Flights to Athens - Suggested Itineraries
Athens is one of the best connected cities on the Mediterranean, so finding the right flight at the right price shouldn't present too many problems. All major European capitals have several direct flights each day (London is just three and a half hours away, which is much closer than many people think), and New York is 10 hours directly across the pond.
See - MQSEARCH for the latest advertised cheap flights if based in the UK and here if you are based in the USA.
Flights to Athens have become a lot more comfortable since the opening of Eleftherios Venizelos airport in 2001. Admittedly 33km is a bit of a slog to get into the centre of Athens, but anyone who had the misfortune of touching down at the old Hellenikon airport will know that it's well worth the effort.
Locally dubbed 'Spata' the new airport has set its sights on becoming the main transport hub for the south-east Mediterranean. Unfortunately however, things got off to a bumpy start; and it's taken a long time for the transport links into central Athens to match the slick efficiency of the new airport buildings. Finally help has come in the guise of the long-awaited Metro extension.
If you prefer four wheels Athens Airport Express buses regularly make the hour-long trip into town (numbers E94 - E97 depending on where you are traveling to) for €2.90. Hailing a yellow cab is the easiest way to get into the heart of Athens, but by no means the quickest. Expect traffic to crawl and the ride to set you back somewhere in the region of €15. Traveling overland during the rush hour isn't recommended.
Charter flights (during the summer months) and no-frills airlines offer the best chances of getting a cheap seat, although they often require your travel plans to be flexible. If you're intending to visit neighboring Turkey it's important to note that anyone who has flown into Greece on a charter aircraft will only be able to stay in Turkey for a day (as longer stays invalidate the return portion of charter tickets). Good deals on scheduled flights can be found with a little surfing on the web.
City Break
