Air
Athens can be reached from most capital cities in Europe. If you’re coming from the US, there are non-stop flights from New York with Delta and Olympic. Otherwise, you’ll have to make a connection at a European hub such as London or Paris. The new Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport opened in 2001. It’s situated near the town of Spata, about 22 miles east of Athens and is big, modern and light. Airport Express buses depart from outside the arrivals hall. There are six routes: the X95 goes directly into Syntagma in the city centre. The journey time is a little over an hour and the fare 3.20 Euros (you can pay the bus driver). The airport is also accessible via metro Line 3. The train gets to Syntagma in 27 minutes and the cost is 6 Euros one-way. 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 15-25 Euros to the centre. Full details of transport and other services can be found on the airport’s website, www.aia.gr/EN/default.asp
Road
If you don't have to drive while in Athens, save yourself the aggravation and use public transport instead. A recent traveller from Boston, Mass. comments: “The public transportation system is excellent, and apart from the bus schedules being confusing, the metro, the tram and the taxis offer an attractive and inexpensive alternative to driving. I have driven in many major cities around the world and I have to say that driving in Athens makes the dreaded streets of Boston seem tame by comparison. Traffic jams are the norm in the centre of the city even during the late night hours, the roads are confusing if you have never travelled them, and the drivers in Athens have acquired a genetic ‘kill’ instinct through the daily exposure to the Athenian streets.
By Train Or Ferry
For those with a fear of flying or who simply want a more relaxing journey, there are several ways of reaching Athens by train and ferry. The quickest, cheapest and most comfortable way from London would be by Eurostar to Paris, the overnight sleeper from Paris to Bologna in Italy, then another train to Bari in the south. Modern cruise ferries sail overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece, from where you catch a train to Athens. In all, the journey’s about 48 hours. A direct rail option is via Paris, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Thessalonika. A useful website if you’re planning this sort of journey is www.seat61.com/Greece.htm#London%20to%20Athens
