Line 1 (green on all maps of the Metro) is the oldest and it runs from southeast and north. It starts from the harbour of Piraeus. On this line you can get to Plaka as well as Akropolis from Monastiraki station. Line 3 (blue) also pass this station as it goes on to Omonia where line 2 (red) stops. In the neighbourhood of Omonia you’ll find quite a few low price hotels. Athens National Museum is just a short walk from Omonia. Line 1 continues towards the northern part of Athens all the way to Kifissa, which is north of The Olympic Stadium.

For info on the Airport Bus: See the above page.

There are a number of blue local buses serving all parts of Athens. Unfortunately we know very little about them. We have only tried the electrically powered yellow buses. They are called trolley buses. You find their lines marked on the city maps that are available in hotel lobbies. When walking the streets of Athens, just look for a yellow sign with the number of the bus line that you want to use. Remember to buy your ticket before getting on and to stamp it right away in the orange machine. The blue buses go from 5 AM to 11.30 PM all days except Sundays and holydays when they start at 5.30 AM. The yellow trolley buses; 5 AM to 12 PM all days except Sundays and holydays when they start at 5.30 AM.

To be frank, we try to avoid using taxi, in Athens that is. This is for several reasons, one of them being the way many of the cabbies drive. Anne Grete is just simply terrified whenever we take a taxi in Athens. Another one has got to do with the paying for the trip. We have had some strange experiences in this respect. It is rare that a taxi driver charge you what the trip actually cost. As a rule they charge a lot more, often twice the price or more. I’ve heard of up to 4 times the correct price. Over all the years here in Greece we have only met one or two taxis using the meter and charging a fair price. I remember one in particular. The one who took us from Piraeus to Syntagma in the summer of 1993. He used the meter and when we got there it stopped on € 2,35. He charged us € 2,50. I wanted to pay € 3 but he wouldn’t let me. He refused to take more than € 2,50. Beat that! We were two families going in different taxis and the other family was charged € 6 for the exact same trip. This was possible because the usual way is to drive without the meter running. That way they are free to charge whatever they like.

Try to figure out in advance what is a reasonable price and make a deal with the driver before getting in to the taxi, and if he will not fix a price. Try another one. There is always a driver who will. The best option is to make the driver use the meter, but we have been deceived even then. I refer to a trip from the old airport to Piraeus. We had agreed to pay the price that would show on the meter. After a short distance the taxi stopped and the chauffeur fumbled with something under the dashboard resulting in the car refusing to start again. He tried and tried but it just wouldn’t kick in. He did some more fumbling under the dashboard. This time the engine started but the meter was dead. When we got to Piraeus he charged us double the normal price.

It really is quite cheap to take a taxi in Greece. Let’s say that the normal price for a trip from the centre of Athens to the old airport is about € 12. This is not bad for 27 km so why hassle over paying a little more. Most of us can probably afford it. Nevertheless we are sick and tired of tourists always being exploited. Why can’t the cabbies in Athens be as honest as those on the islands? Here there is hardly ever any trouble with the payment. The price is the same no matter what driver you go with. The only difference is that one pays a little more driving back from a night on the town.