From Athens to Halkidiki and Skiathos by car

The Question:

Hi there,
Firstly we fly into Athens from South Africa and would like to get to Halkidiki. Is it cheaper to hire a car and if so, how long to drive? 4 of us. Otherwise what is the bus like?Secondly after Halkidiki we would like to go to Skiathos, which port is closestto travel on the Dolphin, if possible and what is the price?
Thanks so much!
Julie

The Answer:

Renting a car in Greece is not that expensive depending on the length of your stay and the persons travelling with it. Since you are 4 people and plan to travel a lot around as I can realise, then I would recommend you to rent a car. Buses and trains will take you a lot of time...
The drive from Athens to Chalkidiki is approximately 6 hours depending on the exact place in Chalkidiki you are aiming at. From there, travelling to Skiathos is possible from either Thessaloniki port of from the port of Volos. From the Thessaloniki port the ferry company that has scheduled ferry itineraries to Skiathos is GA ferries but there is no daily connection to the island. From the port of Volos (which is a 2 hour drive) there are dolphins departing to the island of Skiathos which do not though accept cars. There are conventional ferries of course which will allow you to take the car with you. The tickets from Thessaloniki cost 20euros whereas the tickets with a dolphin from Volos cost 33 euros. You can check prices, availability and schedules at www.fantasticgreece.com!
Hope this is useful!

-Stavros