Heart AthensYour guide to Athens and Attica

Accessible Athens

Athens is hilly, its old streets are narrow and its pavements are often blocked, but more of the city opens up every year: metro lifts, a lift on the Acropolis rock, museums with step free routes and beaches with a chair that takes you into the sea. This page gathers what the official pages say, each fact with its source, read on 12 Oct 2026. Rules and opening times change, so check the linked page before you go.

Getting around step free

What the metro, bus and airport operators themselves say about lifts, ramps, help on the platform and booking assistance.

  • STASY says the 47 metro stations of Lines 2 and 3 have lifts and full accessibility for disabled persons, along with escalators, live boards showing the next two trains and a public announcement system that also tells passengers with disabilities whether the lifts are working (STASY).
  • For wheelchair users on Lines 2 and 3, STASY lists accessible lifts in all stations with recorded announcements, an intercom to the Station Master and Braille floor buttons, plus ramps, special gates, emergency phones at ticket and platform level and toilets for wheelchair users in all stations (STASY).
  • For passengers who do not use a wheelchair, STASY lists marks on the first and last steps, a change in floor texture at the platform edge, accessible seats on platforms, double handrails, ramps and guide paths for blind passengers (STASY).
  • Guide dogs and assistance dogs, and dogs in training for that work, ride without a carrier and without a muzzle, on a leash and whatever their size; the user or trainer must carry the statutory documents (STASY).
  • OASA says boarding with a wheelchair is easier in the first or last car of a metro train, which carry a ramp for the gap and are labelled; on Line 1 use the first door of the first car (OASA).
  • At the Line 1 stations Ag. Nikolaos, Omonoia and Monastiraki the gap between platform and train is big, so OASA asks wheelchair users to call the station staff to bring the movable ramp and help (OASA).
  • Passengers with impaired vision can ask the stationmaster for help: he helps you board and tells the station where you get off so staff can meet you (OASA).
  • On buses, OASA says almost all vehicles have a kneeling system and most carry ramps; the driver must lower the bus or open the ramp where fitted, and all drivers have been told to help passengers with disabilities (OASA).
  • All trolleybuses are fitted with a kneeling system, according to OASA (OASA).
  • OASA runs a helpline only for passengers with disabilities on 2108200887, open 06:30 to 21:30 on weekdays and 07:30 to 21:30 at weekends (OASA).
  • OSY S.A. runs a free service with special vehicles for disabled people who cannot use ordinary public transport: three vehicles with 3 to 7 passenger seats, 3 to 4 wheelchair places and one seat for a companion, running 08:00 to 22:00, by appointment only and if a vehicle is free (OASA).
  • To book the OSY special vehicles, call 2104270748 (7:30 to 14:00, Monday to Friday) or send an email to the address on the OASA page (OASA).
  • Under Regulation (EC) No 1107/2006, Athens International Airport gives on ground assistance to disabled passengers and passengers with reduced mobility at no extra charge, including people with non visible disabilities such as dementia or autism (Athens International Airport).
  • Book assistance through your airline or travel agent, ideally when you book the flight and at least 48 hours before it; tell the airline at least 48 hours ahead too if you travel with an assistance dog or your own wheelchair or scooter (Athens International Airport).
  • If you were not given a time, go to a Designated Point or the check in desk at least 2 hours before the published departure; if you want to keep your own wheelchair to the gate, tell the airline and be at the control gate at least 45 minutes before departure (Athens International Airport).
  • The airport's Assistance Services Coordination Office is in the Main Terminal Building, Departures level, next to Entrance 1, with a waiting area for passengers and companions, and is staffed 24 hours (Athens International Airport).
  • Designated Points, equipped so you can tell the assistance service you have arrived, include Point 1 at Entrance 2, Point 2 at the Suburban Railway Station and Point 6 in the check in area by Entrance 2 on Departures, Point 3 at Entrance 4 and Point 4 in Short Term Parking 2 (Athens International Airport).
  • The airport's target with 48 hours' notice: for departing passengers, 80% wait no more than 10 minutes, 90% no more than 15 and 100% no more than 25; without notice the limits are 15, 25 and 35 minutes (Athens International Airport).
  • There are three free drop off spaces for passengers with disabilities in the inner lane of Departures near Entrance 2 and two near Entrance 4 on Arrivals; you need proof of disability and the flight booking, and they are not for parking. Disabled parking spaces are in Short Term 2 parking at privileged prices (Athens International Airport).
  • With the Union of Deaf People and the EVENLY platform, the airport offers video calls with a sign language interpreter, Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00, at the Coordination Office and the central Information Desks (Athens International Airport).
  • Inside the terminal: lifts roomy enough for wheelchairs on all levels with Braille buttons, specially designed toilets in every area, marked seats at the gates and dedicated lanes at security, boarding pass and passport control (Athens International Airport).
Sources (3)

The Acropolis and the big sights

The Acropolis lift rules, who gets in free, and what the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum and the SNFCC print about access.

  • The Acropolis accessibility lift is given on a priority basis to persons with disabilities, people with mobility impairments, older people, pregnant women and a parent with two or more infants; use is authorised and coordinated by the Ephorate of Antiquities of the City of Athens and site staff (efaathculture.gr).
  • The lift is rated for 1,250 kg, which the regulations put at sixteen people at most, or two wheelchairs with two companions and the operator (efaathculture.gr).
  • The lift runs during the site's official opening hours under staff supervision and stops when the wind is above Force 5 on the Beaufort scale, in heavy rain, and for faults or maintenance; the final say on running it rests with the site's operational and security staff (efaathculture.gr).
  • At state run sites and museums of the Ministry of Culture, admission is free for persons with disabilities and one escort, the page adding «only in the case of 67% disability», whatever their country of origin, on showing a Disability Card, or an ID card or passport with a disability certificate or a similar certificate from an authorised foreign body (Ministry of Culture).
  • Free admission days for everyone at state sites: 6 March, 18 April, 18 May, the last weekend of September, 28 October, and every first and third Sunday of each month from 1 November to 31 March (Ministry of Culture).
  • The Acropolis Museum has ramps for wheelchairs and strollers at all entrances, lift access and WCs for people with disabilities on all floors; wheelchairs can be borrowed at the Visitor Services Desk (Acropolis Museum).
  • The museum's lifts are for priority use by visitors with mobility difficulties; a short Braille guide in Greek and English is at the Information Desk and guide dogs are allowed (Acropolis Museum).
  • At the Acropolis Museum, persons with disabilities and one escort (the page says «only in the case of 67% disability») get free entry on showing ID or passport and a disability certificate or a similar foreign certificate; free and reduced tickets are issued only at the museum's Ticket Desk, not online (Acropolis Museum).
  • Acropolis Museum hours: summer season (1 April to 31 October) Monday 9 am to 5 pm, Tuesday to Sunday 9 am to 8 pm, Friday 9 am to 10 pm; winter season (1 November to 31 March) Monday to Thursday 9 am to 5 pm, Friday 9 am to 10 pm, Saturday and Sunday 9 am to 8 pm. General admission 20 €, reduced 10 € (Acropolis Museum).
  • The nearest metro station to the Acropolis Museum is Akropoli on Line 2 (Anthoupoli to Elliniko); the nearest bus and trolley stop is Makrigianni (Acropolis Museum).
  • The National Archaeological Museum has a separate entrance for people with disabilities on Vas. Herakleiou Street, reached by a ramp from the main front or straight from the pavement; there is an accessible WC in the basement, lifts to the basement and first floor, and a wheelchair at the information desk (National Archaeological Museum).
  • Visitors with total or partial loss of sight can ask the museum's information desk for a list of 20 accessible exhibits from the Sculpture Collection; tactile tours and workshops run for groups on special occasions, depending on demand (National Archaeological Museum).
  • Pregnant women and people with reduced mobility get priority access to the National Archaeological Museum; guide dogs are allowed, and the museum asks visitors with disabilities to phone ahead on 2132144800 or 2132144856 (National Archaeological Museum).
  • National Archaeological Museum summer season (4 May to 15 November 2026): Wednesday to Monday 08:00 to 20:00, Tuesday 13:00 to 20:00, last admission 19:30; admission 20 €. Its free entry rule reads «67% disability or more» for persons with disabilities and one escort (National Archaeological Museum).
  • The SNFCC calls itself fully accessible: entrances have automatic doors opened by a push button, and the park's paths climb the hill to 32 metres on a slope of about 3 to 5% with a non slip surface (SNFCC).
  • The SNFCC has 20 parking spaces for people with disabilities on the ground floor of the Car Park Building, entered from 1 Peisistratou Street, with ramps and golf carts that have a boarding ramp and a wheelchair space (SNFCC).
  • Wheelchairs can be booked by phone, and the SNFCC shuttle bus takes wheelchair users if you call ahead on 2168091000 with your time and stop (SNFCC).
  • For blind and visually impaired visitors there are guiding paths on all routes into the SNFCC (not in the park) and a Braille map in the Lobby; induction loop devices are at 44 points, and guide dogs and emotional support dogs are welcome everywhere (SNFCC).
  • At SNFCC events, persons with disabilities get priority entry with their disability card after contacting the SNFCC first, and are asked to arrive half an hour early with one companion; the Stavros Niarchos Hall of the National Opera has wheelchair places and special lifts (SNFCC).
  • The SNFCC offers park tours in Greek Sign Language and a Multi Sensory Tour for visually impaired visitors and companions; book on +302168091000 (09.00 to 21.00) (SNFCC).
  • At the Museum of Cycladic Art, access for persons with disabilities is by a wheelchair ramp at the Stathatos Mansion entrance, Vasilissis Sofias Ave. and 1 Irodotou St., and the floors are reached by lift; the entrance at 4 Neophytou Douka St has been under construction since 19 May 2025 (Museum of Cycladic Art).
  • Two wheelchairs are free to use at the Stathatos Mansion entrance, motorised wheelchairs are allowed, two stair lifts help wheelchair users into the Mansion, and accessible toilets are on level minus 1 and on the 4th floor (Museum of Cycladic Art).
  • People with sensory and motor disabilities and their companions get in free at the Museum of Cycladic Art on showing the necessary documents at the entrance; guide and assistance dogs are allowed in all areas (Museum of Cycladic Art).
  • The museum runs guided tours in Greek Sign Language, and its visitor app has tours of the permanent collections in Greek and International Sign Language, plus easy to understand texts and tours for people with learning disabilities (Museum of Cycladic Art).
  • Museum of Cycladic Art hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday 10:00 to 17:00, Thursday 10:00 to 20:00, Sunday 11:00 to 17:00, closed Tuesday. Nearest metro: Evangelismos (Line 3, 500 m) or Syntagma (Lines 2 and 3, 600 m) (Museum of Cycladic Art).
Sources (7)

Beaches with sea access

Seatrac chairs let wheelchair users get into the sea on their own, for free. Here is where the operator lists them around Athens, and what Glyfada and Voula say about this summer's season.

  • SEATRAC is a free system that gives people with mobility issues independent access into the sea; most SEATRAC beaches also have parking, a beach track, toilets, changing rooms, shade and a shower (Seatrac).
  • Close to the centre, the SEATRAC directory lists Palaio Faliro Edem, Palaio Faliro Mpatis, Alimos Kalamaki, Alimos Loutra, Glyfada Akti B (and Glyfada Akti B NEW), PIKPA Voulas, VVV Voula, Piraeus Freattyda and Piraeus Votsalakia (Seatrac).
  • Further out in Attica the directory lists, among others, Rafina Beach, Porto Rafti Agios Spiridonas and Avlaki, Nea Makri, Marathonas, Spata Artemida Ippokampos Beach, Saronikos Anavissos and Galazia Akti, Lavreotiki Sounio, Salamina Giala and Resti, and Megara Kinetta (Seatrac).
  • In the directory's Top 5 beaches, Glyfada Akti B NEW is first and Glyfada Akti B second, both marked Attica, with Oropos Skala Oropou fourth (Seatrac).
  • On 27 May 2026 the Municipality of Glyfada announced its two Seatracs were working again for the season, with a third being planned (glyfada.gr).
  • Next to the Seatracs, Glyfada has put in access corridors, accessible showers, umbrellas, seats for companions and dedicated disabled parking right in front of the beach; the municipal beaches and the Seatrac are free for everyone (glyfada.gr).
  • The mayor of Glyfada, Giorgos Papanikolaou, says the town's first Seatrac, a first for Greece, arrived ten years ago and a second followed (glyfada.gr).
  • On 25 May 2026 the Municipality of Vari Voula Vouliagmeni said the SEATRAC was back for another year on the free beach of Voula, next to the Town Hall (gov.gr).
  • The municipality notes that the SEATRAC runs on solar power, is worked by remote control, needs no permanent works on the beach and is taken away after the summer season (gov.gr).
  • Glyfada's yearly «Seatrac party» on the beach, on Sunday 11 October 2026 at 11:00, marks the end of this year's swimming season, the local paper Sfygmos reported on 10 October (efimeridasfygmos.gr).
Sources (4)

Streets and pavements

Only what an official source prints: where the pavement helps, where it does not, and whom to call when a car blocks the ramp.

  • OASA itself warns that reaching tram stop ramps is not easy because the pavements have not been properly adapted, and suggests going with a companion; trams have special seats for disabled passengers (OASA).
  • If parked cars block a bus stop or the bus boarding ramp, OASA asks you to call its disability helpline 2108200887 (06:30 to 21:30 weekdays, 07:30 to 21:30 weekends) (OASA).
  • For buses and trolleys, OASA advises using stops with a precast concrete platform, which are placed to serve disabled passengers (OASA).
  • To reach the metro, OASA says to use the pavement ramps to get to the station lift; it calls all metro lifts fully accessible on entry and exit and says to use the alarm bell if there is a problem (OASA).
  • The Acropolis Museum's main entrance is on the Dionysiou Areopagitou pedestrian street, with bike racks there and at the entrance of Akropoli metro station (Acropolis Museum).
  • At the airport, wheelchair ramps are provided at all pavements, and a guide path for people with impaired sight leads from the Suburban Railway Station to the drop off spaces at Entrance 2 or to Designated Point 6 in the Departures check in hall (Athens International Airport).
  • Outside the Museum of Cycladic Art there is a temporary parking spot in front of the Stathatos Mansion entrance for loading and unloading wheelchairs, but no permanent parking; four private car parks are a short distance away (Museum of Cycladic Art).
Sources (4)

Help and contacts

Emergency numbers, the national disability confederation and the helplines and complaint routes the operators print.

  • 112, the European emergency number, works 24 hours a day all year in Greece; calls are free from a landline or mobile, even without a SIM card, and from public phones without a phone card (gov.gr).
  • Besides calling, you can also reach 112 by SMS to 112, by email (the address is on the gov.gr page) or through the free gov.gr app for iOS and Android (gov.gr).
  • 112 operators speak at least three languages (Greek, English and French) and pass calls to the Police (100), the Fire Service (199), the ambulance service EKAB (166) or the Coast Guard (108) (gov.gr).
  • ESAmeA, the National Confederation of Disabled People, has its head office at Leof. Eleftheriou Venizelou 236, 16341 Ilioupoli, Attica; phone 2109949837 (ESAmeA).
  • For complaints about access on buses and trolleys, call OASA on 2108200887 or the OASA information centre on 11185 (OASA).
  • Athens airport's call centre is 00302103530000. Complaints about on ground assistance go in writing to the airport (by email, address on its page, or on 00302103537146 or 00302103536183); if you are not satisfied, to the Hellenic Civil Aviation Authority (00302103541329) (Athens International Airport).
  • Comments or complaints about SNFCC accessibility services go to the SNFCC by email (the address is on its page); for information call +302168091000 (09.00 to 21.00) (SNFCC).
Sources (5)
What we could not verify (9)
  • Booking phone numbers for the Acropolis lift: the numbers some guides print are on no official page we could open.
  • A capacity of 18 people for the Acropolis lift: only other guides say 18; the official regulations say sixteen, which we use.
  • Golf carts from Dionysiou Areopagitou to the Acropolis lift and the entrance they use: printed only by other guides; the Ministry of Culture page for the Acropolis did not load.
  • Taxis that take wheelchairs: no official page we opened names them.
  • Tram accessibility on STASY's own pages: its accessibility page covers metro Lines 2 and 3 only, so the tram facts here come from OASA.
  • Seatrac season dates for each beach: the directory prints none; the 2026 start is confirmed only for Glyfada and Voula, and the end only for Glyfada (11 October 2026).
  • Free public transport with the Greek Disability Card: seen only on an association page in search results, not on an official page.
  • Access at the Benaki Museum: not checked this time.
  • Which entrance of the Museum of Cycladic Art to use: its visit page names two; we give the Stathatos Mansion ramp because the same page says the Neofytou Douka entrance is under construction. Worth a call to +302107228321 before you go.

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