Information about taxis

John KarkalatosMay 10, 2020

The most popular taxi apps in Greece are:

BEAT: calls a taxi, displays fare, you pay in cash, card or PayPal. Operates in Athens and Thessaloniki
UBER: calls a taxi without displaying the fare. Operates in Athens

At Athens airport, the taxi rank is at exit 3 at the arrivals level.

The fare from/to Athens airport is regulated by the law, the driver can't charge whatever he wants:

Fares
From/to	Tariff 1	Tariff 2
Athens airport - Athens	38 €	54 €
Athens airport - Piraeus port	48 €	65 €
Athens airport - Rafina port	25 €	35 €
Athens airport - Lavrio port	47 €	70 €
Athens airport - Glyfada	32 €	40 €

The fare is also regulated from/to Macedonia airport:

Fares
From/to	Tariff 1	Tariff 2
Macedonia airport - Thessaloniki	20 €	28 €

The fare includes everything: airport charge, flag drop charge, luggage, VAT and tolls. You don't have to pay anything more than that. It's a good practice to drop the flag in case you change the destination en route.

Tariff 1 is 05:00 - 24:00 and tariff 2 24:00 - 05:00. It's clearly displayed with the numbers 1 and 2 on the taximeter, on the section "TARIFF" or "ΤΑΡΙΦΑ" in greek.

Tourists are easy victims and some drivers may try to scam you. The taximeter is your ally on this. Follow these simple rules:

don't negotiate or agree on a fare. Fares are regulated by the law
on picking up a taxi, make sure the driver drops the flag. If not, ask for it. Make sure the tariff is correct and the taximeter isn't already running. If the flag doesn't drop, the driver can ask you whatever he wants
a common practice is to change the tariff to 2 during the ride. Watch out the taximeter
make sure the tariff on the taximeter is not covered
always get on a vacant taxi, if there's another passenger on, you may be overcharged
some taxis accept cards for payment. If you pay in cash be careful about the amount of money and the notes you hand on. The driver may pretend you gave him less

Some extra tips:

the driver may take a longer route
drivers are selective, tell your destination before getting in
drivers don't like the taxi to be full of passengers. Usually they want a seat to be empty, in case they pick up another passenger en route. If you are a company of 3-4 ask

Also, you can call a radio taxi to pick you up or arrange an appointment. There may be an extra charge.

Fares are regulated as follows:

flag drop 1.29 €
from and to Athens airport 4.18 € (tolls included)
from and to Thessaloniki airport 3.44 € (tolls included)
from and to other airports 2.83 €
from ports, railway stations, intercity bus stations (KTEL) 1.17 €
for every baggage over 10kg 0.43 €
minimum fare in Athens and Thessaloniki 3.44 €
minimum fare in rest of Greece 3.69 €
at Christmas and Easter there's an extra fare of 1 - 2 €

In towns and islands there are radio taxis and ranks too. The taximeter is set on tariff 2 when out of the boundaries of the city.

For sightseeing, tours and excursions, fares are usually fixed by the local associations. For details check on the local taxis websites.

In small islands there are no taxi ranks. You call the driver directly on his mobile phone.