GREEK ISLAND TRAVEL FERRY BOAT SCHEDULE REALITIES WORTH CONSIDERING

Many travelers have missed flights home thru no fault of their own. What is your carriers policy? A night or two in Athens prior to departure is prudent.

Athens has a new airport which is further away than the old one. At least 2 hours from Piraeus. Click here for bus/metro schedules. The Metro does not go all the way to the Airport at this time so you'll need to take a bus or taxi as well!

GREEK HARBOR/PORT AUTHORITIES:

Always call the Harbor Police of the ports concerned a day or two prior to embarkation.

Dial 1440 in Athens for recorded departure times in Greek only!

In a few larger Greek Limania (ports) The Limanarhio (Lee-Man-Ar-Hee-O) or Harbor Police SHOULD have Telephone Services in English and other languages but they don't!

Tourist Police are required to know some English and other languages. Click here for a list of their branches and more helpful info.

Wise travelers will enquire of, upon island arrival, the responsible Port Authorities and how to reach them by land line/cell-phone. Look for white uniformed officials summers and black uniforms in winter.

Under windy conditions (MELTEMIA) there will be delays and departures will be forbidden (APAGHOREFTIKA).

The Greek Islands are windy as a rule! Greece is the official wind-surfers capital of the world and a yachts persons paradise for this reason, among others.

SEA SICKENESS: Buy Dramamine, an inexpensive sea sickness remedy available at Greek Pharmacies and even harbor kiosks. It deadens stomach muscles and is highly recommended if you are prone to sea-sickness. Take it before you feel bad... not after! Before boarding even.

Superfast Ferry: suitable for vehicles as well as passengers and with cabins; ideal for longer voyages but pricey. These Greek ferries' schedules can cut your travel time in half!

Flying Dolphin Hydrofoil: for passengers and their baggage only (originally designed as a Russian made Volga riverboat) suitable for calm seas and shorter journeys between adjacent Greek islands and also costlier. These Greek ferries speed past holding about 25 passengers each and can cut your travel time in half although they are prone to wind cancellations. Exterior deck space minimal.

Delfinia depart primarily from Marina Zeas in Piraeus ('pie-Ray-oose'), Athens main port; for the Saronic Gulf Islands of Aegina, Hydra, Poros and Spetses as well as nearby points on the Peloponnese.

Flying Dolphins also depart from Rafina daily for the Cyclades islands of Mcyonos, Tinos, Ios, Naxos and possibly Amorgos. Cost Rafina - Mykonos about 30 Euro. Other larger types of ferries leave from Rafina too.

PELOPONNESE - SARONIC GULF COASTS:

TRAINS... PLANES.... CARS.... BUSES &

FLYING DOLPHINS

In a Rush, want to see a lot in a few days, but move at your own unstructured pace?

If time is short and a combination of culture and sun-fun are in order then consider famous sites on the Peloponnese near Athens such as Ancient Corinth, Epidavrous, Mycenae or even medieval Naufplion and modern sea-side Tolo....

You may quickly and easily ferry to a Saronic island and take a land based form of transportation to return to Athens via the nearer Peloponnese by car-bus-train in under 4 hours or so.

From Spetses Flying Dolphins enable you to coast hop the eastern most finger of the lower Peloponnese: one of the three tips of the Balkan Peninsula. Sunning on pristine Elafonissos islands' naturalist beaches is a commensurate reward. As is the fabulous local Greek country-side cuisine you'll enjoy away from the large tourist enclaves.

Visit lovely Medieval Byzantine Monemvassia, and then Neapolis. Where you'll have to decide:   Onward to Crete via Ionian Kythira and all the other islands of the Aegean via various connections from Crete's 4 major ports?     OR remain Peloponessus bound  via Gythion near the brooding austerity of The Mani and its Diros caverns? Finikounda's small intimate beach awaits you on the westernmost appendage of the Peloponnese and in between lays Kalamata and its airport back to Athens or to other island airports.

Flying Dolphin Catamarans: are stable, fast and more expensive than regular ferries.These Greek ferries schedules' can cut your travel time in half! Once again exterior deck space is limited.

Larger Flying Cats depart from Piraeus' main harbor and Rafina and service the Cyclades routes of: Naxos, Paros, Ios, Santorini and a route all its own: Heraklion, Crete.

And also service the islands of the Saronic Gulf: Aegina, Hydra, Poros, Spetses, usually departing Piraeus Marina Zea.

TIP: Flying Catamarans are stable; therefore less likely to be kept in port and fast if you are cutting it close.

Typical Greek Island Ferry Boat: the mainstay of the system, offering cabins, vehicle transport and three levels of ticketing, deck class or third class being the least expensive and including interior areas.

Slow and faster vessels exist in this category too! The 'Express' is preferred if available and even those have slower and faster vessels for well traveled routes. These Greek ferries schedules' cannot cut your travel time in half!

All ferry boats ETD & ETA 's are erratic to some extent regardless of type. Several Ferry companies may ply the same routes and have various boats of differing age and speed in service.

Old style ferries are however the freest to move about in and the most fun, allowing you to rub shoulders with your fellow passengers in a more congenial environment as well as sun-bathe and stretch out. By far the least expensive, easiest to get tickets for and most prolific.

Here (left) is the F/B Marina preparing to load. Passengers board aft through huge hydraulic doors and ascend gangways to upper decks. Keep your ticket on your person for Ticket Control Procedures.

After backing in, passenger cars, motor-bikes and consumable laden trucks transit below.