Buses
The bus network is extensive and cheap, with a flat fare of ¬0.50. Tickets must be bought in advance from kiosks, certain shops and newsagents, or from the limited number of booths run by bus personnel near major stops - look for the brown, red and white logo proclaiming "Isitíria edhó" (tickets here). They're sold individually or in bundles of ten, and must be cancelled in a special machine when boarding. Fare-dodgers risk an on-the-spot fine equivalent to forty times the current fare. Cancelled tickets apply only to a particular journey and vehicle; there are no transfers. If you're staying long enough, it would be worth buying a monthly pass for ¬34.50, which is valid on all buses, trolleys and the metro.

Buses are very crowded at peak times, unbearably hot in summer traffic jams, and chronically plagued by strikes and slow-downs; walking is often a better option. Express services run to and from the airport. Other routes , where relevant, are detailed in the text. The most straightforward are the yellow trolleybuses : #1 connects the Laríssis train station with Omónia, Syndagma and Koukáki; #2, #3, #4, #5 and #12 all link Syndagma with Omónia and the National Archeological Museum on Patissíon. In addition, there are scores of blue city buses , all with three-digit numbers and serving an infinity of routes out into the straggling suburbs and beyond.

The metro
The Athens metro has been much expanded recently, with the long-awaited addition of two new lines and a significant extension of the original Line 1 (green). The new system is designed to handle almost half a million passengers a day and is fast, quiet and user-friendly. The last stations on lines 2 and 3 are currently being completed, as well as the link between Syndagma and Monastiráki on Line 3. It is hoped that work will be finished in time for the Olympic Games in 2004. Line 1 (¬0.60) runs from Pireás in the south to Kifissiá in the north; useful stops in the centre include Thissío, Monastiráki, Omónia and Platía Viktorías. Line 2 (red) currently runs from Syndagma to Dafni, with a useful stop at the foot of the Acropolis. Line 3 (blue) extends from Syndagma northeast to Ethnikí Ámyna, the terminal for the airport shuttle bus. There are plans to extend this line all the way to the airport, but work has yet to start on this. The fare for Line 1 is ¬0.60 and slightly more for lines 2 and 3 (¬0.80). Bus and metro tickets are not interchangeable.

Taxis
Athenian taxis are the cheapest of any EU capital - fares around the city centre will rarely run above ¬2.90, with the airport and Pireás only ¬11.50-14.40 - the exact amount determined by traffic and amount of luggage. The minimum fare is ¬1.50. All officially licensed cars are painted yellow and have a special red-on-white numberplate. You can wave them down on the street, pick them up at the train station, airport or the National Gardens on the corner of Syndagma, or get your hotel to phone one for you (adding ¬1.20 surcharge to the fare). They are most elusive during the rush hours of 1.30-2.30pm and 7.30-8.30pm.

Make sure the meter is switched on when you get in, with its display visible and properly zeroed; theoretically, it's illegal to quote a flat fare for a ride within city limits - the meter must be used. If it's "not working", find another taxi. Attempts at overcharging tourists are particularly common with small-hours arrivals at the airport and Pireás; a threat to have hotel staff or the police adjudicate usually elicits co-operation, as they will very likely take your side and the police have the power to revoke a driver's operating permit.

Legitimate surcharges can considerably bump up the final bill from the total shown on the meter. Currently the flag falls at ¬0.80, there's an automatic ¬1.20 supplement for entering the confines of the airport, and a ¬0.60 surcharge for journeys involving train or ferry terminals; luggage is ¬0.40 extra for each bag over 10kg; the rate per kilometre almost doubles between midnight and 5am from ¬0.30 to ¬0.50; and there are Easter and Christmas bonuses which seem to extend for a week or two either side of the actual date. Every taxi must have a plastic dash-mounted placard listing regular rates and extra charges in English and Greek.

To try and make ends meet on government-regulated fare limits, taxi-drivers will often pick up a whole string of passengers along the way. There is no fare-sharing: each passenger (or group of passengers) pays the full fare for their journey. So if you're picked up by an already-occupied taxi, memorize the meter reading at once; you'll pay from that point on, plus the ¬0.80 minimum. When hailing an occupied taxi, call out your destination, so the driver can decide whether you suit him or not