Travelling to Athens?

Our routes, not a list of everything. Places that have been there for centuries: no opening times or prices, which go stale.

1. 01

   Athens in a day

   9 hThe Parthenon was intact until 1687. Centuries didn’t fell it: a Venetian shell did, because there was an Ottoman powder store inside.The Acropolis · The Acropolis Museum · The ancient Agora · Plaka at duskRead the full guide
2. 02

   A weekend in Athens

   20 hAthens was a village of ten thousand when it was made capital in 1834. Everything between the ruins was built afterwards.Saturday: the rock and what’s under it · Saturday night: Psyrri and the rooftops · Sunday: the archaeological museum · Sunday afternoon: an island, or the capeRead the full guide
3. 03

   What to see in Athens

   8 hIn one case there’s a bronze computer two thousand years old. And at the stadium, marble even in the stands: the only one on earth like it.The Antikythera mechanism · The Panathenaic Stadium · The changing of the guard · What they found digging the metroRead the full guide
4. 04

   Where to eat in Athens

   3 hThe frappé was invented in 1957 because a man couldn’t find hot water at a trade fair. Today it’s an entire country’s national drink.Coffee, and its rules · Souvlaki and gyros: not the same · The taverna, and how it works · The central marketRead the full guide
5. 05

   Athens’ neighbourhoods

   5 hBelow the Acropolis there’s a real Cycladic village, white houses and steps. The builders who came to make the palace built it.Anafiotika · Exarcheia · Psyrri and Kerameikos · Koukaki and the slopesRead the full guide
6. 06

   Day trips from Athens

   10 hThe islands start an hour away by boat from Piraeus. And on one of them there isn’t a single car: transport is mules.Hydra · Delphi · Epidaurus and Mycenae · Cape SounionRead the full guide
7. 07

   From Athens airport to the city

   1 hThe metro reaches the centre, but the airport branch isn’t 24-hour. Land in the small hours and there’s one option, and it’s a bus.The metro, and its hours · The express bus: the 24-hour one · The suburban rail: for the port, not the centre · The taxi, and when it makes senseRead the full guide
8. 08

   Athens: practical tips

   1 hIn recent summers the Acropolis has closed at midday for heat. That isn’t an anecdote: it’s how you have to plan the day.The heat, and how the day is organised · August: the city leaves · Money and tipping · Things specific to this cityRead the full guide

The real options, with what actually decides it: which terminal it leaves from and where it drops you. Fares and timetables live with the operator, who keeps them current.

• MetroM3Síntagma · MonastirákiThe blue line runs into the heart of the centre. The airport ticket is a special one, pricier than the city fare.·Fares and timesSTASY
• TrainProastiakósLarissa Station · PiraeusThe suburban rail shares tracks with the metro for a stretch. Best for the port of Piraeus or Corinth.·Fares and timesHellenic Train
• BusX95SíntagmaThe round-the-clock express: it runs 24h, including when the metro is shut.·Fares and timesOASA

Before you fly, or on the layover. Pay per visit, whatever airline.

• Skyserv Melina Merkouri Loungefrom €46.00
• Skyserv Aristotle Onassis Loungefrom €46.00
• Goldair Handling x AIA Loungefrom €46.00
• Goldair Handling Loungefrom €46.00

• SantoriniJTR8 routes