Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
to supplement buses is to rent a scooter,
motorbike or car, especially on the
islands where - in any substantial town
or resort - you will find at least one rental
outlet. Inter-island travel means taking
ferries, catamarans or hydrofoils, which
will eventually get you to any of the sixty-
plus inhabited isles. Internal flights are
relatively expensive, but can save literally
days of travel: Athens-Rhodes is just two
hours return, versus 28 hours by boat.
Ramblers Holidays
UK
T
01707/331133,
W
ramblersholidays
.co.uk. Walking trips including spring hiking in Crete, Dodecanese
island-hopping and combined island and mainland treks.
Sherpa Expeditions
UK
T
020/8577 2717,
W
www
.sherpa-walking-holidays.co.uk. Self-guided and escorted 8-day
outings on Crete or Zagóri; more challenging escorted tours of the peaks
around Mt Olympus.
Walking Plus
UK
T
020/8835 8303,
W
walkingplus.co.uk.
Enthusiastic Gilly and Robin Cameron Cooper offer guided and
self-guided off-season walks in the Cyclades and around Athens.
WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS
Naturetrek
UK
T
01962/733051,
W
naturetrek.co.uk. Fairly pricey
but expertly led one- or two-week natural history tours; offerings include
butterflies of the southern mainland, springtime birds and flora on
Sámos, and wildlife of Crete.
The Travelling Naturalist
UK
T
01305/267994,
W
www
.naturalist.co.uk. Wildlife holiday company that runs excellent
birdwatching and wild-flower-spotting trips to Crete, Lesvós and the
mainland.
By bus
Bus services on
major routes
are e
cient and
frequent, departing promptly at scheduled departure
times. On
secondary roads
they're less regular, with
long gaps, but even the remotest villages will be
connected a couple of days weekly to the provincial
capital. On islands there are usually buses to connect
the port and main town (if different) for ferry arrivals
or departures. The national network is run by a
syndicate of private operators based in each county,
known as the
KTEL
(
Kratikó Tamío Ellinikón Leoforíon
;
T
14505 premium call charge and no national online
timetable). In medium-sized or large towns there may
be several scattered terminals for services in different
directions, so make sure you have the right station for
your departure.
From major departure points
ticketing
is compu-
terized, with assigned seating, and on intercity lines
such as Athens-Pátra such buses often get fully
booked at the
ekdhotíria
(ticket-issuing o
ce). On
secondary rural/island routes, it's first-come, first-
served, with some standing allowed, and tickets
dispensed on the spot by a conductor (
ispráktoras
).
Prices are fixed according to distance and there are
no cheap advance booking fares; Athens-Pátra
costs €27.
SAILING AND WATERSPORTS
Northwest Passage
US
T
1-800/RECREATE,
W
nwpassage.com.
Excellent sea-kayaking tours in Crete and the islands, including
island-hopping by kayak; also yoga, hiking and art in Crete.
Nautilus Yachting
UK
T
01732/867445,
W
nautilus-yachting
.co.uk. Bareboat yacht charter, flotillas and sailing courses from a wide
variety of marinas.
Neilson
UK
T
0844/879 8155,
W
neilson.co.uk. Half a dozen
excellent beach activity clubs, plus flotillas and bareboat charter.
Seafarer Cruising & Sailing
UK
T
020/8324 3118,
W
seafarercruises.com. Ionian and Argo-Saronic flotillas, beach club,
bareboat charter, courses and small-boat island cruises.
Sportif
UK
T
01273/844919,
W
sportif.travel. Windsurfing
packages and instruction on Crete, Kos, Rhodes, Sámos, Lésvos and
Kárpathos.
Sunsail
UK
T
0870/112 8612,
W
sunsail.com. Mainland beach
club, plus flotillas and bareboat mainly in the Ionians and Sporades.
Swim Trek
US
T
1-877/455-SWIM, UK
T
01273/739 713,
W
swimtrek.com. Week-long tours of Náxos and the small islands
around it, swimming between the islands.
Valef Yachts
US
T
1-800/223-3845,
W
valefyachts.com.
Small-boat cruises around the islands and luxury crewed yacht or
motor-boat charter.
By train
The Greek mainland's railway network is run by
OSE
(
Organismós Sidherodhrómon Elládhos
;
T
1110,
W
ose.gr); with a few exceptions, trains are slower
than equivalent buses. However, they can be much
cheaper - fifty percent less on non-express services
(but much the same on express), even more if you
buy a return ticket - and some lines are intrinsically
enjoyable, none more than the rack-and-pinion
service between Dhiakoftó and Kalávryta in the
Peloponnese (see p.196).
Timetables
are available annually as small, Greek-
only booklets, but with continual austerity measure
Getting around
The standard overland public transport
in Greece is the bus. Train networks are
limited, even more so with recent
cutbacks. Buses cover most primary
routes on the mainland and provide basic
connections on the islands. The best way