Athens

From Hitchwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Athens
Αθήνα, Athína
<map lat='38.04' lng='23.75' zoom='10' />
Information
Country:
Flag of Greece
Greece
State: Attiki
Population: 3.827.624 in 2011 (not including migrants)
Major roads: A1, A6
Meet fellow hitchhikers on Trustroots

Athens is the capital of Greece.

Hitching out

North to Volos, Thessaloniki E 75

Take the metro line 1, till the last station "Kifissia". From there, cross the park. You'll find a busy bus stop, direction north, take the bus 509

Get off the bus after 30 min, at bus stop "Neo Terma", at the end of Agios Stefanos, when it makes a U-turn and continues back to the city. Walk 300m to the parallel of the high-way. It's quite busy with drivers avoiding toll station

You can walk 3 km to that Afidnai Toll Station or wait for a short ride, who's gonna drop you there. Also 4 km after toll station is Kapandriti Motorway Rest Area with BP fuel station

You can also catch a ride at the point where drivers who avoided the tolls are getting back into the high way. Half of the rides go to Halkida, and the other half go further North. Decline rides that don't go in your direction, they will only put you in a worse spot.

For a place to sleep before Thessaloniki, there is a 24 hour rest area/gas station in Korinos and it's called Olympus plaza. It includes a restaurant with free wifi and showers. Nobody will disturb you if you sleep on the couches and workers of the restaurant often give food away.

North-West to Thiva

New spot, i cannot confirm the hitch-hikeability of this route: Take the suburban till Magoula. From there, take the bus 861 till the last stop. There's only 35km left to Thiva.

West to Patra or Tripoli E 94

Option 1: Megara SEA

Take the suburban train direction Kiato, and get down in Megara. The controller always gets on the train in Nea Peramos, in the 1st or 5th (last) wagon. You can either :

A) stay in the 3rd wagon, and when you see the control approaching, go the opposite direction. If the train is full, the control might be slow and you might arrive in Megara before they reach you. If they catch you without a ticket, you wont pay any fine, but just the 3 euro ticket. From the train platform of Megara, you can see the restaurant / petrol station. Cross the field, and find this underground pass

B) go down in Nea Peramos and try to find a 5km ride to Megara.

There are not many cars stopping there, but you can get a long ride. The intersection to Patra or Tripoli is just 40km away, be sure to ask for the correct direction before accepting the ride.

Option 2: National Road 8

From Ag.Marina Metro Station (end of blue line) buses A16 or 865.

From Pireas Metro Station (end of green line), bus 871.

Get off at 1st Aerodromiou Stop or Levkes Stop. There you will see the connection with National Road 8 (N8).

Option 3 : Eleusina Toll Station

With the same buses of option 2, you get off at Platia Elefsinas and walk 5.3km to Eleusina Toll Station.

South to Sounio

Take the bus 122 from metro Elliniko to Saronida, go down at the last stop, walk along the coast to get out of Saronida, and from there you can hitch-hike to Sounio.

Public Transport

The metro has automatic doors. Black riding is quite common. We wait that somebody opens it with their ticket and we follow them.

Usually the controls are at the metro intersections (Syntagma, Omonia, Attiki, Monastiraki), where they hide behind the turns of the connecting corridors. If they catch you without a ticket, show them your passport, but don't pay the fine. Till now, nobody saw their fines redirected to their countries.

In nearly all stations, that are not underground you can also easily jump/climp the fence. In some underground stop points you can also jump easily small walls (for example 0,5m in Omonia) aside of the regular check points). Watch out for securities.


Ferry from/to Athens

It is quite common to buy a ticket on the port (of Piraeus - south of Athens) for a ferry to the first stop, but getting off later. They never check you when you leave the ferry. Seldomly they check the people that are waiting downstairs for leaving the ferry.


Nomadwiki & Trashwiki

Check Nomadwiki for info on accommodation, showers etc. or Trashwiki for dumpsters...and share your wisdom :)