Getting Around Athens: Transport, Airport Transfers and Where to Leave Your Bag
Last updated: October 2026
Intro
You can now tap a Visa or Mastercard on Athens buses, trams, trolleys and the metro instead of queuing for a ticket, and the day's charges stop at €4.10. The airport has not changed much: Metro Line 3 is €9 and takes about 40 minutes to Syntagma, the X95 bus is €5.50, and a taxi is a fixed €50 by day and €65 overnight. What has changed is Line 3 itself, which has been splitting at night since 16 September. Prices below were checked in October 2026.
Disclosure: Ciceru earns a commission if you book luggage storage through its Radical Storage link, and you get 10% off. It does not change what is recommended.
Once the bag is dropped, a self-guided walk in the Ciceru app has a story and a quiz question at each stop, plus a free 500 MB global eSIM. The €7 Authentic Athens walk starts at Hadrian's Arch, covers 4 km and takes about 2 hours.
⚡ Quick answer
- Airport to centre: Metro Line 3 to Syntagma, €9 and about 40 minutes, or the 24-hour X95 bus for €5.50. Taxis are fixed at €50 (05:00 to 24:00) and €65 (00:00 to 05:00)
- Piraeus port: Metro Line 1 from Monastiraki takes about 17 minutes. From the airport, the X96 bus is €5.50 and takes about 90 minutes
- Normal rides: €1.20 for a 90-minute ticket, €4.10 for 24 hours, or tap a bank card and let the €4.10 daily cap do the sums
- Best pass: for most visitors, none. Only the €20 three-day tourist ticket can pay off, and only if you also use it for both airport trips
- Luggage: the airport has a 24-hour desk. In town, Radical Storage lists 61 spots from €3.90 a bag a day
✈️ From the airport to the centre
Metro Line 3 is the default. Trains leave the airport at 06:10 at the earliest and 23:34 at the latest, and run every 36 minutes. Syntagma is about 40 minutes away, Monastiraki about 42. The fare is €9 one way, or €16 return valid for 30 days.
Night works. Since Wednesday 16 September, Monastiraki, Kerameikos and Eleonas have closed at 21:40 from Sunday to Thursday for rail replacement. After that, airport trains start and end at Syntagma, and a temporary X24 bus links Syntagma to Egaleo through the closed stations. STASY's latest notice gives no end date, so check stasy.gr if you land late on a weeknight.
X95 goes to Syntagma Square, takes roughly 60 minutes and runs 24 hours. X96 goes to Piraeus in about 90 minutes. X93 serves the Kifissos and Liossion intercity bus stations (about 65 minutes) and X97 goes to Elliniko metro (about 45). All cost €5.50, and traffic decides the real time.
Suburban rail (Proastiakos) runs from the airport to Larissis station and on to Piraeus, about 65 minutes to the port according to the airport. OASA says its tickets and Ath.ena cards stay valid on the Maghoula to Piraeus to Airport section.
Rafina has its own regional bus from Arrivals Exit 5 (Attica KTEL). No first-party airport link to Lavrio turned up, so check before you book a ferry from there.
⚓ Getting to Piraeus
Many visitors are in Athens to catch a ferry, so this is the journey that matters.
- 🚇 Metro Line 1: Monastiraki to Piraeus takes about 17 minutes. Trains leave Piraeus from 05:00 to 00:15. Line 1 is covered by the €1.20 ticket
- 🚌 Bus 040: Piraeus to Syntagma, 24 hours a day
- ☀️ X80: May to October only, about 07:00 to 21:15 and every 35 to 40 minutes, per OASA's X80 page. It runs Piraeus, Acropolis, Syntagma in about 60 minutes and needs a 24-hour or tourist ticket, not a single. The season end date is announced separately, and another OASA page gives slightly different times, so check the timetable
The port is huge. Gates are spread along a long waterfront and can change on the day, so find yours on the ticket before you leave and allow extra time to reach it. Call 14541 or check olp.gr if unsure.
Allow a buffer. Strikes happen in Greece, so check the STASY and OASA announcement pages and 11185 the day before a ferry.
🎫 The ticket system, explained once
Athens has one urban zone. The same ticket works on metro, tram, trolley and bus.
- 💶 90-minute ticket, €1.20 (reduced €0.50): unlimited changes for 90 minutes from first validation. It excludes the airport lines and the X80
- 💶 24-hour ticket, €4.10: includes the X80, excludes the airport express buses and the airport metro
- 💶 5-day ticket, €8.20: five times 24 hours, no airport
- 💶 3-day tourist ticket, €20.00: three times 24 hours, includes the airport in both directions
- 💶 Airport tickets: metro €9, X-line bus €5.50, return metro €16
Tickets load on the Ath.ena ticket or an anonymous Ath.ena card, which holds up to €50 in stored value. The paper-style ticket cannot be refunded or replaced if lost. Children under 6 travel free.
Tap and go. Metro, tram, trolley and bus rides can be paid with a contactless Visa or Mastercard, including Apple Pay and Google Pay, with a €4.10 daily cap on urban travel. The airport is charged separately at €5.50 by bus and €9 by metro. Maestro, Amex, JCB, Diners, Discover and UnionPay are not accepted. There is a €0.01 temporary charge on first use, no reduced fares, and you must use the same card or device in and out of the metro.
💳 Which pass is worth it
The 90-minute ticket is €1.20, so the €4.10 day ticket wins from the fourth ride. A tapped bank card makes the sums moot, because the daily charge stops at €4.10 for urban travel.
- 💶 24-hour, €4.10: for a day of hopping between Piraeus, the centre and the suburbs. Not for arrival day, since the airport sits outside it
- 💶 5-day, €8.20: the price of two 24-hour tickets, so it pays from a second day of heavy use
- 💶 3-day tourist ticket, €20: this is the only one with a real argument. A €16 return metro ticket plus four 90-minute rides is already €20.80, so it breaks even at about four urban rides. It pays off only if both airport trips fall inside the 72 hours
For most stays, tap a card, take the metro in and out, and skip the pass. For the wider cost picture, see Athens on a budget.
🚇 Validation, fines and traps
- Validate on entering and exiting the metro. OASA says to validate each time you pass a station gate, and in the blue machines on buses and trams
- Fines: OASA's visitor page lists €100, or €50 for reduced-fare passengers, while STASY's inspection page cites 60 times a 90-minute ticket, which is €72. Budget for the higher figure and validate every time
- Do not mix payment methods. Tapping in with a card and out with a phone can double charge
- Late nights: Metro Lines 2 and 3 run 24 hours on Saturday, though airport trains are excluded, and Friday service runs later than usual. On other nights the last trains leave around midnight to 00:40
- Stale fares: one independent transport site still shows a €1.40 90-minute ticket and a €10 airport metro. Both are out of date
🚶 What you will actually walk
The historic centre is walkable, but the heat in July and August makes it slower. Ciceru's Authentic Athens route is 4 km and about 2 hours, starting at Hadrian's Arch. Use the metro for Piraeus, the airport and anything beyond the centre.
🧳 Luggage storage in Athens
- 🧳 Athens International Airport: CARE4BAG runs left luggage in the arrivals hall at Exit 1, open 24 hours. It publishes no prices, so ask at the desk or call +30 210 3530352
- 🚉 Metro stations and train stations: no first-party page lists public lockers at Athens metro stations, so do not plan around one
- ⚓ Piraeus: no first-party page found lists lockers at the port, so do not plan around them
Where Radical Storage wins. Radical Storage lists 61 verified spots in Athens, from €3.90 a bag a day, with no standard size or weight limit and a €10,000 guarantee. Spots sit near Monastiraki, Syntagma, Acropolis station, Omonia and Piraeus Port. Use it for the gap between hotel checkout and an evening flight, or between a morning ferry and a late check-in. Ten per cent off with Ciceru's link.
🚕 Taxis and ride apps
From the airport, the fare is fixed: €50 between 05:00 and 24:00 and €65 between 00:00 and 05:00, between the airport and the city centre. Taxis leave from Exit 3, and receipts are compulsory. Ask the driver to confirm the fare before you set off.
Uber works through licensed taxi drivers. The airport lists the same flat fare and a pick-up zone opposite Exit 4. No official price list exists for ride apps elsewhere, so compare the quote with the taxi rate before you confirm.
🕐 Your first hour in Athens
- Check the time. The last Line 3 train leaves the airport at 23:34, and on Sunday to Thursday nights it ends at Syntagma.
- Tap a Visa or Mastercard at the airport gate, or buy the €9 ticket at the machine.
- Too early to check in? Use Radical Storage or the airport desk before you head out.
- Walk.
❓ FAQ
How much is the metro from Athens airport to the centre?
€9 one way, €16 return, and about 40 minutes to Syntagma. The X95 bus is €5.50 and runs all night.
Can I use a contactless bank card on the Athens metro?
Yes. OASA accepts Visa and Mastercard, including phones and watches, on the metro, buses, trams and trolleys. Tap in and out with the same card. The daily charge is capped at €4.10 for urban travel.
Where can I leave my luggage in Athens?
The airport has a 24-hour desk at Exit 1 with unpublished prices. In town, Radical Storage lists 61 spots from €3.90 a bag a day.
✅ Before you go
Tap a card or buy a €9 airport ticket, check the Line 3 night works if you land after 21:40, and confirm your gate at Piraeus. For the bigger picture, start with Athens Explained, and once the bag is dropped, the Ciceru walk from Hadrian's Arch is a gentle first look.
