Athens Sightseeing Bus
See all the major sights of central Athens on the new tour-bus
OASA,
Athens' public bus company began a sightseeing bus tour in
July of 2005 which stops at 20 cultural landmarks and shopping areas, offering visitors
to Greece a chance to see sights ranging from the Acropolis to the Athens
Central Market and several museums.
Similar to the hop-on tours of London where you pay a fee and can
get on and off the bus as often as you like in a 24 hour period,
the bus company is considering buying a fleet of open-topped double-decker
buses like those in the UK if the bus is successful.
Bus stops are blue and scattered along the route the bus takes. Tickets must be purchased from the driver and cost 5 euro. They are valid 24 hours for other forms of public transport, except for trips to and from Athens International Airport. The buses run every 30 minutes beginning at 7am and ending at 9pm.
Stops on the trip include The Acropolis, Temple of Zeus, Plaka, Syntagma-Parliament, The University, Omonia Square, Keramikos, Monastiraki, Psiri, Thission, The National Museum, Benaki Museum, the National Gallery, the Central Market and the Panathenaiko Stadium. Bus schedules and maps are posted at each stop including the time the bus will arrive at that particular stop (maybe). Since there are usually a number of interesting places to see in the vicinity of each stop one could conceivably spend an entire day getting on and off this bus.
To signal that you want to get off you need to press the button. The bus-driver will also provide the passenger with information. The price of the ticket does not get you into the museums and archaeological sites.
For those visiting Athens, Greece on a budget who don't relish the thought of walking from one site to another on a hot summer's day this bus comes as a welcome relief.
Click here for a map of the Athens Sight-seeing route.
See Also: Athens Day Trips