chnaman

I arrive in Athens 2:00pm afternoon their time...weekday..has anyone taken the metro to Monastriaki lately with 1rollon bag and small shoulder bag ? is that dangerous for an experienced solo male traveler with the pickpockets..? I assume that there isn't much violence also on the metro..am I wrong..?

brotherleelove2004

No, it's not dangerous. At the airport the Metro will only have a small group of passengers boarding so you can easily find a seat where you can put your roller underneath so no one can get to it but you. The closer to Athens it gets the more crowded it becomes. Just be hyper-vigilant about being jostled in a crowd and keep your shoulder bag in front of you, not slung over your back, and you'll be fine.

HappyTrvlr

Since your title says taxi, there is a flat rate into central Athens which I think is €38.

chnaman

thanks Brother and Happy...closer into Athens during afternoon ( 3:00pm ) does the commuter crowd start,?

chnaman

If I do the flat rate into Athens I want taxi to drop at my hotel..will they do that,?

brotherleelove2004

Traffic does begin to get heavy around 3pm. Another good reason to take the Metro instead.

Yes, as long as they know where it is. Print out a Google map with the location indicated and have the phone number handy so they can call for directions if needed.

chnaman

thanks again Brother

HappyTrvlr

Yes, the taxi takes you to your hotel in central Athens.

chnaman

thank you happy...I'm thinking of chancing the metro ( seems very straight forward as my hotel is 2 blocks off then station...just concerned about pickpockets..and violence on train......and 2nd choice taxi in with some directions, address and a downloaded map...

brotherleelove2004

Which hotel? You'll be fine on the Metro.

kawh

brotherlee.... "Print out a Google map with the location indicated and have the phone number handy" ... ok... here's my question.

i'm going next month. was thinking of doing just that.. then thought... oh, yeah. totally different alphabet!!?? will most any taxi driver recognize the hotel and address written in english, or should i google translate it???

Heimdall

<b>Chnaman</b>, don't worry about violence — Athens is one of the safest cities in the world, and the metro isn't at all dangerous. Pickpockets do operate on the metro, especially around Omonia, Syntagma, and Monastiraki stations, but they are so subtle the victim doesn't even realise until later.

Take a few precautions before getting on the metro and you won't be a victim. Carry nothing in your pockets, even front pockets, except loose change. Keep your wallet & passport in a money-belt, or bury them in the middle of a zipped bag. If you can secure the zipper on your bag with a small luggage padlock, all the better.

Pickpockets don't get on the metro at the airport — they board at stops closer to the central city and shuttle between stations. Their favourite tactic is to hit as the victim is getting off the train, so be especially careful when you are getting off at Monastiraki.

<b>Kawh</b>, English is the <i>lingua franca</i> of the tourist trade — the taxi driver will understand the hotel name and street address, and probably carry on a conversation on the way to the hotel in fluent English. Hotels have the name on their buildings in English, and street signs are in both Greek and western alphabets.

brotherleelove2004

Yes, the map issue could be a challenge. If you can translate it from English to Greek that would be helpful. Which hotel? You may not need a translation if it's a well-known central hotel. And if you take the Metro it may be an easy walk.

Don't assume the taxi driver will speak English. That's not always the case. Of course if you're at the airport you can talk with them in advance until you find one that is fluent.

chnaman

Hmmm..ok I'll watch when I get off the metro at Monsatriaki...BTW curious how do they " hit"...I'm not a big guy but always thought I could "handle"...but if they are more than one...odds are diff....

dam travel isn't what it used to be when no one needed to worry about this kind of crap...

In Buenos Aires I chatted with a BIG male American...6'5"....standing at intersection and a small kid had his hand sliding down his front pocket to grab his wallet....!!!!! Can you believe that..

brotherleelove2004

Most of the time it requires a crowd, but not always. Sometimes it's one person cutting open your shoulder bag. Sometimes it's a team jostling you at a street corner in a crowd or on the bus/train while one of them goes after their target. It could be a snatch and run, it just depends. As everyone in a crowded bus or metro moves to get to the door that's when they can work their 'magic'. Someone can come up to you on the street holding out a map to block your view downward, ostensibly to ask you for directions so you can't see below the map while someone else comes up from behind and picks your pocket.

I travel with a neck wallet I keep under my shirt when I'm out and about, with my passport, cash, credit cards, etc. inside, and I only keep a small amount of currency in my pocket. http://tinyurl.com/gla6g68

travelerjan

Like brotherlee, when I travel from one place to another -- i.e. coming in to Athens, or going from Athens via ferry to an island -- I use a neckwallet with the basics. When I'm walking arround during my Athens days, no need to carry all that stuff... I just carry a small change purse with the cash for the day and - if I'm using an ATM -- the ATM card. NO need to carry passport daily, no matter what worrywarts say, u are never asked about it. IF you want to carry something - just make color photocopy at home of the 1st 2 pp, and stuff it in y our daybag.

When you're on any island, no fret about pickpockets or for that matter, most any petty theft. In fact, on an island I recall having left a bag full of small gifts on a table, running back 45 minutes later, and a nearby waiter said, I kept my eye on it, nobody even went close. The islands are very relaxing, ive nver felt so safe. And same goes for Athens except for the Metro situation.

Just do NOT assume that a zippered pocket brings safety; I read in some Greek article a couple of years ago that about 75% of pickpocket victims are men; they keep thinking, I would KNOW if someone touched my pocket. No u wouldn't, that's why theyre called pickpockets. Women may be more used to carrying a daybag & keeping hand on zipper. I always have been alert, having used NYC subways for 35 years. Many americans are "public transportation virgins" because they live in cars-only areas where public transportation has been starved of funds to survive.


ALso, these thieves in Athens are largely not Greek... about 3 years ago, there was a story in the Athens paper -- they scored a roundup of a "ring" of 70 pickpockets & 69 were Illegal Albanians.

chnaman

wow ...thanks Brother and Jan for ALL your insights...I'm actually only staying in Athens for 3 days...joining a cruise ship out ....I'll take your info at heart and do my best//thanks again..

chnaman

The metro situation sounds more like petty organized crime rather than your usual kid trying to rip off a tourist...