Getting There

Air

Most visitors arrive by air, which is the cheapest and quickest way to get to Athens. Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport) handles the vast majority of flights to Greece.

Arriving from Europe

Athens is linked to every major city in Europe by either Olympic Air and Aegean Airlines or by the national carrier of each country. Cheap airfares can be found in many European cities such as London, Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt and Barcelona.

Arriving from North America

There are no direct flights to Athens from the Western States but there are connecting flights from many U.S. cities, especially New York.Delta Airlines and Olympic Air have direct flights but there are several connecting flights. Olympic Airlines has flights from Toronto to Athens via Montreal. There are no direct flights from Vancouver but there are connecting flights via Toronto, Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt on KLM, Air Canada, Lufthansa and British Airways.

Arriving from Australia

There are no anymore direct flights. However Thai Airways, Singapore Airlines, Emirates, and Qatar Airways all have convenient connections to Athens.

The airport

The Athens International Airport is located approximately 27 km (17 miles) east of the city center, near the suburb of Spata. It opened in 2001 as part of the infrastructure improvements in preparation for the Olympic Games of 2004 and is considered to be one of the most efficient and attractive International Airports.

The airport has the following excellent public transit connections to the city:

· The Metro (Attiko Metro): It goes to the city center (Syntagma Square) for €8. Group tickets are available and are sold with a discount. Metro trains and suburban trains pass from the same platform at the airport. If you are travelling to the city center the Metro trains is the best choice. Journeys from the airport are scheduled every 30 minutes seven days a week. A timetable and all relevant information including metro maps is given by the Athens Metro Operation Company (AMEL)

· Suburban Railway: It goes to the Athens Central Railway Station (Larissis Station) for €6 via change to Ano Liosia Station. From there take Line 2 of the subway to Omonia and Syntagma Square stations.

· Bus: Express busses from and to the airport operate 24 hours a day. It takes approximately 40 min to 1 hr to the city center depending on traffic and it costs €5.00. The following lines are available: X93 (to Kifissos Coach Terminal), X95 (to Syntagma Square, subway Lines 2 and ), X96 (to Piraeus, subway Line 1) and X97 (to Dafni Metro Station). Relevant information about ticket prices is given by Athens Urban Travel Organization (OASA)