Car rental in Athens

Athens by car

Athens fills an entire basin, hemmed in by bare mountains and spilling down to the harbours at Piraeus, with the Acropolis rock visible from half its neighbourhoods. Summer heat and dense building make the surrounding hills the escape of choice.

Driving in Athens

Athens is reached by A1, A8 and Attiki Odos (A6). Parking in the centre is paid and marked by zone. Streets in the old centre are narrow, a smaller car is easier.

Where to park

Self-park garages are rare in central Athens, and most central garages offer valet parking only. The garage at the Sygrou-Fix metro station suits the Acropolis, the one at Klafthmonos Square suits Syntagma Square and Monastiraki Square, and the PolisPark garage at Platia Egiptou sits outside the Daktylios boundary near Victoria metro station.

Arriving by road

The Attiki Odos toll motorway network includes two beltways: the Aigaleo Beltway (A65) serves the west and the Hymettus Beltway (A62) the east. Entry to the central Daktylios pollution control area depends on whether the plate number and calendar day are both odd or both even, unless the vehicle is exempt. At Agiou Meletiou and Moschonision a one-way street reverses direction with every light cycle.

From the airport without a car

Metro Line 3 (Blue Line) passes through Monastiraki and Syntagma on its way to Athens International Airport, but only some trains go past Doukissis Plakentias, where the others turn back. At the airport, metro and suburban trains share a platform, and the Proastiakos suburban line continues via Larissa station, the central rail station, to Piraeus. Express bus X93 links the airport with Kifissos station.