Taxis, Athens

I learned the hard way on this. But if you are coming in from a fery into Pireaus, do not pay more that 10 euro for a trip to Athens. I ended up paying 30 and my Hotel told be I got ripped. There are plenty of taxis waiting, so dont take one until they tell you they will do it for 10 euros.

Fun Alternatives: Take the Metro. We got in at 2am, and the Metro closes at 1am. So we had to take a taxi. The metro will cost you about 1.60 euros and is about a 15 minute ride. Do this also for the airport.

Look, while there's almost no way of avoiding this, it's good to know. If you are a tourist, taxi drivers will almost always do the famous thing of taking "the long way" to any destination.

Unique Suggestions: A good thing to do, is ask a Greek person if you konw one how much it should generally be to get somewhere. And then the second you sit in the cab, just say "we will not pay you more than 5 euros to go here" or something. He might just ask you to get out of the cab, but it might work.

Fun Alternatives: Take the bus and metro as much as possible, it's a fixed priced, maybe not as quick but at least you know you're not being ripped off.

unless you like long rides dont worry bout this trap...
taxi drivers try to squeeze every penny out of you.... they like to drive around in circles and give their customers tours around athens.

Unique Suggestions: if you have to get a taxi make sure you know exactly where you're going, theres alot of us that would like to help you so just ask around... we may even suggest you another alternative instead of a taxi if its possible!

Fun Alternatives: if you're in syndagma and say you want to go to the beach there are at least 5 to 8 buses that do so!
the tram starts from syndagma and ends in glyfada... its 45mins but its not a bad ride, its new and comfy!
theres the metro line thats connected with the train and the tram, buses with unlimited routes.

Take care about fares, is very common that someones want more money than the taxi counter says, and normally the drivers have a very bad mood, like if they be angry all the time.

Unique Suggestions: I know it is very difficult to find, but if you can get a taxi with a woman driving this is the best option. Women are more gentle, honests, and safest drivers.

Fun Alternatives: Now in Athens the new metro net is the best option, but you can choose the bus net to get the airport. Cheapest, and without troubles with the drivers!

Most of the times you will have an honest driver when you hail a taxi in Athens. However, there are some taxi-cowboys that will take advantage of tourists not knowing their way around. They will overcharge you, take on other passengers while driving you or take you to an hotel they get a commission from. You want to play it safe? Ask a few taxi drivers how much your ride is going to cost first so you will know the normal price, then get a taxi that charges that price. You want to pay for your drive, not buy the car....

According to the Greek Legislation, taxi drivers should provide upon request a receipt for the amount paid for transportation services. The receipt should also indicate the taxi registration number and the driver's name.

Unique Suggestions: If you do get overcharged or other passengers are taken on board, don't start a fight but report the taxi number or the licence plate to the Tourist police or to the Tourist information office. They will deal with the cowboy.

Fun Alternatives: The excellent Athens metro system or one of the many busses will bring you to or very close to almost any interesting place in town and they are much cheaper than a taxi. On arrival at Athens airport, take bus E95 that will take you straight to Syntagma Square for 2,90 Euro. From there you can get the metro or a bus to bring you close to your hotel. Just send me an e-mail if you want a map of Athens or a metro map. I'll be happy to send it to you be e-mail.

I'm a local and i can tell you i just hate the taxis. I take a taxi only in great need. I recommend you to do the same. Not that all taxi drivers are bad, but it's the most probable tourist trap in the city.

Unique Suggestions: If you think that a taxi driver charged you more than he should, write down his plates' number and try this number : 171. It's the tourist police.

Fun Alternatives: Take a good city map and the impressively upgraded transportation system of the city can subsitute the taxis perfectly.

Some taxis around the Acropolis charge high rates to take you to outlying areas, like your seaside hotel. They are charging you for their return trip. This is not unusal for other parts of the world. But ask the price before you get in the taxi, or you could be suprised by the price. Don't be afraid to make them an offer if their price is too high.

Once at the airport, If you take a taxi to your hotel please note that cabbies have been known to take advantage of unsuspecting tourists and overcharge them! (Hard to believe huh) :)
However you can minimize the damage by doing the following:

Make sure that the cab driver turns his meter on as soon as you get in! Do not make 'a deal' with the taxi driver. The cab fare is not negotiable and any agreement you might make with him is going to be to your disadvantage.And he will try hard to give you a 'good' deal!

Look at the meter and make sure that it is running at the normal speed. You can determine this by looking for the number '1' or the number '2' in the meter's face. If you see the number 1 then it is correct. If you see the number 2 then it is running at double the normal rate. (The double rate is only applied when you use a cab after midnight or if you take the cab for a trip outside of Athens city limits).

If a diagreement should take place, insist on your right to call in the tourist police! That usually resolves the problem!

Queue for Taxis at the Airport - If a friendly Greek tries to usher you straight to the front of a queue, politely decline - using this service is known as 'Limousine Service', and a cab to the City Centre will cost you around $60US, rather than the $10us a normal cab will charge.

Well, you should be very careful with taxi drivers, they will try to steal you if you look like a lost foreigner.
Arrange prices before to start a trip and don t forget that taxi is very cheap, so a regular trip of 15 mins can t cost you more than 4 or 5 dollars (you convert it to greek money).