Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ferry scheduling, often with more convenient
departure times. Their main drawback is that they
are the first vessels to get cancelled in bad weather
and even in moderate seas are not for the seasick-
prone. Many don't operate - or are heavily reduced
in frequency - from October to June. Hydrofoils
aren't allowed to carry scooters or bicycles.
Catamarans and high-speed boats (tahýplia)
are ruthlessly air-conditioned, usually without deck
seating and with Greek TV blaring at you from
multiple screens - paying extra for
dhiakikriméni
thési
(upper class) merely gets you a better view.
Car fares are normal, though passenger
tickets
are
at least double a comparable ferry journey, ie
similar to hydrofoil rates. Similarly, many don't run
between October and April.
(Rhodes-Sámos, for example), consider this time
well bought, and indeed some subsidized periph-
eral routes cost less than a hydrofoil/catamaran
journey. The cheapest web fares on Aegean are
non-changeable and non-refundable, but with
Olympic you can
change
your flight date, space
permitting, without penalty up to 24 hours before
your original departure.
Island flights are often full in peak season; if they're
an essential part of your plans, make
reservations
at least a month in advance. Waiting lists exist and
are worth signing on to, as there are almost always
cancellations. Many Olympic flights use small prop
planes which won't fly in strong winds or
(depending on the airport) after dark; Aegean and
Sky Express use more robust jets. A 15kg baggage
weight limit
can be strictly enforced; if, however,
you've just arrived from overseas or purchased your
ticket outside Greece, you're allowed the standard
international limits (20-23kg).
Small boats
In season, small boats known as
kaïkia
and
small
ferries
sail between adjacent islands and to a few
of the more obscure satellite islets. These are
extremely useful and often very pleasant, but
seldom cheaper than mainline services. The more
consistent
kaïki
links are noted in the text, though
the only firm information is to be had on the
quayside. Swarms of
taxi boats
are a feature of
many islands; these shuttle clients on set routes to
remote beaches or ports which can only be
reached arduously, if at all, overland. Costs on these
can be pretty stiff, usually per person but occasion-
ally per boat.
By car, motorcycle and taxi
Greece is blessed with dramatic mountain and
coastal scenery, which is undoubtedly a joy to drive
through. You should, however, bear in mind that it
has one of the highest fatal
accident rates
in Europe.
Local driving habits can be atrocious; overtaking on
bends, barging out from side roads and failing to
signal manoeuvres are common practices.
Drunk
driving
is also a major issue, especially on Sunday
afternoons, public holidays or late at night.
Road conditions
can be very poor, from bad
surfaces and inadequate signposting to unmarked
railway crossings. There is a limited but growing
number of
motorways
on which tolls (€2-3) are
levied, adding over €30, for example on the drive
from Athens to Thessaloníki.
Fuel
, whether regular
unleaded (
amólyvdhi
), super or diesel, is currently
over €1.65 per litre across the country, often €1.80-
plus in remoter areas. Be aware that many petrol
stations close after 8pm and on Sundays, meaning
quite a hunt in rural areas at those times.
Parking
in almost every mainland town, plus the
biggest island centres, is uniformly a nightmare
owing to oversubscription.
Pay-and-display
systems, plus residents-only schemes, are common,
and it's rarely clear where you obtain tickets.
By plane
Scheduled Greek
domestic flights
are operated by
national carrier Olympic Airlines (including its
subsidiary Olympic Aviation;
T
801 11 44 444,
W
www.olympicairlines.com), Aegean Airlines
(
T
801 11 20 000,
W
www.aegeanair.com) and Sky
Express (
T
281 02 23 500,
W
www.skyexpress.gr).
They cover a broad network of island and mainland
destinations, though most routes are to and from
Athens or Thessaloníki. Aegean often undercuts
Olympic fare-wise, and surpasses it service-wise,
though services are less frequent; Sky Express,
established 2007, is pricey and restricted to various
routes between Iráklio (Crete) and nearby islands.
All three airlines are geared to web and call-centre
e-ticket sales
, there being few walk-in town o
ces.
Tickets bought through travel agencies attract a
minimum €10 commission charge.
Fares
to/between the islands cost at least
double the cost of a deck-class ferry journey, but
on inter-island routes poorly served by boat
Rules of the road
As in all of continental Europe, you
drive on the
right
in Greece. Uphill drivers demand their
right
of
way
, as do the first to approach a one-lane
bridge;
flashed headlights
usually mean the
