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 bus: 65 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

The fastest service to central Athens is by metro line 3, with 36-minute intervals and a journey time of around 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 20 eur (24-hour and 5-day tickets are not valid for 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 signposted.

When travelling from the centre to the airport, only about every 3rd to 4th connection runs. 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 (at the airport and in the city), and can be paid by credit card or cash.

The easiest way to pay the fare is with your own contactless card inside the bus.

Discounted tickets for minors under 18 and seniors over 65 cost 2,70 eur.

On airport buses, a 72-hour ticket costs €20, but like the metro, there is no 24-hour or 5-day ticket.

The buses also provide a night service to the centre.

• X93 - Kifissos main bus station and Liosion bus station
  • Frequency: 25-30 minutes, 40 minutes at night
  • Travel time: 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 train lines have a terminus at the same place 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 to 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 journeys outside the centre, fares are calculated according to the taximeter:

• 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)

In case of a journey longer than one hour (either due to traffic jams or distance), an amount 15 eur will be added to the fare.

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 17 km north, where ferries leave for islands such as Mykonos, Tinos or Andros, you can take the regular KTEL Attika bus. 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 3,60 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 is best to travel by car.

The airport is home to most of the large 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.

• Compare prices and book a car