Transport for Athens: The Athens Transport System
The Athens Public Transport System consists of a growing transport network that includes metro, tram bus and trolleybus. It is efficient and provides reliable transportation services to citizens and visitors in the wider Athens metropolitan area. It provides easy access to all major points of interest (e.g. Acropolis, Plaka, Museums, etc.), many hotels and major convention centers.
The Athens metro is the backbone of the Athens Transport System. It has 3 lines (green, red, blue) and provides direct connection of the City Center to the city’s entry points like the Airport of Athens, the Port of Piraeus and the Larissis Railway Station. The Athens metro is extended from north (Kifisia) to south (Port of Piraeus) and east to west, connecting the majority of the urban suburbs. Trains run every 3 minutes in peak hours and of 5 to 10 minutes in hours of lower influx.
Metro Line 1 (green) : Kifissia – Piraeus, (better known as “ΙLEKTRIKOS”), initially began as steam powered and later became electric powered. It has been connecting Athens with Piraeus since 1869.
Metro lines 2 (red) & 3 (blue) : Anthoupoli – Elliniko (red) & Nikaia – Athens International Airport (blue) was inaugurated in January 2000, while are considered among the gems of modern Athens. The construction of the two new lines (2&3) made headlines when ancient artefacts were found underground and halted its progress. Many of these ancient artefacts are presented in special exhibits incorporated into the design of the stations of metro line 2 and 3. The Athens metro stations are very impressive and are included among the most beautiful stations in Europe, with several of them being small museums by presenting original artifacts or replicas of archeological treasures, which were found during excavations.
The Athens tram is one of the big projects that have been built for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. It connects the southern suburbs with the city center, while also provides a scenic ride and transport service along the coastal line.
The network consists of 3 lines among 10 municipalities of Athens and makes 48 stops.
The lines connect the Irinis & Filias Stadium (S.E.F.), Voulas and Syntagma, as follows: T3 S.E.F. – Asklipieio Voulas; T4 Syntagma – S.E.F., and T5 Syntagma – Asklipieio Voulas. The maximum tram speed is 70 km/h. Under normal conditions, the first journey takes about 16 minutes, the second in 20 minutes and the third in 35 minutes.
The Athens bus and trolleybus network is very extensive and allows the travelers to reach even the most distant points of the city, and offers connections with the metro network. The environmental friendly bus fleet amounts a total of more than 1500 vehicles, consisting of 400 CNG buses and 300 electric trolleys, respectively. All vehicles of the bus fleet are modern, air-conditioned and accessible to people with reduced mobility.
Bus network consist of 263 bus lines and 19 trolleybus lines.
Furthermore, Airport EXPRESS buses connect the Athens International Airport with the city Center (Syntagma sq.), the Piraeus Port and the Intercity Bus Terminal (KTEL Kifisos) on a 24-hour basis.
For trip planning on buses/trolleybuses
Visit www.oasa/telematics
Download OASA Telematics App
Public Transport Tickets in Athens 
Public transport tickets are available as reloadable smart tickets and as reloadable smart cards under the name ATH.ΕΝΑ ΤICKET and ATH.ENA CARD.
Tickets are sold or reload at ticket offices or at automated vending machines in central locations and at all metro or at selected tram stations. It is essential to validate the ticket or card once inside the bus, tram and trolleybus in the blue validating machines, while for the metro, validation is performed on the corresponding gates that are located at the entrance of the stations, twice, once upon entering and once upon exiting the station. If the ticket or card is not validated, the fine is 72 euros, but if it is paid in the next 10 days, it is reduced by half. The integrated ticket is valid for 90 minutes for routes by bus, trolley, tram, metro (lines 1,2,3) and is not valid on the Express Airport bus lines, the X80 EXPRESS bus line and the metro on the routes to and from the Airport.
The prices as well as all the available ticket products are displayed on the website of the Organization www.oasa.gr/en/tickets/
The Athens Transport System offers a wide variety of tickets for citizens, visitors and tourists. Daily tickets and 5-day tickets offer unlimited travel, at a low price, with all transport means, within the city.
The 3-day tourist ticket includes unlimited travel within the city as well as a round trip from / to the airport.
The daily and 3-day ticket are also valid for the special bus line X80
Day tickets can be used 24 hours from initial validation within the city, but are not valid for metro from Doukissis Plakentias up to the Airport or Airport express buses. In addition, there are 5-day tickets (from initial validation) and “tourist tickets”, valid for 3 days, including 1 round trip to the Airport. Trips to/from the Airport can be made by metro or bus. Travel to / from the Airport can be done by metro or bus by purchasing a special one-way or two-way ticket. In case of purchase of a two-way ticket, the second route must be completed within the next 30 days of initial validation.
By bus, you can use the lines X93 Airport – Kifisos Intercity Bus Station, X95 Airport – Syntagma, X96 Airport – Piraeus, X97 Airport – Elliniko by purchasing a specific one-way ticket.
Indicative ticket prices are listed in the adjacent table
There are also monthly tickets that allow unlimited use of all means of transport, except for airport journeys, monthly tickets for all means of transport, including journeys to the Airport, as well as quarterly, half-annual and annual tickets. More over ATH.ENA CARD allows also loading with money up to €50, which can be used instead of buying specific tickets (eg Airport / urban transport)
Download the Athens Transport Guide at a Glance including the Athens Transport Key map HERE.
