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Traveling in Athens
How to Get Around the City and Come See the Hixons
Epómena stási Megaro Moussikis! Ah you like my Greek? That’s the one I pull out that impresses people, but it actually just means “next stop” Megaro Moussikis or some other metro stop (Ha). You hear it all the time on the Metro so no I don’t speak Greek just yet. But I wanted to give you some travel tips on getting around Athens and hopefully you can use some of them to come see us or at least have an easier time getting around the city. Athens is like most big cities … there are about 5 million people in Athens … where public transportation is robust and traffic and driving can be difficult. Let’s look at some ways to get around.
Metro
The Metro or Subway is our favorite way to get around, and the easiest. There are only 3 lines … green (line 1), red (line 2), and blue (line 3). When you pick a line the only thing you must decide is which direction do I need to go? Each line direction is determined by the last stop in that direction. For example, on the blue line one direction is towards the airport. So, when you get to the blue line you will always decide do I need to go towards the airport (not TO the airport but just that direction) or do I need to go the other way (in this case Dimotiko Theatro is not important because you just want to go the opposite direction from the airport). So the blue line is pretty easy. Trains run regularly and during normal daytime hours its usually 4-6 minutes and another one will come along. There are updated signs that tell you when the next few trains are coming. At night or on the weekends the spacing between trains increases and can be as much as 10-15 minutes so be aware of that.
Buses, Trams, and Trolleys
Hopefully you won’t have to mess with these, but they definitely can be useful. We ride the A5 and the 421 and the 418 buses on a somewhat regular basis. Google/Apple maps will help to plan out which bus you need and gives approximate times for those buses. There is another app called OASA which gives better estimates on when a bus will come and the intervals between those. Riding these is a mixed bag but better than walking!
Metro Pass
Fortunately, a metro pass is relatively cheap. Compared to say London, it is night and day on the cost. A month pass in London can be over $400. In Greece its 27 Euros. Here are a couple of tips. Your metro pass allows you to travel on any public transportation which includes the metro, buses, trams, trolleys, and railway. So once you purchase a pass you can ride any of those. A 90 minute pass is only 1.4 Euro. An all-day pass is 4.50 Euro. A 5 day pass is 9 Euro. Now, the one caveat here is the metro pass DOES NOT include the airport! I’ll cover that below.
Taxi
Taxis are everywhere. There are not as many as there are scooters and motorcycles but there are a lot. There is an app called FreeNow which allows you to reserve a taxi. The Uber app will also do the same thing so you can use either one. Or you can call for one as needed. They aren’t super expensive so this might be a good option in certain circumstances.
Renting a Car
Renting a car can be a good value in certain circumstances but for most people you don’t really need it. We had some friends (you know who you are – haha) who rented a car for a couple of days and never used it. They left it parked the whole time and just got around on the metro. In fact, if you plan to stay in the city center a car can be a burden. Parking is difficult. Most streets are one-way because they are so narrow. There are big 6-8 lane boulevards and a couple of highways but the vast majority of roads are narrow and small. If you need to get somewhere outside the metro area then a car can be a necessity. If you want to go to the beach or to Corinth or to the camps you must have a car or motorcycle. Rentals are not crazy priced. There is one at the airport that is very cheap. We rented a car one day to haul things to our new apartment and it was a good-sized SUV and it was around $65. But smaller vehicles can be rented for much cheaper and really are better when looking for parking. For me, the biggest obstacle is parking. Often street parking can be the only option and spots are often full. We had a friend who told the story of looking for 2 hours for a parking spot and never found one. So, if you don’t absolutely need one my recommendation is don’t rent.
Walking
Of course, the #1 way to get around Athens is to walk. In America my walking consisted of walking from my vehicle to my house or church or store. I didn’t walk much. I had to be intentional if I wanted to walk for exercise. Here it is a necessity. If you’re coming to Athens you should be walking 3-5 miles/day to prepare yourself for it. It is amazing how quickly the steps pile up just walking to the grocery store and to the metro and just living life. We average over 10,000 steps/day and its not unusual to walk over 15k or even 20k. Its great exercise but it can also be exhausting. Oh, and don’t forget those stairs. Ha. Most metro stations require several flights of stairs though in most cases they have escalators, but sometimes the escalator is only going down when you need to go up so off to the stairs you go (elevators are always an option for the metro as well). The good news is there are lots of great sights to see as you walk throughout Athens.
How to get from the Airport to the City (and to the Hixons’ Apartment)
The easiest way to get from the airport to the city center is by taking a taxi. But of course, this is going to be roughly $50 or so. A cheaper option is to take the metro into the city. The catch is that it is 9 Euros/person and that is a one-way ticket on the metro for as far as you want to go without getting off. If you get off, then the regular metro prices kick in. The line that comes from the airport is the blue line (line 3). This will take you down to the city center where you can get off at Syntagma or Monistiraki for the best feel of downtown. We are also located on the blue line before you get to the city center. Our stop is called Holargos. If you’re coming to see us, we will gladly meet you there at the metro stop and then it is about a 12-minute walk up to our building. Unfortunately, we don’t yet have a vehicle to drive you up. So, pray with us as we try to figure if we NEED a vehicle and how we will PAY for one. But for now, we are content making that walk down to Mesogeion Ave. where we catch the metro.
So come, come, come to Athens!! We can show you the sights and if you want you can join us in Ministry!!
