute intervals and a journey time of about 35 minutes.
A transfer ticket for 90 minutes costs 9 eur. You can buy a return ticket at a discount for 16 eur.
A 3-day (72-hour) Athena Card is also valid for one trip to and one trip from the airport for 22 eur (neither the 24-hour nor the 5-day ticket is valid for the trip to the airport). Minors under 18 and seniors over 65 ride at half off.
Metro tickets can be purchased at a vending machine or at the station ticket office and can be paid for with cash or credit card.
You enter the metro via turnstiles, which you attach to your ticket when entering and leaving the station.
- Travel time: 38 minutes to Syntagma; 58 minutes to Piraeus Port
- Frequency: 36 minutes (when travelling from the centre, most services terminate at Douk. Plakentias station!)
- Fare: 9 EUR / 16 eur return / 20 eur for 72 hours
- Last metro from the airport - 23:34
- First metro from Syntagma station - 5:51
- Official Metro / Athena Card website: stasy.gr / athenacard.gr
The metro station is located about 200 meters from the terminal and has "Trains" signs leading to it.
The platform is shared by metro line 3 and the suburban train. The track closer to the terminal is used by the metro and the track further away from the terminal is used by the train. Everything is clearly marked.
Only about every 3rd or 4th train runs from the city centre to the airport. The rest of the line 3 trains terminate at Doukissis Plakentias station. All metro trains going to the airport have an orange lane, while metro trains terminating at station D. Plakentias have a yellow lane.
Bus to the centre of Athens
Special airport public transport bus lines are the cheapest form of transport. If you buy a 72-hour ticket, the price is the same as taking the metro.
A single ticket costs 5,50 eur and can be purchased from a kiosk or vending machine at the bus stop (both at the airport and in the city), and can be paid by credit card or cash. Discounted tickets for minors under 18 and seniors over 65 cost 2,70 eur.
For airport buses, a 72-hour ticket is €20, but like the metro, there is no 24-hour or 5-day ticket.
Buses also provide night services to the city centre.
- X93 - Kifissos main bus station and Liosion bus station
- Frequency: 25-30 minutes, 40 minutes at night
- 65 minutes
- Last connection from the airport: runs non-stop 24/7
- First connection to from the centre: runs non-stop 24/7
- X95 - Central Syntagma Square
- Frequency: 15-20 minutes
- Travel time: 65 minutes
- Last connection from the airport: runs nonstop 24/7
- First connection to from the centre: runs non-stop 24/7
- X96 - Piraeus port + the entire Athens coastline
- Frequency: 30 minutes
- Travel time: 95 minutes
- Last connection from the airport: runs nonstop 24/7
- First connection to from the centre: runs non-stop 24/7
- X97 - South of the city, Elliniko district
- Frequency: 60 minutes
- Travel time: 45 minutes
- Last connection from the airport: 22:15
- First connection to from downtown: 4:00
Official Athens Buses website: oasa.gr/en
The bus stops are right in front of exits 4 and 5 of the arrivals hall. Follow the signs "Public Bus".
Read more detailed information about transport in Athens.
Suburban rail
Two commuter rail lines have a terminus at the same location as metro line 3.
The trains run once an hour and terminate at the port of Piraeus, the journey is as fast as the direct metro. You can also use the train for a non-stop journey to the main train station of Larissa, where you can change trains to Corinth, for example (some services run directly from the airport).
A ticket to Piraeus costs 9 eur.
Train timetables and online ticket purchase: tickets.hellenictrain.gr
- Last train from the airport towards Piraeus - 22:07
- First train from Piraeus - 4:45
The second train goes to Ano Liosia station in the northern suburbs of Athens.
Taxi to the centre of Athens
Taxi has fixed prices for travel to/from the airport. To central Athens the following prices apply:
- 40 eur - during the day (5:00-24:00)
- 55 eur - during the night
For trips outside the centre, fares are calculated according to the taxi meter:
- 1,80 eur - boarding rate
- 0,90 eur - 1 km ride within Athens city limits (1,25 eur during the night)
- 1,25 eur - 1 km outside Athens (including part of the journey to/from the airport)
For journeys longer than one hour (either due to congestion or distance), an amount will be added to the fare 15 eur.
The taxi rank can be found at exit 3 of the arrivals hall.
Regional buses (Rafina, Porto Rafti, Artemida)
If you're heading straight from the airport to Rafina, about 17km north, where ferries depart for islands such as Mykonos, Tinos or Andros, you can use the regular KTEL Attika bus service. It runs roughly every hour to hour and a half from about 5:00 to 21:00 (timetable on the website: ktelattikis.gr/en/airporten) with several stops in the centre of Artemida.
The journey to Rafina takes about 35 minutes and the ticket costs 1,80 eur and is paid in cash at the driver.
Buses also run the other way to Porto Rafti (timetable on the website: ktelattikis.gr/en/markopouloen).
The KTEL bus stop is located in front of the Sofitel Hotel and is not signposted from the terminal.
Car rental
If you head straight from the airport to explore the Greek coast or inland, it's best to travel by car.
The airport is home to most of the big multinational car rental companies and many local smaller ones. You can compare the prices of all the rental companies, for example via the Rentalcars.com search engine.
