Hotels Athens Airport
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport
Athens airport is a major hub in the Aegean, Balkan and East Mediterranean
regions. Continental, Delta and Olympic maintain non-stop flights from North
America, while a large number of European carriers fly direct into Athens.
The new Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport 27 km (17 miles)
east of the city center, near the suburb of Spáta, opened in 2001 as
part of the infrastructure improvements in preparation for the Olympics and
is now one of the more attractive and efficient major European airports, though
some old Athenian hands say they miss the "Port Said" atmosphere of
the old Hellenikon. The airport has excellent public transit connections to
the city (see below) and the usual array of food stands, duty-free shops, and
other airport services.
There is a Tourist information station in Arrivals that will have the latest
literature put out by the Tourist Information Department; this is useful for
getting information of arranged local festivities in Athens and Attica. They
will also have a printed brochure of Ferry information from Piraeus and other
Attica ports.
There is also a small museum on the top floor that has an interesting history
on Athens as well as a space put aside for temporary exhibits.
You are going to need euro coins if you want a trolley for your luggage; trolleys
are available at the airport, you will find them in the baggage hall on arrival
and they use coins the same way supermarket trolleys do. You insert your coin,
and you get it back by placing the trolley back to its original position.
If you stay in Athens for a short time, consider leaving part of your luggage
in a baggage storage. It is run by Pacific Travel, and is located in the end
of left-hand wing, arrivals level. Storage time differentiates between 6 to
36 hours and sizes vary from small to large. The only inconvenience is that
the same queue is used for collecting and for leaving – allow extra time
before your flight. No automatic lockers can be found in the airport.
From the airport to the city
From the airport you can reach the city:
* By Metro to the city center for €6. Group tickets (2 or 3 persons)
are also available and they provide some discount (see below). The airport Metro
line is an extension of Line 3 (blue line) that takes you to the downtown Syntagma
and Monastiráki stations.
Don't forget to validate your ticket before going down to the platform and
boarding a train (there are validation machines at the top of the escalators
in the ticket hall). Failure to validate your ticket at the start of the journey
can mean a fine of up to €120. The ticket inspectors are rigorous and won't
hesitate to call for police assistance if you start to object.
Those taking the Metro from Athens to the airport should note that not all
trains go to the airport; typically the airport trains run every half hour,
while trains in the intervals don't go the whole route. Airport trains are indicated
on the schedule and by an airplane logo on the front of the train, they are
also announced by the signs on the metro platform. It's useful to go to the
Metro station the day before, explain to the agent (most speak English) when
you need to be at the airport, and ask what time you should catch the airport
train from that station. You can also get this information at the airport metro
station, which has a desk staffed most hours by someone who speaks English.
It's possible but not necessary to buy your ticket in advance; buying in advance
though means you won't risk missing your train if you find at the last minute
you don't have change for the ticket machines and have to stand in a line to
buy it from the agent.
* By suburban railway to Larissis Railway Station for € 6 via change
at Ano Liossia Station. Change from there to Line 2 of the subway that takes
you to:
o the downtown Omónia and Syntagma stations.
o Northern Greece and the Peloponnese, by train.
* By bus: X92 to Kifissia, X93 to Kifissos Coach Station, X94 to Ethniki Amyna
metro station (subway Line 3), X95 to Syntagma Square (subway Lines 2 and 3),
X96 to Piraeus (subway Line 1) and X97 to Dafni metro station (subway Line 2)
for €3.20. It takes 45 min to 1.5 hrs depending on traffic. Buses, unlike
Metro, operate 24 hours a day.
* By taxi for € 30-35: If you take a taxi be careful. Make sure that
the meter is switched on and shows tariff 1 (tariff 2 applies after midnight
and is twice as expensive).
It is advisable to grab a free copy of city transport map in the airport –
in the city it is extremely helpful.
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