UK citizens do not need visas for travel via any of the routes shown here.
Page last
updated:
18 January 2012. Train times valid from 11
December 2011 to 9 June 2012.
London to Greece without flying?
The Parthenon in Athens, without flying... You really
can get there in comfort without having to fly!
No problem! You can travel from the UK to mainland
Greece in little more than 48 hours with great scenery on the way, by
Eurostar and high-speed TGV to Italy through the Alps, then
an overnight
cruise ferry to Greece across the Adriatic in a comfortable
en suite cabin, with restaurants &
bars on board. Sailing across blue seas under even
bluer skies past the islands of Ithaca and Kefalonia is
perhaps the nicest way of all to reach Greece, a far
more rewarding experience than 3 hours strapped to a seat on
a plane, and it's practical & affordable, too.
On this page...
You'll find a step-by-step guide to planning, booking &
making a train journey from London or Paris to Greece,
one-way or return, eastbound or westbound, with schedules, fares, what the journey
is like, and how to buy your tickets.
London to Greece: A guide to the different options, with route map
London to Athens by train
& ferry via Paris & Italy (the quickest & cheapest
route)
London to Athens by
train via Paris, Munich, Budapest to Sofia, bus to
Thessaloniki, train to Athens
London to Athens by train & ferry
via Venice, with a relaxing Adriatic cruise
You can reach Greece from London
either by train to Italy then a cruise ferry to Greece, or by
train all the way to Athens across eastern Europe via
Munich, Vienna & Budapest.
Here are the best options:
This is the quickest, cheapest and most comfortable way from London to Greece
without flying, shown in red on the route map
below. It's a wonderful trip and a great
alternative to a flight, taking little over 48 hours from St Pancras
station to stepping ashore in Greece. Take a morning Eurostar from London to Paris
and an afternoon high-speed TGV from Paris to Milan.
Stay overnight, then take an air-conditioned Eurostar City
'Frecciabianca' train
all along the Adriatic coast to Bari in southern Italy.
Modern cruise ferries sail
overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece, for the train to
Athens. Why not stop off to see a little of Italy on
the way? Times,
fares & information for this route are
shown below.
The
overland route from London to Greece takes you via Paris,
Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade & Sofia to Thessaloniki, Larissa &
Athens, although sadly it now involves a long bus ride
between Sofia and Thessaloniki as there are now no trains,
see the 'Greece cut off' paragraph below to understand why. The complete journey from London to
Athens now takes 4 nights, with safe & comfortable sleeping-cars
available for each of the overnight sections and one night
in a hotel in Sofia. It's an exciting
journey with some wonderful scenery on the way. Feel
free to stop off if you like, too. Train
times, fares & information for this option are
shown
below.
Greece cut off! Due to its dire economic
situation, Greece cancelled all its international trains
from 13 February 2011 until further notice, cutting itself
off from the rest of Europe. It seems mainland Greece
is now just another 'Greek island'!
This route now takes an extra night (4 instead of 3) and
involves a hotel stop in Sofia and long bus ride between
Sofia and Thessaloniki. The details
shown below for this
route have now been updated to recognise the new route and
timings using this bus service.
This is a simpler but
slightly longer version of option 1. You
take Eurostar to Paris, catch the overnight sleeper to Venice,
then take a 2-night cruise ferry from Venice
to Patras in Greece for the train to Athens. This lets
you see Venice on the way, and it's a simpler journey to
book.
Ferries from Venice to Greece sail either daily or several
times each week, depending on the season. Train times, fares
&
information for this route are
shown below.
Don't fly to Greece, cruise there!
Take the train to Italy, then sail by cruise ferry from
Italy to Greece across the sunny Adriatic, perhaps the
nicest part of the trip.
This is the
most wonderful way to
reach Greece, in just 48 hours or so from London.
Travel from London to Milan in one day by Eurostar and
high-speed TGV through the French and Italian Alps.
Next day, travel all along Italy's Adriatic coast to Bari, and
now for the best bit, board a comfortable modern ferry for
an
overnight cruise across the Adriatic from Italy to Greece,
waking up next morning to see the
islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca passing slowly to
starboard in the bright Mediterranean sun...
Train & ferry times London ► Greece
Day 1, morning:
Travel from London to
Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at
09:12 Mondays-Fridays, 09:31 Saturdays or 09:23 Sundays,
arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
12:47.
Cross
Paris by metro or taxi to the Gare de Lyon (2 stops on RER line D).
Day 1, afternoon: Travel from Paris to Milan by
high-speed
Paris-Italy TGV, leaving Paris Gare de
Lyon at 14:41 and arriving at Milan Porto Garibaldi at 21:45.
It's a relaxing and
comfortable journey, passing directly from France
into Italy via Modane and the Mont Cénis
tunnel through the Alps. The TGV has 1st and 2nd
class seats plus a cafe-bar serving drinks, snacks &
tray-meals.
Day 2:
Travel
from Milan to Bari by air-conditioned Eurostar City
'Frecciabianca' train leaving
Milan Centrale at 07:35 and arriving Bari
at 15:12. There is a refreshment trolley, or feel
free to bring your own food & wine. The
train follows the Adriatic coast for much of the way,
past small towns and seaside resorts.
In Bari, you can
walk (25 minutes) or take a taxi to the ferry terminal, which is next
to Bari's attractive old town.
Day
2: Sail from Bari to Patras in Greece on the Superfast
Ferries / Blue Star Ferries ferry leaving Bari daily
except Sundays at 20:00 and arriving Patras
at 12:30 the next day (day 3) (On Sundays the ship
sails at 12:00, too early to make connections from
Bologna or anywhere else). You can book a
'deck place' (a good and cheap option in summer if you have your own sleeping bag) or
a reclining seat or a berth in various types of cabin,
including luxury cabins with private shower & toilet. The ship is modern and comfortable,
with good restaurants, bars and sun decks. You can check sailing times
&
dates at either the
Seat61 Ferry
Shop or
www.superfast.com.
Strolling the decks in the morning sun as the ship
cruises
past the islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca is the nicest
part of the trip, and it's a wonderful way to arrive in
Greece. In Patras, the ferry arrives in the town
centre just five
minutes walk from the railway station, which is just
outside the ferry dock and along the harbour-front road to the right.
Day 3: Travel from Patras to Athens.
You used to make this journey by narrow gauge train, a
wonderfully scenic although not very fast ride.
The Greek railways are supposedly building a brand-new
standard-gauge rail line from Athens to Patras, but
it's not yet complete (given the state of Greece's
national finances, it may take some years yet). Until July 2010 you could
still take the little narrow gauge train from Patras as
far as Kiato (near Korinthos) and change onto the new
standard gauge line the rest of the way to Athens.
However, since July 2010 the narrow gauge line has been closed completely for rebuilding, so
until the new line opens the best option is
to use the ferry company's own connecting bus
from Patras direct to Athens. You can buy
tickets for this bus on board the ferry, in fact that's
the best place to buy it. The bus leaves soon
after the ferry arrives in Patras and takes 3½-4
hours so should get you to
Athens by 17:00. It arrives at the Superfast
ferries office in Athens at 30, Amalias, GR-105 58.
Alternatively, Greek Railways are currently operating a
regular railway-replacement bus service from Patras to
Kiato, connecting with their standard gauge trains
onwards to Athens & Piraeus, fares 15 euros,
see here
for information. I'll update this as soon as I
know that the new line from Patras to Athens has opened
for business.
Train & ferry times Greece ► London
Day
1: Travel from Athens to Patras.
You used to make this journey by narrow gauge train, a
wonderfully scenic although not very fast ride.
The Greek railways are building a faster standard-gauge
line from Athens to Patras, and until summer 2010 you
could take the new train from Athens as far as Kiato
(near Corinthos) and change onto the little narrow gauge
train the rest of the way to Patras. However, the narrow gauge line
to Patras closed completely for rebuilding in July 2010, so until
the new fast line opens you can either take Superfast
Ferries' own connecting transfer bus from Athens
to Patras, or take a train from Athens to Kiato then the
Greek railways rail-replacement bus from Kiato to Patras. The
Superfast Ferries transfer bus leaves Athens at 08:45
from the Superfast ferries office in Athens at 30, Amalias, GR-105 58, journey
time 3½-4 hours.
This bus is timed for the earlier Ancona ferry, so
you'll have quite a long wait until the Bari ferry
departs. Alternatively, you can take the
10:06 train from Athens main railway station to Kiato
(arriving 11:27), from where Greek Railways operate a
regular railway-replacement bus service from Kiato to
Patras departing Kiato at 12:37 and arriving Patras at
14:44. The fare is 5 euros for the train plus 10
euros for the bus,
see here
for more information.
Remember to allow for a 2-hour ferry check-in. I'll update this as soon as I
know that the new line from Patras to Athens has opened
for business.
Day
1: Sail from Patras to Bari with Superfast
Ferries leaving from Patras daily at 18:00 and arriving in
Bari at 08:30 the next day (day 2). Walk (25
minutes) or take a taxi to the station. You can
check sailing times and fares at either the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or
www.superfast.com.
Day
2: Travel from Bari to Milan by
air-conditioned Eurostar City 'Frecciabianca' train leaving Bari at
11:43 and
arriving in Milan Centrale at
19:25. There is a refreshment trolley, or feel
free to bring your own food and wine.
Spend the night in a hotel in
Milan, a beautiful city that's well worth an extra
day for a stopover.
Hotels in
Milan.
Day 3
morning: Travel
from Milan to Paris by
high-speed
Italy-Paris TGV, leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi station at
06:07 and arriving Paris Gare de Lyon at
13:23. There is a bar car serving drinks, snacks and
light meals. If you'd prefer a leisurely breakfast
and later departure from Milan, there's also a TGV
leaving Milan Porto Garibaldi at 11:10 on
Mondays-Fridays or 10:12 Saturdays & Sundays, arriving Paris
Gare de Lyon at 19:07 on Mondays-Fridays, 17:19 on
Saturdays & Sundays.
Day 3 afternoon:Travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar.
If you took the 06:07 TGV from Milan, you can leave Paris Gare du Nord at
15:13, arriving London St Pancras at 16:39. If you
took the 10:12 weekend TGV from Milan, you'll need the
19:13 Eurostar from Paris Nord, arriving London
20:36. If you took the later 11:10 Mondays-Fridays
TGV from Milan, you'll need the 21:13 Eurostar from
Paris Nord, arriving London 22:36.
From London to Paris by Eurostar
- see the Eurostar page
for photos & information...
From Paris to
Milan by French TGV...
Paris-Milan TGV, waiting to leave Paris Gare de
Lyon...
Scenery in the
Alpine foothills as you cross France...
First
class
seats on the Paris-Milan TGV...
Second
class on the TGV...
Go to the
TGV bar car for a coffee or glass of wine...
Crossing the Alps
via Chambéry and Modane...
From
Milan to Bari by Eurostar City 'Frecciabianca' train...
Eurostar City 'Frecciabianca' trains are fully air-conditioned with 1st &
2nd class. They have a refreshment trolley, but feel
free to take your own refreshments and maybe bottle of wine
along.
From Milan
to Bari
you travel by Eurostar
City train, along the Adriatic coast...
This is
1st class, less crowded and more spacious.
...and
this is 2nd class.
From Bari to Patras by
Superfast Lines / Blue Star Ferries cruise ferry...
Several ferry
companies sail from Bari or Brindisi in Italy to Patras in
Greece. Probably the best one is the joint Superfast /
Blue Star Ferries service as this uses modern ships, sails
daily, and can easily be booked online. If you book a
'deck place' you can use your own sleeping bag and set up
camp in a covered area on deck near the stern. For a
few more pounds you can book a reclining seat. Or you
can book a berth in various types of cabin, including luxury
cabins. Most cabins have private shower and toilet.
The ferry crossing is the best part of the journey, over
deep blue waters and past many islands.
The best ferry service
from Bari to Patras is jointly run by Blue Star Ferries
and Superfast Ferries. This is the Blue Star 1 at
Patras.
On deck
next morning!
A 2- or 4-berth cabin,
with private toilet and shower.
With berth in
cabin: From 118 euros (£103) one-way,
190 euros (£165) return
5. Patras to
Athens by bus
The
connecting bus fare costs 20 euros per person. Buy
your bus ticket on board the ferry or at Superfast ferries office
in Athens.
How to buy
tickets online...
You can book the journey from London to Greece online,
which is the easiest and cheapest way to do it.
Just follow the step-by-step instructions below. It involves 3 websites, so
do a dummy run on all three sites to check
prices and availability before booking for real.
It's really not rocket science, but make sure you get your
departure dates right for each leg of the journey
outward and back. It can help to jot down the
date and departure time for each separate train and ship
booking before you start (the
how to plan an itinerary & budget page may help).
Train reservations open 90 days before departure, you
can't book before reservations open.
Step 1: First book your Paris-Milan TGV ticket
(one-way or return) at
either
www.raileurope.co.uk
or
www.tgv-europe.com. Which should you use?
Well,
www.raileurope.co.uk
is in English, for UK residents with tickets sent to any UK
address and backed by a UK call centre, 0844 848 5 848.
It's now easier to use and more reliable than
tgv-europe.com.
www.tgv-europe.com is for anyone from any country, it comes in several
languages, tickets
can be sent to
any address in Europe including the UK, it has same fares as Rail
Europe but in euros. Tgv-europe.com is quirky,
so see this advice before using it.
There are more detailed booking instructions in the
London-Milan section of
the Italy page.
Step 2: Still on
www.raileurope.co.uk or
www.tgv-europe.com, click 'continue shopping' and book
the Eurostar from London to Paris and back. Use
the Eurostar times on this page as a guide, but feel
free to choose an earlier Eurostar from London, or a
later Eurostar returning from Paris, if these have
cheaper seats available or if you'd like to stop off in
Paris.
Step 3, book the Milan to Bari train. The
easiest way is to stay with
www.raileurope.co.uk,
click 'continue shopping' and book it there. However, you can save money by booking direct with Italian
Railways at
www.trenitalia.com, as this offers discounted
advance-purchase 'Mini' fares as well as the full-price
'Base' fare. You pay by credit card and
simply quote your reservation reference to the conductor on
the train. Before using
www.trenitalia.com, see
the advice on using
it.
Finally, step 4: Buy the Bari-Patras ferry
ticket online either at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or at
www.superfast.com, selecting the type of
accommodation you want - either a deck place, a
reclining seat, or various types of cabin berth.
Both the Seat61 Ferry Shop
and
www.superfast.com offer ticketless booking, which makes it easy.
You simply book online and quote your
booking reference at the ferry check-in at the port. Reservations open
up to 12
months before departure.
Buy your Patras-Athens bus ticket when you're on board
the ferry, from the information desk.
All
the trains between London and Bari can be booked through
any UK European rail agency, such as
www.raileurope.co.uk
on 0844 848 5 848 (lines open 09:00-19:00
Monday-Friday, 09:00-18:00 Saturday) or
www.internationalrail.com (call 08700 84 14 14) or Ffestiniog
Travel on 01766 51240.
Click
here for a list
of agencies.
Buy your
Patras-Athens bus ticket when you're on board the ferry,
from the information desk.
Tailor-made train travel + hotel arrangements...
If you want a compete tailor-made
trip from the UK to Greece with all your rail travel and
ferries expertly booked for you and
good quality hotels arranged, UK residents can call
www.railbookers.com on 020 3327 0761. US
residents call (646) 770 2894, Canadian residents (416) 800 0732
(please quote seat61) and Australian residents see
www.railbookers.com.au and call 02 8096 0550. Just tell them
what you want, and they'll advise you on the best trains,
ferry routes & hotels and sort it all out for you,
hassle-free. They get very positive reviews and take
good care of their guests.
Traveller's
report...
Traveller
Nick Stone returned to London from Athens this way:
"We travelled from Athens to London. The
ferry ride was relaxing and we enjoyed beers and a lovely
à la carte meal for
34 euros including drinks. We were both impressed with
quality of the meal and service. We arrived 2 hours
late in Bari, but made the 11:03 train to Bologna with 5
minutes to spare, and celebrated by having the set 26 euros
menu lunch on the train and a bottle of wine. Spent a
5 hours in Bologna which a great place for a short break
before taking the sleeper overnight to Paris and the
Eurostar home. It was great trip and we thoroughly
enjoyed it."
UK to Greece using a
railpass...
Using a
railpass for this journey will cost you more than buying the cheapest
point-to-point tickets as explained above. It also means you
can't go online and book everything yourself, quickly
and simply, but will need to buy a pass and make reservations
through an agency, who will almost certainly charge you
booking fees. However, an InterRail pass
(assuming you are a European resident) would give you
more flexibility and allow you to make side trips on the way
to explore the countries you pass through.
On top of the pass cost, add at least £69 return for the Eurostar,
then there is a pass price for the Paris-Milan TGV train,
around £10 each way.
InterRail global
passes give free
travel on Superfast Ferries (Ancona or Bari to Corfu and Patras), Blue Ferries (Ancona & Bari to
Corfu & Igoumenitsa) and Minoan Lines (Venice or Ancona
to Corfu & Patras). The InterRail gets you a 'deck place', and you will need to pay port taxes
(about 6 Euros for departures from Bari), plus a
supplement if you want a reclining seat or cabin berth. Depending
on the shipping operator, a reclining seat will
cost £6-£12 each way, a berth in a 4-berth
cabin about £19-25 each way. You rail
agency MAY be able to help you book a place on the ship in
advance, but otherwise either book it when you arrive in
Bari or Brindisi, or try contacting the ferry operator - for
example via
www.superfast.com. The ships rarely sail
completely full, and getting a
place on your chosen sailing is not normally too much of a
problem, even in the summer.
Alternative journeys via Brindisi or Ancona...
Superfast
Ferries from Bari is recommended rather than ferries Brindisi
for several reasons. Superfast Ferries and their
partners Blue Star Ferries use modern ships and sail
daily to a convenient schedule with good connections
possible from Paris, London, and most Italian cities.
Superfast Ferries sail from a terminal next to Bari's pleasant old town,
and you can walk there from the station.
In Brindisi, most ships now use a new terminal a couple of miles out of
town, reached by taxi or courtesy minibus from the shipping
company offices in town. Since 2004, there are few scheduled sailings from Brindisi, most go from
Bari.
If
you prefer travelling via Brindisi, the 07:35 train from
Milan continues to Brindisi, where it arrives at
16:11. Most ships serving Brindisi now use a
modern terminal a couple of miles out of town, reached
by taxi or courtesy minibus from the shipping company
offices in town.
Endeavor Lines (www.endeavor-lines.com)
sail regularly from Brindisi to Patras, though dates &
times vary.
Superfast
Ferries have an (almost) daily ship from Ancona to
Patras, which is also free for InterRail passholders,
see www.superfast.com
for sailing dates & times. Train times from
London to Ancona are shown on the London
to Italy page.
Narrow gauge
trains used to run between Patras & Athens Peloponnese
station, a very scenic though not very fast ride. The
first stage of a new fast standard-gauge line has opened
between Kiato (near Korinthos) and Athens main station, and
until July 2010 you could still travel by narrow-gauge train
from Patras to Kiato, changing onto a standard gauge train
for the remainder of the journey to Athens. Now the
narrow gauge line has closed completely for rebuilding to
standard gauge. Greek railways are providing uses
between Patras & Kiato. One option is to use the ferry
company's own bus transfer between Patras & Athens.
The other option is to use the Greek railways bus/train
connecting service from Patras to Kiato to Athens.
To find
Patras-Athens or Athens-Patras train+bus times, go to
www.trainose.gr, click the UK flag top right for
English, then click 'Journeys', then look for the 'ROUTES - Suburban and National Network
Services' box and click it. This brings up a journey
planner. Typing 'Ath...' allows you to select 'Athina'.
Typing 'Pat...' allows you to select 'Patra'. In the
results, the Kiato-Patras 'trains' are now in fact buses.
Traveller
Guy Aston reports: "The Patras-Kiato narrow gauge
railway is now very much closed, the tracks having been
ripped up over lengthy sections, but OSE are running
replacement buses between Patras & Kiato as shown in the OSE
timetable (where they appear as trains!). In August
they were also running some non-stop buses which weren't in
the official timetable. The Patras-Kiato buses take about 2
hours, and connect with the hourly Kiato-Piraeus standard
gauge train service, which takes another 90 minutes to
Athens. A Patras-Kiato ticket costs €10 including a seat
reservation on the bus, Kiato-Athens/Piraeus costs €5
(second class only). The Patras booking office sold me the
two tickets stapled together for €15, so I didn't have to
risk missing the connection in Kiato with queuing at the
ticket office there. Coming back, however, the Piraeus
booking office could only do a ticket to Kiato. This
bus-train combination seems ideal if you're heading for
Piraeus and the islands, since it takes you directly to the
port in Piraeus without having to change in Athens. The
trains are reasonably comfortable air-conditioned diesel
multiple units. One thing you might also want to
mention is the possibility of breaking the Patras-Kiato
timetabled bus journey halfway at Diakopto, and taking a
trip on the spectacular narrow-gauge rack railway up the
gorge to Kalyvryta (4 trains a day: 70 minutes for 15
miles!).
Greece
has cancelled all international trains connecting it
with the rest of Europe...
Greece
has cut itself off from the rest of
Europe. With their economic situation dire,
their government has implemented massive rail
cuts.
This includes the
cancelling from 13 February 2011 until further notice of all international
trains between Greece and Sofia, Belgrade, Bucharest
& Istanbul. Greece is now
cut off from the rest of Europe, except by ferry
from Italy. So much for Greece being part of
Europe, let alone in the EU! It has become an
island! So I currently recommend taking the
train to Italy then the ferry to Greece,
see the section above.
However, it's still possible to take a train all the
way from London or Paris to Sofia in Bulgaria, stay
overnight, then take a long bus ride across the
border to Thessaloniki in Greece for an onward train
to Athens. This option is shown below.
London to Greece overland, by train and the odd bus...
This
is an overland adventure through the Balkans, via Paris,
Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade and Sofia... Once
past Budapest, don't expect western standards such as
air-conditioning on the trains, and bring you own supplies
of food, water, wine or beer. But if you book a
sleeper you'll have a safe and comfortable journey,
rediscovering some of the mystery, intrigue and romance of
long-distance sleeping-car travel across Europe.
You'll also see some great Balkan scenery with your feet up and a
beer or glass of red in your hand. Sadly, the
withdrawal of all international trains to and from Greece
means that the trains end in Sofia, and you'll now need a
bus for the Sofia to Thessaloniki section, picking up a
train again from Thessaloniki to Athens.
London ► Greece
Day 1, travel from London to Paris by Eurostar, leaving
London St Pancras at 16:01 (15:31 at weekends), arriving Paris Gare du Nord at
19:17 (18:47 at weekends).
It's then a
10 minute walk
from the Gare du Nord to the Gare de l'Est. By
all means take an earlier Eurostar if you'd like to spend
some time in Paris, or if it has cheaper seats available.
Day 1, travel from Paris to Munich
overnight on the excellent City Night Line sleeper train
'Cassiopeia', leaving
Paris Gare de l'Est daily at 20:05 (20:20 at weekends) arriving in Munich at
07:10 next morning.
It has a modern sleeping-car (1, 2 & 3 bed compartments,
either standard with washbasin or deluxe with shower),
4 & 6-berth couchettes & ordinary seats, see the photos & information
below.
More
pictures & information about this City Night Line train.
Day 2, travel
from Munich to Budapest by
air-conditioned Austrian 'RailJet' train
with bistro car, leaving Munich Hauptbahnhof at 09:27 and
arriving in
Budapest Keleti at 16:49. Treat yourself to
lunch in the bistro!
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train. Have
dinner in Budapest..
Day 2,
travel from Budapest to Sofia by direct sleeping-car,
leaving Budapest Keleti at 22:20 and arriving in Sofia at 17:47
next day (day 3 from London). This train travels
via Belgrade (arriving 06:06, departing 07:50). Just
one older Bulgarian sleeping-car runs direct from
Budapest to
Sofia, with 1, 2 & 3-berth compartments with washbasin,
please see the photos & read the update information
below about this sleeping-car. There is no
restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer or
wine, and enjoy the scenic ride.
Day 4,
travel by bus from Sofia to Thessaloniki. A bus
leaves Sofia bus station daily except Tuesdays at 10:00,
arriving Thessaloniki railway station at 16:00.
The bus is operated by OSE (Greek Railways) in
partnership with a Bulgarian bus company. The bus
is sadly required because of the withdrawal of all
international trains to and from Greece in February
2011. There are in fact other bus companies
running several daily buses on this route, but times are
not known.
Feedback would be appreciated if you use a bus on
this route!
Day 4 or 5,
take a train from Thessaloniki to Larissa & Athens.
Trains run regularly throughout the day, journey time 5½
hours, and it's a very scenic ride. There's an
air-conditioned InterCity train at 18:04 arriving
Larissa at 19:26 and Athens at 23:24.
Of course!
Each train is ticketed separately, so feel free to book each
leg of the journey on whatever dates you like, spending time
in Paris, Munich, Salzburg, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade or
Sofia on the way. It
makes little or no difference to the cost. If you plan to stop
off, you can arrange all your reservations in advance from the
UK, or you can buy tickets as you go, it's up to you.
Greece ► London
Day 1: Travel from Athens or
Larissa to Thessaloniki by train. There are a
whole range of departures to choose from, journey time
5½ hours, and it's a
very scenic ride. For example, there's an
air-conditioned InterCity train leaving Athens daily at
14:18 or Larissa at 18:24 arriving Thessaloniki at
19:46, but there are also earlier or later trains.
Day 2: Travel from
Thessaloniki to Sofia by bus, leaving Thessaloniki
railway station at 08:00 daily except Tuesdays and
arriving Sofia bus station at 14:00 the same day.
The bus is operated by OSE (Greek Railways) in
partnership with a Bulgarian bus company. The bus
is sadly required because of the withdrawal of all
international trains to and from Greece in February
2011. There are in fact other bus companies
running several daily buses on this route, but times are
not known.
Feedback would be appreciated if you use a bus on
this route!
Stay overnight in Sofia.
Day 3: Travel
from Sofia to Budapest by direct Bulgarian sleeping-car, leaving Sofia
every day at
11:55 and arriving at Budapest Keleti at 06:04 the next
day (day 4). The sleeping-car
has 1, 2 & 3-berth compartments with washbasin, see the
photos below. There is
no restaurant car, so take you own food, water and beer
or wine. In the sleeping-car, it's a safe,
pleasant and scenic journey, going via Belgrade in
Serbia (arriving 19:47, departing 22:10). Spend the
morning in
Budapest.
Day 4, travel from
Budapest to
Munich by air-conditioned Austrian 'RailJet' train, leaving
Budapest Keleti at 13:10 and arriving in Munich at 20:34. The train has
a bistro car & bar.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train.
Day 4, travel from Munich to Paris on
the excellent City Night Line sleeper train 'Cassiopeia', leaving
Munich daily at 22:47 and arriving at Paris Gare de l'Est
09:24 next morning (day 5). The train has ordinary seats, couchettes
(4 & 6-bunk) and a sleeping-car (1, 2 or 3-bed rooms,
either deluxe with shower or standard
with washbasin).
More pictures
& information about this
City Night Line sleeper train. Travel tip:
This train runs combined with the Munich-Amsterdam
sleeper for part of its journey, and is usually shown on
the departure boards at Munich as going to 'Amsterdam'.
In Paris, walk from the Gare de l'Est to the Gare du Nord.
Day 5, travel
from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Nord at
11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at 12:30.
Introducing
the City Night Line sleeper train from Paris to
Munich ...
The Paris-Munich overnight train is one of the German Railway's excellent
City Night Line sleeper trains. Called the
'Cassiopeia', it has a modern 'Comfortline' sleeping-car
(1, 2 & 3-berth deluxe rooms with private shower and
toilet and 1, 2 &
3-berth standard rooms with washbasin), modern
air-conditioned couchettes (choose between a berth in a
4- or 6-berth compartment), and ordinary seats (not
recommended). In the sleeping-car, there is a shower at
the end of the corridor for passengers in standard sleepers,
and all rooms have power-points for laptop computers. The sleeping-car fare includes
a light breakfast.
More pictures
& information about this train.
Travel tip: For a good meal in a
classic Parisian brasserie before boarding the sleeper
train in Paris, catch the earlier 14:04 Eurostar & try
the
Brasserie Terminus Nord directly across the road
from the Gare du Nord. For a cooked breakfast in
Munich (or evening meal before boarding the Paris-bound
sleeper on your return) try the
Mongdratzerl restaurant, located in the hauptbahnhof
itself.
1, 2 or 3 bed sleeper:
The most comfortable & civilised option, with proper
beds & washbasin.
4-berth couchettes:
Ideal for families, much more space per person than
6-berth couchettes.
6-berth couchettes:
A very economical option, far better than a seat for
just a few euros more...
"Night train to Munich": The
'Comfortline' sleeping-car of the Paris to Munich
sleeper train boarding at Paris Gare de l'Est...
RailJet is
Austria's brand-new high-speed train, linking Munich, Vienna
& Budapest, now also linking Zurich, Innsbruck &
Vienna. Designed to run at up to 230km/h (143 mph) on
sections of upgraded track, it currently reaches 200km/h on part of
the route, but in other parts snakes around beautiful
scenery at a more sedate pace. Look out for great
views of Salzburg citadel & castle on the right as you cross
the river Salzach approaching Salzburg. RailJet has
three classes, Economy (2nd class), First (1st class), and
Premium (25 euro supplement over normal first class, snacks
and drinks included).
It has a bistro car providing drinks, snacks and hot dishes,
which are served on proper china at your seat in first and
premium classes. TV screens in each car tell you the
train's speed & location, with a list of next station stops
and times. A great way to travel.
More pictures &
information about this RailJet train.
"The RailJet has landed..."
The morning RailJet train from Munich has arrived in
Budapest Keleti spot on time...
Premium class costs
25 euro more than normal 1st class...
Economy class on
RailJet, comfortable open saloons with large picture
windows. Some seats are arranged around tables,
some are unidirectional.
In
December 2010 the Bulgarians started
using 'new' (meaning second-hand German)
sleeping-cars on the Budapest-Sofia
service, replacing most of the
old communist-era sleepers. The 'new' cars have
old but classy 1, 2 & 3 bed compartments with washbasin, and are the
same as the ex-German sleepers used by the Romanians on
their Budapest-Bucharest & Bucharest-Istanbul trains. Take your own
provisions and maybe a bottle of wine (or two) and enjoy
a very scenic train ride across Hungary, Serbia & Bulgaria
in the privacy of a private sleeper compartment.
However, read the next paragraph, because it seems that these 'new' sleepers have
had problems and have been replaced again by
the old-style 1960s sleeping-cars...
Above: The
Bulgarians now have second-hand German
sleepers, a little dated but actually quite classy.
Panorama photo inside a sleeper compartment when in
German use. Photo courtesy of Malte Fuhrmann.
A sleeper, set up
here as a 1-berth, the same room can be used as
2 or 3-berth.
The same sleeper, in
evening mode with beds folded away, sofa folded out.
...or an
older 1960s sleeping-car.
Important update: Reports from travellers in late 2010 and
early 2011
confirmed that the 'new' ex-German railways sleeping-cars
were at long last being used on this route, but later reports in
summer/autumn 2011 have confirmed that the old 1960s communist-era
sleepers are back again on some or all departures on this
route, see the photos below. I believe this is still
the case in 2012. It's not clear what's
happened to the second-hand German ones. If you use
this train, please let
me know. It's also been reported that this direct
sleeping car from Budapest to Sofia sometimes misses its
connection in Belgrade, so instead of being attached to the
morning train to Sofia arriving in the evening, it goes into
the sidings at Belgrade giving you some time to explore the
city, then it gets attached to the overnight train to Sofia,
arriving in the morning some 13 hours late. Just be aware that these sorts of things can
happen on this route, take plenty of provisions, take it
easy and enjoy the adventure of train travel by sleeping-car
through the Balkans! Once again, if you use this
train, please let me
know how you get on.
Above: A Bulgarian sleeping-car of
the old communist-era sort.
The sleeper corridor...
Photo courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler.
3-bed compartment.
Photo courtesy of Helmut Uttenthaler
... by bus
Sofia-Thessaloniki, then by
Greek InterCity train from
Thessaloniki to Athens ...
Above: The
White Tower, one of Thessaloniki's best-known landmarks.
Above:
The journey from Thessaloniki to Athens by modern
air-conditioned Greek InterCity train. These
trains link Thessaloniki
(Salonika) to Athens in as little as 4½ hours,
with superb scenery through the mountains between
Larissa & Athens. But hurry, as in a few years
time a new 125mph section of line will by-pass these
scenic mountain sections, cutting the Athens-Salonika
journey time to little over 3 hours...
This is the famous
Gorgopotamos viaduct in
the mountains between Larissa & Athens, one of those
blown up by the British S.O.E. during world war 2.
After a great journey, the
Greek InterCity train arrives in Athens...
Journey's
end: The main (Larissa) station in Athens, over
2,000 miles from London St Pancras...
How much does it cost?
Each train is ticketed separately, so just add up the
price for each leg of the journey...
* If you have children aged 4- 5 or 12-14,
please read this note
before booking the City Night Line sleeper train.
Savings fare =
cheap fare, price varies, book in advance, limited availability,
no refunds, no changes to travel plans.
Full price =
fully flexible, refundable, buy any time.
Youth fares:
25% off full price (not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're under 26, but Savings fares usually cheaper!
Senior fares:
20% off full price (not Savings
fares) using
www.raileurope.co.uk
if you're over 60, but Savings fares usually cheaper!
3. Munich to Budapest
by
RailJet
Economy class
fares start at 39 euro (£34) one-way, 78 euro (£68)
return
First class fares
start at 69 euro (£60) one-way, 138 euro (£120) return
4.
Budapest to Sofia
Approx £101 each way in
3-bed sleeper, £113 each way in 2-bed sleeper (all per
person)
5.
Sofia to Thessaloniki by bus
Not known, but
likely to be around 25 euros (£22) each way.
How to buy tickets, the easy way...
Click the button (or
click here) and a booking form will appear which lists
all the
specific trains you
need to book. Fill in the form & email it to
sales@europeanrail.com. European Rail will make
the reservations and call you back to confirm the cost,
which you can then accept or decline. If you
accept, you can give them your credit card details over the
phone and they will send you
the tickets. European Rail is an experienced agency
whose staff are used
to making more exotic bookings like this. They are
equipped with the German Railways reservation & ticketing
system, so have access to all the cheap fares for travel via
Germany & Austria. They charge a £35 booking fee which includes
postage to any UK address, or they can send to any address
worldwide if you pay the courier fee. Seat61 gets some
commission if you buy tickets using this form.
You can book
from London as far as Budapest online, although
Budapest-Sofia needs to be booked by phone.
You may of course prefer to book all your tickets together
by phone, but at least you can go online and see what fares
area available for your dates of travel for the
London-Budapest part of the journey!
Step 1,
go to
www.raileurope.co.uk
, and book the overnight sleeper from Paris
to Munich.
Tickets can be sent to any UK address or can be collected at
the station. Only UK credit cards are accepted.
It's best to book the Paris-Munich sleeper
train first and double-check arrival an departure times before
booking the Eurostar connection, in case times vary from the
ones shown above.
Step 2, after booking
the Paris-Munich sleeper train, add it to your basket & click 'continue shopping'.
Now book
the Eurostar from London to Paris and back. Use the recommended Eurostar times above as a guide,
but by
all means book an earlier Eurostar outward or a later
Eurostar on the way back if these have cheaper seats
available or if you'd like to stop off in Paris.
Step 3, now go to the German
Railways website
www.bahn.de, use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket. It will show if any
cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent to any address,
or in some cases printed out yourself. Note that you
can also buy
tickets for this train using
www.raileurope.co.uk,
but only full-price fares are shown, no special cheap fares,
that's why
www.bahn.de is better.
Unfortunately, you can't book the
Budapest-Sofia train online, this must be booked by phone,
call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines open
09:00-17:00 Mon-Fri).
Bus tickets from Sofia to Thessaloniki can be bought at
Sofia's main bus station desk 3, open 08:00-18:00
Monday-Friday, 08:00-16:00 weekends. They cannot be
booked online. Bus tickets from Thessaloniki to Sofia
can be booked at Thessaloniki station special international
OSE bus booking window, open 06:00-24:00 daily except Tues &
Sat when it opens 06:00-14:00.
Buy train tickets from Thessaloniki to Athens when you reach
Thessaloniki, at the station. This section cannot be
booked online or by UK agencies.
Sometimes
www.raileurope.co.uk
has the cheapest fares for the
Paris-Munich sleeper, sometimes
www.bahn.de
is cheaper, so it's worth checking both sites.
If you book the Paris-Munich sleeper using
www.bahn.de you'll need to book the
Eurostar separately at
www.eurostar.com, so do a 'dry run'
first on both sites to check prices and availability before
booking for real.
Step 1,
go to
www.bahn.de, the German Railways website, and book from Paris to
Munich and back on the direct overnight sleeper train.
Availability of cheap 'savings' fares and
fully-flexible fares will be shown, for each type of
seat, couchette & sleeper. You pay by credit card and print out
your own tickets in .pdf format. Easy! Note that
the prices shown on
www.bahn.de are in euro, and are the
total cost for all passengers selected, not per person. Always book the
sleeper first and check its actual arrival & departure
before booking the Eurostar connection, as times
occasionally
vary. I recommend registering when it asks you before
completing the purchase, so you can easily make the next
booking.
Step 2, still on
www.bahn.de,
now use the journey planner to bring
up the connecting Munich-Budapest train shown in the train
times above, and buy the ticket. It will show if any
cheap special fares are available. Tickets can be sent
to any address, or in some cases printed out yourself.
Step
3, go to
www.eurostar.com to book your connecting Eurostar
tickets between London and Paris. Used the Eurostar
times above as a guide, but by all means book an earlier
Eurostar outwards, or a later Eurostar on the way back, if
this has cheaper seats available of if you'd like to stop
off in Paris for a while. Eurostar tickets can be sent to any UK
address, self-printed, or picked up at the station.
Unfortunately, you can't book the
Budapest-Sofia train online so this must be booked by phone,
call
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66. Lines
are open 09:00-20:00 Monday-Friday, 09:00-13:00 Saturdays &
Sundays, no booking fee, 2% credit card charge, but no
charge for debit cards.
Bus tickets from Sofia to Thessaloniki can be bought at
Sofia's main bus station desk 3, open 08:00-18:00
Monday-Friday, 08:00-16:00 weekends. They cannot be
booked online. Bus tickets from Thessaloniki to Sofia
can be booked at Thessaloniki station special international
OSE bus booking window, open 06:00-24:00 daily except Tues &
Sat when it opens 06:00-14:00.
Buy train tickets from Thessaloniki to Athens when you reach
Thessaloniki, at the station. This section cannot be
booked online or by UK agencies.
How to buy
tickets by phone...
You
may prefer to book the whole journey by phone, at least as
far as Sofia. The
best agencies to call for this trip are either
Deutsche
Bahn's UK office on 08718 80 80 66 (lines
open 09:00-20:00 Mon-Fri, 09:00-13:00 Sat & Sun, no booking fee,
2% credit card charge, no charge for debit cards), or www.europeanrail.com
on 020 7619 1083 (lines open 08:30-18:00 Mon-Fri,
09:00-13:00 Saturdays, £35 booking fee but often more expert
at complex journeys such as this).
Bus tickets from Sofia to Thessaloniki can't be bought
outside Bulgaria, so just buy this at Sofia's main bus
station desk 3, open 08:00-18:00 Monday-Friday, 08:00-16:00
weekends. They cannot be booked online. Bus
tickets from Thessaloniki to Sofia can be booked at
Thessaloniki station special international OSE bus booking
window, open 06:00-24:00 daily except Tues & Sat when it
opens 06:00-14:00. Then buy train tickets from
Thessaloniki to Athens at the station when you reach
Thessaloniki, as this section cannot be booked by UK
agencies.
The civilised way to reach Greece...
A Minoan Lines cruise ferry sails past the gondolas in
St Mark's Square in Venice, heading for Greece. You can buy Italy-Greece
ferry ticket online at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop. Photo courtesy of Andy
Brabin of
www.railbookers.com
Taking a ferry to Greece from Venice rather than Bari
means the London-Athens journey will take 3 nights rather than 2, but the simplicity of taking Eurostar to Paris,
an overnight sleeper to Venice, then a direct cruise ferry
along the Adriatic to Greece makes it a wonderful and
leisurely option.
With a free day in Venice (stop off for longer if you like), a two-night Adriatic cruise
on a modern ferry with cruise ship facilities, less
train travel necessary through Italy and a simpler booking process
involving just two websites not three, it's an alternative
that's well worth
considering. You could do the journey over a weekend!
Train & ferry
times London ► Greece
Travel from
London to Paris by
Eurostar, leaving London
St Pancras at 15:01 (14:01 on Saturdays) and arriving Paris Gare du Nord at 18:17
(18:47 on Saturdays).
Cross Paris by métro to the
Gare
de Bercy.
Travel
from Paris to Venice overnight by 'Thello' sleeper
train, leaving Paris Gare de Bercy
daily at 19:45 and arriving at Venice Santa
Lucia station on the banks of the Grand Canal
at 09:34 next morning. This train has 4- & 6-berth couchettes, 1,
2 & 3-berth sleepers & a restaurant car. Illustrated guide to
the Thello sleeper trains.
For other train options
between London and Venice including scenic daytime
options with an overnight stop via Milan, Zurich or
Munich,
see the London to Italy page.
Minoan
Lines and Anek Lines cruise
ferries
sail from Venice to Patras in about 36 hours,
daily at certain times of year, several times each week at off-peak times, usually leaving
Venice (Maritime station, walking distance
from Santa Lucia station) either at lunchtime,
late afternoon or early evening. Visit the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or the
Anek Lines or
Minoan Lines
websites for sailing dates & times and to book online.
Allow plenty of time for connections in Venice,
including a possible hour or two delay for the train
arriving in Venice, reaching the ferry terminal and
checking in for the ferry. Booking a 14:00 sailing
should be fine, but personally I think 12:00 sailings
don't leave much leeway if the train is very late.
There
are regular trains between Patras and Athens, and it's
a scenic ride. See
www.bahn.de
(which may or may not have current Greek train timetable
data loaded in it, but give it a go)
or
www.trainose.gr
for train times. Trains run every few hours, buy a
ticket at the station. You switch from a narrow-gauge
train to the new fast standard-gauge line at Kiato. Important
update: The narrow-gauge railway line from
Patras to Kiato is currently closed for 9 months
from August 2009 for rebuilding to standard gauge.
During this time, buses replace trains. The ferry
company's own bus from Patras to Athens is probably the best
option until the line reopens in 2010, you can buy
tickets for this bus on board the ferry.
Train & ferry
times Greece ► London
Take an early afternoon
train from Athens (main Larissa station) to Patras.
This involves a standard gauge train to Kiato where you
change onto the scenic narrow gauge train to Patras.
Check train times and buy a ticket at the station.
Important update: The
narrow-gauge railway line from Kiato to Patras is
currently closed for 9 months from August 2009 for
rebuilding to standard gauge. During this time,
buses replace trains. The ferry company bus from
Athens to Patras is probably the best option until the
line reopens in 2010.
Minoan
Lines and Anek Lines sail from
Patras to Venice in around 36 hours, daily in summer,
several times a week in winter, usually leaving Patras
late at night and arriving Venice in the morning 2
nights later. See the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or the
Anek Lines or
Minoan Lines
websites for sailing dates and times and to book online.
On arrival, put your bags in the left luggage at the
station and spend the day exploring Venice.
Travel from Venice to Paris by
Thello sleeper train, leaving Venice Santa Lucia station at
19:57 arriving Paris 09:29 (arrives at 08:14 from 31
December to 21 January, 18 February to 4 March 2012). Couchettes, sleepers &
restaurant car available, see the London
to Italy page for full details.
Cross Paris by
metro to the Gare du Nord.
Travel from Paris to London by
Eurostar, leaving Paris Gare du Nord at 11:13 and arriving London St Pancras at
12:30.
For other train options
between Venice and London including scenic daytime
options with an overnight stop via Milan, Zurich or
Munich,
see the London to Italy page.
How to buy
tickets...
You can book this journey from London to Greece online,
which is the easiest and cheapest way to do it.
Just follow these step-by-step instructions. This
journey involves two websites, so do a dummy run on both sites to check
prices and availability before booking for real.
Make sure you get your
departure dates right for each leg of the journey
outward and back. It can help to jot down the
date and departure time for each separate train and ship
booking before you start (the
how to plan an itinerary & budget page may help).
Step 2: Now buy a London-Paris Eurostar
ticket at
www.eurostar.com. You print your own ticket, or can
collect it at London St Pancras.
Step 3:
You can book all the ferry companies from Venice to Patras online at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop, or go to
the operators' own websites,
www.anek.gr or
www.minoan.gr.
To buy tickets by phone, contact their UK agents,
Viamare
Travel, on 020
8343 5810. Minoan
Lines accept Eurail & InterRail passes (no port
taxes to pay, but cabins or a reclining seat are extra).
The
bus from Patras to Athens can be booked on board the
ferry or on arrival in Patras.
The
overland route from London to Athens passes through Salonika
(Thessaloniki in Greek) and Larissa. However, it's
currently blocked by the Greek government. See the London
to Athens section above for details.
Alternatively,
you could travel from London to Athens by train and ferry via
Italy, then take a train from Athens north to Larissa and
Athens. See the London to Athens
section above, then use the Greek Railways website, You
can check train times for this section at
www.trainose.gr
for train times between Athens, Larissa and Salonika.
Meteora is a
spectacular monastery perched on a huge rock, near the town
of Kalambaka. Kalambaka is at the end of a railway
branch line from Paleofarsolas on the main
Thessaloniki-Larissa-Athens rail line. There are two
direct trains from Athens to Kalambaka every day (about 4
hours 45 minutes), plus
regular trains throughout the day from Athens, Larissa and
Thessaloniki with a change of train at Paleofarsolas.
For train times from Athens or Thessaloniki to Kalambaka, see
You can check train times for this section at
www.trainose.gr and use their journey
planner.
Travel by train from London to Bari or Brindisi. For
train times, fares and how to book see the
Italy page.
Superfast Ferries sail from Bari to Corfu every second
day from early June until early September, sailing from
Bari at 20:00 and arriving Corfu at 05:00 next morning.
Visit the Seat61 Ferry Shop
or the operator's own website,
www.superfast.com to check sailing dates, times,
fares and to book online.
Endeavor Lines (www.endeavor-lines.com)
sail from Brindisi to Corfu at 20:30 several times each
week year-round, daily in July & August, arriving in Corfu town at around
08:45
next day (day 3 from London). Visit their website
to check sailing dates and times. In the UK, this
ferry can be booked online at the Seat61 Ferry Shop
or by phone through Viamare Travel on 020
8343 5810.
If you have an InterRail pass valid
for Italy and Greece, it will include a 'deck passage' on
the HML or Superfast ferry, although port tax (about 6
euros) and a cabin berth or reclining seat will be
extra.
By train & ferry via Venice...
You might prefer to catch the ferry from Venice.
Travel by train from London to Venice,
using Eurostar to Paris and the direct Paris-Venice
sleeper train. For train
times, fares and how to buy tickets, see the
London to Italy page.
Allow a minimum of 3 hours
for any connection with a ferry in Venice, to allow for
transfer times, check-in and any delay to the train.
Minoan
Lines and Anek Lines sail from
Venice to Corfu, daily at certain times of year, several
times a week at off-peak times, usually leaving Venice
(Maritime station, walking distance from Santa Lucia
station) either at lunchtime, late afternoon or early
evening. To check sailing dates, times,
fares and for online booking, visit the
Seat61 Ferry Shop or the
Anek Lines or
Minoan Lines websites.
From the UK, these ferries can also be booked by phone through
Viamare Travel, call 020 7431
4560.
Made famous by the
book and film 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin', it's easy to
reach Kefalonia all the way from London in less than 48
hours, without flying.
Travel from London to Brindisi by train, using
Eurostar to Paris and TGV to Milan, overnight stop, then
take a Eurostar City 'Frecciabianca' along
the Adriatic coast to Brindisi. See the London
to Italy page for times, fares and how to
buy tickets. In Brindisi, use a taxi to the port a
few miles away.
Endeavor Lines operate a service from Brindisi ferry terminal to the main town of Sami
on
Kefalonia (Cephalonia) several times a week throughout
the Summer, typically sailing at 19:00 and arriving at
07:00 next morning. Visit
www.endeavor-lines.com
for dates, times, fares & online booking, or book online
at the
Seat61 Ferry Shop.
There
are also ferries year-round between Patras and
Kefalonia, see
www.ferries.gr.
Travel from London to Athens by train & ferry as shown
in the London
to Athens section above. A
frequent metro runs between Athens and Piraeus, the port
of Athens, taking just 25 minutes or so.
Ferries sail daily from
Piraeus to Heraklion, the capital of Crete, usually
overnight. ANEK Lines sail daily at 20:30 arriving
at 05:30 next day, Minoan Lines sail at 21:00 arriving
05:30 next day. Basic 'deck place' fares start at
23 euros one-way, 41 Euros return, or with the cheapest
berth in a 4-berth cabin, 41 euros one way, 74 euros
return. You can book both Anek and
Minoan ferries at the
Seat61
Ferry Shop, or at the operators' own websites,
www.anek.gr
and www.minoan.gr.
Anek Ferries also sail direct
from Piraeus to Chania in western Crete, departing
Piraeus daily at 21:00 arriving Chania 05:30. In
the other direction the ferry also sails from Chania at
21:00 arriving Piraeus 05:30. See
www.anek.gr.
Arrival is at Souda ferry terminal, 5km from Chania city
centre.
Pictured below: Ships
of rival ferry operators Minoan Lines and Anek Lines in
Heraklion harbour. Photo courtesy of Walter
Smith.
Travel from London to Athens, see the London
to Athens section above. A
frequent metro runs between Athens and Piraeus, the port
of Athens, taking just 25 minutes or so.
The best way to find which
ferry company sails to which Greek island (and to find
timetables) is to use either
www.openseas.gr or
www.ferries.gr
(click 'domestic').
Paying
for a guidebook may seem an unnecessary expense, but it's
probably only a tiny fraction of what you're spending on
your whole trip. You will see so much more, and know
so much more about what you're looking at, if you have a
decent guidebook.
For independent travel, I recommend either the
Lonely Planet or Rough Guide. Both have plenty of
background historical and cultural information, with all the practical
information you need.
My own book, an essential handbook for train travel to
Europe based on this website called "The
Man in Seat 61", was published in June 2008, and
is available from Amazon with shipping worldwide.
Thomas Cook European Timetable
The
Thomas Cook European timetable
has train & ferry times for every country in Europe plus currency
& climate
information. Published since 1873, it costs £13.99.
It's essential for any serious traveller
and an inspiration for armchair travellers. Still
not convinced you need one? More information
on what the Thomas Cook Timetable contains. You can
buy the latest monthly edition online at
www.thomascooktimetables.com with worldwide delivery or
buy it in person from any UK branch of Thomas Cook (ask at the
bureau de change), or from W H Smiths in Victoria or Kings
Cross stations in London.
Or
buy the twice-yearly independent traveller's edition with
laminated cover from Amazon.co.uk:
Winter/Spring 2011/12 edition (Dec 2011 to June 2012) or
(when available)
Summer/Autumn 2012 edition (June to Dec 2012)
The Thomas Cook Rail Map of
Europe is the best and most comprehensive
map of train routes right across Europe, from Portugal in the
west to Istanbul, Moscow & Ukraine in the east, from Finland
in the north to Sicily & Crete in the south. High speed
&
scenic routes are highlighted. Highly recommended!
Buy online
at
www.amazon.co.uk
(worldwide delivery).
See an extract from
the map.
www.hotelscombined.com
is probably the best hotel search system I've seen, a free search tool
which checks all the main hotel booking sites (Opodo, Expedia,
Booking.com, Hotels.com, AsiaRooms, Travelocity, LateRooms and
others) to find the cheapest hotel rates. Set up in
2005, it's probably the best place to start for booking any
hotel online in any country, worldwide.
Other hotel sites
worth trying...
www.tripadvisor.com
is the place to find
independent travellers' reviews of all the main hotels.
www.booking.com is my own preferred hotel booking system
(Hotels Combined being a search/comparison system). It
has a simple interface, a good selection in most countries
worldwide, useful online customer reviews of each hotel, and
decent prices, usually shown inclusive of unavoidable extras
such as taxes (a pet hate of mine is systems that show one
price, then charge you another!).
Backpacker
hostels...
www.hostelbookers.com:
If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about the backpacker
hostels. Hostelbookers offers online booking of dorm
beds or ultra-cheap private rooms in backpacker hostels in
Paris and most other European cities at rock-bottom prices.
Travel insurance, health card, SIM card
Get travel insurance, it's essential...
Never travel without insurance from a
reliable travel insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover. It should also cover loss of
cash (up to a limit) and belongings, and cancellation. An annual
multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip
policies even for just 2 or 3 trips
a year (I have an annual policy myself).
Don't expect travel insurance to bail you out of every missed
connection, but European international rail conditions of
carriage (known as the 'CIV') contain consumer protection
provisions that entitle you to travel forward by the next
available train if you miss a connection because of a delay to
the first train, irrespective of who operates which train, and
even if your ticket is in theory train-specific and
non-changeable.
Feedback from using
insurance for rail & ferry travel is always welcome. Here are some suggested insurers.
Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these
links.
If you're a
UK citizen travelling in Europe, you should apply for a free
European Health Insurance Card, which entitles you to free or
reduced rate health care if you become ill or get injured in
many European countries, under a reciprocal arrangement with
the NHS. This replaced the old E111 forms
as from January 2006. The EHIC card is available from
www.ehic.org.uk. It doesn't remove the need for
travel insurance, though.
Get a spare credit card, one designed for foreign travel with no currency
exchange loading & low or no ATM fees...
It costs nothing to take out an extra credit card.
If you keep it in a different part of your luggage so you're
not left stranded if
your wallet gets stolen, this is a form of extra travel insurance in itself. In addition,
some credit cards are significantly better for
overseas travel than others. Martin Lewis's
www.moneysavingexpert.com/travel/cheap-travel-money explains which
UK credit cards
have the lowest currency exchange commission loadings when you buy something
overseas, and the lowest cash withdrawal fees when
you use an ATM abroad. Taking this advice
can save you quite a lot on each trip compared to using your
normal high-street bank credit card! You can save money on ATM charges and exchange rates using a
Caxton FX euro currency Visa Card, or indeed the
multi-currency 'Global Traveller' Visa Card,
find out about these cards & sign up here.
Get an international SIM card
to save on mobile data and phone calls...
Mobile phones can cost a fortune to use abroad, and if you're
not careful you can return home to find some huge bills
waiting for you. I've known people run up over £1,000 in
data charges just by leaving their iPhone connected during a
simple trip to Europe. However, if you
buy a global SIM card for your mobile phone from a company
such as
www.Go-Sim.com you can slash the cost by up to 85% and
limit any damage to the amount you have pre-paid. Go-Sim
cuts call costs in 175 countries worldwide,
and you can receive incoming calls and texts for free in 75 countries. It's pay-as-you-go, so no nasty bills
when you get home. It also allows cheap data access for laptops
& PDAs. A Go-Sim account and any credit on it doesn't
expire if it's not used between trips, unlike some
others, so a Go-Sim phone number becomes your 'global phone
number' for life.
www.hostelbookers.com
In
the UK, try
If you live in Australia, New Zealand, Ireland or the
EU, try
If you live in the USA or Canada, try
