Athens

The only accredited school is the Lycée franco-hellénique Eugène-Delacroix (LFHED), an AEFE partner school in Agia Paraskevi, from nursery to final year. Admission tests take place in spring for children already in Greece and in August for newcomers: contact the admissions office as soon as the move is confirmed. For younger children, there is a network of French-speaking kindergartens across Attica.

In 2026-2027, yearly tuition is €6,150 for nursery and primary, €6,300 for collège and €6,700 for lycée, plus a €900 first registration fee. It is 20% higher if the employer pays. Full details, including lunch and transport, are on our page: /en/cities/athens/school-fees/.

In Greece, school is compulsory from age 4, with two years of kindergarten (nipiagogeio) before six years of primary school. Before 4, kindergarten is optional.

Yes, if your children are French, registered with the register of French nationals abroad and attend the LFHED: the AEFE awards means-tested grants. The application is made every year through the consulate, and the decision depends on the household's income and assets.

No visa for French nationals. Beyond three months, however, each person must apply for a registration certificate, free and valid five years, at the aliens department of the police for their area. All the steps are on our Settling in page: /en/cities/athens/settling-in/.

The AFM is the 9-digit tax number, needed to rent, open a bank account or get a mobile plan; you apply online with the tax authority (AADE). The AMKA is the social security number, needed to work and access public healthcare; you apply at a KEP or with e-EFKA.

The consulate publishes a list of French-speaking doctors in Athens, including several paediatricians, notably in Kifissia and Glyfada. Most work privately: check whether they are contracted or covered by your insurance. Our selection is on the Health page: /en/cities/athens/health/.

Call 166 for an ambulance or 112. The two public children's hospitals in Goudi, Agia Sophia and Kyriakou, alternate duty days: 1434 tells you which is on duty. In the private sector, MITERA's paediatric emergency department in Marousi is open 24/7.

Most French families live in the northern suburbs (Agia Paraskevi, Chalandri, Psychiko, Kifissia), near the lycée, or in the seaside south (Glyfada, Voula). Leases run for three years and you usually pay two months' deposit: negotiate an early-exit clause. All our tips are on the Settling in page: /en/cities/athens/settling-in/.

A network of French-speaking kindergartens and nursery schools, with teaching links to the LFHED, welcomes the youngest children in several areas (Glyfada, Alimos, Chalandri, Kifissia, Filothei, Agia Paraskevi…). Athènes Accueil also has a section on babysitters.

Athènes Accueil, founded in 1985, runs coffee mornings, get-togethers and activities in each main area of Attica. The LFHED parents' associations, UFE, Français du monde - ADFE and the Institut français complete the network; the embassy publishes a yearly calendar of associations.

The Stavros Niarchos Foundation park, the National Garden, the Acropolis Museum and its LEGO model, southern beaches by tram, and under two hours away, the Saronic islands, Corinth or Nafplio. All our ideas are on the Family outings page: /en/cities/athens/family-outings/.