Getting to Athens

Athens, the capital of Greece, is situated in the southernmost region of the Balkan Peninsula, southeast of Europe. Its remote location in the European continent and the country’s orography make the easiest way to get to the city by air or by sea.
 

By Plane

The Athens International Airport, Eleftherios Venizelos, has been serving the Greek capital since its opening to the public in March 2001. The airport is directly connected with 93 cities in Europe and 19 cities in other continents with the average flying time from European destinations being 2.5 hours (1.5 hours from the Middle East); please see indicative flying times to Athens --->.
The airport has been awarded many times and is distinguished for its safety, comfort and customer satisfaction focus. Located 33 kilometers southeast of Athens, it is easily accessible via Attiki Odos, a major highway constituting the Athens City Ring Road.

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Public transport from the Athens International Airport to the city of Athens and the port of Piraeus is provided by the metro, express airport bus connections, taxi, and high-speed suburban rail.
 

Travelling from Europe

Athens is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, so it is very well connected with the rest of the European continent. Some of the most popular airlines which fly to Athens are Ryanair, Aegean Airlines, KLM, Easyjet, Lufthansa, Air France, and Alitalia.
 

Travelling from the United Kingdom

There are numerous low-cost airlines that provide direct flights to Athens from various cities in the United Kingdom:

 

Travelling from the United States

There are few airlines that offer non-stop flights between the USA and Athens; however, many offer one or two stop-over flights. The following are the main airline companies that fly to Athens:

  • Delta Airlines offers direct flights from New York / JFK to Athens up to once or twice a day during peak season (from May to September).

  • Since March 2017, Emirates has included non-stop flights between Newark and Athens and operate all year round.

  • During the summer months, United Airlines also offers daily flights from Philadelphia to Athens.

 

Travelling from Canada

Air Canada operates two direct flights between Montréal and Athens & between Toronto and Athens.
 

By Sea

There are daily ferryboat connections from Italy (Ancona, Bari and Brindisi, Venice and Trieste) to Patras, the second largest port of entry to Greece, approx. 220 kilometers from Athens. You can see available itineraries and rates here.
 

By Train

The main railway network of Greece – Hellenic Train – currently provides links between Athens and Northern and Southern Greece and the rest of Europe through the Western Balkan countries and Bulgaria.
 

By Coach

If you prefer to get to Athens by coach, we suggest you take a bus to Italy and from there a ferry to Greece. Patras port is linked to the following Italian cities: Brindisi, Bari, Ancona, and Venice. Then from Patras, it takes approx. 2 hours to get to Athens by bus.