Overview
Athens has a dense, integrated public transport network run under the umbrella of OASA (the Athens Urban Transport Organisation), with its rail modes operated by STASY and the suburban railway by Hellenic Train. A single ticket covers the metro, buses, trolleybuses, tram and the central section of the suburban railway, with unlimited transfers within its validity period, so you can move between modes without buying a new fare each time.
Riding end to end is straightforward. Buy or tap a ticket, validate it at the electronic machines before entering the platform or vehicle, keep it with you for the whole journey, and expect random fare inspections. Signs across the network carry transliterations into Roman letters, English information is abundant, and most staff can communicate in English, so you do not need to read Greek to navigate.
The network
The Athens Metro (Greek: Μετρό Αθήνας, romanized: Metro Athinas) is the rapid transit backbone, with three lines totalling 91.7 km and 66 stations. The system has five interchanges — Attiki, Monastiraki, Omonia, Piraeus and Syntagma — allowing all three lines to interchange with each other at least once, and each line connects with the suburban railway and the tram.
- Line 1 (Green, M1) — Piraeus to Kifissia, the oldest line, mostly overground, linking the port with the northern suburbs via the city centre. It opened as a steam railway in 1869 and was electrified in 1904.
- Line 2 (Red, M2) — Anthoupoli to Elliniko, entirely underground, connecting western and southern Athens through the centre.
- Line 3 (Blue, M3) — Dimotiko Theatro to Doukissis Plakentias and on to the Airport, mostly underground, with the overground section east of Doukissis Plakentias used by airport-bound trains.
The Athens Suburban Railway (Proastiakos / Προαστιακός) is operated by Hellenic Train and runs overground, providing a direct link between Piraeus and the airport as well as connections toward Halkida and Kiato/Corinth. The Athens Tram connects the centre with the coastal suburbs and meets the metro at Syntagma, Syngrou/Fix, Neos Kosmos and SEF (Faliro).
- Tram T6 — Syntagma to Faliro (Pikrodafni).
- Tram T7 — Voula (Asklipeio Voulas) to Piraeus (Akti Posidonos).
An extensive bus and trolleybus network fills in the areas the rails do not reach, and Airport Express buses run around the clock. At the coast, Piraeus is the chief sea port and is served by many ferries, with Lavrio and Rafina acting as alternative ports reached by regional KTEL buses.
Tickets & fares
Fares are prepaid and validated by scanning at electronic machines using the contactless ATH.ENA Ticket or ATH.ENA Card. You cannot buy a fare on board the bus, so sort out your ticket before boarding. Prices below are approximate and change, so check the operator's fare table before you travel.
- 90-minute single ticket — €1.20 full, €0.50 discounted; valid for 90 minutes from first validation across all OASA modes and the central suburban railway section, but not on Airport Express lines or the metro between Koropi and the Airport.
- Daily ticket — €4.10, valid 24 hours from first validation; also covers the X80 bus line but not airport services.
- 5-day ticket — around €8.10–8.20, valid for five 24-hour periods; excludes airport services and the X80.
- 3-day tourist ticket — €20, covering all OASA networks plus one round trip to or from the airport by metro or the corresponding Express bus, and valid on the X80.
- Airport fares — €9 one-way by metro (a return is quoted at around €16), or €5.50 on the airport Express buses.
- Term tickets — available in 30, 90, 180 and 365-day periods, only with a personalised ATH.ENA Card.
Reduced fares exist for university students, seniors, disabled passengers and persons under 18, and children under 6 travel free; during a fare control you must show ID, a student card or a passport to prove entitlement. Discounted fares are only available through a personalised ATH.ENA card, which carries a one-time cost of about €4.50 and is rarely worth it for a short stay.
Tap2Ride lets you tap a contactless Visa or Mastercard (physical card or Apple Pay/Google Pay) directly on the reader, paying the standard €1.20 fare or the airport fare, billed at the end of the day and capped at €4.10. Only Visa and Mastercard are accepted — not Maestro, JCB, Amex, Diners, Discover or China UnionPay — you must use the same card or device for the whole journey including transfers, and discounted fares are not available this way. Inspectors scan the exact card used, so there is no paper receipt. Tickets and cards are sold at metro and tram stations, ticket machines, station offices and kiosks, and the 3-day tourist ticket is sold at kiosks at the airport, Omonia, Syntagma, Thissio, Monastiraki, Acropolis and Piraeus stations.
From the airport
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport lies 27 km east of the city centre near Spáta. Several public-transport options connect it to the centre:
- Metro Line 3 (M3) — direct to Syntagma in roughly 40 minutes, with trains about every 36 minutes between 6:30 and 23:30; the €9 one-way ticket also covers the Proastiakos suburban railway to Larissa Station.
- Airport Express buses — X95 to Syntagma and X96 to Piraeus port, costing €5.50 (reduced €2.70), taking about an hour and running 24/7; they depart outside Arrivals between exits 4 and 5, with tickets bought at the booth and validated on boarding.
- Suburban railway (Proastiakos) — an overground direct link between the airport and Piraeus port.
Arriving at the airport without having paid the appropriate fare incurs a €72 fine, reduced to €36 if paid within 10 days.
Etiquette & customs
- Validate your ticket or card when entering a vehicle or platform, and keep it for the whole journey — fare inspectors can appear at any time.
- On Line 1, keep an eye on your personal belongings and be prepared for people boarding to ask for money.
- Expect crowding at rush hour, when trains can be very full; let passengers off before you board and move down the carriage.
- In summer, air conditioning on the metro is not very efficient, so dress accordingly.
- Photography and video-taking are permitted across the whole metro network, and street photographers often work in the stations.
Official links
Survival terms
- Subway/metro — Μετρό (Metro) — metro
- Ticket — εισιτήριο (eisitírio) — ticket
- Line — γραμμή (grammí) — line
- Entrance — είσοδος (eísodos) — entrance
- Exit — έξοδος (éxodos) — exit
- Transfer — μετεπιβίβαση (metepivívasi) — transfer
- Single fare — απλό εισιτήριο (apló eisitírio) — single ticket
- Day pass — ημερήσιο εισιτήριο (imerísio eisitírio) — daily ticket
Before you set out each day, check the operator's site or a journey-planning app for live service updates, since temporary line closures and replacement buses do occur.