Hello,
I will be arriving in Athens late, around 11:15pm. I wanted to know what would be the best way to get to the hotel. I will be staying at Hotel Amalia. Since its gonna be pretty late, am i better off taking a taxi or is the metro still a good option? Thanks

You can take the 24hour express bus E95 from the airport which route ends right at your hotel (maybe 2 min walk across the street to the doorstep). It is much better for you than the metro. The bus departs from the Arrivals area, between exits 4 and 5 and leaves every 15 minutes.

The Metro will have stopped running for the day by the time you reach the street. If you take the airport bus your last stop will be right alongside Syntagma Square on Othonos Street. Walk uphill to the next corner. That's Amalias Street. I'm pretty sure the hotel is to the right.

Thanks for the help. WIth the recent upheaval in Athens should i look into another option than staying so close to Syntagma? I

It's uncertain if there will be any more demonstrations. I guess it depends on when you plan to be there. No one can say for certain what will happen.

You do not take a taxi because the bus that stops at Syntagma Square, where the hotel is located, will be waiting for you just outside the airport gate. It departs every 15-20 minutes. There is a kiosk near the bus, where you can buy a ticket for 3.20 euros, instead of 50 euros that you would pay for a taxi. That is exactly how I reached Amalia Hotel last February that I was in Athens and it is very convenient.

Thought I'd add my question to this old thread instead of starting a new one (not sure what Fodors etiquette is on that).

We are a family of 3 arriving in Athens around 8:30 pm on Easter Sunday and staying at the Ava hotel. Despite our best intentions we haven't mastered the art of packing lightly, so we will probably have a couple of rolling duffels (too big to carry-on). The hotel suggests that if we take the metro we should change trains for the Acropolis stop, and that it's only about a 3 minute walk from there.

Could anyone tell me if taking the metro involves a lot of stairs? I can do a few steps here and there with the duffels, but if it involves long flights I might lean towards a taxi (unless taxis will be scarce (or traffic bad?) because of Easter).

Also, are pickpockets a particular problem on the metro? We're not novice travellers, but I admit that we are both more obvious targets and less vigilant when we're lugging everything around.

Last, I understand metro for 3 would be about 22e, and a taxi would be about 40e or so. Does that sound right?

thanks!

Now that the taxi price from Airport to Syntagma area has been officially set as 35€ flat rate INCLUDING baggage fee and tolls etc ... taxi is absolutely your best bet. with 3 heavy bags u could give him €1 tip.

Thanks, Jan! I didn't know about the new flat rate.

travelerjan - does that 35€ flat rate go up after midnight? Our flight comes in around 11:30 pm and we're trying to figure out whether to take taxi or bus (staying at Airotel). thanks!

I think its 50e from midnight to 5 am.

http://www.aia.gr/pages.asp?langid=2&pageid=988

That's right, doh. Crayon, you can get off the bus (€10 for 2), walk 20 feet to the corner, turn right n Amalias, and roll your bags on a slightly downhill) walk, 15 minutes to Airotel Parthenon (on this map, at the "n" in Makrogianni). http://www.athensguide.com/map/athens.htm The streets will be buzzing of course at only 1 am.. early evening for Greeks! If really tired, or have really heavy luggage, you can taxi for about €5-6. €10+5 = 15 vs. 50. Your call.