It’s been a long flight. You’ve gotten through customs, collected your luggage, and stepped out of the airport arrival hall to stand on the street outside. You’re tired, hungry, and in desperate need of a shower.

One of the best things a traveler can do for himself  (or herself) is settle on a home-away-from-home before traveling to Greece … decide on a hotel and make a reservation so that, when you land in Athens, you know where you’re going!

Athens has a vast range of hotels covering the gamut of price, location, and amenities. A hotel in the Plaka District—in walking distance of most of your tours—is ideal. If you’d like some help narrowing the field, let us recommend the following websites to check out:

Hotel Kimon « (www.kimonhotel.gr)

Hotel Neos Olympos « (www.hotelneosolympos.com)

Hotel Byron ««« (www.hotel-byron.gr)

Athens Cypria Hotel ««« (www.athenscypria.com)

Herodion Hotel «««« (www.herodion.gr)

So you’ve chosen your hotel and know where you’re going. But how do you get there? Fortunately, visitors to Greece have several options for getting from the airport to their hotel.

Option #1: take the Athens’ Metro. This subway system is modern, clean, and efficient. Line #3 is the newest addition to the system and terminates at the airport. Just follow the signs to the Metro train (the station is only a stroll away!), purchase your ticket (€6), take the escalator down to your train, climb aboard, and then ride in comfort to all the way to Syntagma Square.

Option #2: you can take the bus. Athenians thrive on public transportation. As a result, equipment is clean, schedules are honored, and ticket prices are cheap. A ticket booth sits right outside the airport arrival hall. You want Bus #95 (a bargain at €3.80). Though it makes numerous stops, the final destination is Syntagma Square—the very spot you probably need to be to get to your hotel.

From Syntagma Square (whether you get there by Metro or bus), you can either transfer to a Metro line that gets you closer to your hotel or start walking. The map of Athens near the back of this booklet should help you find your way.

One other option for getting into town is taking a taxi. If you’re really tired, or if it’s very early or very late, a taxi might be your best bet. They are lined up outside the airport arrival hall. Just tell the driver, “Syntagma Square” or “Athens Cypria Hotel” and they will whisk you to your destination for under €50. (The price is higher at night.)

One option you should not try is driving into the downtown area. Athens has confusing roads, heavy traffic, and no parking places. Besides that, Athenian drivers have no sense that driving rules apply to them. I rented a car and drove into Athens one time (long ago). I’ll never do it again.

Once you get to your hotel, take a few moments to unpack, shower, and relax. But, if you just got off a long international flight, resist the urge to take a nap. Don’t go to sleep until your regular bedtime. Painful, I know. But you can either start resetting your body-clock now or suffer miserable nights the remainder of your trip.