Sleeping in Athens Airport

Whether your situation calls for a short nap or an overnight slumber, this sleep guide will give you the essential information needed to prepare you for sleeping in Athens Airport.

Our guide is updated with the help of airport sleepers who tell us about their experiences at Athens Airport. If you have a tip or photos to share, please take a moment to write a review to help us keep this sleep guide up-to-date!

Read the latest traveller reviews.

Sleeping in Athens Airport

Locations & Seating

The good news is there is plenty of seats and benches, but it seems to be a toss up if you’ll find something comfortable enough for sleeping. Keep your eyes peeled for armrest-free benches or sprawl out on the floor. When all else fails, you certainly won’t be the only traveller trying to stay up all night.

Here are decent sleep spots that travellers have reported:

The area around Gate B22 has some armrest-free benches, though they are a little chilly.
Benches inside Burger King (Terminal 1).
Pre-Security, head upstairs to the hallway just before the restaurants for some private nooks to lie on the floor.
Above the Arrivals area, there’s a small area with a few armrest-free benches.

Rest Zones

At the time of this update, there are no designated rest zones within the airport.

Temperature

At the time of this update, we have not received reports from travellers related to terminal temperature. Still, you can likely expect the airport to cool down at night, as air conditioning continues to run and fewer people are inside. Arrive prepared with a blanket or even a sleeping bag. A hoodie provides extra warmth if the terminal gets even colder.

Lighting

At the time of this update, we have not received reports from travellers related to terminal brightness. Come prepared with eyeshades or something else to cover your eyes, such as a shirt or towel.

Noise

Quite a few travellers have reported noise in the middle of the night, specifically music that plays over loudspeakers anywhere between 12:00 AM – 4:00 AM. You can also expect occasional airport announcements. One reviewer mentioned constructions crews contributing to the noise factor, though that seemed temporary. As a precaution, come prepared with earplugs or noise-cancelling headphones.

Pro-tip: If you chose a spot near any eateries, keep in mind that the staff arrive early and they can get pretty loud in the kitchen.

Showers

Unfortunately, there are no showers available to freshen up.

Food & Drink

When you get the midnight munchies or give up trying to sleep and need a coffee to stay awake, most food concessions are open 24-hours. Here are some 24-hour vendors: Buondi Caffe, Heineken Star Bar, illy Bar, Kir-Yianni Wine Bar, Burger King, Puro Gusto, and To Go.

Hotels

Prefer some privacy and comfort? If you would like a good solid sleep between flights, a Sofitel is located just 50 meters from the main terminal, with overnight and day rooms available, plus spa access for non-guests. See the hotel section in our Airport Guide for locations or visit Tripadvisor to find hotels deals at Athens Airport.

Lounges

While Athens Airport has several lounges, none have designated sleep rooms or rest areas. If you just want to relax in a comfortable seat, check out this list of lounges in our Athens Airport Guide that you can pay to access.

Security & Safety

Many travellers report that airport staff generally don’t mind the travellers who choose to sleep here overnight, which means you probably won’t be woken up by Security staff. Depending where you spent the night, however, you may have a polite wake-up call between 4:00 AM – 6:00 AM, as more travellers arrive at the airport.

In terms of safety, we have received a couple reports of sketchy behavior, especially in the pre-Security areas, where vagrants or homeless people may mill about during the night.

As a precaution, here are a few tips to ensure you have a safe airport sleeping experience:

Know Where Security is Located. Whether you are sleeping in the airport by yourself or with friends, it is good to know where security is. Know where their office is located and look for video cameras in the spot you decide to stay the night. Ask security where it is safe to spend the night. They’ve probably seen many airport sleepers before you and they will direct you to a safe spot.
Don’t Seclude Yourself. If you are travelling alone we recommend that you sleep near other travellers or close to security.
Hide Your Valuables. Don’t leave all your mobile devices out in plain view. We have received reports from people who woke up with earphones and no ipod and a laptop bag strap and no laptop bag (or laptop). Same goes with important documents and money. Keep these secure on your body, so that no one can get them without waking you up.
Secure Your Bags. If you are a deep sleeper, you may want to padlock your bag to something. If your bags have zippers turn the bag upside down (zippers to the floor) or sleep with your bag up against the wall, so that it would be hard for someone to access.
Choose to Stay Alert. If you don’t feel safe, drink coffee and stay awake and be alert. You can always sleep on the plane!