Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Athens to Madrid. While takeoff favors the right, the landing approach into Madrid from the south offers more dramatic and sustained scenery with the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains and the transition from Mediterranean to continental Spanish landscape. Left-side seats capture this better during descent.

During takeoff from Athens International Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH), sit on the Right side for the best views. Right-side seats offer views of the Saronic Gulf and Aegean coastline as the aircraft climbs northwestward from Athens. You'll see the irregular Greek coastline with its numerous islands receding into the distance. Notable sights include: Saronic Gulf, Aegean Sea coastline, Athens urban sprawl below, Greek island chains (Salamis, Aegina visible as small landmasses).

When landing at Barajas (MAD), sit on the Left side for the best views. Left-side seats provide excellent views during descent into Madrid. You'll see the Spanish meseta (high plateau) with its characteristic dry, open landscape, and the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains to the north of the airport. Notable sights include: Sierra de Guadarrama (northern mountain range), Tagus River valley, Madrid city sprawl, Spanish central plateau (meseta) with sparse vegetation.

The flight from Athens International Eleftherios Venizelos (ATH) to Barajas (MAD) takes Approximately 3 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours 15 minutes.

The flight path crosses the Mediterranean Sea for roughly 1.5 hours, passing over southern Italy (Calabria region visible as a narrow peninsula), then over the Tyrrhenian Sea. You'll see Sardinia and Corsica as substantial landmasses if flying slightly south of the direct route. The aircraft then crosses into southern France, passing over the Provence region with its distinctive dry, hilly terrain. The Rhône Valley becomes visible as a north-south corridor of slightly greener landscape. As the flight progresses westward into Spain, the terrain transitions from Mediterranean scrubland to the higher, drier Spanish meseta. The Pyrenees are typically too far north to be visible on this routing, but the transition from French to Spanish landscape is geographically distinct.