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Ashley Metcalfe
June 17, 2024
Want the best ways to get from Athens Airport to the city center?
You’ve come to the right place!
Matthew and I have made the journey several times because, for some reason, we just can’t keep away from Greece! I don’t know what it is – oh wait, I do:
- beautiful islands
- deep history
- stunning architecture
- delicious food
- vibrant culture
and so many more! We have loved Greece since we went on our honeymoon and we have been back every year except for one. That’s right 3 times in the last 4 years!
It’s safe to say, we know the best ways to get around Greece. Whether that’s from Athens to Santorini or Athens to Crete…we’ve got the details!
But before you can start your Greek adventure, you need to get from the airport to the city right? It’s actually very easy and simple if you have all the information.
Here’s all the information you need to get from Athens International Airport to the city center.
How To Get From Athens Airport To City Center – 4x Best Options
You’ve landed in Athens, Greece. You’re feeling excited, anxious and ready for all the adventures that are to come.
You step off the plane and grab your bags…
…but what do you do next?!
You’ve got to get from the airport to the city center right?! This is always a point of contention for me because I want to have the most cost-effective option possible without getting haggled, you know? I research like crazy to see the best ways to get to the city whenever we land in a new country as digital nomads.
Thankfully, getting from Athens International Airport to the city center is very straightforward. There are plenty of options for you to choose from depending on how much you want to spend, if you want convenience or if you want to arrive in style. You get to decide!
Here’s the 4 ways to get from Athens Airport to city center.
1. Athens Airport To City By Metro/Train (Best Option)
Want to get to the city fast?
The train is one of the fastest ways to get there because you don’t have to deal with traffic!
Which Train To Take?
There’s really only one line that will take you from the Athens International Airport to the city center. But if you want to get to Piraeus that’s possible too with a change!
- To City Center – Metro Line 3 (Blue Line): This is the train you will take to get to the city center. There are quite a few stops and you can just get off where you need to. The most popular destinations are Syntagma Square and Monastiraki Station.
- To Piraeus Port: You take the same train (Metro Line 3/Blue Line) all the way to Monastiraki Station. You’ll have to change to the Green Line from here to get to Piraeus Port.
Price For The Train
What’s the train from Athens airport to the city center cost? It will cost €9 ($8.89 USD) for a one-way ticket. If you want to take the subway on your return, you can buy a round-trip ticket for €16 ($15.81 USD) and save a little.
How Long Does It Take?
If you want to get to Syntagma Square, it will take only 40 minutes via train.
This is definitely the fastest way to get from Athens Airport to the city center because you avoid all the road traffic!
Train Timetable From Athens Airport to City Center
The train doesn’t run 24/7. It starts operations at 6:30am and terminates at 11:30pm. You can catch the Metro Line 3 Train every 30 minutes.
Where To Find The Train
Once you exit the Arrivals Hall, you will walk across the road. There are some stairs, escalators and elevators that lead to the metro station. It’s above ground and there are several ticketing machines which are available in several languages.
Once you buy your ticket, you swipe through the gates and go down the stairs to the train platform. There are elevators if you have big suitcases as we did.
2. Athens Airport To City Center By Bus (Cheap Option)
Don’t want to spend money on transport? Want the cheapest option?
Take the bus from Athens Airport to the city center! It’s easy to locate, it’s cheap and it drops you off in the center.
But there’s one catch – it does take longer to get from Athens International Airport to the city center. If you are one of the first to board the bus, you might be lucky enough to grab a seat otherwise we have seen people stand.
Which Bus To Take?
This depends on where you’re trying to go.
The most popular routes are from Athens Airport to the city center and Athens Airport to the Piraeus port (for those taking a ferry right away).
- Bus X95 (Athens Airport -> Syntagma Square): Is the city center your destination? This is the bus you want to look for! Syntagma is pretty central and you’ll be able to get to most hotels or Airbnbs from here.
- Bus X96 (Athens Airport -> Piraeus Port): Need to get on a ferry ASAP? Bus X96 is the one you take to get to the most popular ferry port in Athens to get to the islands.
Price For The Bus
How much does the bus from the airport to the city center cost? Only €5.5 ($5.44 USD) for a one-way journey.
You can pay for your ticket as you board the bus, the driver will take care of it. You can also go to the airport bus kiosk and buy them there. We just bought it from the driver and if I remember correctly, they should take card payments! Bring cash just in case and you won’t have any problems.
How Long Does It Take?
This is the long way to get to your destination. Bus X95 from Athens Airport to Syntagma Square will take around 1 hour, depending on traffic. You will want to try and get a seat because it’s a long ride. There’s also a small space to place your luggage which makes it much easier to handle.
If you’re taking the Bus X96 to the Piraeus port, it will take much longer at around 1.5 hours depending on traffic.
Taking the bus during peak traffic hours? Don’t expect it to arrive on time, it will probably take you even longer to get to your destination because of all the traffic.
Bus Timetable From Athens Airport to City Center
Both Bus X95 and Bus X96 run pretty close to 24/7. Bus X95 is the main bus that most tourists will take.
| Bus Number | From | To | First Departure | Last Departure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bus X95 | Athens Airport | Syntagma Square | 00:10 | 23:55 |
| Bus X96 | Athens Airport | Piraeus Port | 04:05 | 18:35 |
If you miss one, there’s another one that’s on its way.
Where To Find The Bus Stops
You can find the bus stops by the Arrivals Gate between Exits 4 and 5. If you’re taking the bus back from the city to Athens Airport and you’ll be dropped off at Departures Level 2.
The Airport bus is very convenient and the cheapest transport option on this list! We took the bus a couple of times and it was very efficient!
3. Athens Airport To City Center By RideShare (Easy Option)
Want the ease of ordering a car on an app, waiting a while and hopping right in? We love using rideshare apps wherever and whenever we can!
Best RideShare App In Greece
In Greece, Uber doesn’t really exist. You can’t get an Uber from the Athens International Airport to the city center easily. However, there’s another rideshare app that is more popular amongst the locals. And that app is called FreeNow (previously known as Beat)!
We highly recommend downloading FreeNow because if you travel to any of the islands – the chances are high that FreeNow will exist and Uber won’t!
FreeNow works very similarly to Uber. Simply add your destination and add your starting point and they will find a driver for you. Sometimes, they will look like taxis which is very normal (and sometimes better) especially when you’re taking a FreeNow from Athens airport to the city center.
We paid around €20 ($19.77 USD) for a ride to our Airbnb which was located in the Koukaki area in the city center. What’s not to love about FreeNow?! You get the convenience of ordering from an app, the peace of mind that the price is fixed and it’s probably a taxi which means no one will look at you funny.
If you want convenience, download the rideshare apps – FreeNow or Uber and get going!
NOTE: Rideshare apps seem to acquire each other every now and then. The previous rideshare company in Greece was called Beat but I believe FreeNow acquired them (or something like that, don’t quote me :P). It should work the same as Beat or Uber which you might be more familiar with!
4. Athens Airport To City Center By Private Transfer (Convenient Option)
Want someone waiting for you holding a sign up with your name on it?
Arrive in style by ordering a private transfer ahead of time. No need to worry about how you’re going to get from the Athens International Airport to your hotel!
The best thing about a private transfer is that you can schedule, plan and book everything in advance saving you more time and hassle when you arrive.
Which Private Transfer Company?
We have done all of the above transport options from Athens Airport to city center but never a private transfer That’s only cause we don’t want to spend our money on that – but some people do and that’s great! Here’s the companies I found that you can book:
Price Of A Private Transfer
This all depends on which company you go with. The cheapest we found was from Viator for €28 ($27.67 USD) but that’s if you are traveling with more people to get that price. If you’re traveling solo, you’ll need to pay the full price of around $64 USD. Private transfers are much more affordable when there’s a group of people being picked up because the cost is less for each individual. If you were a single person, you’d have to bear the entire cost. Companies like Welcome Pickups offer a trip from Athens Airport to the city center for around around €48 ($52.38 USD) or more. We have used Welcome Pickups in places like Bali and it was fairly easy to communicate with our driver.
The great thing about a private transfer is that they will take you directly to your hotel or Airbnb. You can also book your Athens transfer in advance which means you don’t have to sort it our right as you step out of the airport – there will be someone waiting for you! Bougie? Oh yess! The door-to-door service is very tempting, especially after a long flight to Athens, right?
How To Get From Athens Airport To City Center And Back
There are many ways to get from Athens Airport to City Center!
You can choose the cost-effective option like the bus or if you want to get there in the fastest time possible, you can take the train. What if you don’t want any hassle and would rather slide into a car directly to your hotel? Book a private transfer ahead of time!
We have taken all transport options except for the private transfer. We surprisingly liked taking the bus because it was very simple and cheap. But we only would take it if it was night time or super early morning (when traffic is pretty much gone) because it can take longer than it needs to! Otherwise, the train is straightforward to hop on and hop off. I will say they do get crowded – just walk all the way to either end of the train and you should be able to get a seat!
We hope you enjoy the wonderful Athens just as we did and you don’t need to worry about how to get to the city center anymore!
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