Getting Around in Athens

Athens’ legendary traffic jams persist despite attempts to thin out downtown vehicles with an elaborate system allowing certain number plates in on set days. This is one good reason for steering clear of the car hire scene; another is that rates are higher than in most other European countries – contact Avis, or Budget Rent-a-Car.
The battered yellow taxis that appear to be all over the town at once are difficult to flag down in the afternoon rush hour, between 2pm and 4pm and again from 8pm and 9pm when Athenians are either going home or going out. The good news about the taxis is that they are wonderfully inexpensive. They are also a useful means of finding out about the city as you are very likely to find yourself sharing the ride. You can flag down an occupied taxi and, should it be going your way, you’re off. Astonishingly, there are 15,000 of these taxis, a figure approaching the size of London’s black cab fleet, so sooner or later you’ll get one.
There are two terminals at Athens’ infamous Hellenikon airport on opposite sides of the runway. The inland side is known as the East Airport and is used only by foreign airlines. The other, the West Airport, is used by the national carrier Olympic Airways and is where domestic flights are run from. A bus service connects the two.