Page 482 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Europe

480  IT AL Y AND GREECE

Travel Information Rail Travel
Greece’s rail network is
During the tourist season (late June–early September), operated by the state­owned
there are countless international flights bringing millions OSE (Organismós Sidirodrómon
of vacationers to the shores of Greece, especially from Elládos). Limited to the mainland,
the colder parts of northern Europe and North America. it is fairly skeletal by European
standards, even more so
Traveling within Greece is easy enough. While many of following the elimination of
the larger islands can be reached from the mainland by many services. Remaining
plane, there are ferry routes to even the remotest routes include Athens–
destinations. Greece’s extensive bus network serves Thessaloníki and Athens–
virtually everywhere, from the largest city to the tiniest Kalampáka (Metéora). First­ and
community. Renting a car or motorcycle is another second­class tickets are less
expensive than the equivalent
popular way of exploring the country. bus journey, but services tend
to be slower. Though more
costly, tickets for intercity
Flying to Greece
and mostly operate between express trains are worth it for
There are around 20 interna­ May and October. Tickets the time they save. OSE is
tional airports in Greece that can are sold by travel agencies scheduled for privatization
be reached directly from Europe. either as part of an all­inclusive under the terms of Greece’s
Crete, Rhodes, Kos, Santoríni, package tour or as a flight­ financial program, and its
Mýkonos, and Corfu among the only deal. continued existence is in doubt.
islands, and Athens and
Thessaloníki on the main land,
handle both charter and Domestic Flights Traveling by Bus
scheduled flights. The other Internal flights in Greece, International buses connect
international airports can only be including to or between the Greece with eastern Europe;
reached directly by charter flights. islands, are run by Aegean there are no longer any services
Direct scheduled flights Airlines, its subsidiary Olympic to northwestern Europe.
from London to Athens and Air, Crete­based Sky Express, Within Greece, the long­
Thessaloníki are operated Thessaloníki­based Astra distance bus network is
by Aegean Airlines, British Airlines, and Ryanair. Fares extensive, with buses stopping
Airways, Ryanair, and easyJet. for domestic flights, if booked at least once a day at even the
From outside Europe, all long enough in advance, can remotest destinations, and
scheduled flights to Greece cost hardly more than a ferry frequent express services on
arrive in Athens, and only a few trip to the island in question, all the major routes.
airlines offer direct flights. US or a bus journey through From Athens there are regular
Airways and Delta Air Lines the mainland. departures to all the larger
operate direct flights daily mainland towns, apart from
from the US. those in Macedonia and Thrace,
Flights from Australia are Getting Around Athens which are served by buses from
indirect, generally with one of Athens has a network of buses, Thessaloníki. Athens’ Terminal A
the gulf­state airlines, or via trolley buses, and trams, in serves Epirus, Macedonia, the
Bangkok or Singapore. addition to a metro system. Peloponnese, and the Ionian
Athens’ international airport, Buses are inexpensive, but can islands of Corfu, Kefalloniá,
Eléfthérios Venizélos, is located be very slow, as well as Lefkáda, and Zákynthos.
27 km (17 miles) northeast of the crowded. Tickets for buses and Terminal B serves most
center. There are four 24­hour trams must be purchased in destinations in central Greece,
bus services from the city advance; few períptera (street including Delphi.
to the airport: the X93 from kiosks) stock them any longer,
Kifisos intercity bus station so they are most reliably Traveling by Car
(65 mins); the X95 from Plateía obtained in metro stations.
Syntágmatos (80 mins); the X96 Tickets are valid for all means On the mainland there are
from Piraeus (90 mins); and the of urban transport (buses, express highways between
X97 from Elliniko metro station metro, and tram) and are valid Athens, Thessaloníki, Vólos,
(45 mins). Metro line 3 runs from for 70 minutes from and Pátra. These roads are
Syntagma to the airport. cancellation, allowing at least very fast, but expensive tolls are
one transfer. charged for their use. There has
Since most of the major been much upgrading of the
Charters and sights in the city center are roads on the islands, but they
Package Deals
within walking distance of one are still often poorly surfaced,
Charter flights to Greece are another, you can avoid using particularly in more
nearly all from within Europe, public transportation. remote areas.

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