Sit on the Left side of the plane for the best views on flights from Athens to Amsterdam. Left side wins at both ends of the flight. During the cruise over the Balkans and Central Europe, the left side also faces generally south and west, giving better angles on the Adriatic coastline, the Alps crossing near Austria, and the Rhine valley on descent into the Netherlands.

During takeoff from Athinai (HEW), sit on the Left side for the best views. Athens airport sits on the eastern Attica coast. Departing northwest on runway 03L/03R, the left side faces west toward Athens city center, the Acropolis, and the Saronic Gulf. You get a clear view of the urban basin ringed by mountains before climbing out over the Aegean. Notable sights include: Acropolis and Athens city center, Mount Hymettus ridge to the east (right side confirms left is better), Saronic Gulf and its islands, Mount Parnitha to the northwest.

When landing at Schiphol (AMS), sit on the Left side for the best views. Schiphol typically lands from the east or southeast on runways like 18R or 22. On approach from the southeast, the left side faces east toward Amsterdam city center, the IJ waterway, and the patchwork of Dutch polders. The right side looks toward open flat farmland with little of interest. Notable sights include: Amsterdam city center and the IJ waterway, Polder canal grid of North Holland, Haarlem and its urban footprint to the southwest, Markermeer lake to the northeast.

The flight from Athinai (HEW) to Schiphol (AMS) takes Approximately 3 hours 15 minutes.

The route tracks northwest from Athens over mainland Greece, crossing the Thessaly plain and the southern Balkans over North Macedonia or Serbia, then over Hungary and the Czech Republic or Austria, crossing the eastern Alps near Vienna or Salzburg where snow-capped peaks are visible, then descending over southern Germany and into the flat Rhine-Meuse delta of the Netherlands.