@@LargeManAbroad You are not propaganda,you are another ''victim'' of the goverment's propaganda. Our current minister of the Health Department is a well known ''pupil'' of the Joseph Goebbels propaganda school. He used a part of your video to emphasize how well he runs the minister but the problem is so big and obvious that you must be an idiot to believe him. Anyway keep up your videos and have fun!!!
As a greek person, i appreciate seeing tourists that know to stay away from "tourist traps" you guys get charged triple to quadruple prices than we do in the tourists hot spots and seeing tourists smarten up and know how to use the local transport and find non tourists areas to eat and drink that don't cost a fortune is great. Hope you are enjoying your stay!
As a local, it has to be noted, that despite having just 3 lines for now, it's incredibly efficient, and connects all places. Like the line you rode takes directly to the Airport, without having to even change lines. That's something that very few cities have.
Airport -> Piraeus port in 55’ minutes . It’s pretty fast and so easy to use . I think I haven’t seen any other country connecting airport - city centre - port with just one line .
@@jacquelineess1141 just by going somewhere else and use the metro you can test it? Most metro systems are better maintained, less congested run every 2-3 minutes not 12 in rush hour...
I’m using the trains in Athens since I was 13 years old and we only had the Green Line back then. I am 39 today and still use it daily. It was and is always very safe. I’ve only seen funny things happening and maybe witnessed one slightly violent incident once. (Some guy who didn’t have a ticket punched an inspector who tried to fine him and run)
Our favorite green line has a long, chronic and re-occuring professional beggar problem, sometimes they get stopped but most of the time they're right there begging from one wagon to the next.
Hey man, stambled upon your video. I have to say great quality & very informative for newcomers. Here's 2 tips about the Athena Tickets/Cards: They can be reloaded with fares (As seen in machine at 3:14 ) & Can be used in Suburban Railway operated by Hellenic Train, In the sections Koropi - Magoula - Piraeus.
Tourists/Passengers of the Metro should be very careful for pickpockets. In specific stations where pickpockets operate extensively, relevant announcements can be heard.
You mentioned: "If you take a taxi to the city center (from the airport) you are looking at 60 euros" Here are the actual charges: FROM/TO AIRPORT EL. VENIZELOS TO/FROM CITY CENTER (RING) - Fixed rate - All legal charges and tolls are included: EURO 40.00 NIGHT FARE (00:00 - 05:00): EURO 55.00 Note: The charge is determined by the time of arrival at the destination and includes all applicable surcharges and extras. So for more than 1 passenger, especially including luggage, taxi to/from the city center is much more convenient, and probably quicker than public transport. Note that the Metro costs 9 euros per person and only has 2 trains per hour to the airport (and not 24-hours)
40 is fixed price to the city centre. To Pireus where our friend lives 60 is quite normal. Fixed prices were introduced by the state to protect tourists from overcharging.
I always use the Athens Metro when we go to Athens, especially as my wife uses a wheelchair and the entire Metro system is wheelchair friendly! We use the Green Line a lot, as we normally stay away from the city center, usually near Kato Patissia station :) and yes, it is usually just all greek people once you go past Monistraki!
Nice video @LargeManAbroad! The main problem with the blue line is it's capacaity. In order to meed the demand in the peak hours, more trains are needed. There is also an ongoing tender for modernising 14 trainsets of the the old green line. In few years a new line 4 will be in service. This is currently the bigest public construction project in Greece. 38kms with 35 stations. I hope you will reviewing this new line then!
We visited in July/August and used the metro from the airport to Syntagma and back again. I have to say that we were very cautious as we had heard of all the pickpockets, but to be honest we didnt have any problems, the cost from the airport was cheap and very quick. Will be more confident to use it in the future.
I want to make a correction to the price of taxi from the airport The taxi fare is flat, at 40€/42$ during the daytime (05:00 am - 00:00 am) and 55€/58$ during the night shift, while the total journey to Athens city center lasts 35-40 minutes under normal traffic conditions.
Hello from a proud Greek living in the USA! Just a few questions: the last time I was in Greece, my aunt took me to Athens from her home in Nikkia via bus, tram, and train. I didn’t think anything of it at that time, but why was it necessary to take the tram? Also, where are the trains that travel long distances throughout Greece? Lastly, can you give us a link for the public transportation website? You’re doing a great job with your videos and I really look forward to seeing more! 💙🇬🇷💙
I have written the site for greek long distance trains as well as the Central Station in Athens but UA-cam every time delete it . I don't understand why. Anyway make a search in Google of the text: "Hellenic Railways" . If your Greek is not so good you can choose on top the EN pages. Do the same search in Google Map to locate "Athens Greece Central Railways Station"
Your videos are very informative. The Athens Metro is indeed very safe, clean and straightforward, you can definetely use it as a tourist. I'd rather use it as a tourist than rely on taxis, because you always risk getting ripped off by the driver or driven around in circles. It doesn't run during the night. I've never seen a violent episode, apart from teenagers shoving each other. I've been on the London Tube and the NYC Subway and I felt very uneasy and unsafe, especially at night, not to mention the piss covering every corner. It's true us greeks love our strikes! We say that it's our national sport :P These happen fairly often and the city grinds to a halt. Athenians generally are a bit snobbish regarding public transport, especially buses, which are notoriously late and full of fare dodgers. Most of the city residents own cars and prefer being stuck in traffic and having nowhere to park than using a bus. The Green Line is the oldest (opened in 1869) and sometimes attracts more shabby passengers than the other two, new ones. The area around Attiki is dodgy, I wouldn't go there at night. Graffiti is everywhere in Athens! It's illegal to scribble on other people's property, but no one cares. Your tip about getting off at Thiseio is great, it's a nice area for walking around in the morning and also for an (overpriced) drink outside in the evening. The station at Monastiraki can get extremely crowded in the summer and there are many pickpockets around! Athenians turn their nose up at the touristy taverns in the area, with the guys outside calling to you to come in, however some are good.
In athens there was and still is respect for the metro lines 2 and 3 they came right at the 2004 Olympics and ofr the Athenians its the public transport that works. Buses and line 1 have stayed behind because of lack of public investment but for 1.40 euro for 90 mins i think its relatively affordable and i think that in time things will improve. Im not so optimistic about suburban railway because it follows the appalling state of our railway system. As for drug addicts , homeless people pickpockets etc they exist but as long as middle class get wiped out or migrates the income distribution will become more and more uneven and for instance we will have blocks of upper class and low class neighbourhoods. That will create more and more problems in th future even on public transport.
good job! thank you for showing our city from such point of view. Most of the greeks who live here want to leave but honestly its not that bad, certainly way better than most places in the world.
organizing the Olympics was a huge economical blow but the country did benefit from alot of new infrastructure, even though the Greek people will be paying for it for many more generations to come..
Nice video man, you have the best life. Since you like walking around Athens city centre you should make a video about a walking to museums tour. Athens centre has very good museums (beyond the standard 2, the archeological museum and the Acropolis meseum), they really worth the efford and the value.
Bro,i really appreciate your videos. totally different style than the rest of the expats living here. As for the public transportation. Greeks dont like using it and prefere to get stack in traffic. They think is crap (ok sometimes it is) but i find it convenient in this athenian chaos. Thanks for pointing it out , because the good things we have here, we take them for granted. As for the gyros, personally i can hardly find anything that i like nowdays. i tend to eat at taka-taka for the last 35 40 years. Handmade gyros ,different from what you are used to and another one near your place,towards kallipoli again handmade gyros, called taygetos. you can find them both at efood (if you are familiar with the app)
@@zeikerd look, because in Greece and in Europe in general, food is of good quality. i wont say that is bad, it is just i will not eat there very often. It is tasty. I just like my souvlaki more traditional and unfortunatelly very few places left. To give you an idea, pita souvlaki or gyros with french fries is a crime, but nowdays most of the places use fries (bread with fries ,such a bad nutrition combination)
The bus from the airport is not really bad nor dos it take forever, it gives options too for if you want to get closer to the city center or the beach & southern suburbs which the metro does not get to
thank you for your great comments:) also i did notice you left the receipt of the ticket, dont be thiiis guy if you know what i mean, just throw it in the bin :)) also next time you get in the center , coffee on me.
our smart government ordered 2 million smart rechargeable cards for the new Thessaloniki metro that's about to open ,but guess what, they don't fit the machines that recharge them, so for the first few weeks transportation will be free
Μπράβο βρε! Δυσφημούμε διεθνώς όχι την Κυβέρνηση αλλά την Ελλάδα μας έτσι, από την βλακεία ή την μίζα κάποιων κηφήνων... Δεν είναι ανάγκη όμως να γράφουμε απερίσκεπτα τα πάντα σε αγγλόφωνο κανάλι... Αν ήταν κάτι καλό που έκανε η Πατρίδα μας είμαι σίγουρος ότι δεν θα το έγραφες... Διαστροφή και χαιρεκακία.
I am thinking of getting Greek Citizenship. My grandparents were from Greece and I'd get citizenship through ancestry. We have German Shepherds and want to bring them with us. How can I bring them with us? They won't be left behind.
Beaware, if you aren't old enough, and you want to live in Greece permanently, with a greek citizenship, you will be required to do a year of miltary service.
@MrVlad0978 They have changed these rules. If you are born outside of Greece and have two Greek parents and apply for citizenship, you are no longer required to do military conscription. I checked with the Greek embassy.
Greece has an amazing metro system. Maybe not the best in Europe but easily up there. Anything besides the metro is unrealiable, unpleasant and sometimes straight up dangerous. The tram is the slowest means of transportation and it is very unreliable because it is effected by traffic, i haven't got a single time using the tram that was faster than taking a bus even during the rush hours. It is nice to see the view but that's it. The buses are absolute trash. I live in a suburb and the buses are decraped. Buses are skipping a lot of routes. The A2 and A3 are the worst offenders in this with A2 (that serves a very significant amount of people on the daily) skipping two routes in a raw every now and then. The amount of broken buses I've been in that they have serious issues like engine overheating, breaks not working well, electricity shutting down randomely (which this is not a big deal up until it is night and the driver's lights are shutting out of nowhere), engines shutting down at random midway a route and doors that sometimes wont obey the buttons. Last time i got a serious issue with a bus the engine just shut off midways, the driver used the breaks in a way to get control until immobilising the vehicle. We got all off the bus and we had the police coming over to check if everything was alright and to stay there until a crane or something came by to remove it from the street. By the way this was the last bus of the route, and we were waiting for another bus to come and pick us up. 45 minutes later the driver gets a call and he was told to take a taxi to get where he had to and to let the passengers know that there is no buses to complete the route. Yesterday i was in a bus going to the seaside of athens with a few tourists inside, the route i was on has two buses serving, one for locals and one connecting to the metro. The one connecting to the metro skipped two trips and so the bus driver got called and was asked to change into the route of the bus that skipped two trips because many people got angry. None announced that to us until he didnt do the turn the bus is supposed to and i had to explain to the tourists that there was a change om the trip. Overall the buses here are a joke and a gamble, nothing like our metro, god bless our metro is good enough for most people.
Love your video man and i agree with you 100%. but as a local i fell the obligation and i must say one thing, because more Americans will see this and not all of them have your "size". In my opinion tourists must avoid some stations after sundown (its not that something is gonna happens for sure but better safe than sorry) Omonia and Attiki. As for you if you need to explore more the city and find the best gyro try on green line "Perisos and walk to N.Filadelfia" "Iraklio" " Marousi" "Kifisia" On blue line "Panormou". Dont stay on the typical tourist guide, you will never hear a local gree say "lets go to omonia or monastiraki to eat suvlaki"
Man I lived in Attiki for 6 months. I actually tend to be more comfortable in areas like that. Although I can say I haven't seen a naked man in the alley doing drugs since I left.
@@LargeManAbroad And i live in Athens all my life born and razed in this city :) i dont disagree with your video i just say that for tourists in general my proposition for late hours to avoid this 2 areas. If you like we can join for food same day and share stories than i cant type on internet.
Do they provide amenities for passengers with prams for example and wheelchairs if so how does that work? I would imagine certain platforms would have lifts or a ramp?
@westnblu every station I've seen has an elevator I think. I've seen people with wheel chairs get on before. They waited at the front. When the conductor stopped, he got out and helped the man on the train. That's all I got.
@@LargeManAbroad Appreciate the heads up. One thing u mentioned the New York subway , we get it , its as old as time itself! haha but there's never been any attempt to upgrade it by adding adding lifts or even ramps . Maybe there has but only in certain sections off it ? I mean its a big subway, covers a huge distance. But from watching various travel logs I never seem to have seen any or mention of them. I personally have never been to New York by the way. Again thanx for downloading and sharing your travels, enjoy and keep safe.
in the metro and on the streets of Athens, it generally doesn't have much crime. the biggest crime happens inside the Greek Parliament. the only thing to fear on the subway... is the subway itself... (the train). recently in greece, 57 PEOPLE died. athens to thessaloniki line. in Tebi (τέμπη). because there were no upgrades to the train that had been agreed upon. as a result, the 2 trains were heading towards each other on the same railway for a long time and there was no notification in the system, resulting in a head-on collision. because some politicians put the money in their pocket. unfortunately, in Greece the politicians are among the most corrupt in Europe!
I use the metro every day to go to my university (National Polytechnic University of Athens) And I always thought it is convenient But I also thought it was , like "average" And you say that it's better than the London Underground ?
@@LargeManAbroad I would have never expected that... I always thought that it was okay in terms of cleanliness, but that we could do better My guess is that , I haven't really seen what a "dirty" (or at least "dirtier") metro system looks like ... and that I was taking our metro for granted Also, in regards to safety, I was always told as a kid to be careful, that pickpocketers are everywhere , but in my several years of taking the metro daily, I haven't been pickpocketed even once
@@LargeManAbroad One thing that I dislike about our metro , is how often beggars come in ... Also , there is the odd homless person sometimes Since you use it often , I'm pretty sure you have noticed those things too...
@@mariolis The professional beggars are not so common in the underground lines as in the green line. And they can be a nuissance at first but after a while one gets used to those same 5-6 faces changing their story with every season ... now they have cancer, then they're unable to work due to mental health issues, next they're raising their grandchildren b/c their children died in a crash.... after a few years it gets kinda funny
Why do you mirror the image? First, this makes the signs in the background unreadable and, second, it distorts the landscape to the point that even locals can't recognize it. 😃
Why don't you say you are 193 cm tall 136 kg, and you live us making the conversions ? Also, why did you post the video in the opposite direction ? Nobody can read the signs on the platforms.
@@zeikerd I am Greek myself, and nothing about a graffiti screams safety. The occasion for a graffiti to be considered street art is rare. It is usually a local moron's or gang's hideous tag.
I am Greek living in Greece and the graffiti in Athens and parts of Thessaloniki is hideous. Every problematic, badly raised brat who is a social misfit gets his ugly self displayed in the public space. Things are improving slowly though. Give it a few years and it will not be considered cool I hope. It happened in other parts of the world...
I go there whenever I get the chance. Riding the green line from A to B. Mostly I ride to Irini and Kifissia to paint graffiti. Such an awesome line to ride, great tracksides full of paint. I love the elevated tracks too. Great metro cars, they remind me of the amsterdam subway a few years ago. I have gone on the red line once and the blue line from the airport of course, but....when the suburban line arrives first at the airport, I take that to nerantziotissa and jump over to the green line, back to Monastiraki or Omonia. I will be there in two weeks again, so looking forward to it.
hmm Gyro in Athens... not easy... Souvlaki yes but good Gyro is difficult to find... and avoid every single store around Monastriraki-Plaka... NOT clean NOT Greek
Posto in Maroussi is pretty bad ass. been there at least ten times. And that Best Taste spot in petralona. And O Elvis near keramikos seems to be good (I only had the pork belly there btw, but will return soon)
Your video title "greek healthcare is amazing" was so controversial it became viral😂😂Our clown minister of health used your video to "prove" our healthcare is actually good!!
Put the point stands... Our healthcare, despite problems is okay , sure it can be improved, but its not as bad as we often make it out to be Sometimes , we the Greeks can be our own harshest critics
@@LargeManAbroad Sure, I get that, but I do support the current goverment, I am biased, I voted for the party that is currently in power ,but I do understand that I am biased But even so, just looking at the reality of how things are, it becomes obvious that things arent as bad as they are often made out to be Sure , we must be critical of the goverment and demand our politicians to always do better , but we cant demand them to be perfect, and compare how things are to perfection
Thank you for the video,BUT... Unfortunately you didn't gave any info for the pickpockets... It's very huge problem because the tourists are the easiest targets, especially when they're coming from the airport 😢. It's very difficult for me to see them when they discover that...😢( Because I'm working in the metro system...
Safe? The metro? No! Last week a suburban train attached to metro train rails and the driver by himself realised that he has to go back bcs telecommunications doesnt work, so he couldnt ask for help or even inform the other trains to stop. The emergency exits are locked bcs they want to avoid graffities, so if a train catches fire, you 'll die in the rails bcs you have to go in the next stop station on foot, with 300+ other people on high voltage rails. Dont come here, for your safety.
Also, 2 years ago two suburban trains crashed bcs telecommunications, as i said, doesnt work. Εverything is done by the human factor, so a man who worked for more than 9 hours a day, made a mistake and 57 people died. There was no automatic safety system that could see 2 trains are coming close to each other on the same rail and stop em. Gonverment immediately transfered the soil in another area and cemented the area (With dead bodies) to hide evidence of their own mistakes, bcs workers went on strike months before the accident happend and gonverment ruled it illegal and said that there are no safety problems.
You made it to the news in the Greek newspaper, Congratulations!
he deserves more views though
@@bullspre I'm new to this it's all good
@georgepapastergiou9917 yeah I'm officially propaganda 😆 🤣
hehe yes
@@LargeManAbroad You are not propaganda,you are another ''victim'' of the goverment's propaganda. Our current minister of the Health Department is a well known ''pupil'' of the Joseph Goebbels propaganda school. He used a part of your video to emphasize how well he runs the minister but the problem is so big and obvious that you must be an idiot to believe him. Anyway keep up your videos and have fun!!!
Bus from airport to city center costs 5,5 euro, does 40 minutes to reach and its 24hours available. Also available for Pireus too.
Noted
As a greek person, i appreciate seeing tourists that know to stay away from "tourist traps" you guys get charged triple to quadruple prices than we do in the tourists hot spots and seeing tourists smarten up and know how to use the local transport and find non tourists areas to eat and drink that don't cost a fortune is great. Hope you are enjoying your stay!
Fellow Greek Tf2 enjoyer
Γεια σου!
@TF2Med Γειά σου, πατριώτη! :)
As a local, it has to be noted, that despite having just 3 lines for now, it's incredibly efficient, and connects all places. Like the line you rode takes directly to the Airport, without having to even change lines. That's something that very few cities have.
@@Pan472 agreed.
Airport -> Piraeus port in 55’ minutes . It’s pretty fast and so easy to use . I think I haven’t seen any other country connecting airport - city centre - port with just one line .
Good job! Im glad you are enjoying Greece!
Don't forget, Athens Metro system was ranked 3rd best in Europe recently, and that is a huge achievement for a country of that size (population-wise).
@@alanpotter8680 I just saw that article. I did it first haha
Okay that's clearly bullshit - there is probably no worese metro system in whole Europe.
@@fischXSimply saying it doesn't make it so.
Care to elaborate?
@@jacquelineess1141 just by going somewhere else and use the metro you can test it? Most metro systems are better maintained, less congested run every 2-3 minutes not 12 in rush hour...
@@fischX I've been to England, Scotland, Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Germany and the Netherlands. Greece's Metro is absolutely fine.
the green line is the oldest in Europe since 1869...
amazing....but it was not underground, right ?
@gigihentz5510 it is not, yes... until today the only part that is underground is a small section from Monastiraki station to Attiki station...
Thanks for your good comments on our athenian metro! Ευχαριστούμε!
Good to have you in our country 😊
€8.20 for 5 days unlimited with metro tram or bus is so cheap , I'm shocked .
In London it's around £15 just for one day .
Im not sure100%,but the trolley is also included in the price!
And it is importand beacause it is deep within the urban net.
@@gwnas-lipousyes it is included and the (suburban train too at the Magoula-Pireaus-Koropi-SKA Section)
I’m using the trains in Athens since I was 13 years old and we only had the Green Line back then. I am 39 today and still use it daily. It was and is always very safe. I’ve only seen funny things happening and maybe witnessed one slightly violent incident once. (Some guy who didn’t have a ticket punched an inspector who tried to fine him and run)
Our favorite green line has a long, chronic and re-occuring professional beggar problem, sometimes they get stopped but most of the time they're right there begging from one wagon to the next.
@@geogeo2299 oh these guys are on all the lines. And in some cases they are the same for decades now. It's a business.
Hey man, stambled upon your video. I have to say great quality & very informative for newcomers.
Here's 2 tips about the Athena Tickets/Cards: They can be reloaded with fares (As seen in machine at 3:14 ) & Can be used in Suburban Railway operated by Hellenic Train, In the sections Koropi - Magoula - Piraeus.
Thank you for this very informative video! It was really helpfull!!!!
As a Greek but a non-Athens resident, the buses from the airport have been very helpful to me when I visit Athens.
Τέλειο Vlog! :) Σ'ευχαριστούμε πολύ! Thank you :)
Tourists/Passengers of the Metro should be very careful for pickpockets. In specific stations where pickpockets operate extensively, relevant announcements can be heard.
@Petros._ yes but this is a common thing everywhere. Personal accountability is key.
You never mentioned those specific stations, thought trol.
Wait till you visit Rome...
@@helgaioannidis9365 🤣
Informative and mellow!
You mentioned:
"If you take a taxi to the city center (from the airport) you are looking at 60 euros"
Here are the actual charges:
FROM/TO AIRPORT EL. VENIZELOS TO/FROM CITY CENTER (RING) - Fixed rate - All legal charges and tolls are included: EURO 40.00
NIGHT FARE (00:00 - 05:00): EURO 55.00
Note: The charge is determined by the time of arrival at the destination and includes all applicable surcharges and extras.
So for more than 1 passenger, especially including luggage, taxi to/from the city center is much more convenient, and probably quicker than public transport. Note that the Metro costs 9 euros per person and only has 2 trains per hour to the airport (and not 24-hours)
@Petros._ thank you for the info.
40 is fixed price to the city centre. To Pireus where our friend lives 60 is quite normal. Fixed prices were introduced by the state to protect tourists from overcharging.
I'll make a correction
Correction made in my pinned comment. Thank you for bringing this up.
I always use the Athens Metro when we go to Athens, especially as my wife uses a wheelchair and the entire Metro system is wheelchair friendly! We use the Green Line a lot, as we normally stay away from the city center, usually near Kato Patissia station :) and yes, it is usually just all greek people once you go past Monistraki!
Thanks for all your great work on this very informative video!!!
What an awesome video.
The green line is the oldest...and the slowest 😊
Nice video @LargeManAbroad! The main problem with the blue line is it's capacaity. In order to meed the demand in the peak hours, more trains are needed. There is also an ongoing tender for modernising 14 trainsets of the the old green line. In few years a new line 4 will be in service. This is currently the bigest public construction project in Greece. 38kms with 35 stations. I hope you will reviewing this new line then!
Nice video ,well presented….until next
Time ….Alex🇬🇷
We visited in July/August and used the metro from the airport to Syntagma and back again. I have to say that we were very cautious as we had heard of all the pickpockets, but to be honest we didnt have any problems, the cost from the airport was cheap and very quick. Will be more confident to use it in the future.
I want to make a correction to the price of taxi from the airport
The taxi fare is flat, at 40€/42$ during the daytime (05:00 am - 00:00 am) and 55€/58$ during the night shift, while the total journey to Athens city center lasts 35-40 minutes under normal traffic conditions.
Hello from a proud Greek living in the USA! Just a few questions: the last time I was in Greece, my aunt took me to Athens from her home in Nikkia via bus, tram, and train. I didn’t think anything of it at that time, but why was it necessary to take the tram? Also, where are the trains that travel long distances throughout Greece? Lastly, can you give us a link for the public transportation website?
You’re doing a great job with your videos and I really look forward to seeing more! 💙🇬🇷💙
No the metro at nikea was recently built, like the demotiko theatro station.
I have written the site for greek long distance trains as well as the Central Station in Athens but UA-cam every time delete it . I don't understand why. Anyway make a search in Google of the text: "Hellenic Railways" . If your Greek is not so good you can choose on top the EN pages. Do the same search in Google Map to locate "Athens Greece Central Railways Station"
Center pireaus port is my favourite place in grecce
Love youe videos dude! I recently found you. Subscribed!
@@brokebaster thanks man. I appreciate the love.
Very well done. Thank you ! A video on how to find an apartment to rent would be fantastic.
Your videos are very informative. The Athens Metro is indeed very safe, clean and straightforward, you can definetely use it as a tourist. I'd rather use it as a tourist than rely on taxis, because you always risk getting ripped off by the driver or driven around in circles. It doesn't run during the night. I've never seen a violent episode, apart from teenagers shoving each other. I've been on the London Tube and the NYC Subway and I felt very uneasy and unsafe, especially at night, not to mention the piss covering every corner.
It's true us greeks love our strikes! We say that it's our national sport :P These happen fairly often and the city grinds to a halt. Athenians generally are a bit snobbish regarding public transport, especially buses, which are notoriously late and full of fare dodgers. Most of the city residents own cars and prefer being stuck in traffic and having nowhere to park than using a bus. The Green Line is the oldest (opened in 1869) and sometimes attracts more shabby passengers than the other two, new ones. The area around Attiki is dodgy, I wouldn't go there at night. Graffiti is everywhere in Athens! It's illegal to scribble on other people's property, but no one cares.
Your tip about getting off at Thiseio is great, it's a nice area for walking around in the morning and also for an (overpriced) drink outside in the evening. The station at Monastiraki can get extremely crowded in the summer and there are many pickpockets around! Athenians turn their nose up at the touristy taverns in the area, with the guys outside calling to you to come in, however some are good.
In athens there was and still is respect for the metro lines 2 and 3 they came right at the 2004 Olympics and ofr the Athenians its the public transport that works. Buses and line 1 have stayed behind because of lack of public investment but for 1.40 euro for 90 mins i think its relatively affordable and i think that in time things will improve. Im not so optimistic about suburban railway because it follows the appalling state of our railway system. As for drug addicts , homeless people pickpockets etc they exist but as long as middle class get wiped out or migrates the income distribution will become more and more uneven and for instance we will have blocks of upper class and low class neighbourhoods. That will create more and more problems in th future even on public transport.
good job! thank you for showing our city from such point of view. Most of the greeks who live here want to leave but honestly its not that bad, certainly way better than most places in the world.
organizing the Olympics was a huge economical blow but the country did benefit from alot of new infrastructure, even though the Greek people will be paying for it for many more generations to come..
Nice video man, you have the best life. Since you like walking around Athens city centre you should make a video about a walking to museums tour. Athens centre has very good museums (beyond the standard 2, the archeological museum and the Acropolis meseum), they really worth the efford and the value.
RED LINE MONO ROUFIANI Red Line Ultras❤️❤️❤️
Yes 🙌 like 💯💯 awesome video 💚🍀✌️🔥✌️🔥📸🫅👈💖✨👍📷 thanks you my friend 🙏
now I challenge you to do buses/troley!!
@John7No I will. Not so positive on that though. Lol
@@LargeManAbroad unfortunately you are correct but I will let you live the experience !!
@@LargeManAbroad the metro is wow just stay away from our trains man, if you value your life that is.
Definitely heading over and should arrive on the 6th. Very familiar been many times. I also lived in DC for a while and familiar with both metro 🚇.
Bro,i really appreciate your videos. totally different style than the rest of the expats living here. As for the public transportation. Greeks dont like using it and prefere to get stack in traffic. They think is crap (ok sometimes it is) but i find it convenient in this athenian chaos. Thanks for pointing it out , because the good things we have here, we take them for granted. As for the gyros, personally i can hardly find anything that i like nowdays. i tend to eat at taka-taka for the last 35 40 years. Handmade gyros ,different from what you are used to and another one near your place,towards kallipoli again handmade gyros, called taygetos. you can find them both at efood (if you are familiar with the app)
Whats your take on the tourist pitas like Kostas?
@@zeikerd can you be more specific plz?Kostas in which area?
@@bullspre the one near monastiraki, on agia irini square
@@zeikerd look, because in Greece and in Europe in general, food is of good quality. i wont say that is bad, it is just i will not eat there very often. It is tasty. I just like my souvlaki more traditional and unfortunatelly very few places left. To give you an idea, pita souvlaki or gyros with french fries is a crime, but nowdays most of the places use fries (bread with fries ,such a bad nutrition combination)
@@bullspre no patates for this guy!
The bus from the airport is not really bad nor dos it take forever, it gives options too for if you want to get closer to the city center or the beach & southern suburbs which the metro does not get to
"riding like a local"
"pays for a ticket"
@@GIANNHSPEIRAIAS try not to break the law on camera
Great and honest videos as usual. Maybe it's a good idea to clarify that you are not affiliated with the Greek Government! 😁😁😆😆
@@GeorgePapanikolopoulos next video I address it.
Athens Metro is fast, and (still) cheap but Athens needs 3 more lines - a total six - to be efficient.
thank you for your great comments:) also i did notice you left the receipt of the ticket, dont be thiiis guy if you know what i mean, just throw it in the bin :)) also next time you get in the center , coffee on me.
Bus from airport is fast cheap and 24hrs
Super useful, but you have your camera mirror imaging.
Fixed it. Thanks.
Pretty soon you'll be riding buses... trams... even donkeys. The sky's the limit.
@@christopherdunne4048 I prefer horses 🐎
our smart government ordered 2 million smart rechargeable cards for the new Thessaloniki metro that's about to open ,but guess what, they don't fit the machines that recharge them, so for the first few weeks transportation will be free
@@giorgospsixramis3400 silver lining 😄
yeah "free", but the taxpayers are paying for it essentially, and the contractor who supplied the machines as well.
@@Atreas40000 good point
Μπράβο βρε! Δυσφημούμε διεθνώς όχι την Κυβέρνηση αλλά την Ελλάδα μας έτσι, από την βλακεία ή την μίζα κάποιων κηφήνων... Δεν είναι ανάγκη όμως να γράφουμε απερίσκεπτα τα πάντα σε αγγλόφωνο κανάλι... Αν ήταν κάτι καλό που έκανε η Πατρίδα μας είμαι σίγουρος ότι δεν θα το έγραφες... Διαστροφή και χαιρεκακία.
You are famous now, you know... 😊
Not sure that's what I would call it. 😂
I am thinking of getting Greek Citizenship. My grandparents were from Greece and I'd get citizenship through ancestry. We have German Shepherds and want to bring them with us. How can I bring them with us? They won't be left behind.
Beaware, if you aren't old enough, and you want to live in Greece permanently, with a greek citizenship, you will be required to do a year of miltary service.
@MrVlad0978 They have changed these rules. If you are born outside of Greece and have two Greek parents and apply for citizenship, you are no longer required to do military conscription. I checked with the Greek embassy.
Greece has an amazing metro system. Maybe not the best in Europe but easily up there.
Anything besides the metro is unrealiable, unpleasant and sometimes straight up dangerous.
The tram is the slowest means of transportation and it is very unreliable because it is effected by traffic, i haven't got a single time using the tram that was faster than taking a bus even during the rush hours. It is nice to see the view but that's it.
The buses are absolute trash. I live in a suburb and the buses are decraped. Buses are skipping a lot of routes. The A2 and A3 are the worst offenders in this with A2 (that serves a very significant amount of people on the daily) skipping two routes in a raw every now and then. The amount of broken buses I've been in that they have serious issues like engine overheating, breaks not working well, electricity shutting down randomely (which this is not a big deal up until it is night and the driver's lights are shutting out of nowhere), engines shutting down at random midway a route and doors that sometimes wont obey the buttons.
Last time i got a serious issue with a bus the engine just shut off midways, the driver used the breaks in a way to get control until immobilising the vehicle. We got all off the bus and we had the police coming over to check if everything was alright and to stay there until a crane or something came by to remove it from the street. By the way this was the last bus of the route, and we were waiting for another bus to come and pick us up. 45 minutes later the driver gets a call and he was told to take a taxi to get where he had to and to let the passengers know that there is no buses to complete the route.
Yesterday i was in a bus going to the seaside of athens with a few tourists inside, the route i was on has two buses serving, one for locals and one connecting to the metro. The one connecting to the metro skipped two trips and so the bus driver got called and was asked to change into the route of the bus that skipped two trips because many people got angry. None announced that to us until he didnt do the turn the bus is supposed to and i had to explain to the tourists that there was a change om the trip.
Overall the buses here are a joke and a gamble, nothing like our metro, god bless our metro is good enough for most people.
Nice Psy-Ops. CIA has the know-how.......
@@odikaiopolis2832 you watch too many movies
@@LargeManAbroadHe drank the Cool-Aid ❤
Love your video man and i agree with you 100%. but as a local i fell the obligation and i must say one thing, because more Americans will see this and not all of them have your "size". In my opinion tourists must avoid some stations after sundown (its not that something is gonna happens for sure but better safe than sorry) Omonia and Attiki. As for you if you need to explore more the city and find the best gyro try on green line "Perisos and walk to N.Filadelfia" "Iraklio" " Marousi" "Kifisia" On blue line "Panormou". Dont stay on the typical tourist guide, you will never hear a local gree say "lets go to omonia or monastiraki to eat suvlaki"
Man I lived in Attiki for 6 months. I actually tend to be more comfortable in areas like that. Although I can say I haven't seen a naked man in the alley doing drugs since I left.
@@LargeManAbroad And i live in Athens all my life born and razed in this city :) i dont disagree with your video i just say that for tourists in general my proposition for late hours to avoid this 2 areas. If you like we can join for food same day and share stories than i cant type on internet.
Each time you mistake Piraeus for Athens I get annoyed... 😎
But everything else was great.
Found my permanentheaven on the Greekisland of Syros dreamed of Greece Always
Do they provide amenities for passengers with prams for example and wheelchairs if so how does that work? I would imagine certain platforms would have lifts or a ramp?
@westnblu every station I've seen has an elevator I think. I've seen people with wheel chairs get on before. They waited at the front. When the conductor stopped, he got out and helped the man on the train. That's all I got.
@@LargeManAbroad Appreciate the heads up. One thing u mentioned the New York subway , we get it , its as old as time itself! haha but there's never been any attempt to upgrade it by adding adding lifts or even ramps . Maybe there has but only in certain sections off it ? I mean its a big subway, covers a huge distance. But from watching various travel logs I never seem to have seen any or mention of them. I personally have never been to New York by the way. Again thanx for downloading and sharing your travels, enjoy and keep safe.
in the metro and on the streets of Athens, it generally doesn't have much crime.
the biggest crime happens inside the Greek Parliament.
the only thing to fear on the subway... is the subway itself... (the train).
recently in greece, 57 PEOPLE died. athens to thessaloniki line. in Tebi (τέμπη).
because there were no upgrades to the train that had been agreed upon.
as a result, the 2 trains were heading towards each other on the same railway for a long time and there was no notification in the system, resulting in a head-on collision. because some politicians put the money in their pocket.
unfortunately, in Greece the politicians are among the most corrupt in Europe!
huh I've never seen the ticket machine look like that
@@raidev_ it's funny because they must have just changed it. I went to make my video and was like wtf
I use the metro every day to go to my university (National Polytechnic University of Athens)
And I always thought it is convenient
But I also thought it was , like "average"
And you say that it's better than the London Underground ?
@@mariolis with regards to safety and cleanliness? Yes
@@LargeManAbroad I would have never expected that... I always thought that it was okay in terms of cleanliness, but that we could do better
My guess is that , I haven't really seen what a "dirty" (or at least "dirtier") metro system looks like ... and that I was taking our metro for granted
Also, in regards to safety, I was always told as a kid to be careful, that pickpocketers are everywhere , but in my several years of taking the metro daily, I haven't been pickpocketed even once
@@LargeManAbroad One thing that I dislike about our metro , is how often beggars come in ...
Also , there is the odd homless person sometimes
Since you use it often , I'm pretty sure you have noticed those things too...
@@mariolis The professional beggars are not so common in the underground lines as in the green line. And they can be a nuissance at first but after a while one gets used to those same 5-6 faces changing their story with every season ... now they have cancer, then they're unable to work due to mental health issues, next they're raising their grandchildren b/c their children died in a crash.... after a few years it gets kinda funny
@@geogeo2299 i remember very specifically this guy saying "11 χρόνια έχω στα ψυχιατρεία" in the blue line...
Why do you mirror the image? First, this makes the signs in the background unreadable and, second, it distorts the landscape to the point that even locals can't recognize it. 😃
I just fixed it in my settings. Thank you for pointing it out.
You have to consider that Athens expensive infrastructure comes with a cost for the rest of the country.
Yes. This is the case for every country, sadly.
Are you filming in mirror image?
Fixed for next vid
Why don't you say you are 193 cm tall 136 kg, and you live us making the conversions ?
Also, why did you post the video in the opposite direction ? Nobody can read the signs on the platforms.
What is with Americans and anxiety about everything?
@@Adis1 can you clarify? You've peaked my interest.
@@LargeManAbroad always afraid when a place looks a bit rowdy. OH GRAFFITI! we need to stay awaaaaaaayyyyyyy
@@zeikerd most Americans live soft quiet lives
@@zeikerd I am Greek myself, and nothing about a graffiti screams safety. The occasion for a graffiti to be considered street art is rare. It is usually a local moron's or gang's hideous tag.
I am Greek living in Greece and the graffiti in Athens and parts of Thessaloniki is hideous. Every problematic, badly raised brat who is a social misfit gets his ugly self displayed in the public space. Things are improving slowly though. Give it a few years and it will not be considered cool I hope. It happened in other parts of the world...
I go there whenever I get the chance. Riding the green line from A to B. Mostly I ride to Irini and Kifissia to paint graffiti. Such an awesome line to ride, great tracksides full of paint. I love the elevated tracks too. Great metro cars, they remind me of the amsterdam subway a few years ago. I have gone on the red line once and the blue line from the airport of course, but....when the suburban line arrives first at the airport, I take that to nerantziotissa and jump over to the green line, back to Monastiraki or Omonia. I will be there in two weeks again, so looking forward to it.
hmm Gyro in Athens... not easy... Souvlaki yes but good Gyro is difficult to find... and avoid every single store around Monastriraki-Plaka... NOT clean NOT Greek
Posto in Maroussi is pretty bad ass. been there at least ten times. And that Best Taste spot in petralona. And O Elvis near keramikos seems to be good (I only had the pork belly there btw, but will return soon)
@@zeikerdELVIS has the BEST chicken skewers I have ever had in my life. EXQUISITE. ❤
Your video is reversed?!
Your video title "greek healthcare is amazing" was so controversial it became viral😂😂Our clown minister of health used your video to "prove" our healthcare is actually good!!
@@anonymous-qc3sy yes it's quite amusing.
Put the point stands...
Our healthcare, despite problems is okay , sure it can be improved, but its not as bad as we often make it out to be
Sometimes , we the Greeks can be our own harshest critics
@@LargeManAbroadHe, Adonis Georgiadis , is the reason I found your channel
@@mariolis patriots should be the harshest critics of their government.
@@LargeManAbroad Sure, I get that, but I do support the current goverment, I am biased, I voted for the party that is currently in power ,but I do understand that I am biased
But even so, just looking at the reality of how things are, it becomes obvious that things arent as bad as they are often made out to be
Sure , we must be critical of the goverment and demand our politicians to always do better , but we cant demand them to be perfect, and compare how things are to perfection
Thank you for the video,BUT...
Unfortunately you didn't gave any info for the pickpockets...
It's very huge problem because the tourists are the easiest targets, especially when they're coming from the airport 😢.
It's very difficult for me to see them when they discover that...😢( Because I'm working in the metro system...
Safe? The metro? No! Last week a suburban train attached to metro train rails and the driver by himself realised that he has to go back bcs telecommunications doesnt work, so he couldnt ask for help or even inform the other trains to stop. The emergency exits are locked bcs they want to avoid graffities, so if a train catches fire, you 'll die in the rails bcs you have to go in the next stop station on foot, with 300+ other people on high voltage rails. Dont come here, for your safety.
Also, 2 years ago two suburban trains crashed bcs telecommunications, as i said, doesnt work. Εverything is done by the human factor, so a man who worked for more than 9 hours a day, made a mistake and 57 people died. There was no automatic safety system that could see 2 trains are coming close to each other on the same rail and stop em. Gonverment immediately transfered the soil in another area and cemented the area (With dead bodies) to hide evidence of their own mistakes, bcs workers went on strike months before the accident happend and gonverment ruled it illegal and said that there are no safety problems.
Dont come to Greece.