GETTING THERE & AROUND
GETTING THERE
By air
The main international airports in Greece include: Athens International Airport (ATH), Corfu (CFU), Heraklion (HER), Rhodes (RHO) and Thessaloniki (SKG). The national airline Olympic Airlines offers flights from most major European towns to Athens and also connections between smaller domestic airports. Also, most major European airlines have direct scheduled flights to Athens. These include: Alitalia, Aegan Airlines, Aer Lingus, Air Berlin, Air France, Balkan Bulgarian Airlines, British Airways, EasyJet, Germanwings, KLM, Virgin Atlantic Airways.
Athens Airport: www.aia.grOlympus Airlines: www.olympicairlines.comBy sea
Main Greek ports include: Athens (Piraeus), Corfu, Heraklion, Igoumenitsa, Patras and Rhodes. There are many ferry carriers which offer routes to Greece from Italy (Ancona, Bari, Brindisi, Trieste and Venice), Cyprus, Israel, Egypt and Turkey. For example, Superfast Ferries offers routes from Ancona and Bari, Minoan Lines offers routes from Ancona and Venice, Anek Lines offers routes from Ancona and Venice as well as connections between Piraeus and Crete.
Superfast Ferries: www.superfast.comMinoan Lines: www.minoan.grAnek Lines: www.anek.grBy bus
Some European carriers connect European countries and Greek towns. Eurolines offers routes from United Kingdom, France and Germany to Greece.
Eurolines: www.eurolines.comBy train
If one wish to travel to Greece by train, the best idea is to travel by rail to Italy (e.g. Brendisi) and then to take a ferry to Greece. The national railway company in Greece is Hellenic Railways Organisation.
Hellenic Railways Organisation: www.osenet.grBy car
Traveling by car to Greece takes much time and because of political uncertainty in Yugoslavia it is wise to travel to Italy and ferry your car to Greece.
GETTING AROUND
By bus/tram
Greece has an extensive system of public transport. One of the best ways to get around in Athens is with the underground. The cheapest way to get around Greece and within Greek cities is by bus.
By taxi
Taxis in Greece are relatively cheap. one can find taxi stands outside the airports, railway stations and bus stations. Taxis can be also hailed in the streets. Not all of them have meters so it is wise to ask the driver about the price before the journey.
By car
Travelling around Greece by car is a good option. However, Greece has a high accident rate. Driving is on the right side of the road. International and foreign driving licenses are accepted. Driver must also have insurance documents and car registration documents. Driver must not drive with a blood alcohol level of more than 0.05 percent. Driver and passengers must wear seat belts. Speed limits: built-up areas – 40 km/h, motorways – 120 km/h, dual carriageways – 120 km/h. A warning triangle, first aid kit and fire extinguisher are required.
