Athens: Venizelos Airport

Athens Airport Arrival

Flying into Athens is easier than ever and now so is getting into the city. The Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is state-of-the-art and very user-friendly. This page will give you information on getting into the city or getting to the Greek islands.

The Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport in Spata opened on Wednesday March 29th 2001. It is big, modern and beautiful and everything seems to work and I think it is one of the best and least complicated airports in the world. The new roads are also finished and it is about 40 minutes from downtown Athens or over an hour when there is traffic though I have made it in about half an hour for early morning flights when the streets of Athens are empty. It's not a bad trip especially after you have been looking out the window staring at clouds or the seat in front of you for 10 hours. It's a nice introduction to Athens and there is a lot to see. Not in the way of archaeolgical sites, but in activity, signs and the reality of being in a foreign city. If your driver takes the Hymettos Ring Road you will get a spectacular view of Athens.

If you are planning to fly to Athens and then fly to an island then I suggest doing it that day if possible and don't go into Athens until the end of your trip. But your best bet would be to fly to Athens, spend a day or two there and then take the ferry or highspeed boats to get to your island since it will be easier to get to the port of Pireaus then it will be to get back to the airport. The Sofitel Hotel is about as convenient as you can get to the airport and you can stay there and get to the check-in counter without even waking up. There is a Holiday Inn which is a little less convenient that can be booked through any of the travel agencies I recommend on this website. But unless all you want to do is sleep and watch and listen to planes I suggest staying in the city because it is a lot more fun.

If you are stuck in the Athens airport because of a delay or a missed flight or because it is easier to hang out in the airport than do anything else you will be happy to know that the food at the airport concessions is great and there are plenty of choices. You can also go to the zoo. (see below). If you have an early morning flight and want to wander around Athens, show up at the airport around midnight and then sleep for a few hours, chances are nobody will care. If you arrive late and plan to take an early morning ferry to the islands just hang out, take a nap (set your alarm clock for 4am) and catch an early bus to Pireaus. The Proastaos (Suburban Railway) leaves at 6:12am from the airport and arrives in Pireaus just in time to watch the first ferries of the day sail away. So take the five oclock 96 bus and check the weekly updates of the Greek Island Ferry Schedules.

Getting into Athens from Venizelos Airport

The Athens airport authorities have been working overtime on ways to get passengers and their luggage into the city as quickly and efficiently as possible. Most Athenians now agree that they have done a great job and the airport connections are perhaps among the best in Europe. These are the suggested methods for getting into the city.

Taxis

The regular taxi queue will start from Door 4 of the Arrivals Level and extend up to Door 1. A taxi should cost you about 35 Euro to the center during the day but this doubles after midnight. Make sure the meter is on 1 in the daytime. If it is on 2, as it is after midnight, it goes twice as fast. He can charge you a couple euros for your bags but a trip from the airport to downtown Athens is not something you negotiate. It's whatever the price is on the meter. If there is an argument over the price you settle it at your hotel in the presense of the concierge. They will tell you if you are being overcharged. It is luck of the draw and when you stand in line, whatever taxi you get when it is your turn, you have to take. Taxis fit 4 people plus the driver so if you are more you either need a limo, or two taxis.

George the Famous Taxi Driver

When I first get to Athens, after a 10 hour flight I don't want to have to deal with any more then I have to. For this reason I use pre-arranged taxi transfers rather then go outside and wait on line to hail a taxi. What this means is that for 55 Euro I am assured that someone will be waiting for me at the airport who will help me with my baggage, speaks English and get me to my hotel. I know that if my plane is delayed he will still be there. I use George Kokkotos the Famous Taxi Driver of Greece and have found him to be very reliable and excellent company. He fills me in on what has happened in Greece since my last visit. If you plan to do this you need to contact him in advance by e-mail, phone or fax
FAX
From the USA:(01130210) 9637029
From Europe: 0030210 9637029
Within Greece dial: 210 9637029

Phone
From the USA:(01130210) 9637030
From Europe: 0030210 9637030
Within Greece dial: 210 9637030
e-mail: georgetaxitours@yahoo.com

You can see his praises sung by his many fans at www.greektravel.com/testimonials/taxi.html

Note: If you are arriving after midnight it makes sense to use a pre-arranged taxi transfer. The street taxis double the rates after midnight and the transfers cost the same so you might as well use an English-speaking, driver with a nice car.

For groups of 8 or more people another option is Billy's Bus Tours which can provide transfers from the airport to hotels, the ports and tours as well. Billy is George's oldest son, born in the USA and educated in Italy as an economist, so he speaks fluent English, Italian and Greek of course. If you are too many for a taxi (it seats 4 plus the driver) and to few for a bus then there is George's second son Dennis who drives a luxury limo. Dennis is trained as a physical therapist but joined the family business because he likes meeting new people every day and showing them his country, and let's face it, when you are a physcial therapist pretty much everyone you meet is going to be complaining about something. So if you need a limo for transfers or tours you can visit the website of Dennis's Limousine Service

Transfers through a Travel Agent

When you book a package through a Greek travel agency it includes hotels, tours, cruises, ferries, flights and transfers. This is the way to go for people who have never been to Greece or those who are nervous about strikes. First of all packages are not tours, they are programs. So if you and your family do a program of Athens-Mykonos-Santorini you are not part of a group. You may be part of a group for say a daytrip or overnight to Delphi or Meteora, but a package is an itinerary that the agency has put together and sells to individuals, couples and groups, and very little can go wrong. Included in the package are transfers to and from the airport, ferries, hotels and the cruise ship if that is part of the package. When you arrive in Athens the first day or night you are met by a representative of the agency and a driver. The representative gives you all your hotel vouchers, tickets, and any other information you need and gets you checked into your hotel. In the past summer when there was a taxi strike the travel agencies on my website found ways to get their clients from the airport to their hotels. I don't foresee another taxi strike but it is good to know that if there is one you won't be stuck at the airport. For this and other reasons I am a big fan of travel agencies in Greece. People who booked through travel agencies had few problems last summer due to strikes and demonstrations. See Athens Travel Agencies

Metro and Suburban Train

The metro has reached the airport and costs about 8 euro and goes to Monastiraki, hitting all the metro stops in between which include Syntagma (where you will have to change if you are going to Omonia Square or Makriani-Acropolis). The first train from Airport to Monastiraki is at 06:30, the frequency of routes is every 30 minutes and the last one from Airport to Monastiraki is at 23:30. The first train from Monastiraki to Airport is at 05:50am and the last one from Monastiraki to the Airport is at 22:58. Actually the train goes several stops beyond Monastiraki but chances are you need to get off in Syntagma or Monastiraki. Make sure you validate your ticket after you buy it. If you are caught with an unvalidated ticket or no ticket at all it is a big fine.

Athens International Airport is connected via the Proastiakos-Suburban Railway to Larissis Station (Athens Central Railway Station) with stops at Koropi,Kantza,Pallini,Doukissis Plakentias (Connection with Metro Line 3),Kifisias, Nerantziotisa (Connection with Metro Line 1), Iraklio, Aharnes Railway Junction (S.K.A) and Larissis Station (Connection with Metro Line 2 and trains to Northern Greece). Trains depart from the Airport every 15 minutes. The journey time from Athens InternationalAirport to Larissis Station is approximately 38 minutes. The first train from Athens to the Airport is at 06:06am and the last one is at 19:36. The first train from the Airport to Athens is at 06:48 and the last one is at 20:14.

Athens International Airport is also connected via suburban rail to Korinthos. Trains depart every 2 hours and the journey time is 1 hour and 20 minutes.

You can take the Proastiakos-Suburban Railway from the airport to the port of Pireaus. Trains leave starting at 6:12 am at the rate of 3 an hour and the trip takes about an hour and a quarter. The train station in Pireaus is right across the street from the ferry boats. The price is 6 euros per person. The last train is at 23:12 pm though there is rarely a boat after 10pm. Still if you don't mind roughing it you could hang out at one of the 24 hour cafeterias in the port.

At Syntagma Square you can connect with the Coastal Tram, though you will have to leave the metro station and go upstairs to find it on Amalias Street. The 95 bus stops just below it.

Note on Metro Safety: Pickpockets work the metro and the train to and from the airport and I have even received an e-mail from someone pick-pocketed in the airport while looking at the flight board. Keep your wallet and passport in your front pocket with your hand in it on crowded trains and buses. Ladies carry your handbags zipped if possible and close to your chest. People with backpacks are an easy target. If you think you are safe with cargo pants with zipped side pockets, forget it. These guys are so adept that they can cut through any pocket and you won't even know until you put your hand in and find everything gone. They also use confusion as a weapon, for example stumbling into a crowded car or bumping into you.

If you want to be safe make photo copies of your passport and your driver's license and leave the originals and all but one credit card in your safe in your hotel room when you plan to use the metro or buses or really, anytime you go out in Athens because you never know when you may be in a crowd and that is where these guys work. Hold your money and credit card in your hand in your pocket. If you get pick-pocketed don't expect much help from the police. You will just end up wasting your time. Go straight to your hotel and cancel your credit cards that were stolen. (That's why you should only carry one with you). Then send me an e-mail and tell me how they did it so I can warn others. You can also read my article Defeating the Pickpockets

About Strikes: Yes they do occur but not as often as you would think if you watch CNN. But it is good to have a back-up plan if you plan to get into Athens on the metro.

Buses to and from the Airport

There are several bus lines to and from the airport. All buses depart from the designated area on the inner curbside of the arrivals level of the Main Terminal Building right outside the Exit (doors 4-5).

X95 Syntagma Square- Airport Express has its departure point at the center of Athens (Syntagma Square across the park from the Grande Bretagne) and via Vas. Sofias Avenue, Mesogion Avenue and Attiki Odos terminates at the airport. Every 10-30 minutes, 24 hours a day. (Watch for pickpockets when you get off the bus here)

X96 Pireaus- Airport Express starts from the Northwest Corner of Pireaus main harbor and goes past Karaiskaki Square (which is almost right across from the metro and where the ticket offices are) and via Posidonos Avenue, Varis-Varkizas, and Varis-Koropiou Roads terminates at the airport. Both the Syntagma and the Pireaus buses run for 24 hours, generally every twenty minutes but every 40 minutes after midnight.

X93 connects the Airport (door 5) with the bus terminals at Kiffissou and Lliosson streets. The interval is generally 35 minutes (65 at night).

X92 goes to Kifissia, or it did until they canceled it. Now you have to take the Proastiakos to Neratziotisa and from there take the metro to Kifissia.  

X97 goes to the Dafni Metro Station. (Not the Dafni Monastery... this area is on Vouliagmenis Avenue and connects with Line 2 of the metro.

For Express Lines the ticket costs 3.20 Euros and is good for one trip to or from the airport. You can buy tickets from the driver or at the metro stations or at Public Transport Ticket Offices.

Buses to the Ferry Ports of Rafina  and Lavrion

A bus route linking the Athens International Airport at Spata to the port of Rafina in eastern Attica is operated by the KTEL intercity bus system and is called "Athens Airport-Rafina Port." It functions daily from 6 a.m. to 9.20 p.m. with buses leaving every 40 minutes and making a stop in the seaside resort of Loutsa. There are also regional buses to Lavrion, Markopoulos, Keretea and Kalyvia. Buses depart from the Arrivals Level (close to Door 3) of Athens International Airport. Ticket prices for one-way trip is €3 for all services except for the port of Lavrio (€4).

Arriving buses disembark passengers at the designated area of the departure level of the Main Terminal Building. They are orange.

(Just a note about the Rafina buses from the airport - they depart not from near Arrivals Gate 3 but across that road and about 100 metres along the outer access road, to the left, the bus stop being right opposite the Sofitel hotel near the foot of an outside staircase.  Unfortunately the walking route is not signposted.  Also worth noting that the ticket booth for the Athens buses does not sell tickets for Rafina - you just pay your 3 euros on the Rafina bus.

Renting a Car

If you plan to rent a car and drive north or south and avoid Athens altogether this is now much easier to do with the new National Road connections from the airport that enable you to avoid the traffic of Athens altogether. Just leave the airport and follow the signs for Elefsina if you are going to the Peloponessos or get off at the Lamia exit if you are going to Thessaloniki or anywhere north. Swift rent-a-car in Athens has great rates and will pick you up at the airport. If you decide to stay in Athens for a day or so they will deliver the car to your hotel and even drive you out of the traffic to the National Road.

The Luggage Carousel

When you get off the plane you will most likely have your first experience with the dreaded 'luggage carousel'. It sounds like fun and with the right attitude can be but usually it's not, especially during the heavy season. When you come to the baggage claim area you will see a mob of people waiting as the luggage goes around. Chances are you won't see the luggage until you work your way to the front of the crowd and do battle with your fellow travelers. After a ten hour flight this is the last thing you want to be doing and for this reason I say travel light.

Important : If you can squeeze all your stuff into a carry-on bag then do it. Then you can just breeze right through like we always do. 

When you get into position keep your eyes peeled for your bag. My mom always marks hers by tying a colorful piece of material to the handle, usually a  pattern that the chances are a million to one that anyone else will mistake it for theirs in case they are using the same trick and have the exact taste in patterns as you. Your ability to react quickly to a glimpse of your luggage is key. If visibility is low on the carousel get yourself in a position where you can see the luggage a few yards before it gets to you. If you miss it you have to wait until it goes around again. If you are traveling with other people station someone in a prime vantage point who can signal you when the luggage is sighted. If you have a lot of luggage there are carts that you can use.

Actually if you are prepared and you have a sense of humor the luggage carousel is a fun experience. If you can remain calm while others are tense and annoyed and see their behavior as a form of entertainment while you await your bags, you may want to stick around even after you have gotten them. But don't do it. Get your bags and go.

You will be happy to know that the new airport has made this a less harrowing ordeal and though I will miss the entertainment and the thrill of battle, getting in and out of the airport quickly is worth it.

Unless you look suspicious you will be waved right through to the waiting area where if you have arranged for a transfer you should see someone holding a sign with your name or something that kind of looks like your name. Otherwise keep walking out the front door of the terminal to the buses and taxis.  
 
When you get off the plane and into the terminal there are usually several lines for immigration, one for EU members, one for people needing visas and the other for everyone else. The EU line goes the fastest and then becomes another line for everyone else. The visa line is the slowest and chances are you don't need a visa if you are from most countries so avoid it unless the cop in the booth is there and the line isn't.

Baggage Storage at Venizelos Airport

The airport does have a luggage storage facility. It is located on the ground floor of the International Arrivals terminal. As soon as you exit the luggage claim area you should turn left and go all the way to the far end of the terminal building. There you will find the "Luggage Storage" facility. They are open from 6:00 AM to 2:00 AM every day and they charge a pretty hefty fee so you may want to ask your hotel about storing anything you are not bringing to the islands, or pack lighter. It is not a bad place to meet someone coming in on a later flight because you can ask anyone and they will tell you where it is.

Hotels Near the Airport

The Airport's Airport Sofitel, is classified as a four star international standard and lies within walking distance from the Main Terminal Building. The hotel comprises 346 rooms, incorporating en suite bathrooms, radio and television units and refrigerators. Restaurants include a snack and breakfast restaurant and a panoramic restaurant. Additionally, a conference room and meeting rooms with computers, facsimiles and assistance, make the hotel a great business center in the heart of the Airport. Hotel quests can enjoy a health and fitness center, a covered swimming pool, steam and sauna rooms and hair and beauty treatment.

Many people who are just passing through and are looking for a hotel for one night near the airport gasp when they see the prices at the Airport Sofitel. They shouldn't because you can't get any more convenient since all you have to do is walk out of the terminal and cross a small parking lot and you are in the lobby. Sure hanging outat the airport when you could be wandering around the Plaka may seem kind of boring but with restaurants, satelite TV and a nice big IKEA down the street you can find something to do besides sleep between flights.

For those looking for something cheaper and less airport-like there is the Hotel Les Amis in Vari, just 12 kilometers away. But this is not a recommendation, just a fact. For more comfort stay downtown at the Attalos and splurge on a taxi in the morning which may cost you about 10 euros more than a taxi from Vari.

The Holiday Inn Attika Avenue is a 5 minute taxi ride or a few minutes on the metro and is in the price range of the Sofitel. They also advertise a free shuttle to and from the airport. If you want to book these hotels for a night without going through a travel agency you can use the above links. If you are working with a Greek travel agency you can book through them as well.

The nearest coastal hotel to the airport is the Sea Sight Boutique Hotel on the beach at Porto Rafti which is a seaside town east of Athens. It will take you about twenty minutes to get there and it only has 11 rooms so you may want to book it now. Getting in and out of Athens will take you about an hour or so by taxi or bus. The Mare Nostrum Hotel Thalasso is a large 4 star resort hotel that is even closer and overlooks the beach in Vravrona Bay. Otherwise if these are beyond your budget the 2-star Minavra Hotel and Villa Orion Hotel in Voula are across Posidonas Ave from the beach and right on the X96 bus line that goes between the airport and the ferry port of Pireaus as are the two non-smoking Parthenis Hotel and the Plaza Hotel. These hotels are also close to bus stops to Athens and Glyfada as well as the coastal tram. If you want to really splurge than go to the The Westin Athens Astir Palace Beach Resort and be right on the beach and you may not even feel the need to go to the islands and you will still be within an hour of downtown Athens by bus, though if you can afford to stay here you will probably not mind the price of a taxi or limo.

The Avra Hotel in Rafina is now advertised as the Avra Airport Hotel and it is closer to the airport than Athens, maybe a 20 minute taxi ride on a good day but a taxi won't be much cheaper than one from central Athens and if you are using a transfer it will cost more. What makes it convenient is that you can stay there overnight and the ferries to many of the Cyclades leave from there. But don't be fooled into staying here because they include the word 'Airport' in the name of the hotel. They might as well call it the Avra Eiffel Tower Hotel.

If staying close to the airport is important then splurge on the Airport Sofitel which is right at the airport. It is cleaner, better, well-run and you will save at least 100 euros in taxis you would have taken back and forth to the city. To save 10 minutes by staying at the Avra, Ammos or Les Amis is the worst option between the choice of staying at the airport, 'near' the airport, or in downtown Athens.

As I said before I would rather be in the Plaka or downtown, unless you don't have much time and getting back and forth to Athens seems too much of an inconvenience. If you do the math you will discover that if you stay at a centrally located hotel like the Hotel Attalos, and take a taxi to the airport, it should still cost you less than staying at the Sofitel or the Holiday Inn. You can also walk 5 minutes to the Monastiraki metro station and spend a whole lot less.

For a listing of recommended hotels see Hotels in Athens

Note: A street taxi driver will sometimes ask you where you are staying and then tell you this is not a good hotel and convince you to let him take you somewhere else. This is not because you have been booked in a bad hotel but because he is paid to bring customers to a certain hotel and he is paid by the head. (It is called in Greek kamaki which means harpoon.) They do the same thing with restaurants. This does not mean he is taking you to a bad hotel or that it is any worse than the hotel you planned on staying at. But it is a hotel he works for.

Changing Money in Athens

In case you have not figured it out yet Greece uses Euros. If you were able to change money in the states, then there is no point in hanging out in the airport when Athens awaits you so move on out. I usually only change about $100 in JFK. If you are using a pre-arranged taxi transfer you won't even need to change any money until you get into the city. If you didn't change money in the states, don't worry. You can change it at the airport. If there are two of you, one can change money while the other gets the luggage. The rates seem pretty much the same whether you are in the airport or downtown. I usually change $100 for starters and check rates at banks and currency exchange stores when I get to the city. There is even a currency exchange in the baggage carousel area and several once you get through customs. Most people use ATM machines now and those in Athens and the islands have instructions in English and are easy to use. They accept VISA, Mastercard and AMEX.

When you get to downtown Athens you can change money at the banks and money changing shops around Syntagma and the Plaka. The rates are usually posted at each location along with commission rates. Check the daily newspapers: Athens News, USA Today, and International Herald Tribune for the official rates too. See Tom Mazarakis Greek Money Tips

According to Tom...

You will always get a better exchange rate here in Greece over what you will get in the U.S. But, of course, the commission that banks charge usually wipes out that difference, unless you exchange over $3,000.00 each time you go to the bank. On the other hand, if you buy Euros traveler's checks, then the bank will charge you a fee for cashing them. It's all a "lose-lose" situation. The only way to beat them is to come to Greece with cash US Dollars and exchange them for Euros at "Cambios" that often do not charge any commission. These exchange offices usually post lower exchange rates than most banks, but the fact that they don't charge a commission more than compensates for the slightly lower exchange rate. Note that not all "Cambios" are "commission free". The ones at the airport all charge hefty commissions. You will find the "no-commission" exchange offices in the center of Athens and in most major tourist destinations such as Mykonos and Santorini.

American banks charge their customers rather hefty fees for the privilege of using their Visa or Mastercards for the purpose of making cash advances through ATM machines in Greece. This is why you should avoid making many withdrawals of small cash amounts like you may do at home. It is best if you make a relatively large cash withdrawal of about Euros 1000 in one ATM transaction rather than 10 withdrawals of Euros 100 a pop! You must remember that you typically are charged an "International Withdrawal Service Fee" by your bank and then the local Greek bank charges an additional local service fee on top of that.

This tip comes from a reader: When traveling from the US, you can get a visa/atm card from AAA. You "put money down" on it and you use it as a regular credit card. When used at an ATM, you recieve local currency. There is the usual ATM charges, but it much less than trying to exchange money. Also, it is not tied to your bank account or other credit cards.

As for other methods of money carrying according to Tom Mazarakis, the Greece Guru's Guru on the subject of debit cards "I believe that most North American debit cards will work in Greece. However, you absolutely MUST inform your bank of the fact that you will be traveling to Greece and that you would like to be able to make use of your debit card in Greece. Some debit cards will not work in Greece at all, but in any case, most North American banks have a default setting for all their debit cards that blocks "International Usage". This is done so as to protect their customers from international fraud. The bank must remove this block from your account so that you will be able to use the card."

The Greek Islands: To Fly or Not to Fly

If you are trying to decide whether to fly straight through to the islands or take a ferry to the islands the next day this may help you. You will need at least 3 hours between your arrival in Greece and your island departure. This is not because the airport is large or confusing. It isn't. Once you walk out of international arrivals it is a 5 minute walk to domestic departures. But you have to plan for the possibility that your flight may be delayed, in which case you may miss your island flight and then you will need a hotel in Athens for that night and you may be charged a cancellation fee for your hotel on the island. (Using a Greek Travel agency to book hotels and flights will be helpful in this situation because then you just phone them, explain what happened, and they find you a hotel in Athens and hopefully convince the island hotel that it was not your fault that you missed the flight to the island.)

Keep in mind that if you are coming from the USA after a 10 hour flight you may not want to hang out at the airport for 2 hours or more and then take another flight, even if it is just an hour. You may want to go into Athens and spend the first night there and take a ferry the next day to the island when you feel like a human being again.

Once you are in Athens it is easier to take a ferry to an island then it is to fly, mainly because you don't have to go all the way back top the airport and go through the lines and check-in situations that are required of flying. If you are going to Mykonos for example it is a 30 minute flight. But it may take you an hour and a half to get to the airport if traffic is bad, plus you need to be there an hour before your flight to check in. Then provided there are no delays when you land in Mykonos you have to get into town or wherever your hotel is which will take another 30 minutes including getting your bags. Total time: Three and a half hours.

If you take a highspeed ferry like the Aeolis Express or a Catamaran it will take you 15 minutes to get by taxi or the metro to the port and in about two hours you are on Mykonos and right in town. Total time about two hours and fifteen minutes. Even the slowest ferry will take you less then 5 hours and will be a lot more relaxing and interesting then what you will have to go through to fly there.

Santorini is a longer trip and may be a toss-up but even so, for me the pros of ferry travel outweigh the cons of flying, especially since the Highspeeds can get you there in about 5 hours or less and are a lot roomier and more comfortable than an airplane.

So...if you are making a connecting flight to the island on the day you arrive from Greece then make sure you have plenty of time between flights in case you are delayed. But if you are planning to spend the first day or so in Athens take ferries or highspeeds.

If you arrive in the morning or afternoon and are going to Rhodes, Crete, Lesvos, Chios or one of the islands that have overnight ferries that leave in the late afternoon or early evening you can take your bags to Pireaus and check them in one of the luggage storage facilities in the port and then take the metro to Thission or Monastiraki and visit the Acropolis. These facilities are in the cafe-restaurants located behind the ticket offices and the bus terminal. I don't recommend leaving your bags at the airport luggage storage and coming back for them unless you have another flight. Its a long way to go.

Or what some people do is arrange a taxi transfer and combine it with a tour of Athens that leaves you at the ferry. Then you just put your luggage in the trunk and visit the sites of Athens, have a late lunch and then catch your ferry. I recommend booking a cabin.

Another valuable piece of advice is to save the Athens portion of your trip for the end. That way you give yourself a buffer to protect you against missing your flight home in case your ferry is delayed due to weather or a strike. (It happens). You can spend that first night in Athens and see the Acropolis and then save your shopping, museums, and other archaeological sites in and around Athens for the last 2 or 3 days of your trip. I suggest at least two nights in Athens at the end. Three nights if you plan to visit Delphi or other destinations on the mainland.

The Athens News, a weekly English language newspaper-magazine that comes out on Friday has the weekly ferry schedules from Pireaus, Rafina and Lavrion. You should be able to find a copy in the newstand at the airport and if not you can find it at any newstand or periptero(kiosk) in Athens. If you have a pre-arranged taxi transfer picking you up at the airport ask your driver or the agency that arranged it if they can bring one for you. The Athens news is a valuable source of information. Besides the weekly local and international news it has all the cultural goings ons of the week, helpful phone numbers, pharmacies, restaurant reviews, and articles on the islands by some of Greece's best travel writers.

Meeting in Athens at the Airport

If you are looking for a meeting place for friends and family arriving on a later flight the perfect spot is the Kafeneo, the cafe just to the right of the exit when you leave the international baggage claim. Its just across from the Greek National Tourist Organization's Desk where you can get ferry schedules and free brochures on the islands and other destinations in Greece. You can get free maps too. Another place to meet which is more pleasant, especially if you have a long wait, is the Olive Tree Restaurant which is by the McDonalds, up the escalator from the main shopping area. There is a wireless cafe next door and the food at the Olive Tree is surprisingly good.

There is a lot of info here and some of it may be confusing so if you have any questions just e-mail me at matt@greecetravel.com

Arriving in Athens: More Helpful Pages

Flights to Athens
Hotels in Athens
Weather in Athens
Travel Agents
Weekly Ferry Schedules

George the Famous Taxi Driver
The Athens Metro
Athens Coastal Tram
Greek Island Guide
Limo Service

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