Dates: 23-26 June 2025
Venue: Athens Conservatoire (Odeion Athinon)
Authors: FAcct25 Local Information Chairs
Getting around
Airport to venue: Take Metro Line 3 (blue line) to Dimotiko Theatro (40 mins; metro ticket is €9 for adults from ATH into the city). Alternatively, take the X95 Bus to Syntagma, or a taxi (€40-55).
Metro: There are three metro lines operating in Athens (Green/M1; Red/M2; Blue/M3).
- You can either buy a ticket at a machine inside the stations or simply tap your credit card or Google/Apple Pay.
- There are multiple options (e.g., daily passes etc.) to choose from; please note that contactless payments are only available for individual tickets, daily pass, and airport pass.
- Public transport in Athens is quite affordable:
- a 90-minute pass will cost you €1,20 (US$1,37);
- a 24-hour pass will cost you €4,10 (US$4,68);
- an airport ticket will cost you €5,50 (US$6,27; Bus X95) or €9 (US$10,26; Metro Line 3).
- Use the OASA Telematics website for real-time updates. Make sure to validate your ticket before getting on the train.
Taxi: You can use well-known apps like Uber, Bolt, and FREENOW to book a taxi with ease. These apps will call official taxis, and are not car sharing apps like in other cities.
Accessibility:
- Using transit: Unfortunately, not all metro stations are accessible. Check this page for a list with accessible metro stops.
- Getting around: Athens is relatively walkable, but challenging due to uneven pavement and summer heat. People with mobility disabilities might face even more challenges due to persistent lack of pavement ramps and sidewalks, and we recommend the use of taxis to get around instead.
Others: Recently, there's been a surge in the use of shared e-scooters (e.g., Lime). We would highly advise against using them as Athenian roads are not very friendly to bikes and scooters.
Weather: Avoid midday walking without shade. June in Athens is hot (30-35°C/86-95°F). Bring water, sunscreen and a hat!
- Water: The retail price of a bottle of water is capped in Athens at €0.60 per 0.5L bottle (a little more at a cafe or restaurant). Stay hydrated!
- Also, public water fountains exist but are not always reliable (or cold). Refill at cafés or use filtered water stations; tap water in Athens is safe to drink.
Safety: Athens is generally considered to be a very safe city, but like in many large cities, being street-smart and context-aware is important. Petty theft, particularly pickpocketing on the metro and buses, does occur. This guide's also quite handy and well-detailed showcasing how safe Athens is as a tourist destination.
- Streets: Be mindful when walking alone at night, particularly near Omonoia and Metaxourgeio (especially Karaiskaki Square).
- Hooliganism: In the unlikely scenario that you own a jersey or a scarf of one of the local Greek teams (e.g., Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, AEK, etc.), we recommend against wearing them as there might be tensions with local sports hooligans.
Getting to the venue
View the venue location on Google Maps.
Metro: The venue is conveniently located near the Evangelismos (Ευαγγελισμός) station, part of the M3 (Blue) Line, which connects Athens to the airport.
Other public transport: The venue is also near plenty of bus stops. Please check Google Maps or the OASA Telematics website to identify the best route to get there.
Emergencies & Practical Info
- Emergency numbers: 112 (EU-wide); 100 (Police); 166 (Ambulance brigade); 199 (Fire brigade)
- Doctors: If you are sick, you can:
- Call the emergency numbers.
- Go to a hospital, but you have to check which one is accepting emergency patients. You can ask a pharmacist to check or visit this page (Greek only). The nearest hospital is Evangelismos, near the metro station.
- Go to any private doctor, but they (depending on the country of your medical insurance) might not be able to prescribe. To find local doctors, you can look up doctors by specialty or ask for a recommendation at the pharmacy.
- Public hospitals nearby: Evangelismos (near metro station)
- Pharmacies: Open weekdays 8:00-14:00, with some open on weekends. Look for signs in Greek (Φαρμακείο) or neon Green cross-shaped signs. 24h options available (listed daily outside each pharmacy). Check your Maps app or this page (in Greek) for open pharmacies.
- Online e-SIM: If you’re travelling to Greece from outside the EU/UK, you might purchase a data plan–typically e-SIMS work best. You can buy one online using one of the more well-known e-SIM providers like Airalo or Ubigi. Pro tip: try to connect to COSMOTE’s network as they have the best cellular coverage in Greece.
General local tips
English: Most Greeks speak quite decent English (especially in touristic areas in downtown Athens) and are generally friendly and willing to help if you approach them respectfully.
Coffee: There's a strong coffee culture in Greece with plenty of specialty coffee options in Athens as well. We recommend ordering a freddo espresso (double espresso blended with ice) or freddo cappuccino (espresso with cold foam milk). Both are summer staples for Greeks.
- Sweetness levels are as follows: Skétos: No sugar; Métrios: Medium sweetness; Glikòs: Very sweet.
- Don't forget to indicate the kind of milk you want if you order a cappuccino and have dietary restrictions/preferences!
Payment: Greece uses the Euro. Almost all places accept cards, but cash is still common, especially in taxis, small shops and markets. Tipping is not mandatory but definitely welcome (use cash for tipping).
- ATMs are widely available, but avoid those in tourist areas with extra fees (e.g., Euronet) and opt to withdraw cash in local currency (Euros) if given the option to avoid extra fees.
Things to do near the venue
The area around Athens Conservatoire has plenty of cafés, bars, restaurants and small pastry shops (see list)
Some museums worth checking out:
Just north of the venue lies Exarcheia, a historic district of anarchist politics, squats, mutual aid and counter-cultural organising. Exarcheia has also been instrumental in welcoming and aiding refugees. It is now undergoing intense gentrification through constant police presence, a metro station construction and Airbnb saturation owned and managed by affluent foreign funds.
- Prefer cooperative cafés, independent (book)shops and other similar venues (see some indicative recs in the list under "Places in Exarcheia"). Worth checking out:
🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️: Athens has become quite queer friendly in recent years and most central hotspots are even more so. Check out this list for some of the more well-known places to go out: Gay-friendly Bars, Clubs, & Restaurants in Athens
Athens is also home to a vibrant performance scene. You can check out what's on in these sites:
Last, don't miss out on catching a film in an open-air cinema, another summer staple option for Athenians. Some of the more well-known ones can be found here (in Greek).
Athens Beaches
There are multiple beaches around Athens. Here, we list the most accessible by public transport.
- Kalamaki, approx. 46 minutes using public transport
- Vouliagmeni, approx. 1 hour using public transport, pay for access
- Glyfada, approx. 1 hour using public transport
- Voula, approx. 1 hour and 10 minutes using public transport
- Varkiza, approx. 1 hour and 10 minutes using public transport
Athens Archaeological Sites