Getting There
By air
Although Athens remains the prime destination for cheap fares, there are also direct flights from Britain to Thessaloniki, Prkveza and Kavila on the Greek mainland, Kalamita on the Peloponnese and to the islands of Crete, Corfu, Hios, Kefalonia, Kos, Lksvos, Limnos, Mikonos, Phros, Rhodes, Simos, Santorini, Skiathos and Zakinthos. With any flight to Athens, you can buy a domestic connecting flight via the national carrier, Olympic, to one of a dozen or so additional Greek mainland and island airports.
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport
The Athens Internatioonal Airport is situated 20 miles (33km) south east of the city centre. The easiest and quickest way to reach the city centre from the airport is on board Athens' new Metro. Metro Line 3 connects the airport with Syntagma Square and Monastiraki. The airport is also served by six public bus routes, which connect to destinations in the greater area of Athens and Piraeus, buses running frequently day and night. Athens International is connected to Athens Central Railway Station (Larissis Station) by the Suburban Rail line. There are also plenty of taxis to be hired at the ranks in front of the airport terminals, fares charged on a per km basis. Car rental: Avis, Hertz, National, Budget, Europcar and Sixt are all represented at the airport. The airport is well supplied with cafes, restaurants, bars and shops, including duty free. There are branches of two banks providing full services at the airport, and numerous ATMs and currency exchange bureaux are also available. Non-EU nationals can get VAT refunded at the EUROCHANGE currency exchange unit located at the Departures Level. Several travel agencies operate from the airport, and there is a Greek National Tourist Board information desk. Conference facilities are available and there is a business centre with Internet access, photocopier machines, faxes and secretarial services. A meeting room is also available. Disabled facilities are good; those with special needs should contact their airline in advance. Short-term parking (up to four hours) is available right outside the arrivals level of the main terminal. Long-term car parks are the other side of the airport access road with free shuttle buses. Passengers can also opt for an executive valet parking service whose personnel receive and deliver vehicles at the main terminal's departure level.
For more information visit Athens Airport website www.aia.gr
By road
If you are coming from the UK, you can use the Eurotunnel, or take a ferry or hovercraft to cross the English Channel and reach Greece by road from there. North France to Athens is over 3200km.
Travelling by car
The best route from London to Athens is via Calais, Dijon, Chamonix, Geneva and Milan to Brindisi, then across the Adriatic sea to Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland and onwards to Athens, a drive of some 2,500 kilometres. However, the increasing cost of the French and Italian road tolls has made this route more expensive.
With the introduction of a new ferry service in 1995, the most reasonable route missing out on most of the road tolls is now via Calais, Dunlurk, Lille, Mons, Namur, Luxembourg, Strasbourg, Basel, Luzern, Lugano, Como, Milan, Bologna and to the northern Italian port of Ancona, where a fast ferry service will get you to Phtras on the Greek Peloponnese in only 16 hours. From Patras, Athens is a little over 160 kilometres away. The total driving route at just over 1,600 kilometres cuts down the traditional journey by some 800 kilometres.
Travelling by bus
The best option is to travel by Eurolines. These coaches are operated by National Express with a consortium of the European state bus companies. The route is usually London, Dover, Paris, Rirnini, Ancona, Corfu, Igoumenitsa, Patras and Athens. You will probably need to change coaches in Italy and transfer to a Greek or Italian carrier. Most journeys leave London at about 9:00 a.m. on day one, and reach Athens two days later about midday. Stops of about 20 minutes are made every five or six hours with the odd longer break for roadside cafe meals.
By rail
You can now travel through the Eurotunnel, but traditionally the route with British Rail is London to Folkestone then Hoverspeed to Boulogne and on to Paris, which takes just under 20 hours. At Paris you need to catch an 11-hour passage to Bologna in Northern Italy where you have a short wait before catching the onward train to the ferry port at Brindisi, a journey of some ten hours. The evening ferry docks at Patras on the Greek Peloponnese some 17.5 hours later, leaving you to catch a bus to Athens which rambles along over the Corinth canal, taking about four hours, stopping en route at Corinth for the mandatory 20-minute toilet and souvlaki (pork kebab) stop.
If you have the time, try to catch the single track Peloponnese narrow gauge train which winds its way from Athens to Kalamata, via either Phtras or Tripoli - a truly memorable journey with spectacular scenery provided it's not too hot.
By sea
It is possible to ferry cars to one of the major ports of entry in Greece in order to enter overland. Routes from the UK are via France and Italy. Links from Italy include Venice, Brindisi and Ancona. Greek ports are used by a number of cruise lines including Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Crystal Cruises, Festival Cruises, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Silversea and Swan Hellenic.
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