How to Get Around Athens

Metro

Although some signs are only in Greek, with only three lines (green, red and blue) covering the whole city, it’s the most straightforward, swift & convenient way to travel around the landmarks.

Line 1 (green) runs from the port of Piraeus through to Kifissia District via Monastiraki sq. It’s the second oldest metro system after London. Since it’s older, it’s slower and less clean than the other two lines but it completes its route less than an hour.

Line 2 (red) goes from Elliniko in the south to Anthoupoli, through Acropolis and Syntagma. You can reach the famous site by getting off at Akropoli station.

Line 3 (blue) connects in the eastern side of the city with the Airport and passes from the centre, Syntagma Square and continues on to western side’s Aghia Marina. A route from the airport to cental Syntagma Sq lasts about 40 minutes.

Suburban Railway

Also known as Proastiakos, it connects the Athens airport with central Athens, and also to the National Railway network where you can reach sites outside of the capital like Corinth. The standard 90-minute ticket for the Athens region covers all Proastiakos journeys from Piraeus to Magoula and Koropi stations as well but distant cities & destinations are subjected to different fares.

Bus & Trolleys

The blue & white city buses and the yellow trolleys on electric are also common means throughout the city. Some older buses don’t have online monitors to show your location, and since some stops are located on side streets, you may want to take help from locals. 040 from Syntagma Square to Piraeus, the 10 from Makrigianni to Megaro or the 060 from the National Garden to Exarchia are preferrable, main-course lines. A 90-min Athens ticket can be used for transferring  from metro to trolleys, buses or trams as well.

Tram

Similar to the metro lines, there are three routes for trams. They connect Syntagma Square with the nearby beaches and there are works in progress to extend the line to Piraeus.

Line 1 “Syntagma – SEF” – links central Athens to the Peace & Friendship Stadium,

Line 2 “Syntagma – Vouli” – begins from the city center as well and goes to the southern suburb of Vouli,

Line 3 “Vouli – SEF” – running along the coastal zone to cover the previous routes up and down.

Athens riviera and the high-class shops in Glyfada are in easy reach of these lines. Unlimited one-way travel with up to 5 stopovers in 90 minutes makes them affordable.

You can learn the airport transfer fares by visiting https://www.athenstransport.com/english/tickets/

Costing around 5 euros for a 10-minute trip, taxis can help you too.