How to get to Athens

The capital of Greece is situated in the southernmost region of the Balkan Peninsula, southeast of Europe. Its remote location in the European continent and the country’s orography make the easiest way to get to the city by air or by sea.

By plane

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

Traveling from the U.S.

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.

Traveling from Canada

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

Traveling from the UK

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

Traveling from Europe

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.  

Check out our search engine to find cheap flights.

Once you have booked your flight, read our article on the best ways to get from Athens Airport to central Athens.

• Athens International Airport

By sea

Cruises from USA

Although there are several cruise lines that cross the Atlantic Ocean, not many dock in Athens (Piraeus port). There are currently three cruise companies that do so: Cunard, Holland America and Princess Cruises. All the cruise ships sail from Fort Lauderdale and take minimum 27 nights to get to Athens, stopping in numerous harbours along the way.    

Cruises from various parts of Europe

In summer, one of the most popular ways to travel in Europe is to book a cruise around the Mediterranean. Some of the biggest cruise ships dock in Piraeus (Athens). To mention a few:

• Royal Caribbean International offers a 7-night cruise departing from Venice around some of the Greek Islands and includes a stop at Athens.
• Seabourn also departs from Venice during a seven-night tour of the Greek Islands and stops the last day in Athens.
• Celebrity Reflection departs from Rome and stops in Athens.

By train

Greece does not have a good railway system and it has cancelled most of its international train services, so traveling to Greece by train is not a very good idea.

By coach

If you prefer to get to Athens by coach, we suggest you take a bus to Italy and from there take a ferry to Greece. Patras port is linked to the following Italian cities: Brindisi, Bari, Ancona and Venice. Then from Patras, it takes approximately 2 hours to get to Athens by bus.