In this guide
💡 The Short Version: One OASA ticket covers the metro, buses, trolleybuses, tram and the suburban railway inside the city: €1.20 for 90 minutes, €4.10 for 24 hours, €8.20 for 5 days. None of them covers the airport: that is €9 on the metro, €5.50 on the express bus, or the €20 3-day tourist ticket, which includes one ride each way. A Visa or Mastercard taps in and out on its own and caps at €4.10 a day, using the same card each time. Inspectors fine €100. Or pre-buy: Athens: City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tourad is from €17.60 (GetYourGuide).
Which ticket
OASA, the Athens Urban Transport Organisation, sets the fares. Its prices page is the source for the table below.
| Ticket | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 90-minute ticket | €1.20 | Buses, trolleybuses, tram, metro lines 1, 2 and 3 as far as Koropi, and the suburban railway between Magoula, Piraeus and Koropi. Valid 90 minutes from first validation |
| 24-hour ticket | €4.10 | The same, plus the X80 bus. Valid 24 hours from first validation |
| 5-day ticket | €8.20 | The same as the 90-minute ticket, for 5 days; not the X80 |
| 3-day tourist ticket | €20 | Everything in the 24-hour ticket for 3 days, plus one ride to and one from the airport by express bus or metro |
| Airport metro ticket | €9 (€4.50 reduced) | 90 minutes on OASA transport except the airport express buses and the X80, and the suburban railway; €16 for a two-way ticket valid 30 days |
| Airport express bus | €5.50 (€2.70 reduced) | One journey to or from the airport |
| Ticket packs on a card | 2 for €2.30, 5 for €5.70, 10 plus 1 for €12 | 90-minute tickets; with a 5-pack or 10-plus-1, no more than four are charged in a day |
Tickets are loaded on an ATH.ENA Ticket or an ATH.ENA Card and sold at OASA points of sale and vending machines. The ATH.ENA Ticket carries no personal data, so a lost one is not replaced or refunded. Children under 6 travel free. Discounted fares need a personalised card, which a visitor cannot get.
The sums. Three 24-hour tickets are €12.30; with a €9 airport metro ride each way that is €30.30, or €28.30 on the €16 two-way ticket. The 3-day tourist ticket at €20 covers the same. For 5 days, the 5-day ticket at €8.20 plus the €16 two-way airport ticket is €24.20.
Paying by contactless card
OASA calls it Tap2Ride. The validator reads a Visa or Mastercard, physical or on a phone or watch, and charges the fare to the card.
- Accepted: Visa and Mastercard only. Maestro, JCB, Amex, Diners, Discover and China UnionPay are refused.
- Where to tap: in and out at the metro gates; once on boarding a bus, trolleybus or tram.
- Same card: use the same card or device each time, or you are charged twice.
- Fares charged: €1.20 for 90 minutes, a cap of €4.10 a day, €9 for the airport metro and €5.50 for the airport bus.
- Discounts: none by card.
Using the network
Metro
Lines 1, 2 and 3 · 05:30 to after midnight · Friday to 02:00
Line 1 (green) runs overground from Kifissia to Piraeus and meets lines 2 and 3 at Attiki, Omonia and Monastiraki. Line 3 (blue) runs from Piraeus to Syntagma, Monastiraki and on to the airport. First trains are at 05:30; the last from Syntagma towards Doukissis Plakentias leaves at 00:23 Monday to Thursday and Sunday. Friday nights run to about 02:00, and lines 2 and 3 run 24 hours on Saturdays; on Friday and Saturday nights trains run every 15 minutes after 00:20. Trains run every 4 to 10 minutes in the day and evening. Validate when you enter and when you leave; follow the green arrows at the gates and use the wide gates with luggage or a buggy.
Excavated ruins on display inside Monastiraki metro station. Photo: Yair-haklai, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Tram, buses and the X80
Tram to the coast · buses 05:00 to midnight · X80 May to October
The tram runs from Syntagma to the coast at Pikrodafni and from Voula to Piraeus, about an hour from Syntagma to the sea, from 05:30 to midnight and all night on Saturdays. Most buses and trolleybuses run from 05:00 to midnight, a few all night on Saturdays, and line 040 between Piraeus and Syntagma runs 24 hours. The OASA information line is 11185. The X80 express circles Piraeus, the Acropolis Museum and Syntagma on a 27 km route in about an hour, every 30 to 40 minutes from 07:00 to about 21:30; it runs from May to October only, and only the 24-hour or the tourist ticket works on it.
The tram at the Flisvos stop on the Paleo Faliro seafront. Photo: A.Savin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Taxis and apps
Yellow cabs · meter · cards accepted
All licensed taxis have a meter and must accept cards, which a sticker on the rear right window shows. Under the tariff in force from 18 September 2026 the flag-fall is €1.80, the per-kilometre rate €0.90 (tariff 1) or €1.25 (tariff 2), the minimum fare €4, the airport surcharge €4, and the surcharge for a taxi hired at a port, rail or intercity bus station €1.07. Waiting is €20 an hour. Free Now hails a yellow taxi; Uber in Athens also calls a yellow taxi, not a private car. The airport fare is fixed: see Athens airport to the city.
Fines
€100 · €50 reduced
An inspector who finds no valid ticket fines €100, or €50 for reduced-fare passengers. If the inspector’s device cannot find your card tap, OASA suggests checking your validations on its portal before you dispute the fine.
Where the day trips leave from
| Place | For |
|---|---|
| Larissis Station (metro line 2) | The Intercity train to Meteora and the suburban railway to Corinth; the 8:00 and 9:00 Meteora coach tours |
| KTEL Liosion bus terminal | The KTEL Fokidas buses to Delphi; OASA buses 420 and A10 from Larissis Station, and the X93 from the airport |
| KTEL Kifissou bus terminal | Buses to Nafplio and the Peloponnese; OASA bus 051 from Omonia, 420 from Piraeus, X93 from the airport |
| Pedion tou Areos (Aigyptou Square) | The KTEL coastal buses to Cape Sounion |
| Piraeus | The Saronic ferries and cruises; metro lines 1 and 3 |
KTEL’s information line is +30 210 880 8080; Kifissou is +30 210 512 4910 and Liosion +30 210 831 7186.
Which ticket to buy
- A short stay on foot and the metro: a Visa or Mastercard on the validator, which caps at €4.10 a day.
- Arriving and leaving by metro and riding every day for 3 days: the 3-day tourist ticket at €20.
- Five days: the 5-day ticket at €8.20, plus the airport ticket.
- The X80: the 24-hour ticket.
- Day trips: the metro to the station, then the operator’s own ticket.
What to book before you go to Athens lists the sights that need tickets, where to stay in Athens compares the areas (with hotels near the Acropolis by distance), and the day trips from Athens are compared on their own page. Athens airport to the city covers the first and last day, Athens walking tours compares the bike tours and the hop-on hop-off buses, and the Athens city pass shows whether a pass that bundles transport pays. Athens in one or two days shows how the routes fit between the sights.
Common questions
How much is a metro ticket in Athens?
€1.20 for a 90-minute ticket valid on the metro, buses, trolleybuses, tram and the suburban railway between Magoula, Piraeus and Koropi. A 24-hour ticket is €4.10 and a 5-day ticket €8.20. None of them covers the airport.
Is the 3-day tourist ticket worth it?
At €20 it covers the same network as the 24-hour ticket for 3 days, the X80 bus, and one ride to and one from the airport by express bus or metro. Three 24-hour tickets and a return airport metro ticket come to €28.30.
Can you pay for the Athens metro with a contactless card?
Yes, with a Visa or Mastercard, or a phone or watch holding one. Maestro, Amex and other cards are refused. Tap in and out at the metro gates and once on a bus or tram, using the same card each time. The daily cap is €4.10.
What is the fine for travelling without a ticket in Athens?
€100, or €50 for reduced-fare passengers, under Joint Ministerial Decision 80212 in Government Gazette B 3005 of 28 May 2026. Validate on entering and leaving metro and railway stations, and once on buses and trams.
Does the Athens metro run at night?
Lines run from about 05:30 to after midnight, until about 02:00 on Friday nights, and lines 2 and 3 run 24 hours every Saturday. The airport trains are not part of the Saturday all-night service.
