Transport
Metro Line 3 reaches Syntagma in 40 minutes for €9, the X95 bus runs to Syntagma and the X96 to Piraeus around the clock for €5.50, and a taxi to the centre is a flat €40 by day or €55 at night.
Read more: TransportGuide to Athens Airport
Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos” (ATH) opened in March 2001 at Spata, about 30 km east of the city centre, replacing the old Ellinikon airport on the coast. It is by far the busiest airport in Greece, with well over 30 million passengers a year, and the only one in the country with a real year-round long-haul and hub schedule: Aegean and Olympic connect every Greek island through it.
There is one Main Terminal, with the Satellite Terminal reached by a walkway for some Schengen departures. Schengen and non-Schengen gates are on separate sides of the building, which matters for UK, US and Israel flights. The metro and suburban railway station is across the road from the terminal, joined by a pedestrian bridge.
Parking
P1 and P2 sit in front of the terminal for short stays from about €4.50 an hour; P3, a shuttle ride away, is the long-stay option from around €12 a day. Book online for a week or more, or use a valet operator on the airport approach.
Read more: ParkingCar rental
The major rental companies have desks in the arrivals hall with cars in the adjacent car park; off-airport firms collect you by shuttle for lower prices. A hire car makes sense for the Peloponnese, Sounion or Delphi, not for central Athens, where the metro is faster and parking is scarce.
Read more: Car rentalLocal tips
- The last metro leaves the airport around 23:30. After that the X95 (Syntagma) and X96 (Piraeus) buses run all night from the stops outside arrivals; do not wait on the platform.
- Non-Schengen flights (UK, USA, Canada, Israel, Turkey) go through passport control after security and board from the far end of the terminal. Allow three hours in summer and do not linger in the Schengen-side shops.
- Insist on the flat taxi fare to the centre (€40 by day, €55 at night). If a driver mentions the meter, luggage or tolls on top, the fare is already inclusive and the receipt will show it.
- A small archaeological exhibition on the departures level shows finds from the airport site itself, and there is a free art gallery by the Satellite Terminal walkway: a good hour’s escape from the gates.
- Connecting to a ferry the same day is realistic only from a morning arrival: Piraeus is two hours away by public transport, and the island boats leave early afternoon at the latest.
See also
Prices and timetables are indicative and change seasonally. Confirm before you travel.