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ATHENS Airport

The main airport of Greece is Eleftherios Venizelos ( Ελευθέριος Βενιζέλος) in Athens. Athens airport handles the vast majority of flight connections to the rest of the mainland and the islands. It’s about one hour away from the center of Athens by train, or thirty minutes by car.

Athens Airport Information

Athens airport is a small affair compared with other modern international airports. It was build right before the 2004 Olympic Games, it has only one terminal, and it’s very clean, cozy, and functional.

Barring any unusual security or check-in delays, you can expect to get to your gate in about 5-10 minutes. The majority of the delays occur at the airline check-in counters.

Airline counters open about three hours before a flight and you have to watch the announcement boards to see which counter servers your flight.

Certain airlines have automated check in machines where you can scan your ticket and pick your seat. You still have to wait in line to check in your luggage though.

You will find money exchange machines and kiosks in the lobby, as well as ATM machines.

Luggage carts are lined in in automatic dispensers outside the airport, and cost one euro.

There are clean bathrooms everywhere, and the quieter and less busy ones are closer to the gates.

Waiting areas have comfortable seating. Before passport control seating is limited, but once beyond security, and at the gates there are plenty.

Some gates get really crowded with every seat taken. But for the most part you might be able to lie down since most chairs don’t have arm rests.

Internet access via wifi at the airport is spotty. There used to be free Internet everywhere, but now you have to sign up for the service if you don’t have your own data access through your cellphone.

Vodaphone has a kiosk where you may buy a Greek cellphone sim card in Athens Airport. Read more about using your cellphone in Greece

Airport Museum

There is a small museum upstairs, and to your right as you enter through the main departures gate. It exhibits artifacts unearthed during the airport construction. They range in age from 3000 BCE to Byzantine years.

This little museum is probably the most quiet spot of the airport, and it’s not unusual for passengers with long layovers to unroll their sleeping bags for a nap around the museum.

It’s not an official camping area, and it is probable that security might ask you to move on.

Shopping

Once you check in, there is a small shopping area with several newsstands, cafés, restaurants, and a few shops before you pass through the passport and security checks.

Beyond passport control you will enter the transit/duty-free area where there is a plethora of restaurants and places to have a coffee.

At the gates shopping is limited.

Some gates have manned a kiosk with snacks and water (which you can take on your flight), and some have just vending machines with water and soda so keep some coins handy in your pocket.

Traveling with Pets

If you travel with a pet and you need an area for your pet to do it’s “business” in Athens airport, you will find some limited grassy patches right across the “Arrivals” exit at the lower level.

If you are in the Departure area, take the stairs to the lower level (the Arrivals area) and walk out across the two way street.

VAT Refund

If our plan to get your VAT refund for purchases you made in Europe as a non-European citizen, you need to head for the Customs office (also labeled VAT Refund).  The office is before the passport control so don’t go through the checkpoint.

If you don’t have any items you wish to recoup the VAT, simply head for your gate. But if you intent to get 1/4 of the money you paid back, don’t forget to stop by the VAT office.

This is not where you get your refund though.

You get your money back after you return home and mail the receipts to the indicated address. But your receipts must be stamped at the airport, and that’s why you need to visit the VAT Refund office at the airport.

It’s simply a place where you can stamp your receipt for your purchases as you are getting ready to board a plane for home. You present the items you bought (must be over 150 euro worth and it must not be used while in Europe), your receipt, and your boarding pass.

The customs agent will stamp your receipt and then you can mail it in for your refund either by check or straight to your credit card.

We have seen long lines at the VAT office during peak times, so get to the airport early.

Ask the shop when you buy your items for instructions on where to mail your stamped receipt. If you fly out of Greece but you make another flight connection before you fly out of Europe, your receipt must be stamped at that final airport before you exit the continent.

Transportation to and from Athens airport

Via train

To get to Athens from the airport, the Proastiakos train from the Metro station across “arrivals” on the ground floor.

The trip takes about 1 hour. Click here to see the train route and schedule

Via bus

There are several bus lines that shuttle passengers from Athens or Pireas to and from the Eleftherios Venizelos airport.

X95 is the express bus to the airport from Syntagma square in the center of Athens.  X96 is the express bus from Pireas metro station to the airport.

The trip with either bus takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Click here to see the bus route and schedule

Via Taxi

Taxis are stationed outside “arrivals” in the lower level of the airport.

You have to wait in line and take the first taxi that pulls up. Keep in mind that all taxis in Greece are mid-sized cars and if you have too many pieces of luggage you might need to hire a second one, although most taxi drivers get very creative with the way they can stuff the suitcases in the trunk.

Make sure the taxi driver starts the meter as soon as you start your trip, and be aware that there will be several fees added to the final fare (airport fee, excessive luggage fee, etc) – all posted on a list that’s displayed in front of the passenger seat.

Via Car

If you have to drive and park at the airport, you will access it via the Athens “beltway” called Attiki Odos.

It is a toll, multi-lane road (toll rates 2.80 Euro) that gets congested only during rush hour traffic.

In normal traffic, the trip to the airport by car takes about  about half-hour from the center of Athens or from the port of Pireas. Click here to see it on the map and to get directions in a new window.

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ATHENS – Best Time to Visit

If Athens is just a short stop on your way to another destination or island, don’t sweat it. Your time in Athens will be memorable at any season. But if you plan just for a visit to Athens, you might want to avoid the most touristy months.

Athens by Season

Visiting in the Summer

Let’s start with when it’s not the best time to visit Athens. Late June and July are the hottest months in Greece, and all the concrete that is Athens tends to retain and amplify both heat and humidity even at night. Combined with the smog from all the traffic they can make your days in Athens feel kind of “sticky”.

August is equally hot and humid, but the city is practically empty because most Athenians go on holiday back to their ancestral villages. During this time, Athens becomes a ghost town and a very comfortable place to move about and enjoy both the city and the sunshine. Between June and August rainy days are very rare in Athens.

If you find yourself there in the middle of the summer heat, avoid being outdoors between 11 AM and 7 PM. At this time, its best to be in the cool rooms of a museum, or do as all Athenians do and retreat to your room for a long afternoon nap.

It’s important that you adjust to the local rhythm of activity. Stores close between 1 and 6 PM (except the museums and tourist shops), the city comes alive after the sun has gone down, around 9 PM. It stays that way until the wee hours of the morning since there is no “closing time” for bars and night clubs.

Spring is the Best Time to Plan Your Visit

If you plan to spend a week or more in Athens, and you have the luxury of picking the best time, April and May would be best in terms of weather and prices.

April and May are beautiful in Greece. You will still get the occasional rain showers, but most of the time the sun is shining, and the temperatures remain comfortable day and night. September and October are also a good time to visit in terms of temperature, but rain showers can be persistent after mid-September so plan and pack accordingly.

Winter Might be a Bit Too Cold

Between November and late February you can expect bitterly cold weather. Most who have visited Greece only in the summer have a hard time understanding how cold Greece can get in the winter.

But such is the beauty of the Mediterranean climate that you get to experience each season in its distinct beauty: very hot summers, very cold winters, amazingly pleasant springs, and wet fall seasons.

Don’t expect to see much snow around Athens in any seasons, but do plan for the temperatures to hover a few degrees above freezing most of the winter days. Even through the cold days the sun is usually shining in the sky so you won’t get the depressing gray cloud cover customary in north America and Europe.

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ATHENS – What to See and Do when You Visit

You will most likely find yourself in Athens for a period of time when you visit Greece. Even as a short stop on your way to and from your final Greek destination, the vast city offers some of the most spectacular ancient history and artifacts  in the world.

Top Destinations in Athens

We have chosen four venues here as the best to see in Athens because they offer a unique experience, the likes of which you can never match in any other city on this earth.

You can see beautiful architecture and city planning in other world cities, and more fashionable districts in other country capitals.

You can find more luxurious hotels, beautiful gardens, exciting amusement parks, exotic beaches, cleaner streets, wilder parties, or exuberant shopping elsewhere.

You can also find “best of Athens” lists better driven to promote sales by travel agents all over the internet.

But you will never be engulfed by the birth and purity of western civilization as you can in the Athenian streets. To be in Athens is to be engulfed in 3000 years of  history. That’s why our choices here have a vivid, ancient hue.

The Agora, the Acropolis and the two major museums offer a glimpse into a civilization that flourished in ancient times and which changed the world with it’s cultural output.

The Agora in panoramic view
The Parthenon
Zeus of Artemision at the National Archaeological Museum
Cariatid at the Acropolis Museum

The Acropolis

The Acropolis of Athens is a rugged rock in the middle of the city and in ancient times it housed some of the most beautiful buildings and sculptures on its plateau. It also functioned as the spiritual and financial center of a city that became the foundation of western civilization.

The best way to get to the Acropolis is by Metro. Get off at the Acropolis station and walk the short distance to the entrance.

Read our information about the Acropolis for travelers

The Acropolis Museum

The evolution of ancient Greek art, and it’s role as a beacon for the subsequent artists of all ages is clearly outlined in the Acropolis museum.

There, observe the morphing of the enigmatic smiles to an austere gaze of the Kore (archaic female statues), and the transformation of generalized geometric forms of earlier Greek sculpture to fluid anatomical features on the human bodies of the post-500 BCE eras.

To get to the Acropolis museum, use the Metro and get off at the Acropolis station which is located on the NE corner of the museum complex.

Read more about the Acropolis Museum

Ancient Agora

Below the Acropolis rock you can wander around the streets of the ancient Agora of Athens (αγορά = marketplace). This lively, ancient marketplace was the heart of the thriving city of Athens and. it functioned both as an economic engine and as an intellectual playground where concepts such as Democracy were born.

In the archaeological site you can also visit the Agora museum

Within walking distance to the east lay the ruins of the later Roman Agora and Hadrian’s Library. They both intertwine with the Monastiraki area where you can stay, eat, and shop in the outdoor bazaar and restaurants at the feet of the Acropolis rock.

To visit the Agora of Athens, use the HSAP train (connects with the Metro) and get off at Thesion.

Read more about the Ancient Agora

National Archaeological Museum

While in Athens, don’t neglect to visit the National Archaeological Museum which houses some of the most spectacular artifacts from many ancient Greek sites.

While the recently built Acropolis museum takes the lion share of tourist publicity (for good reason), the National Museum’s collection will give you a wider overview of the 2000 years of ancient history.  Its collection of Mycenaean, Archaic, Classical and Hellenistic art is truly superb.

The museum houses art from prominent archaeological sites throughout Greece, such as Epidaurus and Dodona. It also displays the best known artifacts from the Cycladic civilization, and its collection is equaled only by the Museum of Cycladic Art, also located in Athens.

You can stroll through its expansive collection in an hour or two, but multiple visits are a must for more serious study of ancient Greek art.

To visit the National Museum, use the HSAP train (Metro) and get off at Victoria station. Then walk about five minutes to the museum. The area around Victoria has become a bit “gritty” in the last ten years, so alternately, you may opt to use a taxi from you hotel to get to the museum.

Read more about the National Archaeological Museum 

More Things to See and Do in Athens

Besides the above must-see ancient sites and museums, Athens offers a number of venues that showcase different parts of it’s 4000 year old history.

  • Museum of Cycladic Art
  • Keramikos Archaeological site and museum
  • Hadrian’s Library
  • Roman Agora
  • Panathenaiko Stadium
  • The Olympeion
  • Piraeus Archaeological Museum
  • Sounio
  • Lavrion Ancient Silver Mines & Lavrion Museum

All of the above, with the exception of Pireas Museum, Sounio, and Lavrion are located around the historic center of Athens, and within reasonable walking distance from each other. You can easily visit them all in a couple of days.

But there are other things that you can do while in Athens:

Explore Athens on Foot

Monastiraki market in Athens

Athens has many places designed for people to stroll leisurely, many of which offer extensive pedestrian streets that offer reprieve from the traffic and noise.

Nice places to walk around, have a drink, coffee, or a meal include the Thesion area, Monastiraki, Plaka, Psiri, Kolonaki, and Syntagma square. All are accessible by Metro.

You would need to walk a little farther, or take a taxi to visit Lykavitos hill for panoramic views of Athens.

Walking around the historic center of Athens is a unique experience that can be enhanced if you know a little bit about the monuments and sites. So, we created several virtual walking tours to help you visualize yourself as you plan your trip, or to follow on your cellphone as you walk around Athens.

These free, self-guided walking tours  are designed to take you through the most important and historic places of Athens.

See our, free self-guided walking tours in the historic center of Athens

Safety: Places to miss

You can safely cross Omonia square from your list of places to see.

Omonia was the heart of Athens up to the mid 90’s, and many tourist guides still feature it as an attraction and a destination.

But the area around Omonia has taken a turn for the worst in the last years with high crime rates and grimy streets unsuitable for leisurely walks.

The good news is that there is absolutely no reason to visit Omonia, so you won’t be missing much by not including it in your itinerary.

There are several nearby areas that you can stay away from. You can read more about the subject in our Safety in Greece page.

Go Swimming in Athens

Does Athens have a beach? It’s a question many visitors ask when they visit in the summer. The answer is, yes, there are plenty of beaches in and around the greater Athenian coast.

Choosing a suitable one is a bit more tricky. The basic rule is, the farther away you can drive, the better the chances of finding a very pleasant beach.

Also in general, the beaches around Athens are not of the quality you find on the islands, but many are more than pleasant to spend a day at.

A good alternative is to choose a hotel with a swimming pool. Look for hotels around the center of Athens that have a rooftop swimming pool and bar.  This way you can cool off with the Acropolis in your sight.

Read our guide to the beaches of Athens

Visit the Athens Zoo

The zoo of Athens, or Attica Zoological Park, is a pleasant place to spend an afternoon, especially if you are traveling with children.

Attica Park is located in the outskirts of Athens near the airport, so it could be a good place to visit if you have a long layover.

The zoo exhibits a variety of animals and exotic birds, in a pleasant environment that allows the animals to live in relative comfort in places approximating their natural habitat.

There are several species native to Greece on display, like the Skyros horse, but there is no dedicated “Greek fauna” exhibition.

The zoo was built in 2000 by Jean-Jacques Lesueur, and it belongs to the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums. As such, it conforms to the association’s standards for the humane treatment of the animals, and the education of the visitors.