
Athens airport station — Photo by Trowbridge Estate
Planning to spend a few days sightseeing in Athens?
Tourists may opt for an all-inclusive ticket, which has been relaunched and repriced for 2013.
- 3 days tourist ticket for 20 euros
- 7 days airport ticket for 50 euros (not called ‘tourist ticket’ as of August 2013)
There are no discounted tickets for children, students, seniors, families or other special groups.
*Article last updated April 5, 2015. Major update on April 18, 2013 with info from Athens Transport.
What tickets include
Each ticket is valid for:
- One round-trip (return trip) to/from the Athens airport by metro or express ‘X’ bus;
and - Unlimited in-city travel on all lines of the metro/ISAP (1, 2, 3 or red/blue/green), suburban railway/proastiakos, tram, trolley and bus.
All travel must be completed before the ticket expires.
*Excludes suburban railway/proastiakos stations west of Magoula.
**Excludes bus X80.
Where to buy
Tickets are available at the Athens airport metro station, as most people interested in purchasing this ticket will arrive and depart via Eleftherios Venizelos International.
They are also sold at Athens metro stations: Syntagma, Omonia, Akropoli, Thiseio, Monastiraki and Piraeus as of August 2013.

© Copyrighted image from Greece: Instructions for Use
How to use
As with all public transport tickets, the three-day and seven-day ticket must be validated in a brightly colored machine at the entrance or platform of the metro, suburban railway or tram, or upon boarding a bus or trolley. The 72-hour or 168-hour countdown begins once the ticket is stamped, and there is no need to validate it again.
Passengers must keep tickets handy for random checks by agents. Those who cannot show a valid ticket will be requested to disembark and receive a fine. Immediate payment, or payment within 10 days at the relevant office, cuts the fine in half.
Price of other Athens transport tickets
To determine if this tourist ticket is a cost-effective options, estimate and multiply the number of rides by normal prices (below) to compare.
Athens, in-city transport
Single ticket for all modes, 9070-minute validity, one direction: €1.20*
One-day ticket, all modes: €4.00
Five-day ticket, all modes: €10.00
One-week ticket, all modes: €14.00
The single ticket for €1.20 and valid for one ride in one direction on one mode via city bus, trolley or tram was discontinued on September 1, 2014. If you still have a few, they’re valid until March 31, 2015.
*Buy a pack of 10, get one free as of January 1, 2013
Athens airport transport
Express ‘X’ buses: €5.00 one way
Metro: €8.00 one way, €14.00 return/round-trip (valid for 7 days); €14.00 one-way, two people; €20.00 one way, three people
Suburban railway/proastiakos: €8.00 one way, €14.00 return/round-trip
For many travelers, this ticket does not present an obvious cost savings or convenience due to its small discount and limitations.
The transport authority announced the comeback and price of tickets on December 5, 2012 before they were for sale; made it appear as if they were “new” in August, though they had been for sale since January; and has done little to promote them or inform the public.
Previous to 2013
*For informational and archival purposes only.
A tourist ticket for unlimited travel on all modes of Athens transport including the Athens airport is no longer available as of February 1, 2011 due to ticket fare increases and the discontinuation of Athens Sightseeing Bus 400 on June 1, 2010.
Tourists and residents can purchase a three-day ticket for only 15 euros, which is valid for unlimited travel in Athens on the suburban railway (proastiakos), metro, and ‘X’ buses to/from the airport, the Athens Sightseeing Bus in the city center (line 400) and all lines of the metro, tram, trolley and bus.
A three-day ticket is perfect for those who plan to see the town and may be on their way to another destination within Greece, or are coming from a Greek island by ferry and want to spend a couple of days in Athens before heading to the airport.
The normal 24-hour (€3) and weekly tickets (€10) do not include the Athens Sightseeing Bus (€5) or transport to/from the airport (round trip €6.40-12.00). So the three-day ticket is versatile and convenient but may no longer be cost-efficient now that the Athens Sightseeing Bus 400 has been permanently discontinued as of June 1, 2010. It depends on your needs.
Where to buy tickets
Tickets are available at locations where visitors to Athens are most likely to begin their travels, including:
1. Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport of Athens: Airport ‘X’ buses or nearby kiosk
2. Suburban Railway (Proastiakos) Stations, “Larissis” and “Piraeus”
3. Athens Metro Station “Syntagma”
4. Athens Metro Stations (Green Line or ISAP) “Piraeus” and “Omonia”
The Athens Urban Transport Authority is distributing brochures from four information stands in the Arrivals Hall of the Athens airport and a booth in suburban railway stations, where tourists are most likely to start their travels in Athens.
Related posts
“KTEL buses of Greece”
“10 tips for flying with Olympic Airlines”
“Live your myth in Greece 2008”
Sources
“Eleven tickets for the price of 10 as of January 1” — Athens Transport
“Τουριστικό εισιτήριο 3 και 7 ημερών από τον ΟΑΣΑ” — To Vima
“Flat fare tickets” — STASY
“Τουριστικά εισιτήρια για μετακινήσεις στην Αθήνα” — Athens Transport
“Από 1η Ιουλίου το νέο τριήμερο τουριστικό εισιτήριο του ΟΑΣΑ”
“Organismos Astikon Sygkoinonion Athinon/Athens Urban Transport Authority”
http://bit.ly/ATHticket
Kat Reply:
June 30th, 2009 at 00:10
I’m a big supporter of public transport, so this ticket makes a lot of sense. It simplifies things greatly and offers good value. However, I agree that it could be easier to understand, starting with KTEL making schedules and maps more available for free, and OASA maps a bit easier to understand also. It did get better after Athens 2004, so just think how it was before that.