Venizelos Airport

Athens Airport Arrival

Flying into Athens is easier than ever and now so is getting into the city. The Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is state-of-the-art and very user-friendly. This page will give you information on getting into the city or getting to the Greek islands.

The new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Spata opened on Wednesday March 29th 2001. It is big, modern and beautiful and everything seems to work. The new roads are also finished and it is about 40 minutes from downtown Athens or over an hour when there is traffic though I have made it in about half an hour for early morning flights when the streets of Athens are empty. It's not a bad trip especially after you have been looking out the window staring at clouds or the seat in front of you for 10 hours. It's a nice introduction to Athens and there is a lot to see. Not in the way of archaeolgical sites, but in activity, signs and the reality of being in a foreign city. If your driver takes the Hymettos Ring Road you will get a spectacular view of Athens.

If you are planning to fly to Athens and then fly to an island then I suggest doing it that day if possible and don't go into Athens until the end of your trip. But your best bet would be to fly to Athens, spend a day or two there and then take the ferry or highspeed boats to get to your island since it will be easier to get to the port of Pireaus then it will be to get back to the airport. The Sofitel Hotel is about as convenient as you can get to the airport and you can stay there and get to the check-in counter without even waking up. There is a new Holiday Inn which is a little less convenient that can be booked through any of the travel agencies I recommend on this website. But unless all you want to do is sleep and watch and listen to planes I suggest staying in the city because it is a lot more fun.

If you are stuck in the Athens airport because of a delay or a missed flight or because it is easier to hang out in the airport than do anything else you will be happy to know that the food at the airport concessions is great and there are plenty of choices. You can also go to the zoo. (see below). If you have an early morning flight and want to wander around Athens, show up at the airport around midnight and then sleep for a few hours, chances are nobody will care. If you arrive late and plan to take an early morning ferry to the islands just hang out, take a nap (set your alarm clock for 4am) and catch an early bus to Pireaus. The Proastaos (Suburban Railway) leaves at 6:12am from the airport and arrives in Pireaus just in time to watch the first ferries of the day sail away. So take the five oclock 96 bus and check the weekly updates of the Greek Island Ferry Schedules.

Getting into Athens from Venizelos Airport

The Athens airport authorities have been working overtime on ways to get passengers and their luggage into the city as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most Athenians now agree that they have done a great job and the airport connections are perhaps among the best in Europe. These are the suggested methods for getting into the city.

Taxis

The regular taxi queue will start from Door 4 of the Arrivals Level and extend up to Door 1. A taxi should cost you about 25 Euro to the center. There are a couple problems with hailing a street taxi from the airport. Most of the time you will have a great driver and no problems. But some of the taxi drivers take advantage of people arriving in Greece who don't know their way around or the local currency. No they won't konk you over the head and leave you in some alley. They may over-charge you or they may take you to a hotel they get a commission from. It is luck of the draw and when you stand in line, whatever taxi you get when it is your turn, you have to take.  See Tom Mazaraki's Taxi Tips

When I first get to Athens, after a 10 hour flight I don't want to have to deal with any more then I have to. For this reason I use pre-arranged taxi transfers rather then go outside and wait on line to hail a taxi. What this means is that for 55 Euro I am assured that someone will be waiting for me at the airport who will help me with my baggage, speaks English and get me to my hotel. I know that if my plane is delayed he will still be there. I use George Kokkotos the Famous Taxi Driver of Greece and have found him to be very reliable and excellent company. He fills me in on what has happened in Greece since my last visit. If you plan to do this you need to contact him in advance by phone or fax
FAX
From the USA:(01130210) 9637029
From Europe: 0030210 9637029
Within Greece dial: 210 9637029

Phone
From the USA:(01130210) 9637030
From Europe: 0030210 9637030
Within Greece dial: 210 9637030
e-mail: georgetaxitours@yahoo.com

You can see his praises sung by his many fans at www.greektravel.com/testimonials/taxi.html

Note: If you are arriving after midnight it makes sense to use a pre-arranged taxi transfer. The street taxis double the rates after midnight and the transfers cost the same so you might as well use an English-speaking, trustworthy driver with a nice car than take a chance with the street taxis at the airport if the price is the same.

Metro and Suburban Train

The metro has reached the airport and costs about 8 euro and goes to Monastiraki, hitting all the metro stops in between which include Syntagma (where you will have to change if you are going to Omonia Square or Makriani-Acropolis). The first train from Airport to Monastiraki is at 06:30, the frequency of routes is every 30 minutes and the last one from Airport to Monastiraki is at 23:30. The first train from Monastiraki to Airport is at 05:50am and the last one from Monastiraki to the Airport is at 22:58. Actually the train goes several stops beyond Monastiraki but chances are you need to get off in Syntagma or Monastiraki.

Important: Bad News about the Airport Metro: The word out today from the Athens Metro is that on July 1st 2008 the metro line between Monastiraki and the airport will be closed so that they can complete the new Agia Paraskevis station. That means if you want to get into Athens you need to take the Proastiakos-Suburban Railway to Nerantziotissa and take the old Metro Green Line to Omonia and Monastiraki (or switch at Omonia for the red line to Syntagma and Acropolis stations). You can also take the 94 bus from the airport to Ethniki Amyna and from there take the #3 line. Yes, It does make it more difficult but its an inconvenience we have to put up with for the next 8 months or so. (Take a taxi) The Good News is that it was supposed to be closed in March but they changed it to May and then to July so maybe they will change it again and it will be running when you arrive. But it is good to be prepared in case they actually do close it. My own special comment on this is why not close it after the tourist season instead of waiting until the busiest part of the summer to inconvenience thousands of people? And why hasn't EOT (Greek National Tourist Organization) raised hell about the stupidity of this plan? Most Greeks know the answer to this but if it makes you as angry as it does me why not e-mail them and ask them yourself. Maybe if enough people contact them they will gather the courage to intervene.

Athens International Airport is connected via the Proastiakos-Suburban Railway to Larissis Station (Athens Central Railway Station) with stops at Koropi,Kantza,Pallini,Doukissis Plakentias (Connection with Metro Line 3),Kifisias, Nerantziotisa (Connection with Metro Line 1), Iraklio, Aharnes Railway Junction (S.K.A) and Larissis Station (Connection with Metro Line 2 and trains to Northern Greece). Trains depart from the Airport every 15 minutes. The journey time from Athens InternationalAirport to Larissis Station is approximately 38 minutes. The first train from Athens to the Airport is at 06:06am and the last one is at 19:36. The first train from the Airport to Athens is at 06:48 and the last one is at 20:14.

Athens International Airport is also connected via suburban rail to Korinthos. Trains depart every 2 hours and the journey time is 1 hour and 20 minutes.

As of June 2007 you can take the Proastiakos-Suburban Railway from the airport to the port of Pireaus. Trains leave starting at 6:12 am at the rate of 3 an hour and the trip takes about an hour and a quarter. The train station in Pireaus is right across the street from the ferry boats. The price is 6 euros per person. The last train is at 23:12 pm though there is rarely a boat after 10pm. Still if you don't mind roughing it you could hang out at one of the 24 hour cafeterias in the port.

At Syntagma Square you can connect with the Coastal Tram, though you will have to leave the metro station and go upstairs to find it on Amalias Street. The 95 bus stops just below it.

Buses

There are several bus lines to and from the airport. All buses depart from the designated area on the inner curbside of the arrivals level of the Main Terminal Building right outside the Exit (doors 4-5).

X94 connects the Ethniki Amina (Pentagon) Metro Station with the Airport. Passengers can transfer from the Metro line to the Airport Bus at this departure point. This bus stops running before the metro stops running which is around midnight. First bus is 06.30,the last bus at 20.55. They run every 10-20 minutes.

X95 Syntagma Square- Airport Express has its departure point at the center of Athens (Syntagma Square across the park from the Grande Bretagne) and via Vas. Sofias Avenue, Mesogion Avenue and Attiki Odos terminates at the airport. Every 10-30 minutes, 24 hours a day

X96 Pireaus- Airport Express starts from the center of Pireaus (Karaiskaki Square) and via Posidonos Avenue, Varis-Varkizas, and Varis-Koropiou Roads terminates at the airport. Both the Syntagma and the Pireaus buses run for 24 hours, generally every twenty minutes but every 40 minutes after midnight.

X93 connects the Airport (door 5) with the bus terminals at Kiffissou and Lliosson streets. The interval is generally 35 minutes (65 at night).

X92 goes to Kifissia.  

X97 goes to the Dafni Metro Station. (Not the Dafni Monastery... this area is on Vouliagmenis Avenue and connects with Line 2 of the metro.

For Express Lines the ticket costs 3.20 Euros and is valid for 24 hours on all public transport (buses, trolley-buses and metro). You can buy tickets from the driver or at the metro stations or at Public Transport Ticket Offices. You can keep riding on public transport for free for 90 minutes from the time you first stamped the ticket. If you use it again within that period of time you need to stamp it again.

Ferry Ports of Rafina  and Lavrion

A bus route linking the Athens International Airport at Spata to the port of Rafina in eastern Attica will be operated by the KTEL intercity bus system and will be called "Athens Airport-Rafina Port." It will function daily from 6 a.m. to 9.20 p.m. with buses leaving every 40 minutes and making a stop in the seaside resort of Loutsa. There are also regional buses to Lavrion, Markopoulos, Keretea and Kalyvia. Buses depart from the Arrivals Level (close to Door 3) of Athens International Airport. Ticket prices for one-way trip is €3 for all services except for the port of Lavrio (€4).

Arriving buses disembark passengers at the designated area of the departure level of the Main Terminal Building.

If you plan to rent a car and drive north or south and avoid Athens altogether this is now much easier to do with the new National Road connections from the airport that enable you to avoid the traffic of Athens altogether. Just leave the airport and follow the signs for Elefsina if you are going to the Peloponessos or get off at the Lamia exit if you are going to Thessaloniki or anywhere north. Swift rent-a-car in Athens has great rates and will pick you up at the airport. If you decide to stay in Athens for a day or so they will deliver the car to your hotel and even drive you out of the traffic to the National Road.

The Luggage Carousel

When you get off the plane you will most likely have your first experience with the dreaded 'luggage carousel'. It sounds like fun and with the right attitude can be but usually it's not, especially during the heavy season. When you come to the baggage claim area you will see a mob of people waiting as the luggage goes around. Chances are you won't see the luggage until you work your way to the front of the crowd and do battle with your fellow travelers. After a ten hour flight this is the last thing you want to be doing and for this reason I say travel light.

Important : If you can squeeze all your stuff into a carry-on bag then do it. Then you can just breeze right through like we always do. 

When you get into position keep your eyes peeled for your bag. My mom always marks hers by tying a colorful piece of material to the handle, usually a  pattern that the chances are a million to one that anyone else will mistake it for theirs in case they are using the same trick and have the exact taste in patterns as you. Your ability to react quickly to a glimpse of your luggage is key. If visibility is low on the carousel get yourself in a position where you can see the luggage a few yards before it gets to you. If you miss it you have to wait until it goes around again. If you are traveling with other people station someone in a prime vantage point who can signal you when the luggage is sighted. If you have a lot of luggage there are carts that you can use.

Actually if you are prepared and you have a sense of humor the luggage carousel is a fun experience. If you can remain calm while others are tense and annoyed and see their behavior as a form of entertainment while you await your bags, you may want to stick around even after you have gotten them. But don't do it. Get your bags and go.

You will be happy to know that the new airport has made this a less harrowing ordeal and though I will miss the entertainment and the thrill of battle, getting in and out of the airport quickly is worth it.

Unless you look suspicious you will be waved right through to the waiting area where if you have arranged for a transfer you should see someone holding a sign with your name or something that kind of looks like your name. Otherwise keep walking out the front door of the terminal to the buses and taxis.  
 
When you get off the plane and into the terminal there are usually several lines for immigration, one for EU members, one for people needing visas and the other for everyone else. The EU line goes the fastest and then becomes another line for everyone else. The visa line is the slowest and chances are you don't need a visa if you are from most countries so avoid it unless the cop in the booth is there and the line isn't.

Baggage Storage at Venizelos Airport
The new airport does have a luggage storage facility. It is located on the ground floor of the International Arrivals terminal. As soon as you exit the luggage claim area you should turn left and go all the way to the far end of the terminal building. There you will find the "Luggage Storage" facility. They are open from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM every day and they charge a pretty hefty fee so you may want to ask your hotel about storing anything you are not bringing to the islands, or pack lighter. It is not a bad place to meet someone coming in on a later flight because you can ask anyone and they will tell you where it is.

Hotels Near the Airport

The Airport's Airport Sofitel, is classified as a four star international standard and lies within walking distance from the Main Terminal Building. The hotel comprises 346 rooms, incorporating en suite bathrooms, radio and television units and refrigerators. Restaurants include a snack and breakfast restaurant and a panoramic restaurant. Additionally, a conference room and meeting rooms with computers, facsimiles and assistance, make the hotel a great business center in the heart of the Airport. Hotel quests can enjoy a health and fitness center, a covered swimming pool, steam and sauna rooms and hair and beauty treatment.

Many people who are just passing through and are looking for a hotel for one night near the airport gasp when they see the prices at the Airport Sofitel. They shouldn't because you can't get any more convenient since all you have to do is walk out of the terminal and cross a small parking lot and you are in the lobby. Sure hanging out at ther airport when you could be wandering around the Plaka may seem kind of boring but with restaurants, satelite TV and a nice big IKEA down the street you can find something to do besides sleep between flights. For those looking for something a little cheaper and less airport-like there is the Hotel Les Amis in Vari, just 12 kilometers away. The Holiday Inn Attika Avenue is a 5 minute taxi ride or a few minutes on the metro and is in the price range opf the Sofitel. If you want to book these hotels for a night without going through a travel agency you can use the above links. If you are working with a Greek travel agency you can book through them as well.

The nearest coastal hotel to the airport is the Hotel Armonia on the beach at Vouliagmeni. It will take you about half an hour to forty minutes to get there and it is right on the best beach in Athens. Getting in and out of Athens will take you about an hour by taxi, bus or the new coastal tram(though you will have to take a taxi or bus to get to it from the hotel). But as I said before I would rather be in the Plaka or downtown, unless you don't have much time and getting back and forth to Athens seems too much of an inconvenience.

For a listing of recommended hotels see Hotels in Athens

Note: A street taxi driver will sometimes ask you where you are staying and then tell you this is not a good hotel and convince you to let him take you somewhere else. This is not because you have been booked in a bad hotel but because he is paid to bring customers to a certain hotel and he is paid by the head. (It is called in Greek kamaki which means harpoon.) They do the same thing with restaurants. This does not mean he is taking you to a bad hotel or that it is any worse than the hotel you planned on staying at. But it is a hotel he works for.

Changing Money

In case you have not figured it out yet Greece uses Euros. If you were able to change money in the states, then there is no point in hanging out in the airport when Athens awaits you so move on out. I usually only change about $100 in JFK. If you are using a pre-arranged taxi transfer you won't even need to change any money until you get into the city. If you didn't change money in the states, don't worry. You can change it at the airport. If there are two of you, one can change money while the other gets the luggage. The rates seem pretty much the same whether you are in the airport or downtown. I usually change $100 for starters and check rates at banks and currency exchange stores when I get to the city. There is even a currency exchange in the baggage carousel area and several once you get through customs. Most people use ATM machines now and those in Athens and the islands have instructions in English and are easy to use. They accept VISA, Mastercard and AMEX.

When you get to downtown Athens you can change money at the banks and money changing shops around Syntagma and the Plaka. The rates are usually posted at each location along with commission rates. Check the daily newspapers: Athens News, USA Today, and International Herald Tribune for the official rates too. See Tom Mazarakis Greek Money Tips

According to Tom...

You will always get a better exchange rate here in Greece over what you will get in the U.S. But, of course, the commission that banks charge usually wipes out that difference, unless you exchange over $3,000.00 each time you go to the bank. On the other hand, if you buy Euros traveler's checks, then the bank will charge you a fee for cashing them. It's all a "lose-lose" situation. The only way to beat them is to come to Greece with cash US Dollars and exchange them for Euros at "Cambios" that often do not charge any commission.  These exchange offices usually post lower exchange rates than most banks, but the fact that they don't charge a commission more than compensates for the slightly lower exchange rate. Note that not all "Cambios" are "commission free". The ones at the airport all charge hefty commissions. You will find the "no-commission" exchange offices in the center of Athens and in most major tourist destinations such as Mykonos and Santorini.

This tip comes from a reader: When traveling from the US,  you can get a visa/atm card from AAA.  You "put money down" on it and you use it as a regular credit card. When used at an ATM, you recieve local currency. There is the usual ATM charges, but it much less than trying to exchange money. Also, it is not tied to your bank account or other credit cards.

The Greek Islands:To Fly or Not to Fly

If you are trying to decide whether to fly straight through to the islands or take a ferry to the islands the next day this may help you. You will need at least 3 hours between your arrival in Greece and your island departure. This is not because the airport is large or confusing. It isn't. Once you walk out of international arrivals it is a 5 minute walk to domestic departures. But you have to plan for the possibility that your flight may be delayed, in which case you may miss your island flight and then you will need a hotel in Athens for that night and you may be charged a cancellation fee for your hotel on the island. (Using a Greek Travel agency to book hotels and flights will be helpful in this situation because then you just phone them, explain what happened, and they find you a hotel in Athens and hopefully convince the island hotel that it was not your fault that you missed the flight to the island.)

Keep in mind that if you are coming from the USA after a 10 hour flight you may not want to hang out at the airport for 2 hours or more and then take another flight, even if it is just an hour. You may want to go into Athens and spend the first night there and take a ferry the next day to the island when you feel like a human being again.

Once you are in Athens it is easier to take a ferry to an island then it is to fly, mainly because you don't have to go all the way back top the airport and go through the lines and check-in situations that are required of flying. If you are going to Mykonos for example it is a 30 minute flight. But it may take you an hour and a half to get to the airport if traffic is bad, plus you need to be there an hour before your flight to check in. Then provided there are no delays when you land in Mykonos you have to get into town or wherever your hotel is which will take another 30 minutes including getting your bags. Total time: Three and a half hours.

If you take a highspeed ferry like the Aeolis Express or a Catamaran it will take you 15 minutes to get by taxi or the metro to the port and in about two hours you are on Mykonos and right in town. Total time about two hours and fifteen minutes. Even the slowest ferry will take you less then 5 hours and will be a lot more relaxing and interesting then what you will have to go through to fly there.

Santorini is a longer trip and may be a toss-up but even so, for me the pros of ferry travel outweigh the cons of flying, especially since the Highspeeds can get you there in about 5 hours or less and are a lot roomier and more comfortable than an airplane.

So...if you are making a connecting flight to the island on the day you arrive from Greece then make sure you have plenty of time between flights in case you are delayed. But if you are planning to spend the first day or so in Athens take ferries or highspeeds.

If you arrive in the morning or afternoon and are going to Rhodes, Crete, Lesvos, Chios or one of the islands that have overnight ferries that leave in the late afternoon or early evening you can take your bags to Pireaus and check them in one of the luggage storage facilities in the port and then take the metro to Thission or Monastiraki and visit the Acropolis. These facilities are in the cafe-restaurants located behind the ticket offices and the bus terminal. I don't recommend leaving your bags at the airport luggage storage and coming back for them unless you have another flight. Its a long way to go.

Or what some people do is arrange a taxi transfer and combine it with a tour of Athens that leaves you at the ferry. Then you just put your luggage in the trunk and visit the sites of Athens, have a late lunch and then catch your ferry. I recommend booking a cabin.

Another valuable piece of advice is to save the Athens portion of your trip for the end. That way you give yourself a buffer to protect you against missing your flight home in case your ferry is delayed due to weather or a strike. (It happens). You can spend that first night in Athens and see the Acropolis and then save your shopping, museums, and other archaeological sites in and around Athens for the last 2 or 3 days of your trip. I suggest at least two  nights in Athens at the end. Three nights if you plan to visit Delphi or other destinations on the mainland.

The Athens News, a weekly English language newspaper-magazine that comes out on Friday has the weekly ferry schedules from Pireaus, Rafina and Lavrion. You should be able to find a copy in the newstand at the airport and if not you can find it at any newstand or periptero(kiosk) in Athens. If you have a pre-arranged taxi transfer picking you up at the airport ask your driver or the agency that arranged it if they can bring one for you. The Athens news is a valuable source of information. Besides the weekly local and international news it has all the cultural goings ons of the week, helpful phone numbers, pharmacies, restaurant reviews, and articles on the islands by some of Greece's best travel writers.

Meeting in Athens at the Airport

If you are looking for a meeting place for friends and family arriving on a later flight the perfect spot is the Kafeneo, the cafe just to the right of the exit when you leave the international baggage claim. Its just across from the Greek National Tourist Organization's Desk where you can get ferry schedules and free brochures on the islands and other destinations in Greece. You can get free maps too.

There is a lot of info here and some of it may be confusing so if you have any questions just e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com