Travel information - Olympiacos (a)

The following information has been published by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for any supporters travelling to Athens for our game against Olympiacos:

Passports and visas

• you don’t need a visa to travel to Greece but your passport should be valid for at least the length of your stay
• remember your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) but also take out travel insurance, even if you’re only going for one night - it could save you a lot of money if you get into difficulties
• make sure that your passport is in good condition. Keep your passport safe and keep separate copies of it when travelling. Leave a photocopy of your passport and itinerary with a friend or a relative at home. Please take care of your passport – if you lose it you will need to report the loss to the local police and apply to the British Embassy on the next working day for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) to return to the UK. This could mean that you miss your flight home and need to pay for another flight in addition to paying for the ETD

Getting to the stadium
Metro – Athens has an extensive metro system with three lines; Metro Line 1 (Green line), Line 2 (Red) and Line 3 (Blue). The metro stop at the stadium is Faliro (Green Metro line 1). Journey time from the centre of Athens to Faliro is around 20 minutes. A 4 euro ticket will give you 24 hour access on the metro and bus services. This ticket is not valid for trips to and from the airport (you’ll need to buy a separate ticket when travelling on any airport express bus or the airport suburban line).
Tram – From Syntagma or Voula – get off at the Stadium of Peace and Friendship.
Buses – 040 from Syntagma, 101 from Ellinko, 130 from Nea Smirni, X95 from the airport.
Taxi – approximate charges – €35 from the airport, €10 from Syntagma, €12 from Omonia, €5 from the port.
Parking – If you’re driving your own hire car please be aware that there are no parking facilities around the stadium; you can park and ride from a metro station. The metro system will still be running after the match.
At the stadium
The gates open 3 hours before kick-off. Fans are encouraged to get to the stadium early as entry is by bar-coded ticket only and scanning takes some time. A new Greek Sports Law requires all tickets to contain the purchaser’s forename, surname and identity details (generally passport). Police have the power to search you to check tickets to ensure compliance and that tickets cannot be passed on – there may be random checks near the stadium. A search by local police officers will be made before entering the stadium. All turnstiles are electronic and there are dedicated turnstiles for Arsenal fans. The away section is accessed via Gate 27. Please refer to your match ticket for gate, section, row and seat number details. Sections 126 and 127 have been reserved for away fans and seating is reserved within these areas. After the match Arsenal are likely to be kept back within the away section for up to 30 minutes. Please be patient with the authorities, announcements will be made to keep you updated. No alcohol is allowed at the match. Fans who are clearly drunk will be refused entry. Please note that the following items won’t be allowed into the stadium: weapons, items that could be used as weapons, fireworks, drinks, alcohol, drugs, flag poles over 1m, flags over 1.5 x 2m, large cameras, promotional material, spray cans, luggage, toilet rolls and megaphones.

Tips
Watch out for pickpockets in busy tourist areas and on public transport. Keep a photocopy of your passport with you. Only carry what you need, leave spare cash and valuables in hotel safety deposits
British Embassy/Consulate address and telephone number

British Embassy
1 Ploutarchou
Athens 106 75

Tel +30 210 7272600
Public opening hours are by appointment only [except in the case of an emergency when Consular staff will exceptionally see customers without an appointment]:

9am -1pm >Monday, Wednesday and Friday

Telephone lines are open:

8.30am – 3pm > Monday to Friday

Nearest metro : Evangelismos

In the event of an emergency when the Embassy is closed, call the above number to be connected to the Global Response Centre in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

More information here

Emergency services numbers
Police 100;
Ambulance 166;
Fire 199 or
European emergency number 112.
Dialling 999 from a UK mobile will automatically connect you to the Greek emergency services.