Athens Transportation: Metro, Airport and Ferries

• Line 1 (green, M1): Piraeus to Kifissia; Thiseio, Monastiraki and Omonia are on it.
• Line 2 (red, M2): Anthoupoli to Elliniko; Akropoli, Syntagma and Omonia are on it.
• Line 3 (blue, M3): Athens Airport to Dimotiko Theatro in Piraeus, stopping at Syntagma, Monastiraki and Piraeus (official info, October 2026).

Download the Athens metro map as a PDF 

The same ticket works on the metro, tram, buses and trolleybuses. Every metro station has machines: tap "Athens Ticket" and switch the screen to English first. We bought ours from the machine in the station and showed every step in the video. The machines take cash and bank cards; the ticket types and prices are below.

• 90-minute ticket: €1.20; you can change between metro, tram and bus within the 90 minutes.
• 24-hour ticket: €4.10; cheaper than single tickets once you ride four times in a day.
• 5-day ticket: €8.20.
• 3-day tourist ticket: €20; the closest thing to an Athens metro pass for visitors: three days of city transport plus one return trip to the airport by metro or express bus (official info, October 2026).

Watch out: the 90-minute, 24-hour and 5-day tickets are not valid on the airport metro section or on the airport buses. If you stay three days and use public transport in town as well, the tourist ticket costs less than buying the airport return separately.

Want to stay nearby? The airport metro and the X95 both end up at Syntagma, so there is no change with your bags; the area is in the Syntagma section . See hotels in Syntagma  Ad

Want to stay nearby? The blue line stops at Monastiraki without a change; see the Monastiraki and Psiri section . See hotels in Monastiraki  Ad

Taxis between the airport and the city center (inner ring) charge a flat fare: €50 from 05:00 to midnight and €65 from midnight to 05:00. The fare goes by the time you arrive and includes all surcharges (official info, October 2026).

Taxis wait at Exit 3 on the arrivals level. Uber in Athens works with licensed local taxis at the same flat fare, and its pick-up point is opposite Exit 4. Ignore anyone offering you a taxi inside the hall and take the first car in the official queue.

On our way home we took a taxi from our hotel in Omonia to the airport. The driver quoted 50 to 60 euros, and shared between us that was no more than the metro would have cost. If you land late at night, travel with children or carry a lot of luggage, a pre-booked transfer with a driver holding your name is the easiest way in.

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The airport express buses run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. A ticket is €5.50 for one ride, and you can also pay by tapping your bank card or phone once on the blue reader on board (official info, October 2026).

• X95: Syntagma Square. The cheapest way into the center after the metro has stopped.
• X96: the port of Piraeus, about 90 minutes; for ferries to the islands.
• X93: the Kifissos and Liosion intercity bus stations.
• X97: Elliniko metro station (Dafni at night), for the south coast and the Riviera.

Buses to the airport only let passengers on, and buses from the airport only let them off, so you cannot use them for short rides around town.

Want to stay nearby? For an early ferry or a cruise departure, a night by the port is easier; see the Piraeus section . See hotels in Piraeus  Ad

To see Athens from the top deck on the first day and get down to Piraeus without tiring ourselves out, we bought the hop-on hop-off bus. Ours was valid for two days, went as far as Piraeus and cost €28 each. We came to Syntagma on it, and we also took a hop-on hop-off bus out to Glyfada and Vouliagmeni on the Riviera.

Routes, validity and prices differ by company, and not every ticket includes the Riviera route, so check before you buy. At Lake Vouliagmeni the hop-on ticket got us a small discount too; the details are in our Athens Riviera guide .

Compare hop-on hop-off bus tickets in Athens  Ad

Our day cruise to Hydra, Poros and Aegina did not leave from Piraeus but from Delta Marina in Kallithea (Marina Delta Kallitheas, at Delta Falirou). A leaflet in our hotel lobby is how we found it; a minibus collected us from the hotel at 7 a.m. and dropped us at the pier.

Do not picture a cruise liner: it is a large ferry-style boat, and we paid €140 a head including lunch.

The cruises leave early and come back in the evening, with some free time on each island. Book ahead in summer and check where the pick-up is before you pay.

See island day cruises from Athens  Ad

You do not need a car to see Athens; the metro, tram and buses reach everything in the center, and parking there is hard. Driving here is also not like in other European cities: plenty of drivers do not stop at red lights.

Where a car pays off is outside the city: the Corinth Canal, Cape Sounion or Delphi. Collect it at the airport and you are on the motorway in minutes, which beats picking one up in central traffic.

See Athens airport car rental prices  Ad

• Landing late at night: the metro closes at night, and then the X95 bus or a flat-fare taxi is what is left. The night taxi rate applies from 00:00 to 05:00 (official info, October 2026).
• Check the final stop on the platform: airport trains run less often than city trains and not every train goes to the airport; on the way back, look for "Airport" on the destination sign of the train.
• City tickets do not work to the airport: the 90-minute, 24-hour and 5-day tickets are not valid on the airport metro section or the express buses. The airport ticket is separate; the 3-day tourist ticket covers both.
• Always validate: a ride without tapping your ticket on the bus or at the gate does not count as a ticket; the metro asks for it again at the exit gate, so keep it until the end of the trip.
• Is the Athens metro safe? We had no problems on it, by day or in the evening; as on any busy metro, keep your phone and wallet in front of you on crowded trains.
• The flat taxi fare is not everywhere: it applies only between the airport and the city center (inner ring); to Piraeus or the coast the meter runs.