Athens Airport Facilities & Services Guide (2026)
From showers and luggage storage to pharmacies, smoking areas and a children’s play area, Athens International Airport (ATH) has the practical services you need whether you are arriving, departing or stuck on a layover. Here is what is available inside the terminal in 2026 and where to find it.
Athens Airport Facilities at a Glance
| Facility | Details | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Showers | Available for a fee | Airside / lounges |
| Smoking areas | Designated outdoor/airside spots | Departures (see below) |
| Pharmacy | Open 06:00–24:00 | Arrivals hall |
| Luggage storage | Care4bag, €8–18 / day | Arrivals, near Gate 1 |
| Kids’ play area | Free | Main terminal |
| ATMs & exchange | 24/7 (bank ATMs) | Arrivals & departures |
Showers & Freshening Up
Shower facilities are available at the airport for a small fee — ideal for freshening up after a long-haul flight or during an extended layover. Showers are also included in the airside lounges if you have access.
The honest answer on showers
Athens does not have public pay-per-use shower cubicles the way Dubai, Istanbul or Munich do. Showers exist only inside the paid lounges, so the realistic route to one is a lounge pass. If you have a long connection and washing matters, budget for a lounge rather than hunting for a shower block that is not there.
Book your private airport transfer – instant confirmation
Welcome PickupsIf all you need is to freshen up, the airside toilets are large and well kept, and the ones at the quieter end of the B gates are usually empty. A travel towel and a wash bag get most of the job done.
Smoking Areas
Smoking inside the terminal building is not permitted, and that includes electronic cigarettes. Designated smoking areas are provided at Departures Intra-Schengen (opposite gates B12 and B19) and Departures Extra-Schengen (opposite gate A8).
Where the smoking areas actually are
Greece bans smoking inside public buildings, so every option at Athens is either an enclosed, ventilated lounge or an outdoor area. The good news for smokers is that Athens is unusually well provided for airside — most of the lounges are free Winston-branded rooms with seating, not the standing booths you get at other European hubs.
- Before security (landside): the outdoor areas directly outside the terminal doors on both the arrivals and departures levels. There has also been a glass-walled smoking cabin in the departures hall near check-in desks 106–107, though it has come and gone.
- Schengen departures, gates B12–B13: the largest one — an air-conditioned lounge with seating and tables, plus a separate compact booth by B13.
- Schengen departures, gates B19–B21: a designated smoking point on the lower gate level.
- Non-Schengen departures, gate A8: a smoking lounge directly in front of the gate.
- Satellite Terminal: a lounge near gate C34, with further cabins reported around C27 and opposite C32.
- Arrivals: an area near baggage carousel 5 on the Schengen side, and one across from gate A22 on the extra-Schengen side.
Two practical points. First, none of the airside lounges are inside the paid business lounges — the Aegean and Goldair lounges are non-smoking, so you have to leave to smoke. Second, these rooms are sponsor-branded and get moved or refitted, so treat the gate numbers as a strong guide rather than a guarantee, and look for the signage once you are through security.
Book your private airport transfer – instant confirmation
Welcome PickupsCan you smoke outside and come back through security?
Only if you have time to spare. Once you are airside there is no way out to an outdoor area without leaving the secure zone and clearing security again. At Athens that is usually quick, but at peak morning departure times it is not. If your flight is boarding, use the airside lounge.
Vaping and heated tobacco
The same rules apply — vaping is treated as smoking under Greek law, so use the designated areas rather than the gate lounge. Devices and spare batteries must travel in hand luggage, never in the hold.
Pharmacy & Medical Services
A pharmacy in the arrivals hall is open daily from 06:00 to 24:00 for medicines and travel essentials, and the airport has an on-site medical centre for anything more urgent. Handy if you land needing basics or forgot something at home.
The airport pharmacy: where it is and when it opens
There is one pharmacy at Athens International Airport and it is on the arrivals level at Exit 4, open 06:00–24:00, seven days a week. It is landside, which means anyone can reach it — but it also means you cannot get to it once you are through security for a departure. If you need something for the flight, buy it before you go airside.
Book your private airport transfer – instant confirmation
Welcome PickupsIt carries what a normal Greek pharmacy carries: prescription and over-the-counter medicines, painkillers, motion-sickness and stomach remedies, sun protection, insect repellent, baby formula and nappies, orthopaedic supports, and dermocosmetics. Greek pharmacists are qualified to advise and can dispense a number of things that would need a prescription elsewhere, so it is worth asking rather than assuming.
If you need a pharmacy outside 06:00–24:00
Between midnight and 06:00 the airport pharmacy is closed and there is no 24-hour alternative in the terminal. Your options are the airport first aid station for anything urgent, or a duty pharmacy in the city — Greek pharmacies operate a rota (efimeries) so there is always one open somewhere in Athens, and the rota is posted in every pharmacy window and online.
First aid and medical emergencies
A first aid station staffed by the National Centre for Emergency Care (EKAB) operates 24 hours a day. Ask at any airport information counter or call the airport switchboard. Automated external defibrillators are mounted in marked cabinets throughout the terminal.
Is there a doctor at Athens Airport?
The 24-hour first aid station is staffed by emergency medical personnel rather than a general practice. It handles acute problems and stabilisation; for anything non-urgent you will be pointed towards a clinic in the city.
Luggage Storage & Lockers
Left-luggage is run by Care4bag, with the baggage room at the end of the arrivals terminal near Gate 1. Overnight storage costs roughly €8–18 per item per day depending on size. For full details and alternatives, see our Athens airport luggage storage guide.
Families: Kids’ Play Area & Baby Facilities
Travelling with children? The terminal has a free children’s play area to burn off energy before a flight, along with baby-care rooms and family-friendly seating. Combined with the food court and free WiFi, it makes waiting with kids much easier.
Money, WiFi & Connectivity
The airport has free WiFi throughout, plus 24/7 ATMs and currency exchange. For exactly where to get online and withdraw cash — and how to avoid poor exchange rates — see our Athens Airport WiFi, ATMs & Money guide.
Wi-Fi, ATMs and getting cash
Wi-Fi is free and unlimited across the terminal — connect to the airport network and accept the terms; there is no time cap to work around. Coverage is solid landside and airside, including the Satellite Terminal.
ATMs are on both the arrivals and departures levels and at the Satellite Terminal. Two things to know: always choose to be charged in euros, not your home currency, when the machine offers to convert — the airport machine’s exchange rate is worse than your bank’s. And use a bank-branded ATM (Alpha Bank, Eurobank, National Bank of Greece, Piraeus Bank) rather than an independent one, which typically charges a higher fixed fee per withdrawal.
Card acceptance in Athens is near universal, including in taxis, so you rarely need much cash. If you want a local eSIM instead of roaming, see our Athens Airport eSIM and SIM card guide, and our rundown of Wi-Fi, ATMs and money at the airport goes into more detail on fees.
Getting from Athens Airport to the City
Once you have used what you need, the easiest way into Athens is a fixed-price private transfer that meets you in arrivals and tracks your flight. See our Athens airport taxi guide for all the options and current prices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Athens Airport have showers?
Yes. Shower facilities are available for a small fee, and they are also included in the airside lounges for passengers with access.
Where can I smoke at Athens Airport?
Smoking (including e-cigarettes) is banned inside the terminal. Use the designated areas at Departures Intra-Schengen (opposite gates B12 and B19) and Extra-Schengen (opposite gate A8).
Is there a pharmacy at Athens Airport?
Yes, in the arrivals hall, open daily 06:00–24:00, plus an on-site medical centre for urgent needs.
Can I store luggage at Athens Airport?
Yes. Care4bag runs left-luggage near Gate 1 in arrivals, from about €8–18 per item per day depending on size.
Does Athens Airport have a smoking area?
Yes — several. Landside there are outdoor areas outside the terminal doors. Airside there are enclosed, air-conditioned smoking lounges: the largest is by gates B12–B13 in Schengen departures, with others at B19–B21, in front of gate A8 in non-Schengen, near gate C34 in the Satellite Terminal, and in arrivals near carousel 5 and gate A22.
Is there a pharmacy in Athens Airport?
Yes, one — on the arrivals level at Exit 4, open 06:00 to 24:00 every day. It is landside, so you cannot reach it once you have gone through security for a departure.
Is the Athens Airport pharmacy open 24 hours?
No. It closes at midnight and reopens at 06:00. For anything urgent overnight, the airport first aid station is staffed 24 hours; for a prescription, Athens pharmacies run a duty rota so one will be open in the city.
Can I smoke after security at Athens Airport?
Yes. Athens has free smoking lounges in all three airside zones, so you do not need to leave the secure area. Look for the signage near gates B12–B13 (Schengen), A8 (non-Schengen) and C34 (Satellite).
Related guides
- Athens Airport Food, Restaurants & Lounges
- Athens Airport Fast Track & Security
- Athens Airport WiFi, ATMs & Money
- Athens Airport Luggage Storage
- Athens Airport Arrivals Guide
- Athens Airport Taxi Guide 2026
Athens Airport Transfer
Ready to Book Your Taxi?
€40 fixed rate • Meet & greet at arrivals • 24/7 availability
Book Your Transfer →
