Visit Athens Guide
Athens Airport to the City Centre
Getting from Athens airport to city centre addresses is a choice between four things, and the arithmetic changes entirely with how many of you there are. Metro Line 3 runs into the city and on to Piraeus without a change; four express bus lines run around the clock; and the taxi is a regulated flat fare with one rule that catches people at midnight. Every figure is from the airport's own pages and the OASA product list, read in Q3 2026. Fares inside the city are on getting around; the wider plan is on the Athens city guide homepage.
Quick answer Which one, by how many of you there are
Metro Line 3 costs €9 one way and takes about forty minutes to Syntagma. The X95 bus is €5.50 and runs round the clock. A taxi is a regulated flat fare of €40 between 05:00 and midnight and €55 between midnight and 05:00.
Key takeaways
- The midnight rule is the trap: the flat fare is set by the time you reach the hotel, so a 23:45 pickup arriving at 00:10 costs €55.
- The arithmetic by group size is the whole decision — one or two people take the metro, four take a taxi.
- If you are staying three days or more, buy the €20 three-day tourist ticket instead of a €16 airport return: it includes both airport rides.
- Line 3 runs to Piraeus without a change, which matters if you are catching a ferry on arrival.
- The metro does not run all night; when nothing is running covers the late-arrival options.
Four ways in, priced
Fares from aia.gr and the OASA product list, read on 1 September 2026. Times are the operators' own; add fifteen minutes at either end for walking and waiting.
| Way in | Price | Time | Runs | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Metro Line 3 | €9 one way, €16 return | About 40 min to Syntagma | Not all night | One or two people, city-centre hotels |
| X95 express bus to Syntagma | €5.50 | About 60–90 min | 24 hours | Late arrivals, tight budgets |
| X96 express bus to Piraeus | €5.50 | About 90 min | 24 hours | Ferries, without going into the city |
| Taxi, flat fare | €40 day / €55 night | About 40 min | 24 hours | Three or four people, or heavy luggage |
| Three-day tourist ticket | €20 | — | — | Three days or more: it includes both airport metro rides |
Run the numbers for your group. One person: metro at €9. Two: metro at €18, still under the €40 taxi. Three: €27 against €40, and the taxi starts to look reasonable with luggage. Four: €36 by metro against €40 by taxi for a door-to-door ride — take the taxi. The X95 is always the cheapest and always the slowest.
Passes and transfers
The cards, with the operator's own rating and review count.
from €78.90
Athens: City Pass with Acropolis, Museums, HoHo & Transport
The Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum and a 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus in one pass, with public transport and an island cruise as options.
Check Availability
from €36
Athens: Acropolis Ticket with Optional Audio or Live Guide
Pre-booked Acropolis entry sent to your phone, with two audio-guide options and no fixed guide to keep up with. The official price is €30; this is the reseller version of the same timed slot.
Check Availability
from €12
Athens: Ferry Boat Ticket to/from Aegina Island
Just the boat: a Piraeus–Aegina ferry ticket by email, 75 minutes each way, so the island day is yours to shape.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own, checked in Q3 2026; euro figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
The taxi flat fare, and the midnight rule
Regulated, published, and misunderstood by almost everyone who arrives after eleven.
What the fares are
The airport publishes them: €40 from the airport to the Athens city centre inner ring and the same back, Monday to Sunday between 05:00 and midnight; €55 for the same journey between midnight and 05:00. The charge includes all applicable surcharges and extras, so there is nothing to add for luggage or tolls.
The rule that catches people
The airport's own wording: "The charge is determined by the time of arrival at the destination." Not the time you get in. A 23:45 pickup that reaches your hotel at 00:10 is a €55 ride, legitimately. If you land at eleven, that is a real €15 and it is worth knowing before you argue with a driver who is quoting you correctly.
Where the rank is, and the receipt
The taxi waiting area is at Exit 3 on the Arrivals level, staffed and running 24 hours. Greek law requires the driver to issue a receipt for the fare. Pre-booked cars and ride-hailing pick up at the designated area beside Short Term 1 parking and at the pick-up and drop-off zone.
What "city centre inner ring" means
The flat fare covers the traffic-ring area of central Athens — Syntagma, Plaka, Koukaki, Monastiraki, Kolonaki and the districts around them. An address outside it is metered rather than flat-rate. The airport links a traffic-ring map from its own private-transport page; if your hotel is in the suburbs, ask before you set off.
The metro, and the bus
The two public options, and when each wins.
Line 3, the blue one
From the terminal into the city and on to Piraeus "Dimotiko Theatro" without a change — Syntagma in about forty minutes, Monastiraki two stops later. €9 one way, €16 return valid thirty days, €4.50 reduced. Trains are less frequent than the urban service, so check the departure board rather than assuming a five-minute headway.
The four express buses
X95 to Syntagma, X96 to Piraeus, X93 to the Kifissos and Liossion intercity coach stations, and X97 to Elliniko metro — "Dafni" at night. €5.50 one way, €2.70 reduced, and all four run twenty-four hours. Slower than the metro and immune to its timetable, which is the whole point of them.
The suburban railway
Also serves the airport and connects to Ano Liosia and Piraeus, and to the Athens Larissis mainline station for trains out of Attica. Useful if you are heading straight for Meteora by rail, and irrelevant otherwise.
Regional coaches
Attica KTEL services to Rafina and to Markopoulo, which connects for Lavrio, start and terminate at Arrivals, outside exit 5 on the outer lane. Rafina is the second ferry port and is often the right one for the Cyclades — worth knowing if your island is served from there rather than Piraeus.
Arriving late, and leaving early
The metro does not run all night; two things do.
After the last train
The X95 bus to Syntagma runs twenty-four hours and costs €5.50, which makes it the budget answer to a 02:00 landing. It is slow — an hour and a half is realistic in traffic, though at that hour there is none — and it puts you on Syntagma Square, from which most central hotels are a short walk or a short taxi.
Or take the taxi and accept €55
Between midnight and 05:00 the flat fare is €55 and there is no way round it. For two people arriving at 01:00 with luggage that is €27.50 each for a door-to-door ride, which is a defensible purchase after a long flight.
Leaving on an early flight
The same applies in reverse: a 04:30 departure from the centre is a €55 taxi or the X95. Check the first train of the day on Line 3 if your flight is later than about eight, and remember that the airport is thirty-three kilometres out — this is not a city where you leave for the airport forty minutes before.
Airport transfer questions
How much does it cost from Athens airport to the city centre?
€9 by metro, €5.50 by X95 bus, or a regulated taxi flat fare of €40 between 05:00 and midnight and €55 between midnight and 05:00. The comparison prices all four ways in.
What is the best way to get from Athens airport to the city?
Metro Line 3 for one or two people; a taxi for four, or for three with heavy luggage; the X95 bus if you land after the last train. The arithmetic works it out by group size.
How do I get from the airport by metro?
Line 3 runs from the terminal into the city and on to Piraeus without a change — Syntagma in about forty minutes for €9, or €16 return valid thirty days. Trains are less frequent than the urban service, so check the board.
Why was my taxi €55?
Because the flat fare is set by the time you arrive at your destination, not the time you were picked up. A 23:45 pickup reaching the hotel at 00:10 is charged at the night rate, and the driver is quoting you correctly. The flat fare has the airport's own wording.
Does the metro run all night?
No. The X95 express bus to Syntagma does, at €5.50, and is the usual answer for a very late arrival. Arriving late covers the options.
Can I reach the ferry port without going into the city?
Yes — Line 3 runs through to Piraeus "Dimotiko Theatro", and the X96 express bus goes to the port for €5.50 around the clock. The Piraeus page explains the gates.
Where to go from here
The pages this one leads into.
Reviewed Q3 2026 (July–September 2026); next review Q4 2026. Prices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
We may earn a commission if you book through one of our links, at no extra cost to you. Full affiliate disclosure