ON THE GO
Traveling by plane
Olympic Air (OA) (a subsidiary of Aegean Airlines) flies from Athens and Thessaloniki to numerous domestic destinations.
Seaplanes fly from the port of Lavrio at the southern tip of the Attica peninsula to the popular islands of Mykonos, Santorini, Kos, Kalymnos and Paros. There are other flight connections between Corfu and Paxi as well as between Patras, Kefallonia and Lefkas.
Air Sea Lines (Internet: www.airsealines.com) flies with seaplanes from Patras, Corfu and Lavrio to Kefallonia, Zakynthos, Ithaka, Mykonos, Santorin
and Kos.
On the way by car / bus
Car: The road network covers a total of around 117,000 kilometers and is generally good. The main traffic axes lead from Athens to Thessaloniki (E 75), from Athens to Corinth (E 94), from Corinth to Patras (E 65), from Corinth via Tripoli to Kalamata (E 65), from Patras via Pyrgos to Olympia (E 55), from Thessaloniki via Kavala to Alexandroupoli (E 90), from Igoumenitsa in the northwest to Kipi on the Turkish border via Thessaloniki and Kavala (Egnatia Odos motorway A2a) and from Chania to Agios Nikolaos (E 75).
There is an important road connection through the bridge over the Gulf of Corinth, which connects the Peloponnese with the northwest coast of Greece. The bridge is toll road: Distances from Athens: Thessaloniki: 511 km; Corinth: 85 km; Igoumenitsa: 587 km; Delphi: 165 km.
An ADAC international emergency call station has been set up. It offers ADAC members and holders of ADAC international health and accident insurance assistance with hotels, rental cars, vehicle or patient repatriation (Tel: 21 09 60 12 66. Internet: www.adac.de).
The bus service in the islands depend on demand, schedules should be read carefully. Bus tickets are cheap. Buses of the Hellenic State Railways (OSE) drive from the Athens Railway in Karolou road to northern Greece and the Peloponnese train station in the Sina Street. Bus informationat the Tourist Office (Syntagma Square, Athens), the bus station on Liossion Street or the train station on Kifissou Street.
Taxis are quite cheap; fares are calculated based on the number of kilometers. Surcharges are to be paid from / to the train station, port and airport. Taxis are often shared with other passengers. Night tariff: between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., double the fare between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m.
Car Rental: Most car rental companies have offices across the country. Details from the Tourist Office or the Greek Car Hire Association (tel: 21 09 94 28 50).
The ELPA (Greek Automobile Club) operates a road emergency service on the main roads. Contact address: ELPA, 395 Messogion Street, GR-153 43 Athens. Tel: 21 06 06 88 00. (Internet: www.elpa.gr).
The Roadside Assistance can be reached toll-free telephone number 104 00. In the larger cities garages are available.
Documents:National driving license for EU citizens. For nationals of EU and EFTA countries, the license plate is the proof of insurance. Nevertheless, EU and EFTA citizens are advised to take the international green insurance card with them in order to benefit from full insurance cover in the event of damage. Otherwise, the statutory minimum liability insurance cover applies. The green card can also make it easier to record accidents.
Traveling in the city
Athens
The Attiki Odos, a six-lane ring road, facilitates the flow of traffic in the greater Athens area.
Buses: There are several bus services around Athens and Attica. The Athens Terminal on Mauromateon Street (Areos Park) has regular connections to Amfiaraio, Marathonas, Nea Makri, Porto Rafti, Ramnous and Sounio. Trolley buses (ILPAP) and regular buses also often go to tourist attractions and sights. Tickets can be purchased from the Athens Urban Transport Organization (OASA) at numerous stalls across the city. Further information is available from the OASA, 15 Metsovou street, GR-10682 Athens. Tel: 21 08 83 60 76. (Internet: www.oasa.gr).
Metro: Athens has a reliable metro system with three main lines. The renovated line 1 (ISAP) runs from north to south between Athens (Kifissa district) and Piraeus. Line 2 (AMEL) runs between Ag.Antonios and Ag.Dimitrios / Al.Panagoulis and line 3 (AMEL) between Egaleo and the airport. Tickets can be bought at any AMEL and ISAP station. The Attiko Metro (Internet: www.ametro.gr) or OASA (address see above) provides timetable information. The tram(Internet: www.tramsa.gr) connects the city center with the southern suburbs of Athens.
Taxis are relatively cheap by European standards. The taxis are yellow and have a taximeter. Taxi drivers like to take passengers on the way with almost the same destination. While this is not allowed, it is common. Every passenger then pays the normal price for their route.
On the go by train
According to youremailverifier, the Greek rail network covers around 2,500 km. The two central train stations in Athens are Larissa (with train connections to Northern Greece, Euboea, other European countries and Turkey) and Peloponnissos (with train connections to the Peloponnese).
Details and tickets from the Hellenic State Railways (OSE) (Internet: www.osenet.gr).
There are daily train connections from Athens to Thessaloniki, Livadia, Paleofarsala, Larissa, Plati, Edessa, Florina, Seres, Drama, Komotini and Alexandropoulis (connections from Thessaloniki and Larissa). To the south there are daily train connections from Athens to Kiato, Xylokastra, Diakofto, Patras, Olympia, Argos, Tripoli, Megalopolis and Kalamata.
There are scenic train routes between Diakofto and Kalavryta (on the Peloponnese) and from Pilio (Thessaly) as well as through the Nestos Valley.
Fare Discounts:
The Vergina Flexipass combines train travel, hotel accommodation, organized excursions and a city tour of Athens. It is valid for 3, 5 or 10 days in 1st or 2nd class throughout Greece within 1 or 2 months. The Vergina Flexipass can only be purchased by people who are resident outside of Greece.
With the InterCity 6 + 1 card you get 6 discounted train journeys and a free journey on InterCity trains on the route between Athens and Thessaloniki. The card is valid for one year.
Children under 4 years of age travel for free, children between 4 and 11 years of age receive a 50% discount.
Students receive a 25% discount on all trains.
On the way by ship
On most routes there are scheduled connections with car ferries all year round. The main mainland ports are Piraeus, Lavrio and Rafina. However, there are also regular connections to islands from smaller ports such as Patras, Kyllini, Thessaloniki, Igoumenitsa, Alexandroupolis, Kavala and Volos. More information at www.greekferries.gr.
On many routes, large catamarans operate as fast ferries, which are about twice as expensive as conventional ferries. There are hydrofoil boats on some routesvarious shipping companies on the move that do not transport vehicles. They operate mainly in the Dodeskan archipelago between Rhodes, Kos and Patmos and from there also continue to Ikaria and Samos.
Tickets can be bought in the offices of the shipping companies on the quay. In the larger cities, the shipping companies sometimes have an office in the city center. There are two to three fare classes on the ferries with different levels of comfort. You can book sleeping cabins for longer trips. Most of the ships have restaurants. In the main season you should buy the tickets early as the island ferries are often fully booked.
Note on the cruise
Ferry routes:
The Dodecanese Islands and the Cyclades Islands are served by Blue Star Ferries (Internet: www.bluestarferries.com).
From Piraeus to Crete you can take the Minoan Lines (Internet: www.minoan.gr) or the Anek Lines (Internet: www.anek.gr/german). Anek also operates the Piraeus – Chania route. GA Ferries (Internet: www.ferries.gr/gaferries), which also serve numerous other routes in Greece, operate
from Thessaloniki to the Sporades, Cyclades and Crete. Hellenic Seaways (Internet: www.hellenicseaways.gr
) runs with fast ferries from Piraeus to Chania and from Heraklion to Santorin, Ios, Paros, Naxos and Mykonos.
On hydrofoils, the Flying Dolphins of Hellenic Seaways, you get faster to the islands. Fares are a little higher, but you save a lot of time. Hydrofoils also leave from Zea Marina, Lavrio, Agios Konstandinos, Volos, Kimi (Euboea), Thessaloniki and Gytheion. Information from Dolphin Hellas, Tel: 21 09 22 77 72 (Internet: www.dolphin-hellas.gr).
Further information on detailed routes is available from the Greek Tourist Office (see addresses).
One can be big or smallRent sailing yachts with or without a crew. The Tourist Office has a full list of companies that offer this type of vacation.
Regulations
Traffic regulations:
– Children under 10 must ride in the back seat;
– seatbelt compulsory;
– alcohol limit: 0.5 ‰ (0.2 ‰ for motorcyclists and novice drivers);
– Telephoning is only allowed with a hands-free system;
– Filled petrol cans must not be carried in the vehicle.
– No-stopping signs with a vertical line apply in odd months and with two vertical lines in even months.
– Fines not paid within 10 days will double.
Speed Limits:
Within built-up areas: 50 km / h
on motorways: 130 km / h;
on country roads: 90 or 110 km / h
Different speed limits for motorcycles.