The fastest, cheapest, most logical and the most popular way to travel to Athens is by plane.

Athens is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe, so it is very well connected with the rest of the continent. Some of the most popular airlines that fly to Athens is Ryanair, Aegean Airlines, KLM and Easyjet.

There are few airlines that offer non-stop flights between the USA and Athens; however, many offer one or two stop over flights. The following are the main airline companies that fly to Athens:

Delta Airlines offers direct flights from New York-JFK to Athens up to once or twice a day during peak season (from May to September).

Since March 2017, Emirates has included non-stop flights between Newark and Athens and operate all year round.

During the summer months, American Airlines also offers daily flights from Philadelphia to Athens

Air Canada operates two direct flights between Montreal and Athens and Toronto and the Greek capital.

There are numerous low-cost airlines that provide direct flights to Athens from various cities in the United Kingdom:

• Easyjet: From Bristol, Edinburgh, London Gatwick and Manchester.
• Ryanair: London STN
• British Airways: London Heathrow
• Aegean Airlines: London Gatwick

Inaugurated in 2001, the Athens International Airport, also known as Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, is the most important airport in Greece with over 21 million passengers a year.

If you have to drive back to the airport from Athens, follow the direction signs marked `Markopoulo Airport`, as Athens Airport is known locally, because it is located near the town of Markopoulo, to the southeast of Athens.

The fastest and most comfortable way to get to the city center from the airport is by metro. The ticket costs € 10, and it allows you to transfer lines or take another means of transportation for 90 minutes

There are special rates for two persons (€ 18), 3 persons (€ 24) and seniors over 65, under 18 or university students under 25 (€ 5).

A 3-day tourist ticket (€ 22) also includes one round-trip journey between the city centre and the airport.

The first train departs from the airport at 6:35am and the last at 11:35pm. The journey from the airport to the Syntagma Square takes approximately 40 minutes.

There are four express bus lines that connect Athens Airport with the city center and Piraeus port.

• X95: The final stop is Syntagma Square, in the city center. Most travelers use this line to get to Athens.
• X93: This line runs to the northeast of the city, to Kifissos Bus Terminal.
• X97: The X97 terminates at Elliniko metro station.
• X96: Bus X96 connects the airport with Piraeus.

The first three bus lines take approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes to get to Athens, and the X96 takes 90 minutes to get to the city’s port. Keep in mind that the times may vary depending if there is traffic or not.

All buses cost € 6 and the ticket is only valid for that specific journey. Seniors over 65 years old, youth under 18 years old and university students under 25 only pay € 3.

As well as being cheaper, it is also very agreeable to discover the city while you drive to central Athens, although not all areas of the capital are picturesque. Moreover, the bus platforms are closer to the arrival terminals than the metro station.

The journey in taxi from Athens International Airport to the heart of Athens costs € 38 during the day. Between midnight and 5am, the rate is € 53. The fares are fixed and are per vehicle.