Greece - Korina Miller [610]
The trade off is, of course, that sea travel can be quite expensive these days. A bed for the night in a cabin from Piraeus to Rhodes can be more expensive than a discounted airline ticket. Nevertheless, deck class is still very reasonable, cabins are like hotel rooms and the experience of staying overnight on a boat is one you shouldn’t pass up too quickly. The key is to choose carefully – you can still find the chug-a-lug voyages with all-night noise and insalubrious bathrooms, or you can opt for vessels more akin to the Love Boat. Try mixing your experiences – zipping over the water in a catamaran, slowly ploughing the sea aboard a slow ferry, and soaring from one island airport to the next in a tiny plane.
In the summer, lots of boats and planes connect the islands to one another and the mainland. However, travelling at peak times and between smaller islands and island groups can take some careful planning. Many local travel agents have a good handle on the transport available and can help you build an itinerary and book all necessary tickets. Out of season, planning ahead is even more essential as the number of boats and planes diminishes considerably.
Ferry and airline timetables change from year to year and season to season, and planes and boats can be subject to delays and cancellations at short notice due to bad weather and strikes. No timetable is infallible, but the comprehensive weekly list of departures from Piraeus put out by the EOT (known abroad as the GNTO, the Greek National Tourist Organisation) in Athens is as accurate as possible. The people to go to for the most up-to-date ferry information are the local limenarhio (port police), whose offices are usually on or near the quayside.
You’ll find lots of information about ferry services on the internet and many of the larger ferry companies also have their own sites (see opposite).
A couple of very useful websites:
Danae Travel (www.danae.gr) This is a good site for booking boat tickets.
Greek Travel Pages (www.gtp.gr) Has a useful search program and links for flights and ferries.
This chapter deals with domestic flight and boat connections. For international services, Click here or the individual sections of each destination chapter.
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PRACTICALITIES
THE GREEK FLEETS
With a network covering every inhabited island, the Greek ferry network is vast and varied. The slow, rust-buckets that used to ply the seas are nearly a thing of the past. You’ll still find slow ferries, but high-speed ferries are more popular and cover most of the long-haul routes. Local ferries, excursion boats and tiny, private fishing boats called caïques often connect neighbouring islands and islets. You’ll also find water taxis that will take you to isolated beaches and coves. At the other end of the spectrum, hydrofoils and catamarans can cut down travel time drastically. Hydrofoils have seen their heyday but continue to link some of the more remote islands and island groups. Catamarans have taken to the sea in a big way, offer more comfort and cope better with poor weather conditions.
While the largest and most popular islands tend to have airports, many of the smaller ones don’t. Flights tend to be short and aeroplanes are small, often making for a bumpy ride. In addition to the national airlines, there are a number of smaller outfits running seaplanes or complementing the most popular routes.
For information on cruise ships, Cruising.
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OPERATORS
Who’s Who in the Air?
The biggest player in the sky is Olympic Air, followed closely by Aegean Airlines which often