Agios Konstantinos from Patras

The Question:


Halo,
Thank you very much for your valuable reply. I have a doubt, can i take a KTEL Busfrom Patras to Agios Konstantinos and then take a ferry to Skiathos. Is this better or your previous option of going to Volos From Patras is better. By seeing the Map it seemed that Agios Konstantinos is closer to Patras.The second question is i have checked cheap Air fares from SKIATHOS TO ATHENS is about 50 Euros, Do you suggest me to take a Flight from Skiathos to Athens by Air OR whether i should take a Land and Ferry route, Ie, Skiathos to Agios Konstantinos by Ferry and KTEL Bus from Ag Konstantinos to Athens.
Thank you and awaiting for your reply.
Regards
Chittinani


The Answer:

Hello Chittinani,

Thank you for your kind words!

Agios Konstantinos is indeed closer to Patras that is Volos. But the thing is that there is not bus connection to Agios Konstantinos from Patras. You can only travel to Lamia, a town close to Agios Konstantinos.
As far as your second question is concerned, I cannot advice you, as the ferry pricetables have not been announced yet, so that to compare the costs. They are expected by the mid of March in http://www.fantasticgreece.com/.

I wish you a pleasant trip to Greece :)

-Stavros

Syros to Piraeus, Piraeus to Patras and Patras to Venice!

The Question:

Gday! StavrosWe are going to be staying on Syros Island for a couple of weeks and then need to get to Venice to catch a Costa Cruise on the 23rd May 09. Flights from Athens to Venice are complicated We thought we would try the Ferry from Syros to Piraeus (or Corinth)?? then catch a train ride through to Patra where we can catch an overnight ferry to Venice. We are not sure if the journey can be completed in one day? as the ferry to venice leaves Patra at mid night?? Can you advise us with our best options? Do you know if the Cruise liners leave Venice from the same port as the Minoan ferry?Regards Sheila


The Answer:

Hey Sheila!
Well, I think you can make it in one day if you start early and with a good planning!
Syros-Piraeus lasts 2,5 to 4 hours depending on the ferry type you will choose. The timetable is not available, as the companies publish it around March. One good site to check it out then is www.fantasticgreece.com.
Then at Piraeus you will have to take the train. There is proastiakos train line until Kiato and then OSE train until Patra. I know 2 routes for Piraeus-Parta: one at 11.44 and one other at 18:44. You can find more departing hours by calling their call centre on 1110. The personnel is quite helpful! Ah and the port from Proastiakos train platforms is close enough so you will have to calculate in advance 30 minutes to get there.
If you want to catch the midnight ferry to Venice you should plan to arrive at Patras the latest 22.45 as you need to get from the train station to the port. The distance is not far away, don't worry about it. The trip with the train from Piraeus to Patras takes 3.30-4 hours.
I am not sure about the port at Venice..why don't you check their official site at http://www.costacruise.com ? I am sure you will find a great deal of useful tips!
Hope I have helped!
-Stavros

Is there a Direct Bus line Thessaloniki-Patras?

The Question:

is there direct bus thessaloniki-patra and what time???



The Answer:

Hello!
Unfortunatelly there is not a direct line but the connection is really simple.
From Thessaloniki you will have to travel to Athens and from there to change bus to Patras. Busses are really frequent (every 1 - 1,5 hour) starting from 7 am and ending on 24 pm. You can find the timetable for the first part Thessaloniki - Athens at Ktel Thessalonikis official website Price is 35 E per person one way and the trip lasts 6 hours.
As soon as you get to Athens you will have to change bus to Kifissos Bus Station. Busses to Patras depart every 30-60 minutes from the gate under the region name Ahaia (N. Αχαιας). You will be in Patras 3 hours later. For more information about Athens-Patras you can call the station at +302105136185.
Hope I have helped!

-Stavros

From Piraeus to Patras by Train

The Question:

Yasou stavros,
I live on Paros island and want to take the boat late october from patras to venice which leaves patra at 2300 and am finding it very difficult to find out train timetables with the ose.gr site from Piraeus to patra. My boat gets to Piraeus about 15.30 and you wrote before there is a train direct from Piraeus to Patras? Or do I have to get up to Larissa station. Also maybe you know if the buses to patra pass by Piraeus as its such a struggle with bags to get to Kiffisou .Your info site is very helpful many thanks The Ose site is very bad cant even find Piraeus on it and I can read greek,
Yaxara Phillada


The Answer:

Hello!
Certainly there is a train departing straight from Piraeus port to Patras. This is actually the line of the suburban railway (proastiakos) that will take you up to Kiato and then you need to switch to the train of Patras. Nevertheless, to check timetables of the suburban railway you can visit www.proastiakos.gr and select the route from Piraeus to Kiato. Timetables will appear as well as the departure times of your connection train to Patras. As far as I have checked these are some of the trains that suit you in case you arrive at 15.30 at the Piraeus station:
15.44, 16.44, 17.44 etc.
Thank you for your kind words and I really hope I have helped!

-Stavros

How to get from Piraeus Port to Patras

The Question:

hello i am trying to find out how to get from piraeus to patra, i arrive in piraeus at 6 am on a sunday and i have to get to patra the quickest way.
I hope you can help,
thank you ..Dilly


The Answer:

Hello Dilly!
You can reach Patra by train or bus. If you wish to travel by train, then the train station of Piraeus (OSE station) is quite near the exit of the port of Piraeus and you can go on foot. From there you will arrive in approximately 3,5 hours in Patra right in the city center and by its port. If you wish to travel by bus, which is a little bit faster, then you need to reach the Kifissos Suburban bus station (KTEL). The station is quite away from the port and the transportation there is a little bit tricky. You can take the metro (green line) from Piraeus station and take off at Omonia. From you will have to take bus line no.051 and take off at the last station which is at the Kifissos Bus Station. The bus route from Athens to Patra lasts 2.5 hours if you take the express bus. If you do not wish to take all these public means of transport, then I would recommend a taxi to the bus station. It won't take you, depending on the traffic, take you more than 20 minutes to reach the bus station and it will cost you maximum 8 euros.
Hope this helps!

-Stavros

Car Driving in Greece

The Question:

Do the tollsa take credit cards/Visa? So do we NEEDour car in Skopelos or is there public transportation around theisland.?
We will also be driving from Athens to Patra then up to Volos thenleave car for Skopelos,then back up to Philipi area then back down toIoannina, Trikala and Athens. How long will that take? Can we sightsee and do that in 6 days? how are the roads and how much in Tolls?Are there lots of hostels alone the way?
THANKS, Bill


The Answer:

Hello Bill!
Tolls in Greece do not accept credit cards, you can only pay cash. Regarding Skopelos, as mentioned before, there is public transportation but if you will be visiting the island off season, then the scheduled bus itineraries are very rare and in my opinion won't help you move around. Unless you plan to stay and relax in just one place of the island.
As far as the rest of your questions is concerned, the route that you are describing to me and in that order is really tough to be achieved in 6 days. I would say even impossible. I will also explain to you by numbers:
From Athens to Patras it is 212km and it will take you 2 hours and 35 minutes to reach the city. From Patras to Volos it is 310km which means 4 hours and 10 minutes trip. The ferry from Volos to Skopelos takes approximately 3 hours if it a highspeed one. Again from there to Philipi it is 389km, meaning 5 hours trip. To Ioannina it is 464km, as a result a 7 hour trip. From Ioannina to Trikala it is 127km, so it'll take you 2 hours and back to Athens the distance is 425km and the duration of the drive 4 hours and 40 minutes.
As you can realise, it is almost impossible to visit all these destinations, just in 6 days. Although you will find plenty of sights and hostels or traditional pansions to stay in, at least, with this plan you will not make it in 6 days. It is better to omit some of these cities and rearrange your trip!
Hope this helps!

-Stavros

From Kalampaka to Olympia

The Question:

Hi,
Is it possible to leave Kalambaka by bus in the morning and stay in Olympia that night. If not, where is a good place to stay in between these two cities.
Thank you.
Suzanne


The Answer:

Hello Suzanne!
If you start from Kalampaka, then you will have to reach Ioannina first by bus and from there change to another bus, which will take you to Patras. From Patras you will need to change buses again and take the one to Olympia. Since the whole route is approximately 6 hours without the stops and the bus changes, you can simply imagine that it is a long and tiring trip. As a result I would propose to you to stay in Patras for one night and leave the next day. Patras is actually the gate of Greece to the West, since it is the biggest port of Greece that connects it with Italy. It is nice city, easy to walk through and with lots of options.
Hope I have helped you!

-Stavros

Travelling from Italy to Lefkada, Zante and Santorini

The Question:

hello I will be travelling from italy to greece and would like to visit santorini as well as lefkada and possibly zante and am having troubles connecting the pathways,
can you please assist me,
thanks Stavros!!


The Answer:

Hello!
This sounds like a nice trip!
So, if you start from Italy then you will probably stop at either Igoumenitsa or Patras. From Patras you need to either rent a car or catch a bus to reach Zante or Lefkada. There is no direct ferry connection from Lefkada to Zante. To reach Zante you can take the bus from Patras which will take you to Killini and from there you will take the ferry to Zante. To reach Lefkada, you can take the bus from Patras and it will take you straight there, without having to take a ferry since the island is connected to the mainland by a bridge. Another interesting way to travel from Lefkada to Zante is to take the ferry from Vassiliki in Lefkada and go to Kefallonia and from the Kefallonia (southern part) take the ferry to Zante.
Santorini is on the other side of Greece and belongs to the Aegean Sea islands. To reach Santorini you need to take the ferry from the port of Athens (Piraeus) or take a plane from the Athens International Airport.
Hope I have helped!

-Stavros