DESTINATIONS athens bus-and-tram-travel-3

TRAVEL TIPS

Bus and Tram Travel

Athens and its suburbs are covered by a good network of buses, with express buses running between Central Athens and major neighborhoods, including nearby beaches.

During the day, buses tend to run every 15 to 30 minutes, with reduced service at night and on weekends. Buses run daily from about 5 am to midnight.

Main bus stations are at Akadimias and Sina and at Kaningos Square. Bus and trolley tickets cost €1.20 for one ride. The slightly more expensive €1.40 ticket is valid for a duration of 90 minutes and can be used for all modes of public transport (bus, trolley, tram, and metro). Remember to validate the ticket (insert it in the ticket machine on the platform or on the train or bus to get it stamped with the date) when you begin your journey and keep it until you've exited the bus or tram. Day passes for €4, weekly passes for €14, and monthly passes for all means of transport for €50 are sold at special booths at the main terminals. The three-day tourist pass costs €20.

Passes are not valid for travel to the airport or on the E22 Saronida Express.

Maps of bus routes (in Greek only) are available at terminal booths or from EOT. The website of the Organization for Urban Public Transportation (OASA) has a helpful English-language section (www.oasa.gr). Orange-and-white KTEL buses provide efficient service throughout the Attica basin. Most buses to the east Attica coast, including those for Sounion (€5.70 for inland route and €6.30 on coastal road) and Marathon (€3.70), leave from the KTEL terminal in Pedion Areos.

A tram link between downtown Athens and the coastal suburbs features two main lines.

Line A runs from Syntagma to Glyfada; Line B traces the shoreline from Glyfada to the Peace & Friendship Stadium on the outskirts of Piraeus. Single tickets cost €1.40 and are sold at machines on the tram platforms.

Contacts

City tram. www.stasy.gr.

KTEL Buses - Attica. Aigyptou Sq. at corner of Mavromateon and Leoforos Alexandras near Pedion Areos park, Pedion Areos, Athens, Attica, 10682. 210/880–8080; 210/880–80117; www.ktelattikis.org.

Organization for Urban Public Transportation (OASA). 11 185; www.oasa.gr.

Bus Travel to and from Athens

Travel around Greece by bus is inexpensive and usually comfortable (though a lot depends on your driver and the condition of the bus). The journey from Athens to Thessaloniki takes roughly the same time as the regular train, though the InterCity Express train covers the distance 1¼ hours faster.

To reach the Peloponnese, buses are speedier than trains, though Proastiakos, the high-speed rail to Corinth and beyond (to Kiato) is slowly changing this. Information and timetables are available at tourist information offices and metro stations.

Make reservations at least one day before your planned trip, earlier for holiday weekends.

Terminal A—aka Kifissos Station—is the arrival and departure point for bus lines that serve parts of northern Greece, including Thessaloniki, and the Peloponnese destinations of Epidauros, Mycenae, Nafplion, Olympia, and Corinth. Terminal B serves Evia, most of Thrace, and central Greece, including Delphi. Tickets for these buses are sold only at this terminal, so you should call to book seats well in advance in high season or holidays.

BACK TO

Ready for a trip of a lifetime to ?

CONTACT US TODAY