Platanias transfer to Skopelos and Agios Konstantinos to Athens

The Question:

Good afternoon,I asked you last week if there is a boat from Platanias(pelion) to skopelos for us (family and 2 children and a lot of luggage) in july and you answered us that it will be better to go from Volos. But as we have our hotel in Horto (leda complex) we prefer to go from Platanias. Is it possible to rent a taxi- boat or any private transfer for us and if yes, how much do you thing that it will cost for us.Also,from skopelos we take a flying dolphin to agios constantinos and we need to know what will cost us a taxi to Athen Novotel aprox..Thank you very much in advance . You are very helpful for us.


The Answer:

Hello there,

The taxi boat Platanias-Skopelos is a 45-minutes-transfer and will approxemately cost you 10 E per person. Your hotel will be able to arrange you this booking of transfer with the local boat named "Africana" or any other private "speed boat taxi" for your transfer.
Taxi from Agios Konstantinos to Athens Novotel Hotel will cost about 160-180E as the distance is 165 km. You should book your transfer in advance. One site to do this is http://www.athens-taxi.eu/.
Last but not least, many thanks for your kind words :)

Regards!

-Stavros

Igoumenitsa-Ioannina-Thessaloniki

The Question:

Dear Stavros
Thank you for answering my question, but it leads to another. If the only bus from Igoumentisa to Thessaloniki leaves at 10:30am, I will not be able to connect with it from the ferry from Corfu that arrives at 12:25pm. Is it possible to make a connection by going from Igoumentisa to Ioannina by bus? I understand Ioannina had (old schedule) buses for Thessaloniki that left at 15:00 and 1900 and 2230 hrs. -- the last would arrive too late for me to use a hotel for that night.
Thank you for helping me with information I cannot get elsewhere.
Robert Brand


The Answer:

Hello again Robert,

Thanks for the support!

Well you can take the bus from Igoumenitsa towards Ioannina for the first part of your trip and then to continue with a second bus to reach Thessaloniki finally. Igoumenitsa-Ioannina lasts only 90 minutes and there are these routes at 14.30 and 16.45 that are convenient for your arrival from Corfu. From Ioannina station there is another route at 18.30 heading to Thessaloniki so you will just have to change busses! Ioannina's station tel. number is 0030 26510-26286 if you want to call and double check it.

Always glad to help! Cheers!

-Stavros

Ktel connection Igoumenitsa-Thessaloniki

The Question:

I plsn to take the ferry from Corfu to Igoumenitsa on Thursday March 26 arriving at 12:15pm (1215 hrs). I understand I can make a bus connection through Ioannina to Thessaloniki. What sort of time schedule am I likely to encounter? Can I book a hotel in Thessaloniki for the night? And where will the bus stop in relation to hotels??
Thank you.


The Answer:

Hello,

The distance between Igoumentisa and Thessaloniki is 360 km. The KTEL bus route is only one per day at 10.30 am and it costs 36 euros. It will take you 6 hours and the telephone number of the station is 0030 26650-22309.
About the hotels, of course you can book a hotel for one night. You will find some choices if you search online. I provide you a hotels' search result here from a website I trust. By reading the descriptions of the hotels you will be able to spot the ones near bus stations.

Regards,

-Stavros

Thessaloniki-Istanbul "filias ticket"

The Question:

Dear Stavros,
do you know anything about \"filias ticket\" in Greece? I have to travel from igoumenitsa to thessaloniki and then to istanbul. May you give me any information?
Thanks,
Lorenzo


The Answer:

Hello Lorenzo!

As far I understood, by "filias ticket" you mean the Train Dostluk/Filia (Friendship) Express. This line connects Thessaloniki with Istanbul, departing from Thessaloniki at 20:00 (8 pm) and arriving in Istanbul just before 08:00 am the next morning (a 12-hour trip). The one-way fare, including the sleeping compartment fee, is 85 E for one person in a private sleeping compartment, or 97 E for two people (48,50 E per person) sharing a sleeping compartment.
The KTEL bus connection between Igoumenitsa and Thessaloniki costs 37 E and you will arrive at Thessaloniki 5 hours later. Please mind that there is only one route per day at 10.30 am.

Hope I helped you!

-Stavros

Seaplane from Corfu to Lefkas

The Question:

What is the price for travelling by seaplane from Corfu to Lefkas?


The Answer:

Hey,

As the schedule for 2009 has not been announced yet from seaplane airlines I cannot tell you the exact cost. It is estimated to be online at http://www.fantasticgreece.com/ in mid March. The route connecting Corfu with Lefkas departs from Gouvia Marina on Corfu to Lefkas Town and according to last year's pricelist the prices begin from 25 E per person one way.

Regards,

-Stavros

Ferry from Platanias to Skopelos

The Question:

Hello, we need to know if it,s possible to go by ferry from Platanias to Skopelos (direct)in july. We are a family with 2 children and a lot of luggage!!!
Thanks for your answer.


The Answer:

Hi!

From June in Platanias you can catch the hydrofoil to Skiathos and Skopelos islands (most of them stop first at Skiathos and then go on to Skopelos). The point is that these small boats departing from Platanias have no fixed schedules. They are being organised upon turisitc demand. In addition, it is not the best solution if you have a lot of luggage as their space is limited. In that case and in order to travel more comfortable, I would recommend you the route from Volos port or Agios Konstantinos heading to Skopelos. They last longer (4 hours) but have fixed timetable and they are bigger ships. Check out the site www.fantasticgreece.com for tickets. They will be online in a couple of months.

-Stavros

KTEL from Halkidiki to Nea Potidaia

The Question:

Dear Stavros
What KTEL bus number travels from KTEL halkidiki bus station to Nea Potidaia, and how often does it run ?
Thankyou


The Answer:

Hello my friend,

In order to reach Nea Potidaia from Halkidiki KTEL bus station you should take the bus every 05:45, 06:45, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 12:00, 13:00, 14:15, 16:00, 18:00 and 20:00. Please note that the ones at 05:45 and 09:00 are being realized only weekdays (not weekends).
KTEL busses actually have no numbers. They are being named by the destination heading to. So, this very one will be called Kallithea-Athytos-Nea Fokaia-Potidaia. For further information you can call the KTEL station (0030 23740 22214).

Always glad to help!

-Stavros

Distance between Istanbul to Igoumenitsa

The Question:

I would like to learn the poad Distance between Istanbul to Igoumenitsa??


The Aswer:

Hello,

The completion of the Egnatia Odos highway, linking Igoumenitsa with İstanbul, will allow you to travel from the one point to another in 15 hours (if you plan 2-3 short stops). At viamichelin.com you can find the exact route with all the points of interest you have to pay attention to. The total distance Istanbul-Igoumenitsa is 1029 km.
If you don't have your own car, you can take the bus from Istanbul towards Thessaloniki that leaves once a day from Büyük Otogar. Then you simply change bus to Igoumenitsa. It is being realized one route per day departing at 13.00, so you should plan arriving from Istanbul ontime. The total ticket cost for this schedule is about 80 euros.

Enjoy your tip!

-Stavros

Ways to reach Lefkas from Athens

The Question:

HI Stavros,
Could you please tell me how we might get from Athens to Lefkas.
Also we would like to pend overnight in Santorini - is there any high speed ferries available?


The Answer:

Hi!

Well there are 3 different ways to reach Lefkas from Athens. The first one is by a car. The distance is 385 km and you should drive towards, Corinth, Patras (Rion), Antirion, Amfilochia, Vonitsa and finally to Lefkas. It will take you about 4 hours and the cost of tolls as a sum is 20 E as the bridge Rion-Antirion you cross is quiet expensive (11 E).

If a car is not the case, you can go to Lefkas by KTEL bus from Athens suburban coach station at 100 Kifissou Av. There are 3-4 daily routes and the trip lasts 5 hours. You can find out more at the tel. number 2105250108 about timetable and ticket cost.

Alternatevelly, there is also flight connection from Athens towards Aktion and from there there are busses going to Lefkas (25 km). The flight lasts one hour more or less.

Regarding Santorini, from Lefkas there is not available ferry connection, as they are located in difference sea-comlexes (Ionion and Aegean). There are connections with other islands in the same sea complex (Lefkas-Kefalonia-Ithaki-Paksoi-Zakynthos and Santrorini-Mykonos-Ios-Folegandros-Anafi).

Hope I helped you!

-Stavros

Best way to get from Athens to Volos?

The Question:

What is the best way to get from Athens (airport) to Volos? Can you recommend a hotel in Volos?


The Aswer:

Hey,

You have to reach the Ktel coach station located at the centre of Athens (260 Liosion str. region of Patisia). The taxi from the airport can get you there with 20E more or less depending on the traffic. The KTEL bus will take you to Volos in about 4 hours. Ticket costs 24-25E and there is one bus departing every 60-90 minutes towards Volos (first service at 6.30 am and the last one at 22.00).

About the hotel recommendation, I really can't name a hotel. It is up to you and your preferences to choose one upon arrival. There is a great deal of good hotels in Volos available in real time.

Hope I have helped you!

-Stavros

Taxi-boat to Platanias

The Question:

Dear Stavros
Firstly many thanks for your very prompt reply to my questions the other day. We are still trying to decide between Thessaloniki & Skiathos for flights. If we choose Skiathos the flight arrives early evening, so we need to know if there will be a taxi-boat to Platanias that we can catch at around 19.00h or later. Our arrival date will be either 26 or 29 May.
Sorry to ask so many things!
Thanks!
Judy


The Answer:

Hello again Judy!

Yes, you can catch one taxi-boat for Platanias easily,even if it is 19.00, under normal circumstances. The point is that there are not scheduled routes for these kind of small ships connecting Skiathos with Platanias. They depend on the demand and the turistic traffic. All you have to do is to get to the port of the island and ask the local authorities to arrange you the transfer. The cost is about 10 E per person and it takes 1 hour.
Furthermore, there are also ferries and flying dolphins available all day around and you could check prices and online schedule from www.fantasticgreece.com in about 2 months that the ferry companies will annouce it.

Best regards!

-Stavros

Route from Thessaloniki airport to Volos

The Question:

Can you give me a route from Thessaloniki airport to Volos?


The Answer:

Hello hello!

From Thessaloniki airport until Volos the distance is 210 km. The driving will take you 2,5 hours.
The recommended route for you to follow is to take the highway E90 Thessalonikis-Malgaron, following the exits towards Athens. You will soon (8-10 minutes later) be at E75 / 1 which you have to take. You will pay the tolls at that point and continue following the exits to Volos/Valestino. This is the bigger part which lasts 2 hours. Finally, continue along E92 / 6, pass by Nea Ionia and in 18-20 minutes you should be arriving in Volos.

Hope I have helped you.

-Stavros

From Athens to Ptolemaida

The Question:

How long would it take to drive a rental car from Athens to Ptolemaida (and return)?
Is it an easy drive or are the roads poor?

Thank you.
George


The Answer:

Hi George!

Well the distance between Athens - Ptolemaida is almost 510 km. To drive there by car will take you approximately 7 hours (per way).
Driving the specific roads connecting Athens with Ptolemaida is neither easy or difficult. Generally speaking, roads are fine. Watch out the other drivers though! Greeks are being considered to have a more aggresive driving behaviour from what you are used to!
As long as you stick to the signs and be careful you should have no problems, so don't worry at all.

Always glad to help!

-Stavros

Travel times and cost for Thessaloniki - Volos (Pelion)

The Question:

Dear Stavros
We are planning a holiday in Milina Pelion 26 May-5 June. As there are no more Volos flights from London UK we must choose between flying to Skiathos or Thessaloniki. Could you please advise us about travel times & prices from Thessaloniki airport by bus &/or train.I know that from Skiathos we can take a bus to the port & a taxi-boat to Platanias -probably easier but the flight to Skiathos is more expensive! Having all this information will help us decide.
Many thanks!

The Answer:

Hello there,

The part about Skiathos connection with Volos-Platanias is correct.
From what I have searched of Thessaloniki - Volos by KTEL bus lasts 2,5 hours and the ticket costs 16.60 Euros. The timetable for the time being is as per below:
07.00 , 09.00, 11.00, 13.00, 15.15, 17.00, 21.15, 23.00 h.
I advice you to cross - check it a few days before arrival for potential small changes (tel. 0030 2310 595408). From Volos there are frequent local busses towards Pelion area, so you won't have problems.

By train it is cheaper but you change trains at Larissa. The price is 7 E and the routes depart from Thessaloniki to Volos through Larissa at 12.42, 16.33 and 23.00. The trip lasts 3 hours and from Volos you get again the local busses. For OSE trains telephone centre just dial 1110.

Hope I helped you decide. Enjoy the beauty of Pelion!!!

-Stavros

Ferry Service from Rhodes to Santorini

The Question:

We are traveling to Greece in Sept.
Want to know if there is Ferry Service from Rhodes to Santorini and if not then what airlines go from Rhodes to Santorini.


The Aswer:

Hey,

Unfortunatelly, it is a bit early for the sealines companies to announce their ferry schedules at this time of the year. They are expected in late March and I am sure you will find the site www.fantasticgreece.com amazing for your bookings. Air connections are being performed both by Olympics Airways and Aegean, usually through Athens.

Regards!

-Stavros

Bus connections between Kalamata - Tripolis - Nafplion

The Question:

Hi Stavros!

What is the quickest way to travel from Kalamata to Nafplion? How long does it take and is this expensive?
Also I'll then be travelling from Nafplion to Athens! Again do you know how long this takes and the cost?
Finally - should I book in advance and do you know who I should book through?
Thanks!
David


The Answer:

Hi David!

Well, if you don't have your own car, the quickest way to reach Nafplion from Kalamata is with KTEL bus through Tripolis.
The first part Kalamata - Tripolis costs 7,20 E and lasts 80 minutes and the second one Tripolis - Nafplion costs 6 E and lasts 75 minutes. Please note that at Tripolis you will have to change bus.
The timetable choices that allow you to combine both parts are:
Kalamata-Tripolis: 06.00, 09.30 and 12.30 (Kalamata bus station tel. number 0030 27210 28581)
Tripolis-Nafplion: 10.00 and 14.00 (Tripolis bus station tel. number 0030 2710 222560)

From Nafplion to Athens there is also a KTEL bus almost every hour. Check the timetable online here. Ticket costs 11,80 E and the trip lasts 2,5 hours (Nafplion bus station tel. number 0030 27520 28555).

It is not common to book in advance. You can simply buy your tickets at the Ktel stations 1 hour before departure. If you prefer to secure a seat, you could ask for a telephone pre-booking at the numbers I provided you with for each station.

Hope you now have all the information you were looking for!

-Stavros

Is there direct bus athens-patra and what time?

The Question:

Is there direct bus athens-patra and what time?


The Answer:

Hello hello!

Yes, there is direct KTEL bus connection Athens-Patra departing from Kifissos Suburban Station. The direct express busses are on 8.30, 10.30, 12.30, 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.00, 18.00 and 19.00. But there are also extra routes Athens-Patra which are not express (make 3-4 short stops before their terminal stop at Patras e.g. in Elefsina, Corinthos and Aigio.) These non express busses begin at 5.50 am, leaving almost every hour, and end at 22.00. The telephone number of the station is 0030 210 5147310 if you want to confirm the timetable and the trip lasts 2,5 hours when express and 3 hours when non express.

Hope this is helpful for you!

-Stavros

Connection from Thessaloniki to Asprovalta/Stavros

The Question:

Hi Stavros,
is there any bus (or train) connection from Thessaloniki to Asprovalta/Stavros. Do you know how much would it cost to rent a car for three days in Thessaloniki?

Thanks for answering, Leo.


The Answer:

Hi Leo!

There is quite frequent KTEL bus connection from Thessaloniki to Asprovalta and Stavros every 1 - 1,5 hour. The first one is at 5.30 in the morning and the last one at 21.30. You can call on 0030 2310 522164 to find out more.
With the train I am afraid there is not a route that connects Thessaloniki with either Asprovalta or Stavros.
As far as the car rental is concerned, I cannot name a price as it really depends on the type of the car, the dates and the pick up/drop off location. You can insert here all the requested information and check it up by yourself.

Hope I helped you and that you' ll enjoy the region there!

-Stavros

Ferry to Bari from Lefkada

The Question:

Can you please advise if it is possible to get from Lefkada to Bari by ferry? Or do we have to go back to Patras?
Thank you for your assistance
Lorraine Weir


The Aswer:

Hi Lorraine!

Unfortunatelly Bari is not connecting with Lefkada. Beyond Patras the other excisting ferry connections with Bari are from Igoumenitsa and Corfu. You can catch them both from Lefkada: in the first case, you get to Igoumenitsa using the bridge of the island serving as a link with the mainland and in the second, there are local ferries leaving Lefkada and going to Corfu. I hope either one or the other is convinient to you.

-Stavros

About the ferry Skiathos-Platanias

The Question:

Hello Stavros.

About the ferry Skiathos-Platanias:
- In which period of summer does the ferry have daily trips?
- From which town at Skiathos does it leave/arrive?
- Is there a certain home-page for this route?
- Is there other ways to get from Skiathos to the eastcoast of Pelion, e.g. Agios Ioannis.

Thank you in advance.

The Answer:

Hello!!

Platanias, the beautiful natural fishing port of Pelion, provides ferry trips to and from Skiathos on a daily basis with the ship "Africana". During high season summer period (10/7-20/8) this connection is operated even twice a day. It lasts about an hour, while the cost is maximum 10 E/person.
The point is that itineraries change depending the traffic, the weekday etc, so there are not specific routes being displayed online somewhere. Although, they depart/arrive in the island from/at the port of Skiathos Town.
The same is valid for the connection Skiathos - Agios Ioannis too. There is a flying dolphin but as the itineraries are not fixed, you can just advice the port authorities. Their phone number in Skiathos is 0030 24270 22017.
Something else you could do is travel from Skiathos to Volos (the main port for Pelion area) by ferry or hydrofoils-flyingcats, with specific timetable. You can book your ferry tickets from fantasticgreece.com. Timetable is expected to be online there in a couple of months or so, when the ferry companies announce it.

Hope I have helped you!
-Stavros

Athens to Agios Constantinos by bus

The Question:

Need to buy tickets for a bus that goes from Athens to Agios Constantinos.


The Aswer:

Hey!

There is KTEL bus connection from Athens to Agios Konstantinos. All you need to do is to get to Liosion suburban KTEL coach station (Liosion St. 260) half an hour before the departure and buy your ticket.
There is one bus per hour, beggining from 06.15 am and continue like this until the 16.15. After that the routes go on 17.30, 18.30 etc until 21.30. To find out more details about timetables call at 0030 210 8317147.
The price is 14,20E and the trip lasts 2 - 2,5 hours, as the distance between Athens and Agios Constantinos is about 160 km.

Regards!

-Stavros

How far is Thessaloniki airport from the KTEL coach station?

The Question:

Hi Stavros. We need to get from Thessaloniki airport to Volos. Have read all the messages below so I know about the coach etc. My question is, how far is Thessaloniki airport from the KTEL coach station, since, as we are 4 people, we may want to take a taxi rather than the number 78 bus. We have friends in Volos, so we don\'t have any transport problems once we arrive in Volos.We may also wish to take a taxi from Coach station in Thessaloniki to the airport on our return, so this information would be useful.
Many thanks
Regards
James


The Answer:

Hello James!

You can be from the Thessaloniki Airport to Thessaloniki KTEL coach station in about 40 minutes under normal traffic. The taxi should cost you about 25 Euros. If you want to travel after midnight then the rate is double. Also keep in mind that during noon the traffic could be a problem, so the taxi may cost you a bit more.

At any case you can arrange a taxi transfer for any place in Thessaloniki and find out more about the rates by calling on 0030 2310 214900.

Hope I helped you!
-Stavros