Athens Airport to Piraeus Port: Metro, X96 Bus, Taxi & Transfer

Take the metro. For most people heading from Athens airport to Piraeus port, Line 3 (the blue line) is the answer: one train from the airport station to Piraeus with no change, about an hour on board, €9. The X96 bus is cheaper at €5.50 and runs all night, but OASA’s own estimate for the trip is about 90 minutes. A taxi takes you to your gate on the meter, because the airport’s flat fares stop at the city centre.

This page is for anyone who lands at Athens International Airport with a ferry to catch, or a bed booked in Piraeus, the same day. The one caveat that matters: airport trains run only every 36 minutes and ferries don’t wait for late flights, so the buffer maths further down counts for more than the fare. If the islands are the goal, start with our overview of getting from Athens to the islands; if you’re staying in the city first, the airport to city centre options are a different set of fares. Details checked 26 September 2026 against OASA (the Athens transport authority), STASY (the metro operator), Athens International Airport, Blue Star Ferries, Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines.

Athens airport to Piraeus port at a glance

At a glance	Metro Line 3	X96 bus	Taxi	Pre-booked transfer
Cost	€9 single (reduced €4.50)	€5.50 (reduced €2.70)	On the meter: no flat fare to Piraeus	Fixed quote, paid in advance
Time on board	About 60 minutes	About 90 minutes, traffic permitting	Depends on traffic	Depends on traffic
How often	Every 36 minutes; no overnight service	24 hours a day	From the rank or an app	Whenever you book it
Where it leaves you	Piraeus station, exit for Gate E6	The port, near the Line 1 metro station	Your gate	Your gate
Book ahead?	No	No	No	Yes
Best for	Most daytime arrivals	Night landings, tight budgets	Groups, heavy bags, tight connections	Families and large groups

What’s changed in 2026?

Nothing on this route changed overnight this year, but three things catch out anyone planning from older advice or from a transfer company’s price table.

• No change of line. Line 3 has run through Piraeus to its new terminus, Dimotiko Theatro, since the extension opened on 10 October 2022. Guides that send you to Monastiraki to change for Line 1, the green line, are out of date.
• Tap to pay on the X96. OASA now takes a contactless bank card, or a phone or watch wallet, for the €5.50 full fare on its Airport Express buses: tap once at the blue validator as you board. Reduced fares still need a ticket.
• The flat taxi fare isn’t a Piraeus fare. The airport’s fixed taxi prices cover trips to and from the city centre only, and the amounts have changed several times in recent years. To Piraeus, the meter runs. A fixed Piraeus price you find online is a company’s quote, not a regulated fare.

Metro, bus, taxi or transfer: which should you take?

Choose by the clock and the size of your group, not by the fare alone. Our calls:

• One or two of you, landing in daytime: the metro. It’s the cheapest reliable option, and trains don’t sit in traffic.
• Landing after the last airport train: the X96 or a taxi. The bus runs through the night; the trains don’t.
• Three or four people with big cases: price a taxi or transfer before you default to the train. Four metro tickets come to €36, and a car stops at your gate.
• Sailing less than three hours after you land: a taxi from the rank, a changeable ferry ticket, and no checked bag if you can manage without one.
• Heading for Andros, Tinos or Mykonos: check whether your ferry could leave from Rafina instead. It sits on the airport’s side of Attica, KTEL runs a direct airport bus there, and our Rafina port guide has the timetable.

How do you get from the airport to Piraeus by metro?

€9, about an hour, no change. The airport station serves two railways, the metro’s Line 3 and the suburban railway (Proastiakos), and you want the metro. Line 3 runs from the airport through the eastern suburbs, under central Athens at Syntagma and Monastiraki, and on to Piraeus. STASY runs its airport trains the whole way to Dimotiko Theatro, so there’s nothing to change and nothing to work out once you’re seated.

1. Walk to the station: from Arrivals, follow the signs for the trains. The station stands across from the terminal building, a few minutes on foot.
2. Buy the airport ticket: €9 single, or €4.50 if you qualify for OASA’s reduced fare, from the machines or the ticket office. The machines take bank cards. Or skip them: as of September 2026, a contactless Visa or Mastercard, or a phone or watch wallet, tapped at the gates on the way in and out pays the €9 full fare. A €16 return only makes sense if you’ll fly home by metro too.
3. Validate and find the platform: tap the ticket on the reader at the gates, then follow the Line 3 signs rather than the suburban railway’s.
4. Ride for about an hour: keep bags zipped and in sight through the centre. The UK Foreign Office says thefts of passports and wallets are common on the metro.
5. Get off at Piraeus: not at Dimotiko Theatro, the terminus one stop further on. Take the exit signed for the port, Akti Kallimasioti and Gate E6.

Two people pay €18 between them and three pay €27, so a group should ask for a taxi or transfer quote and compare before heading for the platform. Our Athens metro guide covers the lines, ticket types and validators in more depth.

Plan it: €9 single (reduced €4.50); a train every 36 minutes; about 60 minutes on board; allow up to 36 minutes’ wait on top; best for daytime arrivals travelling light.

Verdict: the right choice for most people. It’s cheap, it never meets a traffic jam, and it leaves you a short walk from Gates E6 and E7, where Blue Star’s Santorini ferries board. Its weak point is the gap between trains: miss one by a minute and your buffer shrinks by 36.

Is the X96 bus worth it for Piraeus?

€5.50, about 90 minutes, 24 hours a day. The X96 is OASA’s Airport Express to the Port of Piraeus. It leaves from the airport’s bus stops outside Arrivals, heads for the coast and follows Poseidonos Avenue to the port, where OASA lists a connection with metro Line 1. OASA’s own measurements put the trip at about 90 minutes, and it adds that the time depends on traffic and the hour. Believe the caveat.

The simplest way to pay is to tap a bank card, or a phone or watch wallet, on the blue validator as you board. Do it once and the €5.50 full fare is paid; reduced fares (€2.70) still need a ticket. One fare covers one journey, and on the way from the airport OASA restricts boarding at stops along the route, so the bus fills at the terminal and only lets people off after that.

OASA’s Airport Express page doesn’t print a timetable. Its Telematics route search gives live times, and the OASA information line is 11185. If the bus is packed with luggage and you’re on a deadline, that’s the moment to walk back to the taxi rank rather than wait for the next one.

Plan it: tap a card for €5.50, or €2.70 reduced with a ticket; about 90 minutes; runs 24 hours; ends at the port near the Line 1 metro station; best for night landings and travellers with time to spare.

Verdict: fair value for a night landing or a slow day with a hotel booked in Piraeus. A poor bet for a tight ferry connection: 90 minutes is an estimate, and traffic on the coast road can stretch it.

What does a taxi from Athens airport to Piraeus cost?

Whatever the meter says. The fixed figure most people search for doesn’t exist as an official fare. Athens International Airport’s taxi page says its flat fares cover journeys between the airport and the city centre, and Piraeus is a separate city outside that zone, so the meter runs for the whole trip. Most of the fixed “taxi prices” to Piraeus on the first page of search results are transfer companies’ own rates.

Expect a higher total than the city-centre flat fare, not a lower one: Piraeus lies further from the airport than Syntagma does, and the meter has no reason to be kind. To keep the ride straightforward:

• Take a cab from the official rank outside Arrivals, or book one through an app. The UK Foreign Office names Uber and Free Now as apps that supply licensed cabs in Greece.
• Check the meter is switched on as you set off, as the City of Athens visitor guide advises.
• Ask for a receipt. The airport points out that Greek law requires drivers to issue one.
• Say before you set off if you want to pay by card, and give your gate number rather than just “the port”.

For how fares, apps and ride-hailing work across the city, see our guide to Athens taxi prices and ride-hailing.

Verdict: worth it for three or four people, for heavy luggage and for a sailing that leaves little slack. For one person with a backpack, it’s hard to justify over a €9 train that takes about an hour.

When is a pre-booked transfer worth paying for?

A fixed price, agreed before you fly. A transfer is a car and driver booked in advance, with the price settled up front and someone waiting in Arrivals with your name on a sign. You pay for certainty, not speed: it uses the same roads, and sits in the same traffic, as a taxi.

It earns its fee for families who want child seats confirmed in writing, for groups too big for one car, and for anyone landing late with an early sailing who’d rather not queue at the rank. Before you book, check three things: how long the driver waits free if your flight is late, whether the price is per vehicle or per person, and whether the driver drops you at your gate or at a general port address. That last point matters at Piraeus, where the gates are strung out along the waterfront.

One warning about research: most pages ranking for this route are run by companies that sell transfers, so their comparisons tend to end at the product they sell. Read them with that in mind.

Verdict: good value for families and big groups; poor value for a solo traveller, who gets the same roads and the same traffic as a taxi.

How much time do you need between landing and your ferry?

This is the question that decides whether you sail, and the one the transfer pages skip. Work backwards from the departure time, and assume the worst about the parts you can’t control.

Step (by metro)	Schengen flight, cabin bags only	Non-Schengen flight or checked bags
Plane to metro platform, ticket included	30 minutes	60-75 minutes
Wait for an airport train	Up to 36 minutes	Up to 36 minutes
Train to Piraeus	About 60 minutes	About 60 minutes
Station exit to Gates E6-E7	10 minutes	10 minutes
Extra for Gates E1-E3	Add 15 minutes	Add 15 minutes
At the gate before sailing	30 minutes	30 minutes
Land at least this long before departure	About 3 hours	About 4 hours

The train figures are the operators’. Everything else is our planning allowance rather than a measured time, and it all assumes your flight lands on schedule. Flights from outside the Schengen area, including those from the UK and the US, go through passport control, which is where most of the extra hour goes.

A worked example

Blue Star 1 left Piraeus at 17:30 on 30 July 2026, bound for Paros, Naxos and Santorini. Flying in from Rome with a cabin bag, you’d want to be on the ground by about 14:30. Flying from London with a checked case, land by 13:30. A 15:30 landing can still work, but only if passport control is quick and a train is waiting at the platform, and that’s a plan built on luck.

Rules we’d stand by

• Leave four hours in July and August, even from inside Schengen. A one-hour delay turns a three-hour plan into a missed boat.
• Check in online before you fly. Blue Star’s web check-in runs from 48 hours to 2 hours before departure, so on a tight day it has to be done before you board the plane. If your booking needs a paper ticket from a port agent, Blue Star wants it collected at least 2 hours before departure, which pulls every deadline above forward.
• Buy a ticket you can move. Blue Star’s €20 Super Economy fares can’t be cancelled or changed, while its Special Economy fares, 20% off, can be moved under the company’s policy. With a same-day flight, the cheap fare is the expensive one.
• Under three hours, change the plan, not the pace. Take a taxi and accept the fare, or book the next day’s sailing and a bed in Piraeus.

What if you land late at night?

The X96, a taxi or a transfer. Airport trains stop overnight and the Airport Express buses don’t: OASA runs them around the clock, which makes the X96 the only direct public link from the airport to Piraeus in the small hours. Check STASY’s airport timetable for the last train on your date before you count on one.

Our view: if you land after about 22:00 and your ferry leaves before 09:00, don’t try to stay awake on the move. Take a taxi or the X96 to a hotel in Piraeus, sleep, and walk to the gate in the morning. The same goes for anyone flying in from another continent to an early sailing. A night near the port costs less than a missed ferry and a rebooked island hotel.

What if you land hours before your sailing?

Use the gap, but not with a suitcase in tow. Landing at 09:00 for a 17:30 departure leaves more than seven hours, and a Piraeus quay is a dull place to spend them. There are two sensible ways to fill the time.

The first is to go straight to the port and lighten the load. In Town Check In, in the Agios Dionysios passenger terminal at Gate E3, stores bags from 06:00 to 22:00 on weekdays and from 08:00 to 16:00 at weekends and on public holidays. Check those weekend hours against your sailing: a bag left at 11:00 on a Saturday has to be collected by 16:00.

The second is to break the journey in the centre. Line 3 stops at Syntagma and Monastiraki on its way to Piraeus, and self-service luggage lockers operate beside both stations. The €9 airport ticket is a one-way fare, so the onward leg costs another €1.20, on a 90-minute ticket or a tapped bank card. From Monastiraki, both Line 1 (the green line) and Line 3 run to Piraeus without involving the airport trains, so the 36-minute gap no longer applies; keep the same 30-minute margin at the gate.

Verdict: with six hours or more and light bags, stop in the centre. With heavy cases, go straight to the port, store them and keep the day simple.

Where do you get off at Piraeus, and how far is your gate?

At Piraeus, not the end of the line. Line 3 runs one stop past Piraeus to Dimotiko Theatro, its terminus since October 2022, and staying on only earns you a walk back. At Piraeus, follow the exit signed for the port, Akti Kallimasioti and Gate E6. From there, your gate decides the walk:

• Gates E6 and E7 are the closest. Blue Star lists them for its Santorini ferries.
• Gate E3, where ANEK Lines boards its Crete ships, is about 7 minutes on foot from the Gate E6 exit, going by the directions of the luggage service based there.
• Gate E2 is where Minoan Lines boards for Heraklion, a little further along.
• Gate E1 is the furthest from the station. The port authority mentions a free shuttle bus inside the port between Gates E1 and E5, but we couldn’t find its timetable, so allow time to walk as well.

Your ticket or booking email names the gate, and the operator’s site confirms it. For the gates and terminals in detail, use our Piraeus port guide. The X96’s Piraeus end connects with the Line 1 station at the head of the harbour, so walking times from there are similar.

Going the other way: Piraeus port to the airport

The same four options work in reverse, with two twists. On the metro, not every Line 3 train goes to the airport: STASY publishes a separate airport-train timetable, with a departure every 36 minutes, so board only a train showing the airport as its destination and check when the next one leaves before you get off the ship. On the X96, the rule flips: on the way to the airport OASA restricts getting off en route, so once you’re aboard, the next stop that matters is the terminal.

The weak link on this leg is the ferry, not the transfer. Sailings change with the weather: on 30 July 2026 Blue Star 1 dropped its Syros call because of it. The UK Foreign Office also warns that strikes, sometimes called at short notice, can disrupt ferries, trains and buses as well as flights. Our rule: if your last ferry is due into Piraeus on the day of an international flight, come back a day early. If you can’t, leave at least five hours between scheduled arrival and take-off. Roughly two of those go on getting off the ship and travelling (half an hour to reach the platform with your bags, up to 36 minutes’ wait, an hour on the train); your airline’s check-in and security time comes next, and whatever is left is your cover for a late ship.

For the other ports around Athens and the islands each one serves, our onward travel hub sets out the choices.

What to skip

• The €1.20 ticket. It isn’t valid on the airport metro or the X96.
• A change at Monastiraki. The airport train already goes to Piraeus; switching to Line 1 adds a platform change with luggage for no gain.
• The X96 on a tight connection. Ninety minutes is OASA’s estimate, not a promise.
• Fixed “taxi fares to Piraeus” from search results. They’re companies’ quotes. Compare them with the meter and with the metro.
• A non-changeable ferry fare on a same-day flight. The saving disappears the moment you miss the boat.

Athens Airport to Piraeus Port FAQ

How much is a taxi from Athens airport to Piraeus port?

There’s no official fixed price. The airport’s flat taxi fares cover trips to and from the city centre only, so a cab to Piraeus runs on the meter, and the total depends on traffic and the time of day. Fixed prices quoted online come from transfer companies. Ask for a receipt: the airport points out that Greek law requires drivers to issue one.

How long does it take to get from Athens airport to Piraeus?

By metro, about an hour on board, plus up to 36 minutes’ wait for an airport train. The X96 bus takes around 90 minutes by OASA’s estimate, longer in heavy traffic. A taxi depends on the roads and is often quickest outside rush hours. Add time to get out of the airport and to walk to your gate.

Is there a direct train from Athens airport to Piraeus port?

Yes. Metro Line 3, the blue line, runs from the airport station through central Athens to Piraeus without a change, every 36 minutes. The €9 airport ticket covers the trip. Get off at Piraeus, not at Dimotiko Theatro, the terminus one stop further, and use the exit signed for the port and Gate E6.

Which airport is closest to Piraeus?

Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos) is the airport for Piraeus, as it is for the whole of Athens. It lies east of the city, while Piraeus is on the far side of it, which is why the journey takes about an hour by metro and why the airport’s flat taxi fare doesn’t reach the port.

Does the X96 bus run at night?

Yes. OASA runs its Airport Express lines 24 hours a day, including the X96 to the Port of Piraeus, so it’s the one public option after the last airport train. It follows the coastal Poseidonos Avenue and takes about 90 minutes. Pay the €5.50 fare by tapping a bank card or phone as you board.

Can I pay by card on the metro and the X96?

On the X96, yes: OASA lets you tap a bank card or phone wallet at the blue validator for the €5.50 full fare, with no ticket bought first. The metro works the same way as of September 2026: tap in and out at the gates and the €9 full fare is charged. For the €4.50 reduced fare, buy a ticket from the station’s machines or ticket office.

How early should I be at Piraeus before my ferry?

Aim to reach your gate at least 30 minutes before sailing, earlier in August and for the far gates. Do the operator’s web check-in before you fly: Blue Star’s closes 2 hours before departure. If you need a paper ticket from a port agent, Blue Star wants it collected at least 2 hours ahead.

Related Athens Guides

• Athens Onward Travel: Ports, Ferries and Routes: which port for which islands, and how to reach each one.
• Piraeus Port Guide: gates, terminals and ferry companies once you’re at the port.
• Athens Airport to the City Centre: the metro, the X95 bus and flat-fare taxis if you’re staying in town first.
• Athens Metro Guide: the three lines, tickets and validators.

Sources and How We Checked

Checked on 26 September 2026 against the official sources below, and compiled from them rather than from other travel lists; we don’t claim a first-hand visit.

• OASA: Airport Express bus lines and ticket prices
• STASY: Line 3 timetables and the Piraeus extension notice
• Athens International Airport: public transport and taxis and limousines
• Blue Star Ferries: web check-in, Super Economy and Special Economy fares, Santorini sailings and weather itinerary changes
• Minoan Lines and ANEK Lines: Piraeus-Heraklion route; ANEK Lines
• Piraeus Port Authority: tips for travellers; In Town Check In: directions from the metro to Gate E3
• City of Athens and UK Foreign Office: This is Athens dos and don’ts; Greece safety and security advice

What we couldn’t verify: a typical metered taxi fare from the airport to Piraeus (no official figure is published, and the airport’s site blocks automated checks); the first and last airport-train departures, which STASY publishes in timetables we couldn’t read directly; the X96’s frequency and its exact stops in Piraeus; the timetable of the port’s free shuttle bus; and taxi journey times, which no official source gives. The gate details from Minoan Lines, ANEK Lines and the port authority come from their own sites’ search listings rather than full pages.

Athens Tourism Guide is an independent publication. We are not affiliated with the Hellenic Ministry of Culture, OASA, the Greek National Tourism Organisation or any business named here, and no business paid to be included.

Photo Credits

• Line 3 train at the airport station: photo by Bahnfrend, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Airport metro station gates: photo by AleWi, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Poseidonos Avenue: photo by Texniths, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• Athens taxis: photo by Rakoon, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
• Blue Star ferry at Piraeus: photo by A.Savin, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
• Piraeus metro station: photo by Andrew David Boyle, via Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
• Port of Piraeus from above (featured image): photo by Nikolaos Diakidis (user: Nik7), via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 de)