From Athens airport to the city centre or the port of Piraeus there are four serious options: the metro, the express bus, a taxi and a transfer booked in advance. On 6 October 2026 the metro cost €9 (direct to Piraeus, one train every 36 minutes, last departure 23:34), the X96 bus €5.50 (around the clock, about 90 minutes estimated) and a taxi to the centre €50 by day or €65 from midnight to 5 a.m.; a Comfort-class transfer showed €62 to the centre and €66 to the port, per vehicle. Trap no. 1: many sites still quote the old taxi fares (€40 and €55), and we found no flat taxi fare to Piraeus.
The essentials in figures
Four routes lead from Athens airport (ATH) to the centre or Piraeus. Every figure was read on 6 October 2026 on the pages named, and moves with the season.
- Distance: 45 km to the centre, 52 km to Piraeus; 45 to 75 minutes by car, depending on the page.
- Metro (line 3): €9, about 40 minutes to Syntagma and about 58 minutes direct to Piraeus; one train every 36 minutes, from 06:10 to 23:34 leaving the airport.
- Express buses X95 and X96: €5.50, around the clock; about 70 and 90 minutes estimated.
- Taxi: an official flat fare to the centre since 18 September 2026, €50 from 05:00 to midnight and €65 from midnight to 05:00; to Piraeus the meter runs.
- Transfer (Comfort class, 4 people, 3 suitcases): €62 to the centre, €66 to the port, per vehicle.
- Trap no. 1: the old taxi fares (€40 and €55) and the advice to “change at Monastiraki”, both out of date.
Rule of thumb: alone or as a couple, by day, with light luggage, the metro wins. After 23:34, as a group of four, with children, or with a ferry the same day, the transfer is the calmer choice: the price is known in advance and the driver waits with your name on a sign.
The comparison in one table
| Option | City centre (Syntagma) | Piraeus port | Hours and catches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metro line 3 | €9 · about 40 min · a train every 36 min | €9 · about 58 min, direct to Piraeus | from the airport 06:10 to 23:34; engineering works possible |
| Express bus X95 / X96 | €5.50 · X95 about 70 min | €5.50 · X96 about 90 min | around the clock; drivers no longer sell tickets |
| Taxi | flat fare €50 (05:00–24:00) · €65 (00:00–05:00) | no flat fare found: meter, worked example about €53 (tariff 1) to €71 (tariff 2) | around the clock; settle the price before getting in |
| Pre-booked transfer (Comfort, 4 people) | €62 · about 1 h 15 per the page | €66 (destination “Port of Piraeus”) · about 45 min | price per vehicle; 90 min of waiting included; cancellation up to 16 or 24 h before |
For four people the metro comes to €36, the express bus to €22, a taxi to the centre to €50 by day and the transfer to €62. Between midnight and 5 a.m. the balance tips: the taxi goes up to €65 while the transfer, according to the provider, stays at €62. What the whole trip costs is worked out in our 10-day Greece budget.
Metro and express bus: what the timetable and the fare list say
The line 3 metro runs to Piraeus station without a change: since the extension of 10 October 2022 there is, according to Wikipedia, a direct train every 36 minutes, and the information site athenstransport.com counts 58 minutes to Piraeus and 38 to Syntagma. The first train leaves the airport at 06:10, the last at 23:34. Older guides send you to line 1 via Monastiraki; that still works, but it is no longer necessary.
The ticket costs €9 (€4.50 reduced) on the transport authority OASA’s fare list and is valid for 90 minutes on every OASA mode except the airport express buses; the ordinary 90-minute city ticket is not valid on the airport stretch. The 3-day tourist ticket at €20 includes the return trip to the airport. Some pages still quote €10 for the metro and €6 for the bus in 2026; the official list says €9 and €5.50.
The express buses X95 (Syntagma) and X96 (Piraeus) run seven days a week, around the clock, from the arrivals level between exits 4 and 5, for €5.50. athenstransport.com estimates 70 minutes for the X95 and 90 for the X96, more in traffic. Since 1 August 2024 drivers no longer sell tickets (OASA notice of 14 August 2024): you buy at the counter or machine at the stop, or pay on board by contactless bank card or phone, a method OASA describes as suited to a single traveller. Between 20:00 and 04:00 the X96 terminus is Karaiskaki Square rather than the port.
Then there are engineering works: until 8 October 2026 three stations (Elaionas, Kerameikos, Monastiraki) closed at 21:40 from Sunday to Thursday and line 3 was split in two. Check the OASA announcements on the day you land.
Taxi: flat fare to the centre, meter to Piraeus
Taxis leave right outside the arrivals level. To the centre the flat fare was €40 (05:00 to midnight) and €55 (midnight to 05:00) until mid-September 2026. A decision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, published in the Government Gazette on 18 September 2026 (ΦΕΚ Β’ 5674) and, according to the press, in force on publication, sets it at €50 and €65. Many guides still say €38 or €40; a traveller who expects that figure will be arguing over €10 the driver may now ask for.
To Piraeus we found no current flat fare; a route-by-route list existed in 2020, with no up-to-date version. So the meter decides: €1.80 flag fall, €0.90 a kilometre on tariff 1 and €1.25 on tariff 2 (the night rate, midnight to 5 a.m.), a €4 minimum, plus €4 on any ride to or from the airport. As a worked example, not an official fare: for 52 km, about €53 on tariff 1 and €71 on tariff 2, with no tolls or waiting time.
The caution has a reason: in August 2025 a driver was arrested at the airport for charging €110 for the ride to Piraeus port, at least twice the legal fare (newsit.gr, 26 August 2025). Name your destination before you get in and have the meter switched on.
The pre-booked transfer: what the booking page shows
A transfer is a private vehicle with a driver, priced per vehicle. On Kiwitaxi’s route pages on 6 October 2026, with the euro selected, the Comfort class (4 people, 3 suitcases) stood at €62 to the centre, €66 to Piraeus port (“Port of Piraeus”) and €73 to the town of Piraeus. Minivan (4 people, 4 suitcases): €82, €96 and €96; 7-seat minibus: €85, €102 and €102. The form shows dollars by default ($79 to the port), and the text of the pages quotes lower “from” prices (€48, €58 and €62). What counts is the price for your class, shown before you confirm.
According to the page the price is per vehicle and does not usually depend on the day or the hour, except on major holidays or during events. Extras apply for an additional stop, a detour, waiting beyond the time included, or a change of class. The general airport page says “tolls and taxes included”; on the route pages tolls are not on the list of extras. At the airport, 90 minutes of waiting after the scheduled arrival time are included; the driver waits at the exit of the arrivals hall, after passport control and baggage claim, with a sign bearing your name.
Full guide: Car Rental in Greece: Prices, Deposit and Ferries
Cancellation is free up to 16 hours before pick-up (Comfort, minivan, 7-seat minibus) and up to 24 hours for the higher classes; refunds take 5 to 7 banking days. You book at least 16 hours ahead, and 24 hours for Premium and minibuses of 10 seats or more. Payment is fully online, or a small deposit with the rest in cash to the driver, though not on every route; the card is charged in euros or dollars depending on the screen. To do it this way you can book your transfer from Athens airport and see the class and price before paying.
To Piraeus port: the gate and the ferry buffer
Piraeus is not a station but a huge port with gates E1 to E12. According to our guide to booking a Greek ferry, the Cyclades usually leave from E6 to E10 and Crete from E2 and E3; the metro arrives near E6 and E7, and a free shuttle circles the port every 10 to 15 minutes at peak times. The gate can change on the day: ask the ferry company and put it in the comment field of the booking.
For a same-day connection, here is our own sum, not a guarantee: time to leave the arrivals hall, 45 to 60 minutes on the road, and about 45 minutes of margin at the port as a foot passenger. Allow at least three hours, better four, between landing and the ferry’s departure. For Andros, Tinos or Mykonos another port may serve you better (which Cyclades island to choose), and the stages are in the 7-day Cyclades itinerary.
The booking page has a destination of its own for the port, “Port of Piraeus”; the town of Piraeus shows €73 instead of €66 in Comfort class. Choose the destination that matches your address and read the route page to Piraeus port. The reverse trip is among the popular routes on the same page; we did not read its price.
Can you rely on a ride booked in advance? The reviews
On Trustpilot on 6 October 2026, Kiwitaxi stood at 4.3 out of 5 from 1,089 reviews, 78% of them five-star and 16% one-star: more than four customers in five are satisfied, about one in six clearly not. Praise goes to simple booking, punctual drivers and clean vehicles. Complaints are about drivers who did not show or were late, help that is hard to reach on arrival, and missing child seats. The latest reviews were dated 5 October 2026, and the company replies to 97% of negative reviews, according to the page.
The traps and how to avoid them
- Out-of-date figures. €50 and €65 since 18 September 2026, not €40 and €55; €9 for the metro on the OASA list, not €10.
- To Piraeus, no flat fare. Name the destination and insist on the meter; one driver was arrested in August 2025 over €110 for this ride.
- Metro and bus. No metro after 23:34, and no tickets sold on board: use the machine or a contactless card.
- Another taxi instead of your driver. Leaving the meeting point without telling the provider can, by its own terms, put the refund at risk.
Before you pay: the checks
- Destination: “Port of Piraeus” for the ferry, “Piraeus” for a hotel in town, with the full name and street.
- Class: Comfort for 4 people with 3 suitcases, minivan for 4 with 4, minibus for 7; standard luggage up to 158 cm (sum of the sides), anything bigger in the comment field.
- Flight number in full, with the scheduled arrival as the pick-up time; if the delay passes 30 minutes, call the number in your booking.
- Cancellation: 16 or 24 hours depending on the class (confirmation e-mail); special requests (child seat, extra stop, luggage) in the comment field.
Price, class and route show before you pay on the page for the transfer from Athens airport. To pick the right month for the trip, see our calendar of the crowds in Greece.
