Country Information

Olympic Air (OA) (www.olympicair.com) and Aegean Airlines (A3) (www.aegeanair.com) run direct flights from London Heathrow. The cost of flights to Greece peaks in July and August when most Europeans take their holidays. Throughout the rest of the year prices vary according to demand.

Olympic Air have a Travelair Club which offers frequent fliers the chance to earn air miles, while Aegean Airlines run a similar Miles&Bonus scheme. Aegean Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance, which is made up of 27 international airlines.

Euro12.

As of spring 2010, when Greece's economic crisis became serious, flights have often been disrupted by strikes âEuro“ especially on Tue, Wed and Thurs. Greek workers are less likely to take industrial action Fri-Mon.

Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH). (www.aia.gr) Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport is located 33km (20 miles) southeast of central Athens. Tel: <p>210 353 0000.</p>.

Rhodes Diagoras International Airport (RHO). (www.hcaa.gr) Rhodes Diagoras International Airport is located near the north coast of Rhodes, about 12km (7.5 miles) to the southwest of Rhodes city, near the town of Paradisi. Tel: <p>2241 088 700.</p>.

Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport (CFU). (www.hcaa.gr) Corfu Ioannis Kapodistrias International Airport is located around 3km (1.8 miles) to the south of Corfu town in the east of the island. Tel: <p>2661 089 600.</p>.

Heraklion International Airport - Nikos Kazantzakis (HER). (www.hcaa.gr) Heraklion International Airport is located 5km (3 miles) east of the city of Heraklion. Tel: <p>2810 397 129.</p>.

Kos Island International Airport (KGS). (www.hcaa.gr) Kos Island International Airport is located 26km (16 miles) to the west of the town of Kos. Tel: <p>22420 56000.</p>.

Mykonos Airport (JMK). (www.hcaa.gr) Mykonos Airport is located 4km (2.5 miles) southeast of the town of Mykonos. Tel: <p>22890 79000.</p>.

Greece’s main port for international ferry arrivals is Patras (www.patrasport.gr) with daily overnight services from Venice, Ancona, Brindisi and Bari in Italy. The main port for internal passenger arrivals is Athens’ port, Piraeus (www.olp.gr) with dozens of daily ferry and catamaran departures for the Greek islands.

International car ferry lines link Patras and Igoumentisa with Ancona, Bari, Brindisi and Venice in Italy year round, and there are also summer services from Corfu to these ports. There is also a service between Rhodes and Marmaris in Turkey. Major ferry operators covering the international routes are Superfast (tel: 210 891 9000; www.superfast.com), Minoan (tel: +30 210 414 5700;www.minoan.gr) and ANEK (tel: 210 419 7900;www.anek.gr). Note that Superfast and ANEK also operate as an alliance (www.anek-superfast.gr).

Greek ports (notably Piraeus, Corfu, Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and Heraklion) are used by a number of cruise lines. Athens’ port Piraeus is a home port (meaning that cruises begin and end here) for ships sailing the East Mediterranean, while the others are ports of call (where ships stop for a day or less).

The national railway company is Hellenic Railways Organisation Ltd (OSE) (www.trainose.gr; tel: 1110). A good way to travel from the UK is to take the Eurostar through the channel tunnel, from London to either Brussels or Paris, both of which have onward connections to Greece (via Italy, then an overnight ferry). Journey time takes an average of around 48 hours. For further information and reservations, contact Eurostar (tel: 08432 186 186 within the UK, www.eurostar.com) or Rail Europe (tel: 08448 484 064, within the UK; www.raileurope.co.uk).

InterRail: Offers unlimited first- or second-class travel in up to 30 European countries for European residents of over six months with two pass options. The Global Pass is available in durations of one month, 22 or 15 days for those looking to travel continuously; otherwise there are passes that allow for 5 days of travel to be used over a ten-day period or a ten-day pass to be used over a period of 22 days. Each pass is valid across all countries. Available from InterRail (www.interrailnet.com). The One-Country Pass: Offers travel for three, four, six or eight days to be taken in one month in any of the countries except Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro (Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are classified together as the Benelux countries). Travel is not allowed in the passenger's country of residence. Travellers under 26 years receive a reduction. Children's tickets are reduced by about 50%. Supplements are required for some high-speed services, seat reservations and couchettes. Discounts are offered on Eurostar and some ferry routes. Available from Rail Europe (tel: 08448 484 064; www.raileurope.co.uk/inter-rail). Eurailpass: The global Eurail pass offers unlimited train travel in 22 European countries. Select, regional (Greece is grouped with Italy) and one-country Eurail passes are also available. Tickets are valid for two months or three months and permit between three and ten days’ travel in those periods. The passes cannot be sold to residents of Europe. Available from The Eurail Group (www.eurail.com).

Due to Greece’s ailing economy, as of early 2011, the Hellenic Railways Organisation (OSE) suspended the circulation of all international trains “until further notice”. This means there are no longer direct trains from Greece to Sofia in Bulgaria, Skopje in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Belgrade in Serbia, or Istanbul in Turkey.

It is possible to ferry cars and caravans across to one of the major ports of entry. Points of overland entry are from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia via Evzoni (550km from Athens), and Niki (630km from Athens); from Bulgaria via Promahonas (610km from Athens); from Turkey via Kastanies (920km from Athens) or Kipoi (840km from Athens). For car ferry information, see Getting There.