Athens Airport: Cheap Flights, Transport and Terminal

Athens International Airport Eleftherios Venizelos lies in Spata about 27 kilometres from the city centre and opened in 2001. Greece's largest airport, it is the hub of Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air and a base for SKY express, with flights handled in the main terminal and a satellite terminal. It is also the country's main distribution point for passengers connecting to the Aegean islands.

From Germany, Aegean flies from Frankfurt, Munich, Düsseldorf, Stuttgart, Berlin and Hamburg and Lufthansa from Frankfurt and Munich, while Eurowings, Ryanair, easyJet and, in summer, Condor also serve Athens from German airports. From Istanbul, Aegean and Turkish Airlines fly several times a day from Istanbul Airport and Pegasus from Sabiha Gökçen, and links to Vienna, Zurich and other major European cities are busy as well.

The cheapest flights to Athens usually come up between November and March and on midweek dates; the summer holidays, Easter and August call for early booking. Compare Aegean's lowest fares with Eurowings, Ryanair and easyJet, and from Istanbul Pegasus with Aegean and Turkish Airlines; as tickets are priced one way, try outbound and return separately. The prices on this page are the current lowest Athens fares found by our searches.

Metro line 3, the blue line, links the airport with Syntagma and Monastiraki in about 40 minutes, and the Proastiakos suburban railway runs to Athens central station and, with a change, to Piraeus. Express bus X95 serves Syntagma, X96 the port of Piraeus and X93 the Kifissos bus station around the clock. Timetables and fares change, so check the airport website for current details.

• Taxi: a rank is in front of the terminal; a fixed fare applies to the city centre by day and by night, and the ride takes 35 to 50 minutes depending on traffic.
• Car: the Attiki Odos motorway connects the airport with the city and Piraeus; car-hire desks are in arrivals.
• Island ferries: the ports of Piraeus and Rafina are reached by bus and taxi; plan ferry times with the airport transfer in mind.

The terminal offers a large duty-free area, shops, restaurants and cafés, currency exchange, ATMs, a pharmacy, free Wi-Fi and children's areas. Aegean runs lounges and independent lounges can be entered for a fee; the Sofitel hotel adjoins the terminal and a small archaeological exhibition is on display inside the airport. The airport is open around the clock.

Car parks P1 and P2 opposite the terminal are for short stays and P3 for long-term parking, with a free shuttle from the long-term car park to the terminal. Booking online is considerably cheaper; current rates are listed on the airport website.