When you don’t know Athens, you sometimes imagine it as a museum city, a bit sleepy, living around its Acropolis. In reality, Athens is a capital city, and as such is similar to any other large city in the world. It has a complex traffic network. Here are a few tips on how to get around the city and use the appropriate means of transportation. Find out all about transport in Athens !
Downtown Athens: best to get around by public transport and on foot
The center of Athens is dense, the streets are sometimes one-way, the traffic jams are numerous, the sidewalks are often narrow and in bad condition.
This walk remains by far the easiest and most pleasant way to visit the city center. The small streets are very pleasant to stroll. In the neighborhoods of Plaka, Acropolis, Tisio and Monastiraki, some streets are pedestrianized. So, the hills of Lycabetta and Mount Filopapou are ideal for exploring on foot.
The public transport network (train-metro-tram-bus) offers a quality service at a lower cost to be able to travel long distances. The system of magnetic card system is easy to use.
In the evening and for more comfort, you can take the many cabs. They are cheap, take advantage of it.
Rainy days or very hot days, tourist buses may be an option. They pass by all the most famous places in the city every 15 or 30 minutes. And you can go up and down at will.
For excursions: cars or buses recommended
For trips around Athens, we advise you to rent a car for one or two days. Indeed, the sites are often difficult to access off the road. The travel agencies also offer day trips to ancient sites by bus. You will be less free but the rates are interesting for a day visit.
To rent a car, we recommend this website who compare car rentals companies. It is very practical and cheap. In fact, we use it personally. It lists the main international and local rental companies. Very useful for Athens and the rest of Greece, including the islands.
Sophie B.
