The Greek capital, along with its suburbs and the neighboring city of Piraeus, forms an integrated residential complex (the main urban planning complex of the capital) counting about 4 million inhabitants.
The entire prefecture has witnessed the development of modern transportation infrastructure that serves both residents and visitors in a fast and reliable way.
There is a huge network of buses and trolleys (electric buses) that operates in Athens and its suburbs. They usually operate from 6:00 am until 11:00 pm, with the exception of some buses that operate 24 hours, such as the Express buses from Athens Airport to Syntagma or to the port of Piraeus. Tickets for buses and trolleybuses can be bought in special kiosks around the town or inside all the Metro Stations.
The metro is the easiest and fastest means of transportation in Athens. It connects the most popular spots of interest in the town. It also connects the center of Athens to the port of Piraeus (change in green line 1) and the airport of Athens (through blue line 3). Inaugurated in 2001, the metro of Athens is modern and routes are very frequent, every 3 and 5 min. The metro works from 5:00 am till midnight. Although it serves a large part of the town and its suburbs, the network is still enlarged with new stations.
The tram network connects the center of Athens (Syntagma Square) to the southern (coastal) suburbs. The coaches are nice and modern. The only inconvenience is that tram is very slow, compared to the metro system. The tram serves the following routes:
- Athens (Syntagma)- Voula, running through Nea Smyrni, Paleo Faliro, Alimos, Helliniko, Glyfada.
- Athens (Peace and Friendship Stadium in Neo Faliro)- Voula, running through Nea Smyrni, Paleo Faliro, Alimos, Helliniko, Glyfada.
It accommodates travel to/from Athens and Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport. It also travels between Athens and Corinth (Kiato). Itineraries are daily and run almost every hour.
All taxis are yellow and equipped with a taxi-meter that displays the fare. Taxis in Athens are yellow and can be found anytime, anywhere. There are taxi ranks outside the airport, the train station, the metro stations, hospitals, museums, theaters, almost everywhere. The interesting thing about the Athenian taxis is the fact that one can be picked up by a taxi while there already is a passenger in it. Every passenger will be charged the fare shown on the meter. The fares are doubled between midnight and 5 am. There is an extra fee when entering a taxi from the port, the airport, the rail station, and the KTEL bus station. If you want to stop a taxi in Athens, just step on the side of the road and raise your hand.
Attiki Odos is a cutting-edge motorway in Europe linking the town of Elefsina (western Attica) to the Eleftherios Venizelos Athens International Airport (Spata, eastern Attica). Part of the Athens peripheral ring road, it circumvents Athens and offers 27 main and secondary interchanges for entrance and exit into/from the capital. To enter the motorway, tolls are paid.
The KTEL buses are connecting suburban places and towns around Greece. Athens has KTEL buses to almost all towns around the country. In fact, KTEL buses are more popular to travel in Greece than the train, although they are more expensive. The two central KTEL bus stations in Athens are in Kifissos and Liossion streets. The KTEL station in Kifissos is the most popular and serves buses to many destinations. The Liossion KTEL station serves buses to central Greece and few destinations in northern Greece.
An alternative -fun- way to move around the city and explore the best points of interest in Athens is Happy Train! Happy Train tours around the historical center of Athens and passes by the most important monuments of the city. This train truly stands out: it has a bright red color and looks like a toy! Sightseeing tours with Happy Train start from the Constitution Square in downtown Athens and follow an amazing itinerary. Happy Train passes by monuments and sites, such as the Hellenic Parliament, the Museum of Cycladic Art, the War Museum, the Panathenaic Stadium, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Lantern of Diogenes and others. You can hop off the train whenever you wish, so the Happy Train is a very convenient means to move around Athens.
The hop on hop off bus is one of the best ways to tour around Athens and the suburbs of Athens. It offers a great variety of tours, such as the Classic tour, the Athens and Piraeus tour and the Athens and Beach Riviera tour. The tours with the hop on hop off bus offer commentary in 12 languages, free WiFi, 2 free escorted photo tours and a free glass of Greek beer.
The electric scooters of the Lime company are a new addition to the ways to get around Athens. Lime scooters, which can be found in many European countries, have recently filled the roads of Athens. They are an ecological and fast way to move around Athens, especially for short distances. To use the scooters, you need to download the Lime app, find the scooter that’s closer to your location, upload your credit card info and unlock it. Then, you can start touring Athens at your own pace!
Do you Need a Free Travel Quote?
Our team of experienced travel specialists can organize your unforgettable vacation in Greece!
Please send us a request and we will rapidly answer you with a free quote!
