Throughout the year millions of visitors travel to Athens.For the majority, the best way to arrive is by air but there are, or course, the alternative routes by train, car or ferry boats which leave from various Italian ports. (Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi).
The following articles contain useful information and tips about getting to Athens Greece.
BY AIR
The new Athens airport located near to Athens and is considered as one of the best in Europe. It serves hundreds of flights to Greece daily from all international airlines ,Its modern design enables you to find your way around easily. there are plenty of shops, restaurants and bars, internet access and, in fact, everything that the business or tourist travelers need in order to feel comfortable. Taxis and buses for the city of Athens are exactly outside the airport and the bus journey is cheap and takes only between 40 and 45 minutes to the center at Syntagma Square. If your plan, on arriving at the airport, is to take a boat to one of the islands, you can take a bus from the airport down to the Port of Piraeus, a journey of about one hour. The brand new Attica Highway (Attiki odos )makes easy the transport to and from the Athens international Airport if you are considering hiring a car to drive from the airport into the city there are two alternative routes that you can take. The best way is via the new Attica highway. Alternatively, especially if you are going to stay on the coastline suburbs of Athens in places such as, Glifada, Voula, Vouliagmeni, Kavouri and Varkisa, the preferred route would be to take the road to Vari which leads to the Voula junction.To get to Glyfada go straight but dont take the right lane that will take you to Vouliagmenis Avenue ,it will take you though in the center of Athens,instead keep on the Karamanlis Av. and then to Poseidonos Av.that leads to Glyfada ,Faliro and Piraeus in that area you can find some of the most organised Greek beaches. To Get to Vouliagmeni,Kavouri,Varkiza and all the west coast up to Sounion better go until you find a U turn or a possible way to turn back to the Poseidonos Avenue in the opposite direction towards Voula and Sounion.
BY TRAIN
Nowadays, unlike in the 1970s, most travelers don’t use trains to come to Greece . But this is a wonderful way to arrive and should be savored by all lovers of train travel.For anyone coming from the European continent the best way is via Italy and then by Ferries to Patras. For all western European travelers who start the journey from Paris ,trains to Milan departure at night from the station Paris Bercy just a few minutes away from the station Gare de Lion ,it is important to know that you need reservation, especially if you travel at night (Check for Artesia trains Paris Milan ).The day journey is a few hours shorter and trains to Milan depart from Gare de Lyon. Alternatively you can take the train via Swizerland Basel or Lausanne for Italy (Milan-Ancona) more info you will find at the official site of France rails www.sncf.com and Italy at www.trenitalia.com. On arrival at Patras, the journey to Athens is easily done by bus or train. Strangely enough, the journey by bus is quicker than that by train, taking approximately 2.5 hours whereas the latter can take up to 4 hours! Buses to Athens from Patras depart every 30 minutes whereas the trains are less frequent. The main bus terminal at Patras is just outside the port entrance.
BY CAR
If you are coming from the European continent to Greece you need to head towards Italy and the Italian ports of either Ancona, Venice Bari or Brindisi where the daily connections to Corfu Igumenitsa and Patras can be found. The journey from Venice is less favourable for car drivers as it is expensive and long at 36 hours. Ancona is the ideal departure port, taking between 18-20 hours to Patras and approximately 12 hours to Corfu or Igoumenitsa.Obviously, highway routes depend upon from which European country your journey began. From the UK , London , Manchester ,and all other British cities via Dover or Folkstone -Calais head towards Paris and then take the A6 road towards Lyon.From Lyon take the A43 towards Aix-Les-Bain, and then the A41 to Chamonix. At Chamonix, take the E21B road towards Aosta where you must pick up the A5 and turn at the junction of the A4 towards Milan. Before Milan turn off the A4 onto the A1 towards Bologna. Just before Bologna take the A14 straight to Ancona If you intend to go to Greece from the ports of Bari or Brindisi then keep on the A14 to the South of Italy.For visitors from the Benelux countries, you should take the E4 which goes through Koln, Stutgard, Karlsruhe and Basel on the Swiss borders.From Basel take the E9 to Luzerne(Lucerne) and straight down through the Saint Gothard Pass and on towards Lugano and Como where the E9 becomes the A9 to Milan. the route from Milan is then as above from the UK.Travelers from Scandinavia or North Germany can head towards Hamburg and pick up the A7 towards Kassell and Munich.From Munich head towards the Austrian/German borders on the E11. Before Rosenhein turn to the E86 for Kufstein. The E86 becomes the A12 which goes towards Innsbruck. From Innsbruck take the A13 to Brenner, where you continue on the Italian A22 straight down to Mantova and Bologna.From Bologna take the same routes as mentioned previously if beginning your journey from the UK. During the Greek Christmas periode you must drive very carefully in Greece because of the weather conditions and due to the fact that many Greeks are spending their holidays in many areas of the Greek mainland
