The New Metro and Older Electric Train Systems

Athens now has three metro lines!
Plus a 45 minute airport rail link to Monastiraki Sq
where you change from Blue line to Green for Piraeus!

Beautiful New Stations with Exhibits - Fast Dependable Service

There are 2 regular metro tickets .80€, .70€.
Metro hours: 05:00-24:00

The metro is great and if there is a problem with it, it arises out of the fact that there is no one station where all three lines converge and because historic Athens is so small 90% of visitors will never need to use the metro because they can walk.

Walkable or not depends on the weather, your fitness level and your time constraints but even fit folks can benefit from the completion of the new Keramicos station at the Keramicos ancient cemetery and Oberlander museum site and the Acropolis museum at the Acropolis stop!
Others so aligned can use the metro to get off at Evangelists stop and be smack
in the center of Athens unique museum row.
The Metro's hours: 05:00-24:00 & Open 7 days!

The new metro is interesting in and of itself for some of the station interiors replete with (well made reproductions of the really priceless stuff usually) ancient exhibitions and maps. Its also incredibly clean, fast and decently priced.
Photo: the pretty Syntagma or Constitution Sq. Station. Click to see larger.

You'll learn more about the most interesting stations below. Right now however its important that you at least know that you can enter stations and see exhibits without buying a ticket. Syntagma Sq. and Acropolis are the stations to see if you can only see two. Piraeus, Panepistimiou, Monastiraki, and Thession stations are all pleasant too! More below.

As you enter these immaculate stations you wonder... is this a subway? Where are the trains? Why is it so clean? Spotless in fact. Many times, the larger hub stations occupy several street levels and its down on these levels that you board the carriages themselves. Larger stations like Syntagama, Acropolis, Panepistimiou and other have nice displays of Art including the ancient discoveries found while digging the new lines.

Free Athens Maps: If you ask the various metro station booth attendants nicely they will give you a free, in English map at the station but they run out sometimes.

World Class Airport Rail Link direct to Syntagma Square

Athens, 'ATH' as a city, finally got it together and its metro at least, is now world class for the 45 minute airport commute alone. Cost: less than ten euro so far.

By Itself that change makes Athens a hugely more convenient city for those visitors on a budget and for many residents.

Even the Green Line or the elderly Electriko has been given a whole new look and backbone and as for speed, well, all the lines are just about as fast as you could ask for. .. that means fast where they have enough room to build "a head of steam".

athens greece greek metro archeology ancient greece People with special needs enter the major terminals from free standing glass elevators outside (pic is the people with special needs entrance at Panepistimiou Station.)

The National Archeology Museum and Acropolis have special access entrances too!

The Metro's Cars and hallways are clean too - so far! The persons responsible for that policy should get a medal - there is no graffiti yet either. However, the glass is scratched on many car doors and windows to the detriment of us all, so those little blighters are out there but somehow kept in check. They have magic markers but hopefully will outgrow them soon! Graffiti is Greek word unfortunately.

The Athens Metro is also faster than driving and you can depend on its timetable more as its not subject to the vagaries of Athens notorious traffic jams. The metro has delays too but not often.

Your hotel Location and the Metro

Cool Map of Athens? oasa.gr/index.asp?asp=sitemap.asp
..pdf map of Athens bus, tram and everything routes?

Depending on where your centrally located Athens hotel is, Omonia, Exarhia, Pangrati, Syntagama or Acropolis areas, taking advantage of the metro can be done more or less readily!

On the map right the Green Line is the old electric train line while the Red and Blue lines recently opened in 2004. Click map to see larger. Notice how there is no one point where all three lines converge.

'ATH' Airport to Port Pireaus Links

To get from the ATH airport to the port of Piraeus
you have to change lines in Monastiraki from blue to green.

The tricky bit to the Airport (ATH) Piraues Port route is that you have to change lines in Monastiraki other wise you will end up in Omonia. Omonia is the busiest station but not the most pleasant of them. Its an impersonal place with a international crowd and a Balkan undercurrent and where you want to keep your wits about you.

If arriving in Monastiraki by metro from the AIRPORT (blue line) you need to change lines to the Green line to reach Piraues. Both entrances are connected by an underground passage. This is necessary as there are two different kinds of trains converging here both with differing gauge track. If you take the electric train from Piraeus, Omonia or Kiffissia for example you will debouch right in the square from the building you will see below.

If, however, you take the Metro from Syntagma square or the airport you will either have to walk the underground passage to debouch in the square or exit directly onto Athinas Street and walk 1/2 a block to the square. This may be important for you to know if you have luggage to carry or when meeting friends in Monastiraki. So differentiate when telling your friends where you will meet. Simplest thing to do is just meet by the church outside the station in the square unless its raining which it hardly ever does in summer. You are going to be doing some small amount schlepping in Monastiraki like it or not. More below in Monastiraki its child's play really compared to other tubes, subways, T's and Bart's.

Port of Piraeus to Airport Link

Even pell mell, late for a plane, the Piraeus to Airport scramble only requires you change lines once, from green to blue at Monastiraki to reach the airport.

That move involves a bit of a roll as they discovered archeological ruins below the place where they wanted to put the station initially and had to move it over a block - that distance, which you can see in this drawing left, you have to cover, baggage in train (pun intended), changing lines from green to blue. Monastiraki is confusing in that there are two entrances and exits to it one in the square and one on Athinas street where it meets the square.

Syntagma Square station is tied with Omonia Sq in importance and the rest of the metro stations pictured below are those you are likely to use the most in central Athens. But first here are some basic tips on the metro.

Buying Athens Metro Tickets

Photo right has metro ticket and cash machines in Syntagma Sq. station and you'll find them at other stations too or a booth attendant or both.

To use the machines press the button for the kind of ticket you want FIRST and then put the money in. The machines give change too.

There are 2 regular tickets .80€, .70€.

HINT: These fares seem absurd to me. You'll get dizzy trying to figure out the fares, typical Greek Bureaucratic non-sense. I just buy the higher priced one and let my team of accountants worry about the 10 cents. The cheaper one is for the old electric train line essentially.

Tickets: the honor system almost

1. One can get on & off the trains without a ticket because there is nobody checking except periodically.

Left a ticket validator. Just slide your ticket in the bottom slot and it wait a second until it is automatically time stamped. Then pull it back out and put it somewhere convenient until you totally exit the station property.

Riding without a ticket Is not advisable, as, even though controls are in-frequent stiff fines are imposed, like some 60 times the ticket price. So hold onto your validated ticket until out of the station.

"Please remember to validate your ticket by inserting it into the validating machine as soon as you board on a bus or trolley bus or you enter a metro station.
Make sure you always hold the correct ticket for your journey and keep it safe till the end of the trip. Otherwise, you are liable to an on-the-spot fine".

Central Athens Metros Stops you could take advantage of

Plan your sightseeing walks with the metro in mind

So to and from the airport and the port are the two big reasons to use the metro that I can see. By the way you can use the Syntagma Sq. Tram on Queen Amalias Ave. to get to the seas shore and beaches up to Glyfada because the metro doesn't go.

Since central Athens is a walkable city and in the historic center its often a delight to walk in, so you likely wont use the metro that much in Athens center. Still all things considered and especially if your dogs are barking (feet hurt) the metro can come in handy. Many should pace themselves in the intense (but dry) heat. Wear a soft hat too something you can get wet later in the sea! Shades manditory!

You can plan your walking tours with the metro in mind like I already did for you and Pausanius did for all us travel writers. You'll enjoy some major sightseeing with your outbound tour on foot and the inbound by metro or verse visa.

Walking Tour with Metro
Agora and Ancient Cemetery

Left: Using the Athens Walking tour Map III for example: a walk from Syntagma Sq to Thession station or brand spanking new Keramikos Station (06/07) would enable you to see a lot of old Athens including the Agora and Ancient Cemetery!

Then satiated after a repast of grilled eggplant, goat cheese and chilled rose wine, or an ouzo and octopi this skaras meze (octopus to be grilled hanging photo right, click to see larger).

After your meal, you could simply hop on the metro in Thession and return back to Syntagma Sq. and your centrally located Athens hotel. But this requires you change lines once, from green to blue at Monastiraki to reach Syntagma Sq. If you were staying in the Exarhia or Omonia Area you would be all set and wouldn't need to change lines. Besides Thession and Psirri, there are restaurants in the Monastiraki and adjacent Plaka area you should consider too.

Walking Tour with Metro
Museum Row (has 7 museums)

Another walking tour where the metro can come in handy is Museum row. If you don't dawdle or even if you do, you can see all the museums on museum row in less than a day!

Get off at the blue line Evangelismos stop and you will be smack dab in the middle of Museum Row or continue on to Megaron Musikis (Opera House) stop to reach the American Embassy.

Walk back towards Syntagma Sq visiting the museums as you go or to wherever your muse leads you. Perhaps to near by Mt. Lykavittos for an gourmet dinner overlooking the city. Or to Kolonaki for some up-scale boutique hopping. There is a Zara on Solonos Street and more european designer shoe stores, both male and female, than you can shake a stick at. The Evangelismos stop is named after a nearby hospital.

The Museum Row Museums in brief

Start early to beat the heat and alight from the metro at the Evangelism(o) stop and walk up a block or two to the Hilton Hotel. Map just above. Photo below right.

No. 1. Diagonally across this busy intersection of some of Athens busiest roads start your museum hop, at the Pinakotheque a.k.a., the National Art Gallery at @ 8:30 am and work your way back towards Syntagma Square on foot.

Photo right is the Hilton Hotel and the plate glass, angst filled statue outside. Brilliant, (click to see larger) it was designed by local son Kostas Varotsos and its called the Dromeas in Greek. This moved here in 1994 from Omonia Sq's Metro work.

Standing as in the picture view The Greek National Gallery is across the street on the right. Its courtyard has the obligatory banner and various outdoor exhibits calling attention to itself.

There are often major foreign artists showcased in addition to the Greek art which is its main attraction.

No. 2.Next moving down Queen Sophia's blvd towards Constitution Sq. will come the Byzantine Museum on your left hand with its three small buildings and the so-called and still un-opened to the public Lyceum of Aristotle campus. Seeing is believing.

The last time I visited the Byzantine Museum it had some particularly nice mosaics like this one of The Emperor Justinian 527-565 AD.

The War Museum: Its free, extensive and underrated

No. 3 on the route is a really cool museum and living, it seems, in a sort of denial state, never advertises itself, never sharing exhibits of war with other museums it just carries on doing what did does best and its called the War museum.

That nome de guerre doesn't do it justice and my killer marketing instincts tells me it should be called the Polemics Museum instead. After all Polemics is something the human race seems to excel at so a study of it should behoove us all.

The fact remains that this museum was built during the junta period with the blessing of the colonels themselves which gives it a chiaroscuro past. Greeks are getting something from it however as its always noisy by the stairs on the way to the auditorium and from the hubbub there always seems to be a party going on. But that's downstairs, ground level and up the museum is usually empty. They just modernized it as well and added many new exhibits on the upper floors.

I mean everyone has heard of black glass obsidian blades from Milos but how many have you actually encountered? What I like about the Polemics museum is that no one goes there and its Free! It also has a lot of really rare weapons (unique in the world really) from every epoch and many other ancient things as well.

I mean everyone has heard of black glass obsidian blades from Milos but how many have you actually ever seen? Here they are in the flesh at the Polemics Museum. Milos is the only place in the Cyclades with Obsidian which was highly valued for its sharp edges. Milos' Obsidian has been traded in the Mediterranean area since pre-history and prized up until the smelting of metals.

By the way, none of the other museum are free, except on special days and they didn't have the original Mycenaean treasure Heinrich Schliemann discovered either so check out The Polemics Museum.

Left the Cafe of the Cycladic Art Museum and only cafe of the museums on the row. Near by Kolonaki square has plenty more besides.

No. 4 is the Cycladic Museum which is great until you go to the National Archeology Museum which in my laymen's view has a much larger and better collection of Cycladic figurines.

No 5 the Benaki collection is next and then No. 6 the National History Museum.
Photo Right: The National History Museum with Strategos Kolokotronis on horseback. This is another good museum to visit with far fewer crowds. Its small but it has atmosphera maybe because many of the people shown here died for what they believed in.

No. 7 is the Numismatic or coin Museum which is housed in the Megaron which he built, sparing no expense, for himself, that is to say, the revered Mr. Heinrich Schliemann excavator of Troy, self made millionaire, discoverer of grave circle A and the golden death masks (his erroneously called 'treasure of Agamemnon' - on display in the nat. arch. museum).

Above Right: coins from the Karditsa hoard 460 BC. Above left: From the case on the right is the coin source of the Alpha Bank Logo you will see all over Athens. If you like coins check this museum out and the building itself is an excellent example of good taste - you'll recognize it because there are swastikas, an ancient solar symbol, (from long before the Nazi's) decorating the massive metal fence street level. The Numismatic Museum Is right off Constitution Sq. at 12 Panepistimiou St. but very low key so you have to look for it.

Some Athens Metro Station Tips and Highlights

Acropolis Station

just one of the acropolis station displays - a reproduction of course

Above: The Acropolis stop could be a bit closer to its namesake and its quicker and more fun to walk there from Plaka or Syntagma. Graphically It appears closer than it actually is. So unless your hotel is over there its more fun to walk from Exarhia, Syntagma or The Plaka to the Acropolis.

Thession Station

Right The Greek Agora and Stoa of Agrippa Metro route between Monastiraki and Thession Stations along Hadrian St. Extension.

Hadrian St. Extension is a nice walk you should take to see the Pnyx and stroll the Thession areas back streets with restaurants, cafes, and night action.

Many singles strut their stuff here to while away the hours as couples and families take the air in the evenings cool period around 10:30 PM. A good promenade space.

Omonia Station

Left the Omonia Square escalators' transition can be quite abrupt for travel weary pilgrims. From above, within the square, there are several egresses to the large Omonia Sq underground.

Additionally dense crowds and perhaps a pickpocket or two means its good to have your wits about you in Omonia Sq especially at night. I cant think of a busier place in Greece really. This is Athens equivalent of Times Square in NYC perhaps. While on the subject: pickpockets are not unkown on the trolley and in dense crowds. The photo above right show the left luggage lockers in Omonia Sq Station with a 15 day max.

Monastiraki Station

That's Monastiraki Sq. in the photo right with the metro station on your left hand side. Click to see larger.

That's it again below left and in it you can see the whole station en face there in the background . Vendors and crowds swarm as tourists cross paths here in Monastiraki Square an Athens Must See!

Bordering the station to its right is Hephaisteou (Vulcan) Street, home to the famous and not to be missed Monastiraki flea market while to the left is Hadrian's Library and further on a melange of other ruins from ancient Greek and Roman to Byzantine times culminating, as you reach the apogee of your walk, in the Acropolis.

Flow like water and you'll enjoy the long shop and cafe lined promenade of the Hadrian Street extension sandwiched in, as it is by the metro rail bed. Next stop is the Thession Metro Station which you'll reach after a short 10 min walk. This is also the way to the near by Pnyx lower entrance, where great and secluded view may be sometimes had.

Below Left is the Thession Street Station entrance in the photo and I took it to give you an idea of the walking distance from the Acropolis of the Thession Street Station. That's the tip of the Parthenon in the low down center of the photo - click to see larger. Even the Acropolis Station is a good 10 minutes walk to the Acropolis' gate as you can see if you click the center picture below. That's Piraeus Station on the right which incidentally is just across the street from the Cycladic Boat Docks. Its well designated for once as to how to find the right dock and your Greek Island Ferry boat.