These buses run 24 hours a day and they pick up passengers directly in front of the terminal. Even the Metro station at the airport is less convenient and requires more dragging of your luggage than the airport buses, and it's slightly more expensive.
Your 3 Euro ticket will also include a transfer to any other public transporation in Athens.
The E95
This bus runs to and from the airport, ending at Syntagma Square in central Athens. Many hotels are near Syntagma Square, and it is usually easy to catch a taxi. Some hotels, such as the Athens Intercontinental, also offer courtesy shuttles to Syntagma Square, so you may be able to connect with them there directly. The trip lasts a little over an hour.
The E96
The E96 runs to Piraeus, a handy way to connect with many ferries to the Greek islands. The trip takes about an hour and a half. While most arriving tourists will use find either the E95 or the E96 most useful, there are several additional routes which may suit some travelers' needs.
Secrets of the Airport Bus
- Tickets for the Athens Airport bus are sold in a small sidewalk kiosk near Door 3 at the Athens International Airport. This kiosk may be unmanned until shortly before the bus arrives. If all else fails, the bus driver can take your money, but they avoid doing this if possible and will send you off the bus with all of your luggage to go get a ticket at the suddenly reopened kiosk. The kiosk itself will strongly prefer the appropriate number of Euro coins.
- The luggage areas on the buses can fill up fast, so you may end up without a seat and straddling your luggage for the 70-minute trip into the heart of Athens or the 90-minute trip into Piraeus.
- If you don't know where you're going, and you want the bus to stop the bus driver know that you need to stop in a particular area and give the name of your hotel. Your hotel or booking service should give you instructions on what area you are in and what to say to a bus or taxi driver; follow these instructions closely.
Another bus you should know once you get into Athens - it offers cheap sightseeing transport that your hotel will never tell you about because there is no commission: The Tourist Bus 400
Compare airfares to Greece here: Find Greek Airfares
Find and compare hotel rates at many locations in Greece: Hotels in Greece
