Travel and accommodation in Greece

Greece has 16 international airports, many of which have been modernised in recent years.  The main international airport is Eleftherios Venizelos, a state of the art building located 27 kilometers (17 miles) southeast of Athens and considered to be an important milestone in the improvement of air travel in Greece.  Eleftherios Venizelos is easily accessible by taxi, bus or metro and is a 20 minute drive by car to/from the city centre. 

Airlines flying direct to Greece from the UK include British Airways and Olympic Airlines with daily flights between London and Athens.  British Airways flies to Athens and Thessaloniki in mainland Greece and to Heraklion and Rhodes in the islands, with three daily flights from Heathrow to Athens, and four flights a week from Gatwick to Athens.  A return fare from London to Athens costs from £128 including taxes fees and charges.  In addition, there are a handful of European flight carriers, such as Lufthansa and Al Italia which offer non-direct flights to Greece.  The cheapest scheduled airline is probably Easyjet which flies from London Luton and London Gatwick to Athens, but there are also charter airlines flying from the UK to Greece with very affordable fares during the summer months.  Charter flights can be booked through web sites such as Cheapflights or Lastminute.  

Taking a taxi is the most convenient way to get from the airport to the centre of Athens and taxi drivers are required by law to use their meter.  Bus X95 operates from the airport to Syntagma (centre of town) every 30 minutes, 24 hours a day with a journey time of around one hour depending on the traffic.  Bus X94 operates between the airport and Metro Line 3 at Ethniki Amyna every 10 minutes between 7.30am and 11.30pm, with a journey time of 25 minutes.  Equally, the Metro operates an efficient airport service from Monastiraki with connections at Line 3 and trains depart every 30 minutes.  A single fare is around €8.

For non flyers it is possible to get to Athens by train.  Catch the Eurostar from London Waterloo to Paris and then a train from Paris to Brindisi, Italy, where a ferry can be taken to Patra in Greece and then a train from Patra to Athens but it is quite a lengthy journey.  Contact Rail Europe regarding information on train journeys.

Travelling around the country

There are 25 airports handling domestic flights in Greece mainly operated by Olympic Airlines and Aegean Airlines, with extra flights during the summer months and Greece is a relatively easy country to travel around.  Following the Olympic Games in Athens the public transport system has been modernised and improved to offer residents and visitors faster and more reliable services.  The rail network in Greece is around 2,500 km long and is run by the Hellenic Railways Organisation.  Though it is of a good standard, the railway is limited to just two main lines with intercity trains to central and northern Greece and links with central Europe and Turkey on Intercity (express or regular) and regular trains (high-speed rail).

Athens’ port, Piraeus, is the busiest port in Greece and there are daily services to the islands from here.  Athens has two main intercity bus terminals; Terminal A is for Peloponnese, the Ionians and western Greece and Terminal B is for central and northern Greece, and Evia.  Local buses serve the smaller villages across Greece.  The Metro in Athens has three lines; Line 1 is the old Athens-Piraeus electric rail service known as ISAP, while Lines 2 and 3 are underground.  The Athens Tram links the centre of Athens (Syntagma Square) with the coastal suburbs in the south and the Suburban Railway (Proastiakos) accommodates travel to/from Athens and to Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos). 

Driving in Greece

Having a car at your disposal in mainland Greece is a great way to see the country, not least because the roads are now dramatically improved and getting in and out of Athens is not the trauma it used to be!  However, parking is still a bit challenging and Athens is notoriously congested but those brave enough to take to the roads can find the usual international car rental companies at the airport, or in major cities and tourist areas.  All the major car rental agencies like Hertz, Avis, Budget, Europcar, National, Thrifty are available in Athens but there are also a number of small family run rent-a-car companies.  Ensure that the agency is licensed with the Greek National Tourist Organisation. 

A number of big transportation projects have been implemented in and around Attica and the main highways are greatly improved.  The Attiki Odos is a new cutting-edge motorway linking the town of Elefsina (in western Attica) to Athens International Airport, (Eleftherios Venizelos) circumventing Athens with 27 main and secondary interchanges for entrance and exit into/from the capital.  Toll fares depend on the vehicle’s height axes.  Driving is on the right and traffic signs are in Greek and English.

Greek taxis are very cheap by European standards and all licensed taxis are yellow in colour and run by meter.  The driver is obliged by law to activate the meter upon hire, but some taxi drivers try to get away with not using the meter, in which case it is advisable to select another taxi.  In case of a dispute make a note of the taxi’s number plates or call the police.  Be aware that taxis charge a €3 airport surcharge and €2.50 toll for the toll road between the city and the airport.

A double room including breakfast in a quality two-three star hotel in Athens will cost around €99 in the high season (April to October) and €83 in the low season (November to March). 

The time difference is GMT + 2 and the currency is the Euro.

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