Luxury holidays in Athens

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Areas in Athens

When to go

After the Olympics, Athens has become a year-round city-break destination, but travel from March to November if you want guaranteed sunshine.

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Getting there

  • Planes

    Athens International Airport, aka Eleftherios Venizelos (+30 210 353 0000), receives direct flights from all over the world and connecting flights to the islands, including Mykonos, Santorini and Kefalonia. From the UK, BA, Olympic Airways, Hellas Jet and easyJet fly in daily. Olympic also operates direct flights from New York and Toronto. A taxi into town takes from 40 minutes to an hour, costing up to €40; the airport metro departs every 30 minutes for Monastiraki station and costs about €8.

  • Boats

    Find ferry timetables at www.ferries.gr. Taking a car to Greece? There are ferries from Brindisi, Venice, Ancona and Bari in Italy to the busy port of Patras, then it’s a couple of hours drive to Athens. Otherwise, you can island-hop from Athens from the port of Piraeus, where you can take ferries to Santorini and Mykonos, amongst others. Book tickets well ahead for any public holidays, when Athenians flee the city for a fix of sea.

  • Trains

    If you love travelling by rail, it’s possible to follow the traditional Orient-Express route through the Balkan peninsula. Go to www.seat61.com for a detailed itinerary from London to Athens via Brussels, Cologne, Vienna, Budapest and Bucharest. Athens’ excellent tram and Metro systems are inexpensive and will get you around (and beyond) the city with relative ease.

  • Automobiles

    Although more of Athens has become pedestrianized and public transport is much improved since the 2004 Olympics, traffic is still a problem; getting around in a rush hour that lasts most of the day can be incredibly time-consuming. However, if you do want to rent a car, there are rental desks at the airport and in the city.

  • Taxis

    On busy roads, you might have trouble hailing a cab: pick one up at a rank, it's usually quicker. Or ask your hotel to book one in advance – this is usually the best option.