Athens is the centre of all centres in the world. It is the city of the Olympic Games and classical antiquity. It is a cultural hub and has numerous museums with unique finds. Classical antiquity meets modern world city: historical monuments form the backdrop of a new Athens...
A visit to this bustling Greek metropolis is a must-see to explore the sophisticated creature this is the modern Athenian city. In a city already renowned for its vibrant and rich cultural history Athens has undergone a startling transformation since its urban renewal in the 2004 Olympic Games and is now recognised as one of the safest and liveliest cities in Europe. In addition to the vibrant street life and stylish, boutique fashion culture Athens has also banished all cars from its historic centre to create a stunning pedestrian promenade where visitors can stroll in the moonlight at leisure to enjoy the ancient architecture and majesty of this awe-inspiring cultural hotspot.
Country: Greece
Currency: Euro
Best time to visit: March - May & October - November
More info: Visit Greece
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Airport
To and from the airport:
Metro
Metro 3 brings you to the city center for €8 if you leave in less than a week you can get the two-way ticket for €14. Group tickets (2 or 3 persons) are also available and they provide some discount. To catch the Metro from the airport arrivals hall, go through exit 3, cross the street, escalate to the skybridge, walk to the station to buy tickets, and follow Metro signs down to the platforms.
Don't forget to validate your ticket before going down to the platform and boarding a train (there are validation machines at the top of the escalators in the ticket hall). The airport Metro line is an extension of Line 3 (blue line) which takes you to the downtown Syntagma and Monastiráki stations. Note that at the airport train station, two types of trains - metro trains and suburban trains - arrive at the same platform. If you are travelling into the city centre, you should take the metro trains (2/hour, usually departs at :05 and :35, daily 6:00 to 23:30). From the Airport, the metro (blue) train takes 40 minutes to reach Syntagma and 43 minutes to reach Monastiráki.
Express bus
By express bus X93 to Kifissos Coach Station, X95 to Syntagma Square (subway Lines 2 and 3), X96 to Piraeus (subway Line 1) and X97 to Dafni metro station (subway Line 2) for €5.00 (€2.50 under 18 or over 65). Bus tickets are sold at the info/ticket-kiosk (located outside the Arrivals between Exits 4 and 5), or onboard (ask operator) at no extra cost. Buses, unlike Metro, operate 24 hours a day. Express bus X95[5] runs 3-5/hour, and takes a little more than an hour depending on traffic to go from the airport to the final stop on Othonos street along the side of Syntagma Square.
More information to be found at: To/from the airport
Athens
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Scheduled Airlines from the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany: Aegean Airlines, KLM, Transavia