From the airport to the city centre Athens

The international airport, Venizelos, is located 35 km from the city center. To reach it, there are several options:

Metro. The metro is the ideal way to get to the airport, from any station in the city. Line 3, from Monastiraki or Syntagma, takes about 40 minutes and 10 € to the airport. Frequency: approximately every 30 minutes from 5:30 am to 11:30 pm (times vary depending on the metro station).

Suburban. A suburban train connects the airport to the north of the city, to the port of Piraeus and even to Corinth (travel time 1 hour 20 minutes). Connections to the metro. For information, see www.trainose.com (in French).

City bus. Blue and yellow express lines have been set up to serve the airport. Tickets cost 6 € and are valid for all public transportation. From the airport, they are taken at the arrivals level. There are several lines depending on where you live. Line X93 departs from the national bus terminals KTEL (Kifissiou and Liossion) every 30-45 minutes. Travel time: 65 minutes. Line X95 departs from Syntagma Square every 10 or 30 minutes, day and night. Journey time: 60 minutes. The X96 line departs from the port of Piraeus every 15-30 minutes, day and night. Journey time: 90 minutes. Line X97 departs from the Daphni bus station every hour. Journey time: 70 minutes.

Regional buses. To and from Rafina (approximately every hour from 4:50 a.m. to 10:15 p.m., €2.40, 30 minutes), Lavrio (every hour from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., €4.90, 40 minutes) and Markopoulo (every hour from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., €4, 15 minutes). KTEL bus, at the arrivals level.

Cabs. Cabs from the airport to the city center are now subject to a fixed price. It costs €40 during the day and €55 at night. Cabs are waiting for you at the airport arrivals and can be picked up anywhere in the city, provided you hail them.

Rental car. The airport is very well signposted from the city center. Follow the small sign for the Eleftherios Venizelos airplane and prepare €2.80 to take the expressway to the boarding gate. At the airport, almost every car rental company has a branch in the terminal. With a GPS or a good map, you shouldn't have too much trouble getting to your hotel.

Arrival by boat Athens

If you want to reach the Greek capital by boat, you can choose between the ports of Ancona, Bari, Venice and Brindisi, Italy. You arrive in Patras, a city located in the west of the Peloponnese and 211 km from Athens.

There arethree ports in Athens: Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina. Most ferries operate from the famous port of Piraeus, serving almost all the islands of Greece. Rafina serves primarily Andros, but also Tinos, Mykonos, Ios, Naxos and Santorini. Lavrio is the port of choice when it comes to Kea and Kythnos. Some ferries also serve eastern islands such as Agios Efstratios and Lemnos. For the timetable, ask at any travel agency. In addition, many Athenian newspapers publish daily schedules. Alternatively, visit www.viva.gr or www.gtp.gr for more information or call 14541.

To get to Piraeus, take Pireos Avenue by car from Omonia, the metro (line 1) or the ETHEL bus (www.oasa.gr), number 40, Filellinon Street in Syntagma, which leaves every 10 minutes from 5:00 am to midnight and every half hour at night. At the port of Piraeus, you can take the free shuttle bus that connects the different terminals.

To get to Rafina , take the suburban bus that leaves from Pedion Areos, the park next to the Victoria metro. It takes about 70 minutes every hour. By car, it is also 1h15 from Omonia or Syntagma. However, only 20 minutes from the airport. Tickets cost €2.60.

To get to Lavrio, take the suburban bus from Pedion Areos and allow almost two hours for the trip. Tickets cost €5.30. By car, 1h15 from Omonia or Syntagma.

Public transport Athens

The metro is the most convenient way to get around Athens. It serves the main bus and streetcar lines as well as the suburban ( proastiakos). It consists of three lines (1, 2 and 3) of which line 1 connects Athens to the northern suburbs (Kifissia) and the port of Piraeus. Frequency: every 4-5 minutes on weekdays and 5 minutes on Saturdays and Sundays. Ticket: 1,20 €, valid for 90 minutes, to be recharged in advance with the new Athena Card. Timetable and map: www.ametro.gr/?lang=en

The city center of Athens is crossed by more than 65 bus and trolleybus lines. This is the means of transport that can take you to all corners of the capital and its surroundings and thus give you a more concrete idea of the city and the daily life of its inhabitants. Ticket: 1.20 € (available at metro stations and at some kiosks in the city center). Schedules are fairly regular and frequent.

To get to the outskirts of Athens, you have to take the KTEL buses (www.e-ktel.com). Tickets can be purchased from the driver or at the bus departure point. For more information, please visit the company's website.

To get to the south coast from the city center, you should take the streetcar; there are many stations and the trips are very frequent. It can be a pleasant way to get away from the city center and enjoy the sea at the same price as a metro ticket. For more information, visit www.stasy.gr/index.php?id=343&L=1

Bike, scooters & co Athens

Bicycles are beginning to make their appearance in the streets and surroundings of Athens. However, one should be very careful if one is not used to the Greek motorists' way of driving. Little by little, they are being accepted in some urban transport systems, at certain times and under certain conditions. Ask before planning such an excursion. While there are many pedestrian streets in some areas, there are very few bicycle paths and one can be discouraged quite quickly by the danger of the roads and the constant ups and downs of Athens and its hills!

Motorcycles and scooters are very common means of transportation in the city, as they are economical and avoid traffic jams. However, driving a scooter in Athens is an art form. Beware! And don't let yourself be impressed by those delivery men on mopeds who, with helmets on, run a red light or pass on the sidewalk with their cell phones on!

With a driver Athens

The Athenian cabs are still very useful and especially very economical when you know how to use them. One calls the cab driver by announcing the name of the district where one wants to go and one gives the address only afterwards. If the driver does not stop, it means that your destination is not convenient for him! They have a meter that you have to keep an eye on. It is possible to find yourself with other people in the same cab, without it costing you less, but this is rare.

Here are a few orders of magnitude: the night rate is valid from midnight to 5am. For the airport-city center trip, a special flat rate has been introduced: €38 during the day and €54 at night. The minimum fare is €3.20. There is also a surcharge of €5 for luggage from the KTEL stations of Kifissos and Larissis and when ordering a cab from your hotel or other place of stay.

By car Athens

The car is undoubtedly the most efficient means of transportation to discover the country, its capital and surroundings. However, we recommend you to be very careful when driving, as Greeks are very inventive when it comes to interpreting the traffic rules. When a car has decided to overtake you, it is not uncommon for it to do so in the left lane. It is up to you to pull over to the hard shoulder to let them pass. The lines in the middle of the road are useless, but for your general knowledge, two white lines mean that it is forbidden to overtake... In the city, and especially in Athens, the horn is the main weapon. As soon as the light turns green, you will hear a concert of horns behind your back if you take more than a tenth of a second to start. The main thing is not to get offended and to keep calm in all circumstances. In case of suspicious behavior, for example if you are speeding and a motorist seems to be about to enter an intersection where you have the right of way, honk your horn or make headlight calls to let them know that you are there and that they better not go. This is the Greek way of anticipating... As the Greek car fleet has been renewed very quickly, you will be surprised to see the number of big cars on the road, their owners not hesitating to go up to 170 km/h or 180 km/h. This is not a reason to imitate them! If you rent a car in the country, we still advise you to choose an intermediate category for more safety, as the nutshells can be really dangerous. Another important element is that the state of the roads leaves a lot to be desired: potholes, bumps, dead animals, are all traps that can seriously damage your car.

In case of an accident. A police report is mandatory in case of a traffic accident involving a third party. Dial 100 to reach the police and wait for them to file the report regardless of the type of accident and the waiting time. Indeed, insurance companies do not reimburse without an accident report. If there are victims, the foreign driver can be detained and then presented to the police court to determine his responsibility. In most cases, it is necessary to hire a local lawyer to defend you. It is therefore necessary to check the risks covered by your insurance contract (civil liability, payment of a guarantee deposit and legal assistance). A blood alcohol level higher than 0.24 g/l is punishable by a fine, while if it is higher than 0.50 g/l, it is considered a crime.

Car rental. International (such as Avis or Hertz) or local, there are countless car rental companies. You will find agencies at airports and near train stations, as well as in city centers and tourist resorts. This competition guarantees low prices, starting at around €20 per day with a sliding scale for multiple days of rental. In most of the agencies with several rental points, you can return the vehicle to another location without paying extra. Be careful: if some agencies show a price defying all competition, don't let yourself be blinded and really compare the offer. Be careful if you go through small independent rental agencies that are not licensed, as they do not always provide customers with vehicles that have been serviced and offer all safety guarantees. Above all, read all the clauses of the insurance contract carefully, as agencies often arrange for the insurance to never apply! Be aware that car rental from France, which is sometimes more convenient, can be less expensive when included in a package with your plane ticket, for example.

Formalities. According to the constraints imposed by the Greek Highway Code, people wishing to drive a car must have a valid international driver's license, as well as various official documents with a photograph, logbook or rental contract and appropriate car insurance. Failure to present any of the above-mentioned documents upon request of the authorities will result in a fine being issued on the spot. Warning triangles are mandatory. Cars can be imported for a maximum of six months. A carnet de passage is required for a van; for caravans or trailers, mention on the green card and a brief inventory of the contents. Also remember that to rent a car you must be over 21 years old and have held a B driver's license for at least one year, and possibly two years. You will be required to have a driver's license even if you only rent a moped or scooter.

Information and assistance. One of the big problems in Greece is the roads. Potholes, hollows, bumps, red lights in the middle of the highway, lack of markings, poor signage... Some sections of the highway are charged according to the distance traveled and the type of vehicle. Keep in mind that Greece is 80% mountainous and that the distances are short, but the time to cross them can be quite long..

Accessibility Athens

Unfortunately, people with reduced mobility and babies in strollers are not a priority in Greece. Accessibility is therefore limited, especially on local buses. The metro remains the most convenient way to get around for PRMs. In the city center, most of the sidewalks are adapted for handicapped people. It is also possible to order a cab or a shuttle dedicated to people with reduced mobility.