Transport and the shape of the city in Athens

The fare, and four ways to pay

The standard fare is a 90-minute unified ticket at €1.20 full price or €0.50 reduced, valid across metro, bus, trolley and tram, with the airport excluded. Four payment methods run in parallel: the rechargeable ATH.ENA TICKET, the reusable ATH.ENA CARD in personalised or anonymous form, the ATH.ENA GO mobile version, and a Visa or Mastercard tapped straight at the validator. For a short stay the contactless card removes the need for any ticket at all.

• Bundles: 2 tickets for €2.30, 5 for €5.70, and 10+1 for €12.00.
• Short stays: 24 hours €4.10, 5 days €8.20, and a 3-day tourist ticket at €20.00 that includes one airport round trip.
• Reduced-price bundles are sold only on a personalised card.

The pass to buy if you are staying

The 30-day urban-zone card is €27 full price or €13.50 reduced, with longer terms at €78 for 90 days, €155 for 180 days and €300 for 365 days. All of those are issued on a personalised ATH.ENA card, so the registration has to happen first. For that card OASA asks for an identity card or passport, a photograph, and a document showing your social security number, plus supporting proof if you are claiming a reduced fare — which is one more reason the AMKA matters early. Whether a given reduced fare reaches foreign residents, students or over-65s who are not Greek pensioners is worth confirming at a metro station ticket office.

The airport is priced separately

Athens International Airport sits outside the urban zone. The metro to or from it is €9.00 full price or €4.50 reduced, and €16.00 for a return, while the express bus lines are €5.50 or €2.70 reduced. From the outer eastern stations at Pallini, Kantza and Koropi the airport trip costs €5.50 rather than the full fare. If you fly often, the pass that includes airport travel is €45 for 30 days against €27 for the urban card, a premium that two airport trips already cover.

The network, and what is being built

The Line 3 extension to Piraeus is complete and in service. Line 4 is under construction between Alsos Veikou and Goudi with expropriations still in progress and no published opening date, so treat it as a reason to check rather than a reason to choose a flat. Athens also runs the daktylios, a ring restriction on driving into the centre: on weekdays outside the summer months, cars with odd and even number plates enter on alternate dates, and low-emission vehicles are exempt. The dates, hours and exemptions are reset each season by the traffic police, so check them before you plan on driving in.