Advantages: now a clean and rather quiet city Disadvantages: we couldn't find any in the short time we stayed there
...the outskirts to the centre. Athens proper isn't a very big city, it has only 750 000 inhabitants, but one can't notice where the city begins and ends, what appears to be one city is a conurbation of several independent cities and towns with a population of approximately four million people, more than one third of the Greek population lives there.
It was only after WW2 that Athens began to grow or rather to explode as people migrated from the villages ... ...Games in 2004 for which Athens was completely overhauled. Athens wanted to have the centenary Olympic Games in 1996 but didn't get them because the environmental and infrastructure problems were too great. Should you know Athens from before the Olympic Games in 2004 and found the city ugly and un-livable then, think again or better: come again, it's really nice now.
The traffic seems civilised to an observer, it's fast but there isn't any unnecessary ...
MALU 07.02.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: A Unique Experience which you can only but feel if you were there Disadvantages: None enjoyed every moment
...to the sunny heights of Athens airport and ended in a simuliar fashion. I was pleasantly greeted by my landlady at the arrivals terminal who took me to the home I'd be spending for the duration of the games.
The 1st few days of my stay was spent admiring the old ruins of the olympic temple of Zeus, where dart throwers were practising for the games itself, to the beautiful scaffolding keeping the acropolis together, to both ancient and roman agoras, ... ...to walking down the famous street of plaka. The most exciting part of the 1st leg of my olympic journey was to hunt for all 38 venues and take pictures with me as close to them as possible. Of course this was an impossible task to complete as quite a few of the venues are not in Athens. If seen on the tv we wouldn't think like that thou as they switch so quickly from one venue to another.
Anyway it's 11th August 2004 and we are heading to Pireaus ...
promotions_lass 24.09.2004 (09.08.2006)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: clean,efficient,quick check-in Disadvantages: access time
...to the traffic situation in athens travel time to the airport should be assesed by the day and time of day. The airport can be reached by the new motorway if you are in north or west of athens and by a back road ( now being converted into a motorway)if you are in the south or east of the city.
Other than by private cars and coaches, the airport can be reached by taxi or bus. Taxi costs in greece are low and the cost to the airport will average at ... ...the airport from syntagma square athens and another service from pireus port at Ag Triada. The athens service goes via the north of the city and that of pireas via the coast. The service runs every 15min and costs 4euro.
You should also know that when you buy a ticket for this bus it is valid for 24hr on all athens transport; bus,tram,metro,etc. which makes it a very good deal. The buses are purpose made with good seating and a special area for ...
johngrant 06.05.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: New, clean, efficient, spacious Disadvantages: If you're on the wrong side of Athens, (i.e. south or west) leave lots of time to reach it!
...selling nothing but souvenirs for Athens 2004, of course!
Of the things that really matter, the only disadvantage to the airport itself is the distances you often have to walk. Although there are travelators, the terminal for BA (and most other foreign operators) is effectively a long strip and it can take well over ten minutes to reach your gate. (LHR has few gates that far and is a much larger airport.)
The airport's location isn't ideal, being ... ...Getting to the edge of Athens is pretty quick. The rest of your journey depends upon where in Athens you want to go. If you're heading anywhere near Piraeus, anywhere near rush "hour" (which lasts about 19 hours in Athens ;-) ), then I wish you luck! Catching a Friday night flight at 6pm often meant leaving the office (halfway between Athens and Piraeus) at 1pm, to be sure of catching the flight. Most days you'd get there early, but sometimes you ...
KungFuJoe 19.10.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: Good bus service to downtown Disadvantages: Smokey, dirty, run-down, confused with other Athens airport
The Athens airport is absolutely horrific, however if you're going to Athens it is difficult to avoid. Let me set the scene: a huge, cavernous building full of smoke and smokers (I am a smoker myself, and still found it unbearably smokey). It is also quite dirty and run-down. And buy your souvenirs and gifts far away from the airport -- they're outrageously expensive!
As well, there seem to be two airports in Athens: make very sure you specify exactly ... ...more accessible, but generally useless, other one (this happened to me), from which you will then have to take a bus to get to the international airport. One good thing is that there is excellent bus service from the Athens airport to downtown Athens -- albeit unbelievably crowded. ...
cypress 11.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: One of the cleanest Airport that I have seen Disadvantages: A bit I way from the center of Athens
...my first time flying to Athens NEW airport which I found superb. A lot of people from all around the world visit Greece constantly for holidays throughout the year. I would rate the Airport as first class. It's a fully Airconditioned airport with millions of facilities and extremely clean. I believe is one of the biggest airport in Europe. Most people were really satisfied from the facilities that the airport offers. There are two high way roads ...
nmanias 05.08.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: brand new, clean, good access Disadvantages: none that i'm aware of
Ignore all of the previous opinions because that airport was closed down 2 months ago to be replaced by the brand new Eleftherios Venizelos (I think that's how it's spelt!!). As you would expect from a brand new airport that has been planned and built from scratch it is superb. The terminal building is plush, clean and it's facilities are excellent, there is an almost endless line of checkin desks. The road access is good with a brand new motorway ...
RodEddington 24.07.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Crowded, no facilities etc
Athens Airport is a complete nightmare, worse than any airport I have ever been to in my life. Any airport in the third world beats Athens by miles!!.
The signs are confusing and written in Greek, it is not always easy to find the English signs. It is dirty, badly organised and nobody seems to speak English. The computer systems are hopelessly out of date and the whole airport must have been built in the last century. One advantaged if there is ... ...small, so you cannot get lost for ages. Surprisingly enough my luggage did not get lost, neither on the flight there or on the flight back.
I did not find a restaurant in the airport, at least not a place that would deserve that name. There are one or two cafeterias, where you can get the bare essentials, but hardly more than that. And around these cafeterias there is no nice space to sit down. When I was there we got delayed for 6 hours and I have ...
Wendie 23.06.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: Clean and easily negotiated Disadvantages: Departures is upstairs via escalator
Why is the Departure area up an escalator? Difficult to negotiate with a suitcase and some hand luggage but once up there things are very easy.There is meant to be a lift but I never found it.
Quickly checked in by staff who speak fantastic English (always a help if you need to querie something).Good range of last minute shops, even one advertising the next Olympics. Food hall has a reasonable range of food and beveridges, but tough luck if you ... ...on the day I travelled.
Security arrangements are straight forward - no problems there even although I was carrying a strange package, they could see exactly what it was without unwrapping it.
Could perhaps do with a few more toilets in the departure area
First class, a definate improvement on the old airport. ...
Thrums 17.07.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
Advantages: None Disadvantages: Everything you could think of.
Athens Airport – there are better ways to go
If you like the idea of sitting in an airport resembling a social security office for a couple of hours, clouded in smoke, the only coffee available being from thin paper cups, then Athens airport is definitely for you. Another nice touch is the lack of anything to do or see, so contemplation of the self is an art to be cultivated here. Quite apart from that, there is the thrill of the unknown, resulting ... ...passengers. You can try practising your Greek, since the signs at this supposedly international airport are all in this language (yes, I know Heathrow uses only English). The amazing thing is that Athens has been famous as the world’s worst airport for years, and yet it never gets any better. ...
Luke 29.08.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful Review of Athens (ATH)
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