How to move around Athens

Source

Athens is quite a chaotic city, so if an Erasmus wants to move around a lot and see a variety of places in the city, walking won't be enough for them. Using the metro is really practical, since there are three different lines:

• The red line, which starts from Anthoupoli and goes until the area of Elliniko. Some of the stops, from both sides, are recently constructed, in an effort to expand the area of the city which is accessible to the subway. A really important stopl more or less in the middle of the red line, is Syntagma. In Syntagma, one can change lines and use the blue one. Panepistimio is also a busy station, since it is close to some universities and it is situated right in the centre of Athens. In the red line, there is also the Larisa Station stop, which is situated right next to the train station. This would be really practical for someone who wants to go on a trip or someone who visits Athens from another city. In the stations of Omonoia and Attiki, one can also transfer to the green line.
• The blue line, which starts from Agia Marina and goes to the airport of Athens (Eleutherios Venizelos). Some stations that are really busy are Ambelokipi, Megaro Moussikis and Keramikos (that leaves you right in the Gkazi Square), but, generally speaking, all stations help the people of Athens go to their jobs or simply go out.
• The green line, which starts from Peiraeus and goes to Kifissia. This is actually a suburban train, not a subway. It is very convenient for someone who wants to go to Monastiraki (it leaves you right in Monastiraki Square) or Thissio, but it also a convenient way to reach the north suburbs and go to Kifissia, since there is no subway there. This line is also very important because of its stop in Peiraeus. The station is very close to the port, so it is a convenient way to go there if you're about to take a boat to one of the Greek islands -or vice-versa, someone who comes from the islands can move around the city easily.

The prices for the metro are the following:

• 1, 40 euros for one ticket that lasts an hour and a half. You do not have to buy a new ticket in order to transfer to another line, or to go to the opposite direction. For example, if I have to go from Elliniko to Argyroupoli in order to do something quickly and then go back to Elliniko (they're just a stop away), I won´t have to purchase a second ticket. The only criterion used for my ticket is the time limit of one hour and thirty minutes. The number of transfers made or the directions followed are not related to the ticket´s validity. Note that the same ticket is also valid if I have to use the bus, before or after I get to the metro -again, with only the time limit.
• 0, 70 euros for the discount ticket, which is available to students (given that they carry their student card or university pass with them) and people over 65 years old.
• Special prices are offered for someone who wants to buy a daily, weekly or monthly ticket. This would help someone who wants to use the subway a lot in order to visit some sights, or due to his work or university. If you search for the prices via internet or just ask one of the employees in the subway, you´ll get these prices in detail. Since I now only have to go to my university certain days of the week, those tickets would not practical for me, so I don´t know more details.
• If you want to go to the airport, via subway, you have to buy a different ticket that costs 8 euros.

Fonte

The bus is also very convenient in order to go around the city. However, if you want to travel in the centre of Athens or in areas covered by the subway, I strongly recommend not to take a bus instead. The subway is much faster and there isn´t the traffic problem one might face on a bus. So, I would recommend using the bus in the suburbs, for small distances or for areas where there is no subway.

• A normal bus ticket costs 1, 20 euros and lasts for an hour and thirty minutes. However, if you plan to take the subway afterwards, you should buy one of the tickets of 1, 40 euros, so that you can use it for the subway as well -while, if you have one ticket of 1, 20 euros, you´d have to buy a whole new one of 1, 40 in order to use the metro as well.
• A discount-ticket if you're only going to use the bus, would be of 0, 60 euros.
• There are some buses that also go to the airport, starting from Syntagma, Dafni or Glyfada. You can search for their whole routes in Oasa, in order to see if they could work for you, since they are much cheaper than the airport. Those are the buses, with an “x” before their number: X95, X96 and X97. One ticket to the airport costs 5 euros, or 2, 5 euros if you are in one of the categories that get discount tickets. The thing you should be really careful about, is that this ticket is only valid for one trip to the airport or from the airport. No transfers can be made to another bus or in the subway, unless you purchase a bus, subway etc., ticket!

There are also more means of transport, like the trolley buses or the tramway. However, I am not used to moving around with them, because they are not practical for the area, where I live. So, for more information on them, you'd probably have to search the Internet. The important thing is that there are many alternative ways to move in Athens, instead of just using the car. This helps the traffic, making it more bearable to be in the centre of the city, but it is also much cheaper and better for the environment.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen in Athens what I've seen in other European capitals, or big cities: there aren't any roads for bikes, so, even though there are bikers, they are kinda limited, since it is not that safe to just go on the same road as the cars. The past few years, though, the bikers of Athens try to have a more active presence, so every Friday, they organise an event called "Freeday", when they go out all together and follow a certain route. This happens late in the evening and the streets remain closed as it lasts, so that bikers can be free on them, even for these few hours.

Athens can be really fun to move around, as long as you discover the best options for your transport!

Photo gallery