How to reach central Athens from the Venizelos airport
Venizelos airport, the international airport serving Athens, is 33 km southeast of Athens. From the arrivals terminal you can reach Constitution (Syntagma) Square,in central Athens, by:
Metro
The metro line runs from the circular building outside the terminal to Athens every 20 minutes between 06:00 and 24:00. The trip takes approximately 45 minutes and the single fare is € 10 to Syntagma Square station.
Taxi
A taxi can take you to your hotel via Attiki Odos, the Athens ring road, a six-lane motorway. The trip should take around 45 minutes and cost about € 50.
Bus
Several bus lines leave from just outside the exit doors at the arrivals level of the terminal building. Line X95 is the Athens-Airport Express, running from the airport to Syntagma Square. It leaves every 10 to 30 minutes (depending on the hour of the day), 24 hours a day. You can buy the ticket from the bus driver. The price for a one-way ticket is € 6.00
Athens
Athens is a thriving modern city of 4 plus million inhabitants. Central Athens is built in the same area as the ancient city, many remains of which, notably the Acropolis, can easily be seen.
In October the weather usually is pleasant. If you wish to extend your stay, it is a good time of year to visit other areas of the country. Day trips to the Saronic Islands, Delphi, and ancient Corinth are easy. You could also choose to swim and spend the weekend on one of the Cycladic Islands.
No matter where you go in the country, you will be able to communicate in English.
What to see in Athens
The meeting will be held in the New Benaki Museum. If you choose to walk from your hotel to the venue, on your walk through pedestrian streets you will get a feeling of the city, the market, and see Byzantine and classical antiquities, including a view of the Acropolis.
Athens has many ancient sites, museums, and other places of interest well worth visiting when you are in Athens, certainly the Acropolis and the National Archeological Museum.
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The Ancient Agora, ten minutes walk from the meeting venue, was the political, cultural, and commercial center of ancient Athens, with administrative buildings, courts, and many temples. Athenians gathered here every day to buy and sell their goods, learn the current news, criticize their government, and exchange ideas.
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Within comfortable walking distance from your hotels you will find the Goulandris Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art, with a collection of ancient Cycladic art; the Byzantine Museum, with a collection of Byzantine icons, mosaics, sculptures, and garments; and the Benaki Museum, with exhibits from continuous periods of Greek history. The National Archeological Museum, some 30 minutes on foot down Patission Ave, has an incomparable collection of finds from ancient Greece. And last but not least, the new Acropolis Museum exhibiting the unique collection of the Parthenon sculptures.
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Plaka is one of the oldest neighborhoods in Athens, with several classical, Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman monuments, neoclassical buildings, a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys with outdoor vendor stalls, souvenir shops, and gold and silver jewellers along the central streets. |
Where to eat in Athens
There are many up-scale restaurants, local tavernas, trendy bistros, fancy bars, and fast food joints throughout the city. Many of them are in the areas of Plaka and Theseion, all within walking distance of the conference hotels. Please check with the conference secretariat at the conference venue for suggestions in these areas and elsewhere.
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