The busiest land-to-sea transit in Greece · 52 km · 61–90 min depending on how you go
If you are landing at ATH and your real destination is an island, you are not going to Athens at all. You are going to Piraeus, the working port about 50 kilometres from the runway, and there are five ways to cover it. Two of them are trains that leave from the same station inside the airport, cost exactly the same nine euros, and arrive within four minutes of each other. Most travellers only ever hear about one of them, and the journey planners on your phone will not always offer you the other.
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Small things, in the order you meet them. We walked this route ourselves in July 2026.
Reclaim is right beside the exit
On our own arrival it took roughly 40 minutes from landing to bags in hand. That is one arrival on one evening rather than a promise, but the 40-minute rule of thumb held.
Trolleys cost €1 and take coins only
The machine accepts €1 and €2 coins and gives change. It does not take notes or cards. Land with a coin in your pocket, or break a note at a kiosk before you reach the belts.
Free paper maps of Athens at the belts
A stand of free city maps sits at baggage reclaim. Worth taking one even if you are heading straight for the port, since phone signal in the station is not guaranteed.
Everything is signed in Greek and English
Wayfinding is bilingual from the moment you leave the aircraft, including the platform boards. You do not need any Greek to find the trains.
The buses are about a minute away
Literally outside. Walk out of baggage reclaim, cross the pavement, and the stops are on the street in front of you. Nothing else at this airport is as close.
The trains are about five minutes away
Follow the signs reading Metro and Suburban Railway. It is a short, well-marked walk on the level with travelators, not the long trek some guides describe.
There is a staffed ticket window, not only machines
Useful, because the machine was out of order on our visit. Say your destination plainly, Piraeus, and staff will tell you the platform. The exchange is quick and accents are strong, so do not be shy about asking twice.
Trolleys are €1 and coin-only.Free Athens maps at the belts.
Two trains, one ticket
The airport station serves both the metro and the mainline suburban railway. They leave from adjacent platforms, they both end up at Piraeus, and the same €9 ticket covers either one. Almost nobody tells travellers about the second, so take whichever leaves first.
Suburban railway
Metro Line 3
Ticket
€9 single, €16 return
€9 single, €16 return
Journey time
65 minutes
61 minutes
Departures
Hourly, at 32 past
Every 36 minutes
First of the day
05:32
06:10
Last of the day
23:32
23:34
Weekends and holidays
Identical timetable
Identical timetable
Luggage
Racks and a seat
No dedicated space
Arrives at
Piraeus railway station
Piraeus metro station, at the port
The airport board lists both. Metro on the left, suburban on the right, with Piraeus departures at 32 minutes past each hour.
Follow these from arrivals.Machines and a staffed window. The €9 ticket covers either train.
The ticket itself
Athens runs one ticketing system across almost everything that moves, and the airport fare is part of it. Worth two minutes of reading, because the rules are more generous than most visitors assume in one direction and stricter in another.
What you are handed
An ATH.ENA Ticket: a rechargeable paper smartcard rather than a throwaway paper strip. Keep it, because it can be topped up again later.
What the €9 covers
Metro, the suburban railway between the airport and Piraeus, and the city buses, trolleybuses and trams.
How long it lasts
90 minutes from the moment you first validate it, and you may change between modes inside that window.
The return version
€16, and it stays valid for 30 days, so it is worth buying on arrival.
Where it does not work
The airport express buses, X95 and X96, and the X80. Those carry their own €5.50 fare.
Reduced fares
OASA loads discounted fares only onto personalised ATH.ENA Cards, which visitors will not have. Budget for the full fare.
The machine. On our visit it was out of order, so the staffed window earned its keep.
Validate immediately before you board, not when you buy. The window is 90 minutes and the ride to Piraeus is 61 to 65 of them. Validate early, then miss the train you were aiming for, and the ticket can run out while you are still on it.
Heads up — read before you choose
Allow four hours minimum between landing and your ferry
Luggage takes around 40 minutes, the fastest train takes another 61, and Piraeus has twelve gates with a 40-minute walk between the far ends. Threading a same-day connection is how people miss boats. If the ferry is early, sleep near Piraeus the night before.
Only the train at 32 minutes past goes to Piraeus
The other suburban departures from the same platform run north west to Ano Liosia and Acharnai. They are the same size, the same colour and the same platform. Read the destination on the board before boarding, every time.
Ferries leave on time, and strikes happen
Boarding closes 15 to 30 minutes before departure. Greek transport strikes, usually announced 24 hours ahead, can stop the metro and buses for a day. Travel back to Athens the day before your flight home rather than the same morning.
Organised pickpockets work the airport metro line
The single most reported complaint across travel forums, and it recurs year after year. Distraction tactics at the doors, particularly at the Syntagma and Monastiraki interchanges. Front pocket, hand on the zip. Take it seriously without letting it frighten you.
Piraeus is huge, and your gate may be a long walk
Gate E1 for Rhodes and the Dodecanese is around 40 minutes on foot from the metro. E2 and E3 for Crete are over 20. E6 to E10 for the Cyclades are 10 to 15. Check your gate before you arrive, and trust the printed sheets at the port entrance over any map app.
There is no flat taxi fare to Piraeus
The airport's published flat fares of €40 by day and €55 at night cover the Athens city centre inner ring only. Piraeus sits outside it and runs on the meter. Anyone quoting you a fixed €100 in the arrivals hall is not offering you an official rate, and the official rank is outside Exit 3.
Uber, Bolt and FreeNow all send yellow taxis
Do not be surprised when an ordinary yellow cab arrives. Greek law routes these apps through licensed taxi drivers on the regulated meter rather than private drivers. You get the app and the receipt, with the same car and the same fare.
Which should I pick?
Match your situation, get a pick. There are no wrong answers — these are the most common patterns.
Solo or couple, carry-on only, daytime arrival
Turn up and go. Never more than 36 minutes to wait, and it stops at the port
A proper train with seats, luggage racks and a fixed hourly slot
CheapestLuggage-friendly
Price
€9 single · €16 return, valid 30 days
Duration
65 min
Hours
Hourly at 32 past · first 05:32 · last 23:32 · every day of the year
How it works
A direct, air-conditioned mainline train from the station inside the airport to Piraeus, with no changes. It runs every hour at 32 minutes past, from 05:32 until 23:32, and takes 65 minutes. The timetable is identical on weekdays, weekends and public holidays. On the way it calls at Athens Larissis station, the hub for trains to the rest of Greece, 45 minutes in.
Where to find it
The same station as the metro, and the platforms sit side by side. Buy from the staffed ticket window or the machines. The €9 airport ticket is the same one the metro uses and OASA lists it as valid on Hellenic Train services, so you do not need to work out which train you are catching before you buy.
Best for · not great for
Anyone with real luggage
Early ferries — it starts before the metro
Late arrivals during the metro works
Missing the hourly slot, which costs you a full hour
Arrivals between midnight and 05:00
Good to know
•Only the :32 goes to Piraeus. The other departures from that platform run to Ano Liosia and Acharnai in the north west, which is the wrong direction entirely.
•On weekdays there are three departures an hour from the platform, at :15, :32 and :54. At weekends there are two, at :05 and :32. Either way, you want the :32.
•Two late services stop at Athens Larissis and go no further, so check the destination on the board rather than boarding the next train that appears.
•It arrives at Piraeus railway station, a short walk from the metro station, so add a few minutes to the gate walking times further down this page.
•Journey planning apps do not always list this train. On our own ride the app offered a 1 hour 38 minute route while the 65-minute train was leaving in six minutes.
Slightly quicker, far more frequent, and it stops right at the port
CheapestFastest
Price
€9 single · €16 return, valid 30 days
Duration
61 min
Hours
First 06:10 · last 23:34 · every 36 minutes
How it works
Direct on Line 3 (Blue) with no changes, from the airport through Syntagma and Monastiraki to the Piraeus terminus beside the port. STASY's timetable puts the airport to Piraeus run at 61 minutes, and trains leave the airport every 36 minutes, from 06:10 until 23:34.
Where to find it
Inside the airport, follow the signs for Metro and Suburban Railway. It is a walk of roughly five minutes from arrivals and the route is signed in Greek and English the whole way. Buy at the machines or the ticket window, or tap a contactless card at the blue validators.
Best for · not great for
Carry-on only
Turning up without checking a timetable
Anyone whose gate is E6 to E10
Big luggage in summer, when there is nowhere to put it
Evenings while the rail replacement works are running
Good to know
•Pickpockets ride this line. Front pocket only, hand on the zip, particularly boarding at Syntagma and Monastiraki.
•The 3-day tourist ticket (€20) includes the airport leg in both directions plus unlimited city transport, which is the better buy if you are stopping in Athens first.
•The Piraeus terminus is closest to gates E6 to E10, the Cyclades boats. Use the free port shuttle for E1, E2, E11 and E12.
•Validate on the way in and again on the way out. Metro barriers want the ticket at both ends, unlike the buses and trams.
•The return ticket (€16) stays valid for 30 days, so it is worth buying on arrival if you are coming back the same way.
A direct coach from the airport down the coast through Glyfada and Faliro to Karaiskaki Square in Piraeus, terminating beside the central ferry gates. The airport publishes the journey as 90 minutes. It runs 24 hours a day, every day of the year, which is what makes it the answer for anything landing after the trains stop.
Where to find it
Curbside outside Arrivals, between Exits 4 and 5. Look for the X96 Piraeus sign on the stop pole. Buy at the booth between Exits 4 and 5, at the machine on board, or tap contactless at the blue validator.
Best for · not great for
Overnight arrivals
Tight budget
Direct to the central ferry gates
August traffic
Big bags when the bus fills up
Good to know
•Luggage goes in a central pen on the bus. Keep your day bag with you.
•In August, traffic from Glyfada through Faliro can push this well past the published 90 minutes. Build slack into your ferry timing.
•This is the cheapest and often the only way across in the middle of the night, when both trains have stopped.
•The airport express fare is its own ticket. OASA excludes the X95, X96 and X80 from the €9 airport ticket, so a train ticket will not get you onto this bus.
Door to door, but metered rather than flat-fared to Piraeus
Luggage-friendly
Price
Metered — there is no official flat fare to Piraeus
Duration
40–60 min
Hours
24 hours a day
How it works
Regulated yellow taxis from the official rank. This is the part most guides get wrong: the airport's published flat fares of €40 by day (05:00 to 24:00) and €55 at night (00:00 to 05:00) apply only to the Athens city centre inner ring. Piraeus lies outside that zone, so there is no flat fare and the trip runs on the meter. Expect it to come to more than the city-centre fare.
Where to find it
Official rank outside Exit 3 on the Arrivals level. Ignore anyone who approaches you inside the terminal. Touts sell €100 rides holding laminated cards that look official. Walk past them to the rank.
Best for · not great for
Tight ferry connections
Heavy bags or small children
Being dropped at a specific gate such as E1, E2 or the cruise terminal
Strict budgets
Solo travellers with one backpack
Good to know
•Because there is no flat fare to Piraeus, either agree a price in euros before the boot closes or ask for the meter. Do not accept the word approximately.
•Drivers are required by Greek law to issue a receipt for the amount you pay. Ask for one.
•Four passengers maximum in a standard yellow taxi. For five or more, or a lot of luggage, you need a minivan and that means a private transfer.
•Uber, Bolt and FreeNow all dispatch the same regulated yellow taxis. By Greek law these apps cannot send a private driver, so you get the app and the paper trail but the same car and the same fare.
•If your ferry leaves from E1, E2 or the cruise terminal, a taxi to the gate is far less painful than the walk from the metro in summer heat.
Pre-booked, name sign at arrivals, price fixed before you land
Luggage-friendlyNo-stress
Price
Typical online quote: €55–80 sedan · €85–100 minivan
Duration
40–60 min
Hours
24 hours a day, booked ahead
How it works
Book in advance online. A driver meets you at arrivals with a name sign, tracks your flight so a delay does not cost you the pickup, handles the luggage, and drives to a price agreed before you travel regardless of traffic.
Where to find it
Pre-book online. At the airport, the pickup area for pre-booked cars is signed as Limousines on the arrivals kerb. Pay by card, though some operators take cash on arrival.
Best for · not great for
Families with children and bags
Cruise passengers going to the terminal itself
Early ferries where missing one taxi means missing the boat
Solo travellers with a backpack and time to spare
Good to know
•Worth the premium over a taxi for families, cruise passengers, or any ferry inside four hours of landing.
•The driver knows the port layout. Ask to be dropped at your specific gate, especially for E1, E2, E11 and E12.
•Quoted prices vary by operator and vehicle. Confirm the total, the vehicle size and the waiting policy at the point of booking rather than on the day.
Once you are at Piraeus — find your gate
Piraeus is a 2.5 km horseshoe with twelve numbered gates. Look up your gate on the ferry operator website, or on the printed sheets at the port entrance. Do not trust map apps for berth assignments, which change from day to day.
Gate
Typical islands
Walk from metro
Walk from X96
E1
Dodecanese (Rhodes, Kos, Patmos)
around 40 min
around 25 min
E2
Crete (Heraklion, Chania)
around 25 min
around 15 min
E3
Crete (Rethymno)
around 25 min
around 15 min
E6
Cyclades (Santorini, Mykonos)
around 10 min
around 5 min
E7
Cyclades (Paros, Naxos)
around 10 min
Adjacent
E8
Cyclades (other)
around 10 min
Adjacent
E9
Saronic (Hydra, Spetses, Aegina)
around 12 min
around 5 min
E11
Cruise terminal
around 30 min
around 20 min
E12
Cruise terminal
around 30 min
around 20 min
The end of the line.Piraeus railway station, where the suburban train sets you down.
Walking times are measured from the metro exit. The suburban railway sets you down at Piraeus railway station, a short walk further on, so allow a few extra minutes on every figure above. A free internal port shuttle runs E1 to E5, slow and crowded in summer but free for ferry passengers. With heavy luggage in August heat, take a taxi to the gate.
Book the boat before you land
This guide ends at the gate. The ticket is a separate job, and it is the one worth doing before you fly: Piraeus sails to the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Crete and the Saronic islands, and the gate you need depends on which operator you booked. Ferryscanner searches every operator leaving Piraeus in a single view. On the sailings we checked for our Piraeus route guides, its prices matched the operators' own booking engines to the cent.
Every price, time and frequency on this page comes from the operators themselves, last checked on 26 July 2026. We also walked the route ourselves in July 2026, and the photographs are our own. Taxi and private transfer costs are the exception: neither has a published flat fare to Piraeus, so those figures are indicative and labelled as such.
Timetables and fares change, and roadworks change them faster. If you spot something out of date, tell us and we will fix it.
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