by John Fisher
By ferry
The simplest way to get to Athens from Pireás is bymetro. Trains run from 6am to midnight. For the airport, take express bus #E96 (every 20min 7am–9pm, every 40min 9pm–7am). Taxis between Pireás and central Athens should cost around €8, including baggage: getting a taxi when a ferry arrives is no easy matter, though – you’ll need to be pushy, and almost certainly have to share.
City transport
Athens is served by slow but wide-ranging buses, a curiously anachronistic but effective trolley bus network and a fast metro system which is currently undergoing massive expansion; taxis fill in the gaps. As well as the metro/rail link to the airport, there are two new tram lines: one following the line of Leofóros Syngroú from the centre to Fáliro on the coast near Pireás; the other running from Fáliro through the seaside suburbs to Glyfádha. Public transport networks operate from around 5am to midnight, with only the airport buses running in the small hours. You need to buy a ticket from a street kiosk or metro station before you travel.
A good website to start your planning is www.oasa.gr/uk/index_gr.asp, an English version of the official Greek Athens Urban Transport Organisation website.
The metro
The Athens metro (www.ametro.gr) has been much expanded in recent years, with the long-awaited addition of two completely new lines and a couple of new stops added to the original Line 1. The system is a huge success: designed to handle almost half a million passengers a day, it is fast, quiet and user-friendly. The stations are often attractions in their own right – displaying artefacts discovered in their excavation and other items of local interest.
Further extensions to lines 2 and 3 are underway, and likely to open in stages over the next few years. Meanwhile, Line 1 (green) runs from Pireás in the south to Kifissiá in the north; useful stops in the centre include Thissío, Monastiráki, Omónia and Viktorías. Line 2 (red) runs from Sepólia to Dháfni, with central stops at Omónia, Sýndagma and Akrópoli at the foot of the Acropolis. Line 3 (blue) extends from Monastiráki northeast to Ethnikí Ámyna and to Dhoukíssis Plakentías, with trains continuing from there via new suburban rail lines to the airport.
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Tickets and passes
Athens’ public transport is good value, especially with judicious use of the various passes available. While most of the major sites are within walking distance of each other, the expansion of the metro means that it often makes more sense to jump on a train to go from, say, Omónia to Sýndagma, than sweating it out on the streets. If you can figure out the bus and trolley system, it’s even cheaper to use them instead.
The easiest and, for most visitors, best-value ticket is the 24-hour imerísio. Thiscosts €2.90 and can be used on all buses, trolleybuses and the metro, as well as for a single trip to the airport. You validate it once, on starting your first journey, and it is valid for 24 hours from then – cancel it again if you take the airport bus. The ticket can be bought from any metro ticket office and many places where bus tickets are sold – you can buy several at once and then cancel them as necessary. There’s also a monthly pass for €35, or €17.50 for buses only.
Otherwise, individual metro tickets cost €0.60 on Line 1 for journeys within two of its three zones (this will get you from the centre to either end of the line), €0.70 for any other journey (valid for ninety minutes from validation, for travel in one direction – ie you can change lines, but you can’t go somewhere and come back). They’re available from machines and ticket offices in any metro station, and must be validated before you start your journey, in the machines at the top of the stairs.
Bus tickets cost €0.45 and must be bought in advance from kiosks, certain shops and newsagents, or from the limited number of booths run by bus personnel near major stops – look for the brown, red and white logo proclaiming Isitíria edhó (tickets here).They’re sold individually or in bundles of ten, and must be cancelled in a special machine when boarding. Cancelled tickets apply only to a particular journey and vehicle; there are no transfers.
On both bus and metro, fare-dodgers risk an on-the-spot fine equivalent to forty times the current fare.
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Buses and trolleys
Athens’ bus network, serving hundreds of routes from the centre out into the straggling suburbs and beyond, has also benefitted from much-needed investment over recent years and the city now boasts a fleet of modern, comfortable buses, including a growing number of “green” vehicles running off natural gas. There’s also a substantial trolley bus network, long since disappeared from the streets of most cities in Europe. The original Russian-made trolley buses of yesteryear have almost all been replaced by modern and more comfortable air-conditioned versions. Using electricity as their primary source of power, they’re also equipped with diesel engines to manoeuvre around traffic problems.
The bad news is that the system is pretty confusing – it’s not always obvious which bus to take or where to catch it – and that buses can be very crowded at peak times (7–8.30am & 1.30–3pm), unbearably hot in summer traffic jams, and chronically plagued by strikes and slow-downs; walking is often a better option, particularly in the city centre.
Among the handiest of the trolley bus routes are the #1, which connects the Larísis train station with Omónia, Sýndagma and Koukáki; and #2–#5 and #12, which all link Sýndagma with Omónia and the National Archeological Museum on Patisíon. Where other buses are convenient, we’ve detailed them in the text, and most bus stops now show the routes of the main services using them. Check the “Going Places” section of www.oasa.gr/uk/index_gr.asp for details of all transport options to just about anywhere in Athens.
Taxis
Athenian taxis have a rather dodgy reputation – due more to the cavalier attitude of the drivers than to the cars themselves. Drivers are notoriously capricious and will often take you only where they want to go rather than to your exact destination – justifiable to a point in a city where getting from A to B can take up to a couple of hours, but not helpful for foreign visitors. Few drivers speak English, many still smoke in the cab despite an official ban, and an unscrupulous minority will rip you off mercilessly. Prior to the 2004 Olympics, all Athenian taxi drivers were supposed to have attended “charm school” for re-education, but few locals expected to notice much change.
That said, Athens’ cabs are still among the cheapest of any European capital – fares around the city centre rarely run above €3, with a journey to the airport only €12–15 and Pireás €6–8 from the centre. The exact amount is determined by the pickup point and the amount of luggage, with a minimum fare of €1.50. All officially licensed cabs are yellow, with a special black-on-yellow number plate beginning with the letter “T” (some older red-on-white plates are also still in circulation). You can wave them down on the street, pick them up from ranks at the train stations, airport or the National Gardens on the corner of Sýndagma, or get your hotel to phone one for you (adding a €1.50 surcharge to the fare). They are most elusive during rush hours, or when it rains.
Make sure the meter is switched on when you get in, with its display visible and properly zeroed. There are no fixed- price rides in and around Athens – use of the meter is compulsory, so if it’s “not working”, find another taxi.
Attempts at overcharging tourists are particularly common with small-hours arrivals at the airport and Pireás. A threat to have hotel staff or the tourist police adjudicate usually elicits co-operation, as they will very likely take your side and the police have the power to revoke a driver’s operating permit. In case of a dispute, make an obvious written note of the vehicle’s number plate details.
Every taxi must have a dash-mounted plastic placard listing regular rates and extra charges in English and Greek. Legitimate surchargescan considerably bump up the final bill from the total shown on the meter. These include extra charges for journeys to or from the airport and train or ferry terminals, and for each piece of luggage over 10kg; the rate per kilometre a
lmost doubles between midnight and 5am, and there are Easter and Christmas bonuses, which seem to extend for a week or two either side of the actual date.
To help make ends meet on government-regulated fare limits, taxi-drivers often pick up extra passengers along the way. There is no fare-sharing: each passenger or group of passengers pays the full fare for their journey. So if you’re picked up by an already-occupied taxi, memorize the meter reading at once; you’ll pay from that point on, plus the €0.80 minimum. When hailing an occupied taxi, shout out your destination so the driver can decide whether he wants your custom or not.
Information
The Greek National Tourist Office (GNTO; Ellinikós Organismós Tourismoú or EOT in Greek; www.gnto.gr) has a brand new central information office at Amalías 26, just off Sýndagma (tel 210 33 10 392). This is a useful first stop for information, and they have a good free map as well as information sheets on current opening hours, bus and ferry schedules, and so on. There’s also Internet access. If you are arriving by plane, you could also call in at the airport branch.
Useful maps include the Rough Guide City Map of Athens (www.roughguides.com) – full-colour, non-tearable, weatherproof and pocket-sized, detailing attractions, places to shop, eat, drink and sleep, as well as the city streets – or the city maps produced by Emvelia (www.emvelia.gr) or Falkplan. These and others should be available from good local bookshops and some kiosks: the best source is the top floor of the Eleftheroudakis bookshop at Panepistimíou 17, between Sýndagma and Omónia.
Useful sources of information for what’s on include the English-language daily Athens News, whose Friday edition has a complete events programme for the weekend. Much more extensive listings, but in Greek only, can be found in Athinorama or Time Out Athens, both of which have screening times for all films and exhaustive catalogues of nightspots, restaurant, music and events. They’re published weekly on Thursdays.
Directory
Airlines
Aegean, Vouliagménis 572 tel 210 99 88 300, reservations tel 801 11 20 000, airport tel 210 35 30 101; British Airways, Themistokléous 1, Glyfádha tel 210 89 06 666, airport tel 210 32 30 453; Delta, Óthonos 4 tel 210 33 11 668, reservations tel 800 44 129 506; EasyJet, airport only tel 210 35 30 300; Hellas Jet, Michalakópoulou 91, Ilísia tel 210 74 57 700, reservations tel 801 11 53 000, airport tel 210 35 30 815-9; Olympic, Fillelínon 15 tel 210 92 67 663, reservations tel 210 96 66 666, airport 210 93 68 424; Singapore Airlines, Xenofóndos 9 tel 210 37 28 000; Thai, Venizélou 32, Glyfádha tel 210 96 92 010.
Airport enquiries
Tel 210 35 31 000 for airline offices at the airport, tel 210 35 30 000 for flight schedules.
American Express
Poste restante and money changing at the main branch at Ermoú 2 (1st floor), on the corner of Sýndagma Square. Two offices at the airport are open 24hr.
Banks and exchange
Most banks have 24hr ATMs that accept debit cards. Banking hours are typically Mon–Thurs 8.30am–2.30pm and Fri 8.30am–2pm. Exchange bureaux are open during regular business hours throughout the city and are far quicker than banks – but check the commission and exchange rate. Most hotels will also exchange currency, though usually at a poor rate, and getting cash on a credit card is very expensive.
Beaches
Almost all the good beaches in and around Athens demand payment for entry, for which you’ll get a clean beach, a lounger, somewhere to buy food and drink, and facilities including beach volleyball and all sorts of watersports. Some of the fanciest charge €10 per person at weekends; more basic places charge €3–5. There are plenty of spots to swim for free, but this may mean from the rocks, or involve a long hike from the road. On summer weekends, every beach – and the roads to them – will be packed.
Car rental
Most car rental companies have offices near the top of Leofóros Syngroú, including Antena at no.52 (tel 210 92 32 544); Budget (no.8, tel 210 92 14 771); EuropCar (no.43, tel 210 95 88 990; Hertz (no.12, tel 210 92 20 102); Holiday Autos (no.8, tel 210 22 23 088); Thrifty (no.25, tel 210 92 46 001); Sixt (no.23, tel 210 92 20 121); and Status (no.40, tel 210 92 24 345).
Cinema
Athens has dozens of indoor cinemas, and in summer many outdoor screens showing second-run offerings, classics and cult films, while festivals feature prominent European and American directors. Films are always shown in the original language with Greek subtitles, and admission is €6–8. Downtown indoor cinemas are concentrated on the three main thoroughfares connecting Omónia and Sýndagma; and in Ambelókipi, around the junctions of Leofóros Alexándhras and Kifissías. Central and reliable outdoor venues include Cine Paris, on the roof at Kydathinéon 22, Pláka; Apostólou Pávlou 7, Thissío; Panathinea, Mavromiháli 165, Neápoli; Zefyros, Tróön 36, Thissío (good for film noir and Fifties oldies); Vox on the platía and Riviera at Valtetsíou 46, both in Exárhia.
Classical music
The summer-long Hellenic Festival hosts many of Athens’ finest classical performances, and the city’s concert hall – the Mégaro Mousikís on Vassilísis Sofías in Ilísia by the metro station that bears its name – also has a full season running throughout the winter months.
Dance
The one outstanding dance event worth catching is the Dora Stratou Ethnic Dance Company performing in their own theatre at Arakínthou and Voutié on Filopáppou Hill (tel 210 92 14 650). Performances (late May to late Sept Tues–Sat 9.30pm, Sun 8.15pm;€13) combine traditional music, fine choreography and gorgeous costumes. To reach the theatre, walk along the south flank of the Acropolis until you see the signs. Tickets can almost always be picked up at the door.
Disabled travellers
Hotels throughout Athens were refurbished in the run-up to the Olympics, and many have accessible rooms and other facilities. However, the infrastructure of the city is tricky for people in wheelchairs or with limited mobility. Pavements are rarely smooth, there are many steep streets, and the ground at most archeological sites is extremely uneven. The new metro has excellent lifts from pavement level direct to the platforms, but often a large gap between the platform and the train.
Embassies & consulates
Australia, Dhimitríou Soútsou 37 tel 210 64 50 405; Canada, Ioánnou Yennadhíou 4 tel 210 72 73 400; Ireland, Vasiléos Konstandínou 7tel 210 72 32 771; NewZealand(consulate), Xenías 24, Ambelókipi tel 210 77 10 112; UK, Ploútarhou 1, Kolonáki tel 210 72 72 600; US, Vasilíssis Sofías 91 tel 210 72 12 951.
Emergencies
Ambulance tel 166; Fire tel 199; Police tel 100; Tourist police tel 171.
Ferries
Almost any travel agent in Athens can sell you a ferry ticket, but they don’t necessarily represent all companies, so be sure you’re not taking a roundabout route. In Pireás, there’s far more choice: unless you want a cabin, there’s rarely any need to book ahead.
Festivals
The great event of the Greek cultural year is the Hellenic Festival, which runs from June to September every year. It encompasses a broad spectrum of cultural events, most famously ancient Greek theatre (performed, in modern Greek, at the Herodes Atticus Theatre on the south slope of the Acropolis), but also traditional and contemporary dance, classical music, jazz, traditional Greek music and even rock. Other festival venues include the open-air LykavitósTheatre on Lykavitós Hill, the mansion of the Duchess of Plaisancein Pendéli and the ancient theatre at Epidauros. Programmes of performances and tickets are best picked up as soon as you arrive in the city, or even booked before you arrive. The festival box office is in the arcade at 39 Panepistimíou (Mon–Fri 8.30am–4pm, Sat 9am–2.30pm; tel 210 32 21 459, www.hellenicfestival.gr). You can also buy tickets at the Herodes Atticus box office (daily 9am–2pm & 6–9pm; tel 210 32 32 771) or at Epidauros.
Football
The three major Athens teams – Panathinaïkós, AEK and Olympiakós – dominate Greek football. Panathinaïkós are the most central, at Leofóros Alexándhras in Ambelókipi (right beside the metro stati
on). AEK play at the Níkos Goumás stadium in Néa Filadhélfia (metro to Perissós station, from where it’s less than ten minutes’ walk). Olympiakós’ home is the Karaïskáki stadium in Néo Fáliro (right opposite the metro), newly refurbished for the Olympics.
Internet
There are plenty of Internet Cafés throughout central Athens, mostly charging around €2–4 per hour. They generally have fast connections and modern machines, but are often smoky. Some of the more central and reliable are: Easy Internet Café, west side of Platía Sýndagma above Everest; Internet World, Pandhróssou 29, Pláka; QuickNet, Gladstónos 4, Omónia; Sky Net, Voulís 30, Sýndagma; C@fé 4U, Ippokrátous 44, Exarhía; British Council, Platía Kolonáki (free access during library hours, Mon–Fri 10am–7pm, Sat 10.30am–2pm).
Mail
Post office hours are typically Mon–Fri 7.30am–2pm; some main branches open evenings and Sat mornings. The busy main office on Sýndagma Square has long queues – it’s worth heading to the quieter branch nearby at Níkis 37. Overseas rates start at €0.65 for a postcard sent anywhere in the world – you can usually buy a stamp (grammatósimo) from the vendor of the card.
Markets
Many Athenian neighbourhoods have a weekly laïkí agorá – street market – usually running from 7am to 2pm. The most centrally located (listed by street name and area) are: Hánsen in Patissíon (Mon); Lésvou in Kypséli and Láskou in Pangráti (both Tues); Xenokrátous in Kolonáki, Dragoúmi in Ilísia, Tsámi Karatássou in Koukáki and Arhimídhous in Mets (all Fri); and Plakendías in Ambelókipi (one of the largest) and Kallidhromíou in Exárhia, both on Saturday.
Money
