Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport The new Eleftherios Venizelos airport based in Spata, about 33km southeast of Athens, is the main gateway into Athens for air travel.
Taxi There are taxi ranks near the terminal’s arrivals area. The average journey to the city center will cost €20-30, including the Attiki Odos highway toll (€2.50) and the special airport fl at fare.
Car The Attiki Odos tollway is the main access road to the airport. The journey to the center of Athens takes 30–60 minutes, depending on traffic. There is toll-free access to the airport via Lavriou Avenue and other primary roads, but the journey times are considerably longer.
Bus Express buses to Athens run round-the-clock; E92 goes to Kifissia in the north; E93 to the inter-city bus depot on Kifissos Avenue; E94 to Ethniki Amyna metro station; E95 to central Athens; E96 to Piraeus port; and E97 to Dafni metro station via southeast Attica. An intercity route goes to the port of Rafina (for high-speed catamarans to Mykonos and beyond) every 40 mins (between 6am and 9.30pm). The single ticket currently costs €2.90 and is valid for one journey to or from the airport and unlimited journeys on Athens public transport for the rest of the day.
Rail The suburban railway follows the route of the Attiki Odos tollway from the airport westward, stopping at stations along the way, and terminating at Larissis Station, where you can get connections to other rail services throughout Greece. It also connects to the Athens metro at Doukissis Plakentias and the Kifissia-Piraeus light railway at Neratziotissa. The price of a single ticket from the airport is €6.00 and the journey to Larissis Station takes about 30 minutes.
Metro An express metro service to the center of Athens departs from the airport, sharing the same rail line as the suburban railway but with no stops until Doukissis Plakentias, when it joins up with the metro system. The single fare is €6.00 and the journey to Syntagma Square takes roughly 27 minutes.
Public transport in Athens has always been ridiculously cheap by anyone’s standards. Following the recent improvements for the 2004 Olympics, such as the extension of the metro and the construction of a tram line from the center of Athens to the coast, it is much more efficient and user-friendly as well. A one-day travel card offering unlimited travel on all Athens-area public transport will set you back just €2.90 and is valid for 24 hours. The government has recently announced a new pricing policy to be introduced sometime in 2005, where commuters will be able to buy a
€1 ticket valid for travel throughout the entire greater Athens area for 1.5 hours from first use. It also announced plans to extend the metro hours until half past midnight, or 1.30am on weekends, and to introduce eight night bus routes. If none of the above will suit, then there are always the ubiquitous yellow taxis, which are also quite cheap. Be warned, however, that it’s standard practice for taxis to pick up additional customers when they already have a fare, charging each separately.