You will find taxis waiting at Athens Airport just outside the arrivals hall. The taxis are there 24/7. There are many taxis available so you will not have to wait in the queue for long.
Many taxi drivers will not use the taximeter, so to avoid any overcharging and conflicts, it is better to ask the driver to start the meter. If you are traveling during daytime (05:00 morning to 24:00 midnight), make sure that the taxi meter is on Tariff 1.

If your transfer is from Athens Airport to Athens Center, the fare is fixed at 35 euro during daytime (05:00 am to 24:00 midnight) and 50 € during night time (24:00-05:00). The price includes totally everything. Luggage charge, tolls fee, VAT, meter start, airport charge, etc. So, you don't have to pay anything more than the above. The same fixed fares apply when you pick a taxi from Athens center to go to the airport.
If you are a tourist, expect that most taxi drivers will try to charge you more than the normal fare. However, you can avoid being overcharged if you know how much you should be charged and how you should handle the situation. For a list of reasonable taxi charge from Athens Airport check this: Taxi Fares from Athens Airport
Alternatively, you can book a taxi online and prepay. One of the best options in Athens is Welcome Pickups. You book online and you receive an email with all the driver’s information before your arrival. The drivers are trained, fluent English speakers and will be waiting for you at your arrival gate holding a board with your name. You don’t pay cash and thus you cannot get overcharged. It also costs the same as a regular taxi (35 € Airport to downtown) so you don’t have to spend more to get the most convenient solution. Read some more information about Taxi booking for Athens Airport
Have in mind the following
- The driver is obliged to start the meter. The starting charge is 1,19€.
- If you are using the taxi from 05:00 am to midnight the meter should be at tariff 1. From midnight to 05:00 am tariff is at 2, and the charging is double. So make sure the tariff is set to 1 during day time. When arriving at your destination you should pay what the meter shows plus 1 to 2 Euro for the language and 2 Euro which the airport pick-up cost.
- The fare from Athens Airport to Athens center is fixed: 35€ at day time and 50€ at night
- The fare from Athens Airport to Piraeus is fixed: 45€ at day time and 60€ at night
- Drivers in Greece like to speed. If you don't feel comfortable with speeding ask the driver to go slower. He will understand.
- It's polite to give a tip, though you are not obliged to do so.
The 50 Euro scam
This is fraud happens quite often. The taxi driver will ask for the fare, for example, 35 €. The client will pay with a 50€ note. Then the driver will complain and say to you (the client) that you only gave him a 10€ note, and he will give it back to you. The 10 € note and the 50 € have quite similar colors. So you will be a bit confused and you will give him another 50 € note. You can avoid that by calling the police or by paying with 10 or 20 Euro notes.
Another option is to use the metro or the bus