Travel to Greece
Flying to Greece
Greece's main carriers are Olympic Air (www.olympicair.com) and Aegean Airlines (www.aegeanair.com). Other airlines operating flights from the UK include British Airways (www.ba.com), easyJet (www.easyjet.com) and Ryanair (www.ryanair.com). The cost of flights to Greece peaks in July and August when most Europeans take their holidays. Throughout the rest of the year prices vary according to demand.
Major airports are: Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport, Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport, Chania International Airport, Thessaloniki International Airport, Heraklion International Airport, Kos Island International Airport, Mykonos Airport and Rhodes Diagoras International Airport.
Airport Guides
Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport
CodeATH
LocationAthens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is located 33km (20 miles) southeast of central Athens.
Telephone+30 210 353 0000
AddressSpata ArtemidaAttiki Odos
Athens
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Rhodes Diagoras International Airport
CodeRHO
LocationRhodes Diagoras International Airport is located near the north coast of Rhodes, about 15km (9 miles) to the southwest of Rhodes city, near the village of Paradisi.
Telephone+30 2241 088 700
AddressDiagorasRhodes
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Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport
CodeCFU
LocationCorfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport is located around 3km (1.8 miles) to the south of Corfu town, on the eastern part of the island.
Telephone+30 2661 089 600
AddressI. Kapodistrias
Corfu
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Heraklion International Airport - Nikos Kazantzakis
CodeHER
LocationHeraklion International Airport is located 5km (3 miles) east of the city of Heraklion.
Telephone+30 2810 397 129
AddressN Alikarnassos, 71601Ikarou Street
Heraklion
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Kos Island International Airport
CodeKGS
LocationKos Island International Airport is located 26km (16 miles) to the west of the town of Kos.
Telephone+30 22420 56000.
AddressAntimachia
Kos Island
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Mykonos Airport
CodeJMK
LocationMykonos Airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of the town of Mykonos.
Telephone+30 22890 22327
AddressMykonos Airport
Mykonos
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Flight times
To Athens: from London - 3 hours 40 minutes; New York - 10 hours.
Departure tax
Included in the air fare.
Travelling to Greece by Rail
The national railway company is Hellenic Railways Organisation Ltd (OSE) (tel: 14511, in Greece only; www.trainose.gr).
A good way to travel from the UK is to take the Eurostar through the Channel Tunnel, from London to either Brussels or Paris, both of which have onward connections to Greece (via Italy, then an overnight ferry). The journey takes an average of around 48 hours. The Man in Seat 61 provides all the options (www.seat61.com/Greece.htm).
Rail passes
InterRail: offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 29 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass allows travel for 15 days, 22 days, one month, five days in 10 days or 10 days in 22 days across all countries. The One-Country Pass offers travel for three, four, six or eight days in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia & Herzegovina and Montenegro.
Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Reductions are available for travellers under 26. Children under 12 are free when travelling with an adult using an Adult Pass. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Voyages-sncf.com (tel: +44 844 848 5848, in the UK; www.voyages-sncf.com).
Eurailpass: offers unlimited train travel in up to 28 European countries. Tickets are valid for 15 days, 21 days, one month, two months, three months, five days in 10 days, 10 days in two months or 15 days in two months. The Global Pass allows travel across all participating countries. The Select Pass is valid in four bordering countries. The Regional Pass lets you travel in two bordering countries. The One Country Pass offers travel in one of 27 countries.
Adult passes are valid for first-class travel, while youth passes (under 26) are valid for second-class travel. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by an adult using an Adult Pass. The passes cannot be sold to EU citizens or residents. Available from Eurail (www.eurail.com).
Driving to Greece
It is possible to ferry cars and caravans across to one of the major ports of entry. Points of overland entry are from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia via Evzoni (550km from Athens), and Niki (630km from Athens); from Bulgaria via Promahonas (610km from Athens); from Turkey via Kastanies (920km from Athens) or Kipoi (840km from Athens).
Getting to Greece by boat
Greece’s main port for international ferry arrivals is Patras (www.patrasport.gr), with daily overnight services from Venice, Ancona, Brindisi and Bari in Italy. The main port for internal passenger arrivals is Athens’ port, Piraeus (www.olp.gr), with dozens of daily ferry and catamaran departures for the Greek islands.
Cruise ships
Greek ports (notably Piraeus, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Heraklion) are used by a number of cruise lines. Athens’ port Piraeus is a home port (meaning that cruises begin and end here) for ships sailing the east Mediterranean, while the others are ports of call (where ships stop for a day or less).
Ferry operators
International car ferry lines link Patras and Igoumentisa with Ancona, Bari, Brindisi and Venice in Italy year-round, and there are also summer services from Corfu to these ports. There is also a service between Rhodes and Marmaris in Turkey.
Major ferry operators covering the international routes are Superfast Ferries (tel: +30 210 891 9700; www.superfast.com), Minoan (tel: +30 2810 229 602; www.minoan.gr) and ANEK Lines (tel: +30 210 419 7900; www.anek.gr).
