Athens new airport (Airport website)  offers an air-conditioned, spacious shiny terminal building with marble floors, restaurants, and shops.  There are short and long-term car parks outside, taxi ranks, and good public transport services.

Baggage Trolley

After reclaiming your baggage from the carousel, you will require a 1 Euro coin to release and use a baggage trolley.  This is non-refundable.  Porters are available for a fee.

Transport to and around Athens

Car Hire

There are all the usual international car hire companies for self-drive.  The new motorway from the airport to Athens and common destinations makes driving a pleasant and generally fast method of getting about, unless you attempt it in the rush hour. Tolls are payable at intervals along the route.  If you arrange for your car hire at the airport of your departure, then al the paperwork will be ready for you to sign on arrival.   Discounts may be available for international car hire companies if you have booked a scheduled flight.  

One advantage of using local car hire is that the bodywork of the vehicles is not always immaculate, so that one or two additional scratches will not make an iota of difference, and you will not be forced to lose large deposits.  We found the quality of the cars supplied by the Greek car hire companies very good otherwise.  Detailed maps of Greece and travel guides in a variety of languages can be purchased at one of the airport shops.

Parking in Athens

It can be incredibly difficult to park in central Athens.  Traffic congestion is a major problem. Double parking is not uncommon.  A thick skin is essential - drivers in Athens beep their horns readily, gesticulate and shout at each other.  It's a cultural thing! Unless your accommodation provides parking, we would recommend public transport and taxis for getting around Athens. 

Taxi services

There are plenty of taxis at the airport, and indeed in Athens. The important thing to remember is to negotiate a price before you set off.  The fare can vary considerably! If you're in doubt of the usual fare, ask a local person for an estimate.

 Catching a Bus

Buses stop outside the building to ferry passengers to Athens and other main destinations in Greece.  You have to purchase a ticket first, at the small kiosk just outside the terminal building's exit doors.  There is information in both Greek and English.  We found that the ticket seller, in common with most young Greek people, spoke excellent English.  Bus travel is a fraction of the price of a taxi fare, the only downside is that the buses can be crammed full of passengers, both seated and standing. 

There are different bus stops for different destinations all the road outside the terminal, but this may not mean very much.  We found that although a semi-orderly queue formed behind the bus stop for Athens, the bus arrived in the central lane instead, directly opposite us, which resulted in a surge of people towards it, and being encumbered with heavy suitcases, we ended up at the end of the crowd instead of our original place at the beginning of the queue. I would advise anyone with babies or small children to travel by taxi or arrange a pickup instead, because people no longer make allowances for the very young, elderly or disabled.

Once on the bus, tickets must be validated using a special machine that is attached to one of the upright posts. The same process applies to the trolley buses in Athens itself.  Tickets or books of tickets can be purchased at most of the small kiosks on major roads. It's a cheap and effective method of transport in Athens.

The Metro

The Metro system has been renovated and extended thanks to the Athens Olympics 2004, with plans to build a station for the airport.  This had not yet been achieved at time of writing. There are now some state-of-the-art, interesting and beautiful stations around Athens.  It's worth paying a visit to Syntagma Square just to admire the workmanship and detail of the station itself.

Flying from Athens

The Airport Restaurant

We were disappointed with the restaurant.  The prices of food and drink are extortionate.  There are separate tables and seating for economy and 'upper crust' clientele. The economy tables tend to fill up quickly but staff will not allow an overspill into the more expensive area, even if there are plenty of spare tables.  We recommend that you take a packed lunch.

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