Greece - Korina Miller [278]
Post office ( 26650 22209; Tzavelenas 2) Eight hundred metres north of town.
Tourist Police ( 26650 22222; Agion Apostolon 5) Both the tourist and regular police are together on the main road near the port.
Sleeping & Eating
Igoumenitsa’s identity as a merely functional town has rubbed off on its limited accommodation and eating options, but you probably won’t stay long enough to let it depress you.
Rooms to Let ( 26650 23612; Xanthou 12; s/d €30/40) Proximity to the ferry is the selling point for these plain, drab rooms.
Hotel Aktaion ( /fax 26650 22707; Agion Apostolon 17; s/d €40/50) and Jolly Hotel ( 26650 23971; jollyigm@otenet.gr; Ethnikis Andistasis 44; s/d incl breakfast €55/65; ) are both waterfront C-class hotels with uninspiring yet quiet rooms; the latter offers better services.
The humble Alekos ( 26650 23708; Ethnikis Andistasis 84; mains €4.50-7) taverna serves mayirefta and grilled meat.
Getting There & Away
BOAT
Igoumenitsa is a major ferry hub for Piraeus, Corfu and Italy (and vital for those wishing to take a vehicle between the two countries).
Ferries for Italy and Corfu leave from three adjacent but separate quays on the Ethnikis Andistasis waterfront. Ferries for Ancona and Venice (in Italy) depart from the new, southern port; those for Brindisi and Bari (in Italy) use the old port by the shipping offices; and ferries for Corfu (Kerkyra) and Paxi go from just north of the new port.
Domestic
For details on ferries and hydrofoils from Igoumenitsa to the rest of Greece, Island Hopping. An English-speaking operator ( 26650 99460) can be reached for questions about Igoumenitsa–Corfu ferries. Book tickets at portside agencies or through the ferry companies’ offices/websites.
Agoudimos Lines ( 26650 21175; www.agoudimos-lines.com; Agion Apostolon 147)
ANEK Lines ( 26650 22104; www.anek.gr; Revis Travel Tourism & Shipping, Ethnikis Andistasis 34)
Endeavor Lines ( 26650 26833, 26650 26833; www.endeavor-lines.com/en/schedules; Eleni Pantazi General Tourism Agency, Ioniou Pelagous)
Minoan Lines ( 26650 22952; www.minoan.gr; Ethnikis Andistasis 58a)
Superfast Ferries ( 26650 29200; www.superfast.com; Pitoulis & Co Ltd, Agion Apostolon 147)
Ventouris Ferries ( 26650 23565; www.ventouris.gr; Milano Travel, Agion Apostolon 11b)
International
For Italian services, you can usually just show up in Igoumenitsa and buy an onward deck-class passenger ticket, though you’ll want to book ahead for car tickets or sleeping cabins. Be at the port two hours before departure, and check in at the shipping agent’s office for your boarding pass. On-board ‘camping’ is allowable on certain services for those with campervans. Vehicle prices for Bari and Brindisi start from €50, while the longer trip to Ancona/Venice is around €140.
For details of services to Italy from Igoumenitsa, boxed text.
BUS
The bus station ( 26650 22309; Kyprou 29), two blocks behind the waterfront, serves Ioannina (€8.20, two hours, nine daily), Parga (€5.20, one hour, four daily), Athens (€32.60, eight hours, five daily), Preveza (€8.50, 2½ hours, two daily) and Thessaloniki (€30.20, eight hours, one daily). These buses are less frequent out of summer.
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Saronic Gulf Islands
Νησι του Σαρωικο
* * *
AEGINA ΑΙΓΙΝΑ
AEGINA TOWN
AROUND AEGINA
ANGISTRI ΑΓΚΙΣΤΡΙ
POROS ΠΟΡΟΣ
POROS TOWN
AROUND POROS
PELOPONNESIAN MAINLAND
HYDRA ΥΔΡΑ
HYDRA TOWN
AROUND HYDRA
SPETSES ΣΠΕΤΣΕΣ
SPETSES TOWN
AROUND SPETSES
* * *
The Saronic Gulf Islands offer a fast track to the Greek island dream.
They may lack the romantic image of the hazy Cyclades or the far-flung Dodecanese, yet the main islands of the group have enough allure to satisfy anyone’s expectations and they all have facilities aplenty. There is a reassuring sense of accessibility about the Saronics and collectively the islands seem to merge the best of Greece’s mainland attractions with all that is the best of island life. Yet the islands are also remarkably distinctive. You can ring the changes as you island-hop between