🛫 MTB Hall A (Non-Schengen) + Hall B (Schengen)

Hall A non-Schengen: Aegean (Star Alliance), British Airways, Turkish, Pegasus, Emirates (DXB daily), Qatar Airways (DOH daily), Etihad (AUH daily), seasonal Delta/United/American to JFK / EWR. Goldair Handling Lounge (24/7 from 28 March 2026) + Skyserv Lounge + Aegean Business Lounge Hall A.

Hall B Schengen: Aegean (intra-EU), Olympic Air (Aegean’s wholly-owned domestic subsidiary), SkyExpress (independent #2 Greek carrier), Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, ITA Airways, Iberia, Volotea, Brussels Airlines, Swiss, LOT, Austrian, Aegean partners. Aegean Business Lounge Hall B.

🌐 STB (Satellite, Underground Walkway)

STB serves overflow Schengen + non-Schengen via the underground walkway from MTB. 9 lounges total across MTB/STB — Aegean Business Lounges, Goldair Handling, Skyserv, Swissport. Allow 15 minutes for the underground walk if connecting between MTB and STB; signage is good but the distance is real.

For long layovers: STB has fewer crowds and quieter lounges than MTB during peak European arrival waves.

EES Live Since 10 April 2026

The EU Entry/Exit System went fully operational across all Schengen countries on 10 April 2026, after a phased rollout from 12 October 2025. At ATH’s MTB Hall A, first-time non-EU arrivals get fingerprints + facial scan registered instead of a passport stamp. Subsequent crossings within the 3-year biometric retention reuse the stored data and clear faster. Allow 1+ hour buffer on first arrival during the morning long-haul wave (Emirates / Qatar / Etihad / Delta / United arrivals 06:00–10:00). EU/EEA/Swiss citizens are exempt — continue using e-gates as before.

ETIAS Q4 2026 — €20, Valid 3 Years

ETIAS launches Q4 2026. €20 fee, valid 3 years or until passport expiry, 96-hour processing. Required for visa-exempt non-EU travellers (UK, US, Canada, Australia, NZ, Japan, Korea, etc.) before boarding any Schengen-bound flight including ATH. Apply via the official travel-europe.europa.eu/etias — avoid third-party scam sites.

Customs Reality at ATH

Standard EU customs: 1L spirits, 4L wine, 16L beer, 200 cigarettes from non-EU. Cash declaration over €10,000. Drone declaration required. For UK travellers post-Brexit: standard EU allowance applies; VAT refund available at MTB Hall A international departures for non-EU residents on retail purchases over €50 VAT-inclusive.

⭐ Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) — €9, ~40 Min to Syntagma

The Athens Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) directly serves ATH (the airport station integrated into the terminal). €9 single (€16 return); ~40 minutes to Syntagma / Monastiraki; every 30 minutes daytime. This is the locals’ default for solo / duo arrivals — predictable, reasonably fast, no traffic risk. Buy tickets at vending machines or via the OASA Ticket app; contactless tap-to-pay also accepted at the gates.

🚆 Suburban Railway (Proastiakos) — €9 to Larissa Station

The Suburban Railway (Proastiakos) line runs from ATH to Athens central rail station Larissa. €9 single (combined ticket). Less frequent than Metro Line 3 (~hourly), but useful if your destination is on the Larissa-Piraeus line or you’re onward connecting to long-distance Greek rail (Thessaloniki, Patras).

🚌 X95 Express Bus — €6.00, 24/7, ~60 Min to Syntagma

The X95 Express bus connects ATH to Syntagma Square in central Athens. €6.00 single (the rate normalised in 2025–2026 from older €5.50 references). 24/7 operation, every 20–30 minutes, ~60 minutes journey. Contactless tap-to-pay accepted on the bus validators — no physical ticket needed. This is the budget option and the late-night-arrival fallback when Metro is closed.

🚕 Taxi Flat-Rate — €40 Day / €55 Night to Centre

ATH offers an official municipal flat-rate: €40 daytime (05:00–24:00) / €55 night (24:00–05:00) to central Athens (Syntagma, Plaka, Monastiraki, Kolonaki, Mets). For Piraeus port: ~€55–70 day / €70–85 night by metered fare (no flat-rate to Piraeus). Cards accepted in most ATH taxis; cash EUR works. Tipping standard 5–10%. Beat (Greek-owned ride-hailing) and Uber operate for non-flat-rate routes — pickup at Arrivals Door 4–5.

✨ Aegean Business Lounge (Halls A + B — Star Alliance hub)

If you eat once at ATH, eat souvlaki / gyro — Greece’s defining street food (lamb, chicken, or pork roasted on the vertical spit, wrapped in pita with tzatziki, tomato, onion, fries) at the airside Greek stalls for ~€7–14. Greek salad (horiatiki) with feta, tomato, cucumber, olives, olive oil — the universal Greek meze. Mezze platter (tzatziki, melitzanosalata aubergine dip, tirokafteri spicy feta dip, dolmades stuffed vine leaves, octopus) at sit-down restaurants. Skip airport McDonald’s — Greek food at ATH is genuinely good.

Greek wine is dramatically undervalued globally — buy at ATH duty-free for genuine bargains. Assyrtiko from Santorini (volcanic mineral white, world-class, ~€15–35 per bottle) is the Greek flagship. Agiorgitiko reds from Nemea (~€12–25), Xinomavro reds from Naoussa (Greek “Nebbiolo” analogue, ~€18–30), Moschofilero aromatic whites from Mantinia (~€12–20). Retsina (the famous resin-aged white) — divisive but iconic, ~€8–15. Pair Assyrtiko with octopus or grilled fish — the perfect Mediterranean pairing.

Take-home picks at ATH duty-free: Greek extra virgin olive oil (Crete, Kalamata, Lesvos PDO-protected — verify protected designation labels), Greek thyme honey (especially from Chios and Crete; the strongest, most-floral honey you’ll find anywhere), ouzo (Plomari from Lesvos, Tsantali — anise-flavoured spirit, ~€10–25), Chios mastic (the unique resin-derived spice / liqueur — protected to Chios island, hard to find outside Greece, perfect curiosity gift). Skip airport-priced “evil eye” jewellery — Plaka and Monastiraki flea markets are 50–70% cheaper for similar quality.

The Acropolis is hard-capped at 20,000 visitors per day with mandatory 2-hour timed-slot tickets since 2024. €30 standard / €15 reduced single ticket (seasonal discounts abolished 2026). €30 combined ticket covers Ancient Agora, Roman Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos, Olympieion, and Aristotle’s Lyceum. Book online at acropolisathens.org weeks ahead in summer (June–September) — the popular morning slots (08:00, 09:00, 10:00) sell out 3–6 weeks in advance for July–August. For 2026 visitors: this is the single most-confused-about Athens entry rule — don’t arrive expecting walk-up tickets in summer.

Piraeus port (Athens’ ferry hub) is the gateway to the Greek islands — Cyclades (Mykonos, Santorini, Naxos, Paros, Ios), Saronic (Aegina, Hydra, Spetses), Crete, Rhodes, the Dodecanese. Reach Piraeus from ATH: X96 Express bus €6.00 / 60–90 min (the budget default), or Metro Line 3 + Metro Line 1 transfer at Monastiraki ~€9 / 75 min, or taxi metered ~€55–70 day. Ferry tickets via Ferryhopper, FerriesinGreece, or Blue Star direct; book 2–3 weeks ahead in summer for popular Cyclades routes. Allow buffer time — Piraeus is a complex multi-quay port and finding your specific ferry can take 30 minutes.

Plaka is Athens’ restored 19th-century Old Town below the Acropolis — narrow lanes, tavernas, evening strolls. Monastiraki flea market Sundays is the best day for browsing. Cape Sounion (~70 km southeast, 1h 30m drive) for the Temple of Poseidon at sunset — KTEL bus from KTEL Mavromateon or organised tour. Meteora monasteries (~4 hours by train from Larissa Station, or organised day-tour from Athens for ~€80–120 including guide + entrance) — UNESCO clifftop monasteries, genuinely one of Greece’s great sights. Allow 1.5–2 days for Meteora ideally; the day-tour version is rushed.

Greek wildfire season runs June–September, with peak risk July–August. 2025 wildfires reached Athens northern suburbs (Penteli, Marathonas, Varnavas) and required evacuation of some peripheral neighbourhoods, but ATH operations weren’t directly disrupted. 2026 outlook similar: hot dry summer expected, with continued wildfire activity. For 2026 visitors: monitor Greek Civil Protection (gov.gr) alerts during summer travel; day-trip plans to Cape Sounion / Marathon / northern Attica are the most likely to be affected by closures or smoke. Athens centre and ATH itself rarely affected.

Greek dinner culture starts late: 21:00 is the early end, 22:00–23:00 is the social peak in Plaka and Kolonaki tavernas. Mezze + ouzo / tsipouro / wine sharing is the standard Greek evening — multiple small dishes shared across the table over 2–3 hours. Tipping: 5–10% added to the bill is standard but not mandatory. For 2026 visitors: don’t plan an early-evening flight after a Plaka dinner — book your dinner in late afternoon if you’re flying out the same evening, or commit to a proper late dinner and overnight stay.

EU travellers: roaming covers Greece at home prices (Roam-Like-At-Home). UK travellers post-Brexit: most major UK carriers re-introduced surcharges (~£2/day) for EU roaming, so a Greek SIM (Cosmote, Vodafone GR, Nova) at ~€15–30 for 30 days / 20 GB can save real money. Non-EU travellers: eSIM via Airalo / Holafly / Ubigi from ~$5–10 for 7-day Greece coverage. 5G covers central Athens, Piraeus, and major islands; spotty in the deeper Aegean and Meteora cliffs.