Cheap flights from London to Athens

October is the cheapest month on this route, and it earns it: the summer crowds have gone and fares drop once the school holidays end. Late spring and early autumn are the sweet spots for weather and price, while July and August bring the highest demand from London. Weekday departures, especially Tuesday and Wednesday, usually undercut Friday and Sunday returns. Avoid the last weekend of a school break and the Greek Easter and August public holidays, when seats go fast. Book a few weeks ahead for summer and closer in for winter, when the calendar is quiet.

Low-cost carriers do the heavy lifting: Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air UK and Wizz Air Malta all fly between London and Athens, with Jet2, EasyJet Europe and Malta Airlines turning up on some departures. Aegean Airlines is the full-service option, and its fares usually bundle more than a budget ticket does, so check what each fare includes before you compare totals. On the low-cost tickets, baggage and seat selection are normally charged on top, which is where a cheap headline fare stops being cheap. Filter by airport as well as by airline: a fare from Stansted and a fare from Heathrow are not the same trip.

All flights from London land at Eleftherios Venizelos, the single airport serving Athens, set out beyond the city on the eastern side. The metro and the suburban railway both run from the terminal into central Athens, and express buses cover the route overnight when the trains stop. A taxi is quicker, but traffic on the approach road can eat that advantage. Allow extra time on the way back: check-in and security at Venizelos get busy in the summer peak, and the ride into town is long enough that you should not cut it fine.

Currency

EUR (€)

Power sockets

Type C, F · 230 V

Language

Greek

Emergency number

112, 100, 166

Driving side

right

Calling code

+30

Internet domain

.gr, .ελ

EU / Schengen

EU member, Schengen area

Population of Athens

643 k (2021)

Time zone

UTC+02 (Europe/Athens)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, since Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted and London City sit far apart.
• Confirm what your low-cost ticket includes for cabin and hold baggage before you compare it with a full-service fare.
• If you are connecting rather than flying direct, keep both legs on one ticket so a delay does not strand you.
• Carry a valid passport or identity card for Greece and check the entry rules that apply to you.
• Book early for July and August, and leave October free if you want the lowest fares of the year.
• Add the cost of getting to your London airport before you decide which fare is really cheaper.