© Oleksii Khodakivskiy・Unsplash License

Greece

Athens

Ancient and modern layers meet beneath the Acropolis. Three metro lines link most of the big sights.

Athens Metro (Μετρό, Lines 1-3)

Tap a Visa or Mastercard at the gate and you are on - the only two brands that work. Anything else, buy an Ath.ena ticket from a machine. The metro alone taps out too, and the airport needs its own ticket.

Updated on August 5, 2026

How to ride

  1. 1
    Buy a ticket, or have your card ready
    With a Visa or Mastercard, tap at the gate; otherwise buy an Ath.ena ticket, by card or notes, at any metro station machine.
  2. 2
    Tap at the gate reader
    Hold the ticket or card in your right hand, tap the reader on the right, then walk through the gate on your left.
  3. 3
    Tap again on the way out
    The metro needs a tap on the way out too, and it must be the exact same ticket, card or device you entered with.

Fares

Single fares1

90-minute single ticket
90 minutes of unlimited bus, trolley, tram and metro from your first tap; Line 3 only as far as Koropi.
1.2 EUR ≈ $1

Passes & multi-ride5

24-hour ticket
24 hours from your first tap; the X80 bus (May-Oct) is included, airport services and Koropi-Airport are not.
4.1 EUR ≈ $5
5-day ticket
Five 24-hour periods from your first tap; no airport services and no X80.
8.2 EUR ≈ $9
3-day tourist ticket
3 x 24 hours of unlimited travel, plus one airport trip each way (metro or Express bus) and the X80 (May-Oct).
20 EUR ≈ $22
Pack of 5 single tickets
Five 90-minute tickets in one purchase, loadable on an Ath.ena ticket or an anonymous Ath.ena card.
5.7 EUR ≈ $6
Pack of 10+1 single tickets
Ten 90-minute tickets plus one free; the full-fare packs need no personalized card.
12 EUR ≈ $13

Estimates use exchange rates as of November 3, 2026

Payment

Tap to ride
VISAMastercardDiscoverDinersJCBMaestroAmex銀聯
Tap straight at the gate; one card per passenger, and no discounted fares
IC card
An anonymous Ath.ena card holds tickets or up to €50 of stored value
App tickets
The Ath.ena Card app only reloads a card; OASA lists it for Android only
Paper tickets
The Ath.ena ticket is a reloadable paper ticket, sold at machines and counters
Cash
Notes must suit the price: a €1.20 ticket takes only €5. No cash at the gate

Quick facts

Fares from
1.2 EUR+
The reloadable paper ATH.ENA ticket — bought from a machine and loaded with 90-minute or 24-hour products Taken Apr 2022 © Vcohen・CC BY-SA 4.0

Heads-up

  • Tap in and out with different cards and you pay twice

    With contactless, tap in and out with the exact same card or device. Enter with an iPhone and leave with an Apple Watch or another card and you are charged twice, and the daily cap stops working. Take the card out of your wallet before tapping - tapping through a stack causes double charges too.

  • Two bikes and two folding e-scooters per train

    The metro takes up to two bicycles and up to two folding e-scooters per train. Board through the last door, and carry them using the lifts rather than the escalators. Unlike Berlin, Prague or Barcelona, neither is banned here.

  • Rules for shared e-scooters are still unsettled

    Shared e-scooters (Dott) can be rented, but the city's riding and parking rules were partly struck down in March 2026 and are still unsettled; in the pedestrian areas of the historic centre and around the Acropolis you may only move at walking pace. The docked public bike-share scheme is not running - its operator has posted that the system is out of service.

Timetable

Typical duration The three lines cross at Syntagma, Omonia and Monastiraki, so most trips across the centre take one change at most
Check the official site for the latest times and service status
Editor Naotaka