Staying Near Evangelismos and the Athens Hospitals: A Guide for Families and Companions

A quiet street in Kolonaki, a few minutes' walk from the hospitals on Vasilissis Sofias.

The short answer: Evangelismos General Hospital is at Ipsilantou 45-47 in lower Kolonaki, beside Evangelismos station on metro line 3. Line 3 normally runs direct between the airport and Evangelismos in about 40 minutes; announced night works can interrupt the through journey. From Piraeus port the journey takes about 25 minutes. The switchboard is +30 213 204 1000. Visiting hours are 17:00 to 20:00 on weekdays, and 11:00 to 12:30 and 16:00 to 20:00 at weekends and on public holidays, but a companion who stays on the ward needs the ward's special permission, so ask on the first day. Aretaieio, Aiginiteio and Alexandra are one metro stop away at Megaro Mousikis. If cost is a worry, see the hospital's social service before you book anything: there are free places to stay for some patients from outside Athens.

I have lived in Kolonaki for more than ten years and host guests in two apartments here, one of them on Ipsilantou, the same street as Evangelismos. Many of the people who stay with us are not on holiday: they are here because someone they love is in hospital. This guide is written for them, in the order you will need it: the hospital itself and its phone numbers, the rules for companions, the paperwork, getting here, the other hospitals nearby, and then where to sleep, including the free options. Everything below comes from the hospitals' own websites and the organisations I name. Rules change and individual wards set their own, so for anything that affects you directly, the nursing staff on the ward have the final word.

Evangelismos Hospital: the essentials

Where it is

Evangelismos General Hospital of Athens is at Ipsilantou 45-47, on the flat lower edge of Kolonaki, beside Evangelismos metro station on line 3 (the blue line). It is one of the largest hospitals in Greece and a large complex of several buildings, so ask early which building and floor your ward is on, and write it down for whoever comes after you.

Evangelismos also runs a polyclinic at Peiraios 3, near Omonia, which is a different address entirely. If you have an outpatient appointment, check which site the letter names before you set off.

The hospital publishes its information in Greek only. If your Greek is limited, it is worth having someone with you who can help with the paperwork on the first day. If you would like to know more about the neighbourhood around the hospital, our page on Kolonaki covers its history, with an interactive map.

Phone numbers

Source: the contact page on the Evangelismos website, checked 11 October 2026, and the hospital's social work department page for the social service. From a Greek phone, drop the +30.

Visiting hours and the rules for companions

Visiting hours change. The times below are as published on Evangelismos Hospital's own website, last checked on 6 October 2026. Wards and intensive care units often set their own rules, so confirm with the ward before you go.

A companion is not a visitor. Companions who stay on the ward do so by special permission, in the hospital's own words, so ask the ward on day one whether and how that permission is given, and how many people it covers. The same rules ask companions not to sit on patients' beds and not to eat or drink, including coffee and soft drinks, inside the patient rooms.

In practice that means you will need somewhere else to eat, shower and rest, and that is the real reason families look for a place nearby. What the patient may eat from outside is a question for the ward, every time.

Paperwork: admission, discharge and the social service

Admission

Evangelismos lists these documents for admission. They are administrative requirements, and it is worth confirming them with the patient movement office for your case:

• The patient's Greek social security number (AMKA) and health insurance booklet
• The patient's ID card, plus tax number (AFM) and tax office
• For patients who are not Greek: a passport, residence permit or equivalent document

In an emergency admission, relatives bring the documents to the inpatient accounts office as soon as they can. For scheduled admissions the hospital keeps a waiting list and contacts patients through the patient movement office.

Discharge

When the patient can leave, and whether they are fit to travel, is for the treating team to decide. The paperwork is separate. The discharge form goes to the patient accounts office, whose cash desk keeps morning hours, and patients insured with EOPYY, the Greek national insurer, also need it stamped by the EOPYY doctor, again in the morning. Check the exact hours with the ward, and do not book an early morning flight home on discharge day.

The social service

Evangelismos has a social work department on the third floor of the Old Building, office 318, open Monday to Friday from 08:00 to 14:00, on +30 213 204 1245. Among the reasons it lists for seeing patients and families are a lack of housing or support, and care after discharge. If the cost of staying is a worry, or the patient will need care after leaving hospital, that is the first office to visit.

Getting to Evangelismos

Help on the flight

If the patient has difficulty walking, request assistance from the airline, or whoever sold you the ticket, at least 48 hours before the flight. Under the EU regulation on passengers with reduced mobility, that assistance is free of charge. If you do not give notice in time, the airline must still make all reasonable efforts to help, but it is not guaranteed. For the journey itself, choose transport that suits the patient's mobility, and ask the treating team whether medical transport is needed.

From the airport by metro

Line 3 normally runs direct between the airport and Evangelismos in about 40 minutes; announced night works can interrupt the through journey. The airport metro ticket costs €9 (€4.50 reduced, €16 return) and is valid for 90 minutes on all OASA transport, according to OASA's fare list, checked 6 October 2026. Airport trains run less often than the rest of the line, and only some line 3 trains go all the way to the airport, so check the STASY line 3 timetable before you fly. Our getting around Athens guide covers every airport option in more detail.

By taxi

Between the airport and the city centre, taxis charge a flat fare of €50 by day and €65 at night (00:00 to 05:00), per car, under the fares in force since 18 September 2026. Taxis in Athens are yellow and licensed, and the easiest way to get one is through a ride app that takes your card:

To phone for one instead: Parthenon +30 210 532 3300 or Kosmos +30 210 411 8300 (both can be called from a foreign phone). Kosmos also has the short number 18300, from a Greek mobile. Taxis are required by law to accept cards, but ask before you get in.

From Piraeus port

If you are coming by ferry, line 3 serves Piraeus station and reaches Evangelismos without a change, in about 25 minutes.

From Thessaloniki by train

You arrive at Larissa Station. Take line 2 to Syntagma, change to line 3 and get off at the very next stop, Evangelismos.

By car

Ask the hospital before you arrive where the patient can be dropped off. Street parking in Kolonaki is controlled by the City of Athens and paid through the AthensWay app, and white visitor spaces are hard to find on weekdays, so a garage is usually simpler. If you stay with us, ask about parking: there is a paid garage near the apartment.

Arriving late

From 11 to 15 October and from 18 to 22 October 2026, Line 3 service between Ampelokipoi and Halandri is interrupted from 21:40. Airport trains then terminate at Halandri; replacement bus X20 connects to Line 3 at Ampelokipoi. Check STASY's current announcement before a late arrival, or take a taxi.

Other hospitals near Kolonaki

Several of Athens' big hospitals sit along Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, within one or two metro stops of Evangelismos, so treatment or tests often take families to more than one of them. Every number below was checked on the hospital's own website on 11 October 2026.

Getting between them

• Aretaieio, Aiginiteio and Alexandra are side by side, one stop from Evangelismos on line 3 at Megaro Mousikis; Aretaieio describes itself as a few metres from the station. Aretaieio has no parking for visitors.
• Hippokrateio lists metro line 3 and buses 550 and A5 on its contact page.
• Agia Sofia Children's Hospital, according to the hospital: metro to Ampelokipi, then bus 230 or B5; or metro to Katehaki, then bus A5 or 140.
• Agios Savvas: a taxi, or public transport planned with the OASA Telematics journey planner. Its address and switchboard are on its own contact page.

Visiting hours at the other hospitals

Sources: Aretaieio, Alexandra, Hippokrateio and Aiginiteio, checked 11 October 2026. Aiginiteio asks for no more than two visitors per patient and, like Evangelismos, requires special permission for a companion. Agia Sofia allows no visitors on its wards: up to two companions may stay with each child, one is recommended, and only one between 07:00 and 13:00 (Agia Sofia FAQ). For Agios Savvas, ask the ward.

Emergencies and hospitals on duty

Athens hospitals take emergencies on a rotating duty roster, so the nearest hospital is not always the one on call. In an emergency call 166 for an ambulance, or 112. To find out which hospital is on duty, the Ministry of Health runs the free 24-hour line 1566 (Alfavita, 30 July 2026). Our guide to whether Athens is safe covers the rest of what to do if something goes wrong.

Staying nearby for days or weeks

What matters in a companion's base

A companion's accommodation is not a holiday, and what matters may change as the hospital stay goes on.

• Being close. Companions spend much of the day at the hospital. A place nearby makes it easy to come back for a meal or a few hours' sleep when the ward allows it.
• Separate bedrooms for shifts. If the ward permits an overnight companion, family members can take turns. Whoever comes back in the morning has to sleep while everyone else is awake, so two separate bedrooms are worth more than one large open space.
• A kitchen and a washing machine. Since companions cannot eat in the patient rooms, a kitchen saves you from takeaway every day, and after a few days you will need to do laundry.
• A lift. Not a given in older Athens apartment blocks, and it matters when you come back late, or when the patient stays with you for a few days after discharge before the journey home.
• Dates that move. Surgery gets rescheduled and discharge comes earlier or later, so the first thing to ask any host is what happens if your dates change.

Our apartment beside Evangelismos

Our two-bedroom apartment at Evangelismos is on Ipsilantou, the same street as the hospital, on the third floor with a lift: two bedrooms in 65 square metres, sleeping up to six. One bedroom has its own air conditioning, there are room-darkening shades for daytime sleep, a full kitchen, a washer-dryer at no extra charge, a workspace in a room with a door and a wired internet connection. Check-in is self-service with a lockbox, and if you arrive very early you can leave luggage. If you need wheelchair access, write to me before booking so I can give you the measurements. We answer in English and Greek.

Our one-bedroom apartment is in upper Kolonaki near the Lycabettus funicular, about ten minutes' walk downhill to the hospital, and suits one or two people.

Booking when your dates are uncertain

You should know this up front: bookings paid online on our site are non-refundable, including if you leave early. If your dates are uncertain, book the nights you are sure of and ask to extend once you know more. Extending is not guaranteed, because it depends on availability. Travel insurance that covers cancellation is worth having.

We accept stays of more than 28 days and can arrange cleaning during them. For longer stays see our guide to a month in Kolonaki, and for the neighbourhood in general, where to stay in Kolonaki.

If cost is a worry: free accommodation

These schemes are designed mainly for people who live elsewhere in Greece. If you may qualify, contact the programme or the hospital's social service before you arrange anything else.

Cancer patients

If your person is having cancer treatment, the Hellenic Cancer Society's housing programme offers free accommodation in furnished flats near the hospitals for cancer patients who come to Athens from elsewhere in Greece, plus one companion. The criteria it lists: family income up to €9,000, a medical certificate and a need to stay more than seven days; its programme page describes stays of more than a week and under 15 days. Applications are made online by the patient or through the hospital's social service, and a place depends on a flat being available.

Families of children

The Ronald McDonald House parents' home is inside Agia Sofia Children's Hospital and has rooms for families who live outside Attica. The ELPIDA Guest House, run by the Association of Friends of Children with Cancer, has 30 double rooms with their own bathrooms and hosts families free of charge for as long as the child's treatment lasts. You apply through its social service, and the main criterion is the family's financial situation.

Around Evangelismos

• Late-night and Sunday pharmacies: one pharmacy in each area stays open on a rota published by the Pharmaceutical Association of Attica at fsa-efimeries.gr (in Greek; the addresses are what you need).
• Weekly shopping: Kolonaki has supermarkets within walking distance, a farmers' market every Friday on Xenokratous Street and a kiosk on the same street.
• Coffee and a proper meal: we list the cafés we actually use in our favourite cafés in Kolonaki, and simple places to eat in where to eat like a local in Kolonaki.
• Somewhere to breathe: the National Garden runs along Vasilissis Sofias towards Syntagma, and the pine paths of Lycabettus Hill begin above upper Kolonaki. Half an hour under trees, away from the ward, is not a luxury.

Where to go next

• Getting around Athens: the airport, the metro and taxis in detail.
• A month in Kolonaki: transport passes, shopping and daily life for long stays.
• Is Athens safe?: pickpockets, night-time and what to do in an emergency.
• Our local's guide to Kolonaki: the neighbourhood you will be walking through every day.

If you would like to talk before booking, send me your dates as you know them today, even if they are not final, and I will tell you honestly whether we are the right fit. When you are ready, you can see both apartments or book direct.

Last updated 11 October 2026. Photo: George E. Koronaios / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0.

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