Athens airport to city centre: metro, X95, taxi

Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos lies in the Mesogeia plain, about 30 km east of the city centre. Three options matter: metro line 3, the X95 express bus and the taxi. The short answer: take the metro to Syntagma or Monastiraki during the day – it does not get stuck in traffic. Take the X95 if you land at night, and a taxi if you are two or more, with children or with heavy bags – it charges a flat fare to the centre.

Athens airport to the city centre: the options

Times: metro from the timetable of STASY, the Athens metro operator; X95 according to OASA, the Athens transport authority ("approximately 60 minutes", depending on traffic); taxi as pure driving time to Syntagma based on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. At rush hour the bus and the taxi take considerably longer.

Metro line 3: steady and without traffic

The airport station is opposite the terminal, reached by a covered footbridge. Metro line 3 (the blue line) runs from there into the city to Syntagma, the central square in front of parliament, and on to Monastiraki below the Acropolis and to Piraeus. According to STASY, the airport trains run every 36 minutes, every day of the week, and the ride to Syntagma takes about 40 minutes.

• Ticket: the airport section of the metro needs a special airport ticket; a normal city ticket is not enough. Tickets are sold at the machines and counters in the airport station.
• Every 36 minutes: not every line 3 train goes to the airport – many end at Doukissis Plakentias. So check the departure board when you return, and allow for the wait when you arrive.
• Good for: hotels around Syntagma, Plaka, Monastiraki and Psyrri, or near a metro station.

From the same airport station, the suburban railway (Proastiakos) also runs into the city and towards Piraeus. For most visitors the metro is simpler.

X95 express bus: around the clock to Syntagma

The X95 runs from the arrivals level to Syntagma Square. According to OASA, the airport express lines operate 24 hours a day, and the X95 takes about 60 minutes, depending on traffic. It is the only public option between about midnight and early morning.

• Ticket: the special airport bus ticket. According to OASA you can also pay the full fare (€5.50, as of October 2026) by tapping a contactless bank card, phone or smartwatch on the blue validator once when you board.
• Restrictions: from the airport you cannot board at intermediate stops, only get off – it is an express line.
• Other express lines: the X96 goes to Piraeus port (about 90 minutes), the X93 to the intercity bus stations (about 65 minutes) and the X97 to Elliniko (about 45 minutes).

Taxi and transfer: flat fare to the centre

Licensed Athens taxis are yellow and wait at the rank outside arrivals. Between the airport and the city centre, a flat fare applies – one rate by day and a higher one at night; the current amounts are on the airport's website. Without traffic the ride to Syntagma takes about 35 minutes (34 km). Ignore drivers who approach you inside the terminal.

A pre-booked transfer is worth it if you arrive late, with children, with a lot of luggage or as a group, or if you continue straight to a ferry in Piraeus or Rafina: a driver waits in arrivals with your name. Airport transfers in Athens^* can be booked with Welcome Pickups. Our article on when an airport transfer pays off compares the options for ten airports.

Which option suits whom?

• Day arrival, hotel near Syntagma, Plaka or Monastiraki: the metro.
• Night arrival on a budget: the X95 to Syntagma.
• Two or more people, children, heavy bags: a taxi at the flat fare.
• Straight on to the ferry: the X96 to Piraeus or a pre-booked transfer.

If you come from outside the EU, for example from the UK, set up mobile data before you land so you can check the departure times straight away – a travel eSIM for Greece^* (Airalo) is usually cheaper than roaming; our eSIM price index compares the prices per gigabyte.

On the day you leave

The metro to the airport leaves Syntagma every 36 minutes – check that the train goes to "Airport" and not only to Doukissis Plakentias. The X95 runs from Syntagma around the clock. With an early flight, plan with the bus or a taxi. If you have already checked out and fly in the evening, you can use luggage storage in central Athens^* (Radical Storage) while you climb the Acropolis or walk through the Plaka one last time.

How long to stay and what to see is in our article how many days in Athens.

Athens trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps you plan

In YesTrip you add your flight and hotel to your trip and plan each day around them, with a map of your places in Athens and the weather for your travel days. The ready-made plans for Athens can be copied into your trip with one tap. With the offline package you have the map without a connection, also on the metro from the airport. YesTrip is free.

If you are heading straight for the islands, our Cyclades route has the order and the ferry times.

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