Athens new airport (Airportwebsite) offers an air-conditioned, spacious shiny terminal buildingwith marble floors, restaurants, and shops. There are short and long-termcar 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. Thisis non-refundable. Porters are available for a fee.
Transport to and aroundAthens
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 makesdriving a pleasant and generally fast method of getting about, unless youattempt it in the rush hour. Tolls are payable at intervals along theroute. If you arrange for your car hire at theairport of your departure, then al the paperwork will be ready for you to signon arrival. Discounts may be available for international car hirecompanies if you have booked a scheduled flight.
One advantage of using local car hire is that thebodywork of the vehicles is not always immaculate, so that one or two additionalscratches will not make an iota of difference, and you will not be forced tolose large deposits. We found the quality of the cars supplied by theGreek car hire companies very good otherwise. Detailed maps of Greece and travel guides in a variety oflanguages can be purchased at one of the airportshops.
Parking in Athens
It can be incredibly difficult to park in centralAthens. Traffic congestion is a major problem. Double parking is notuncommon. A thick skin is essential - drivers in Athens beep their hornsreadily, gesticulate and shout at each other. It's a cultural thing!Unless your accommodation provides parking, we would recommend public transportand taxis for getting around Athens.
Taxi services
There are plenty of taxis at the airport, andindeed in Athens. The important thing to remember is to negotiate a price beforeyou set off. The fare can vary considerably! If you're in doubt of theusual fare, ask a local person for an estimate.
Catching a Bus
Buses stop outside the building to ferrypassengers to Athens and other main destinations in Greece. You have topurchase a ticket first, at the small kiosk just outside the terminal building'sexit doors. There is information in both Greek and English. We foundthat the ticket seller, in common with most young Greek people, spoke excellentEnglish. Bus travel is a fraction of the price of a taxi fare, the only downside is that thebuses can be crammed full of passengers, both seated and standing.
There are different bus stops for differentdestinations all the road outside the terminal, but this may not mean verymuch. We found that although a semi-orderly queue formed behind the busstop for Athens, the bus arrived in the central lane instead, directly oppositeus, which resulted in a surge of people towards it, and being encumbered withheavy suitcases, we ended up at the end of the crowd instead of our originalplace at the beginning of the queue. I would advise anyone with babies or smallchildren to travel by taxi or arrange a pickup instead, because people no longermake allowances for the very young, elderly or disabled.
Once on the bus, tickets must be validated usinga special machine that is attached to one of the upright posts. The same processapplies to the trolley buses in Athens itself. Tickets or books of ticketscan be purchased at most of the small kiosks on major roads. It's a cheap andeffective method of transport in Athens.
The Metro
The Metro system has been renovated and extended thanks to theAthens Olympics 2004, with plans to build a station for the airport. Thishad not yet been achieved at time of writing. There are now somestate-of-the-art, interesting and beautiful stations around Athens. It'sworth paying a visit to Syntagma Square just to admire the workmanship anddetail of the station itself.
Flying from Athens