Last updated on February 20, 2024.
I’ve been to Athens, Greece, several times in my life. Between my third and fourth trips, there was a gap of 13 years, from 2000 to 2013.
During my first few trips, I never looked forward to visiting Athens, but has it ever changed! What a difference a metro makes! It’s cleaner, friendlier, less congested, and overall much better.
Jump To
Airport
Athens is served by Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport. It’s about 40 minutes from the city center by car and about an hour by metro.
The airport has plenty of shops, decent places to eat, and is overall a very good airport. It’s relaxed and comfortable compared to the old, dirty, chaotic airport. Also, I’ve never had an issue waiting in long lines for security or at passport control.
Public Transportation in Athens
Every half hour or so there’s a train into the city center from the airport for €9 one way and €16 return (as of April 2023). If you’re staying for three days or less, there are also tourist tickets available that include return airport fares and unlimited rides on all public transportation for €20 (as of April 2023). You can buy tickets at a machine or from a vendor. Once in the city center, for single rides on any type of public transportation, tickets are €1.20 (as of April 2023).
You must validate your ticket at a machine before entering the metro platform and when exiting the metro, and once you get on a bus. Your ticket is good for 90 minutes for unlimited transfers. Also, some metro stations have archaeological sites.
Getting Around Athens
The historic center of Athens is very walkable and easy to get around without using the metro. I preferred to just walk around from place to place unless I was in a hurry. Every hotel I’ve stayed at has been near most tourist sites and some decent restaurants.
Shopping
For shopping, running west from Syntagma Square is the pedestrian street of Ermou, which is full of shops. On the section running through Monastiraki, Ermou is full of antique shops.
All around Monastiraki and Plaka, you will find souvenir and specialty shops. These shops mostly line Pandrossou in Monastiraki and Adrianou in Plaka.
Right off Monastiraki Square is the flea market and Ifestou, which is lined with all kinds of souvenir and clothing shops. You can find everything there.
Combo Tickets for Archaeological Sites
Finally, for visiting the historical sites, you can get a combo ticket for €30 (as of April 2023) that gives access to the Acropolis, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos, the Roman Agora, the ancient Agora, Aristotle’s Lyceum, and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. The ticket is valid for five days. It saves visitors a good chunk of money if all the sites are visited, especially from April through October when admission is full price. It’s not worth it from November through March when admission is half price.
Safety in Athens
Athens is very safe, especially in the tourist zones. Take the usual precautions, use your judgment, and you’ll be fine. At night, stay away from Omonoia Square and don’t go off the tourist track.
Map of Athens Basics
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