Travelling to Greece

Being part of Europe, a number of people feel confident arranging their own independent travel to Greece.  Travelling independently to Greece usually consists of booking flights and accommodation direct rather than going through a tour company.   Do bear in mind if you are travelling independently for the first time, you will need to plan your itinerary carefully and do your research to make the whole process as easy as possible.  Remember that where you book with a package company transfers to your accommodation are usually included but when you book self catering accommodation direct you will usually need to plan and arrange your own transport to your accommodation. 

The Greek Airports

Greece is made up of the Greek mainland and also a number of larger and smaller islands, flights to Greece therefore can be either to Athens airport or direct to the islands or indeed to other locations on the mainland.  There are around 15 international airports in Greece. 

The international airports on mainland Greece include:

• Athens
• Thessaloniki
• Patras 

Do bear in mind that the major airlines may only fly in to set airports so do your research always before booking your flight. 

In terms of Greek islands the following have international airports:

• Mykonos

• Santorini

• Crete

• Kos

• Rhodes

• Samos

• Skiathos

• Corfu

• Kefalonia

• Lemnos

• Chios

It is mainly the larger islands that have international airports 

Tour packages tend to fly people direct to their destination on an island or to the nearest airport and bus them from there.  For the Greeks themselves many like to take one of the large ferries that operate from Athens and take the ferry across as often it is possible to travel with your vehicle and use your car on the island.  Greece also has an extensive ferry network that transports cars and people between the mainland and islands.

Do remember that when it comes to transfers from the airports now that Greece has the Euro, taxi travel is not necessarily that cheap.  You may prefer to take a bus where available.  Do your research and find out what public transport is available and how often it runs before booking your trip.

Car Hire and Travelling Around in Greece

Some people like to hire a car in Greece, this can certainly make things easier if you pick up a hire car at the airport and can mean that you avoid hanging around waiting for public transport.  Hiring a car may make sense for you if you are visiting one of the islands.  When it comes to visiting the capital city of Athens do bear in mind that buses operate from the airport to the centre of Athens and such a bus journery may be much more hassle free than hiring a car and braving the Athens traffic.  Driving in Greece can be a white knuckle experience.  Peeping. shouting and gesturing are all par for the course when it comes to driving in Greece.  It is important to have your wits about you when driving in Greece.  If you get stressed easily driving then driving in Greece is probably not a good idea for you.  Having said that, driving on the islands should be easier and more stress free than driving in or near Athens.  Do remember with car hire to check out what the company's excess policy is before booking and you may want to consider taking out excess insurance to heelp cover the excess if you were unlucky enough to have an accident.  For more information on the Greeks and Greek culture do take a look at our helpful essential information section.

Travelling Around Greece

The mode of transport you choose for getting around in Greece will very much depend on where you are going and what you plan to do.  If you are planning on renting a villa and relaxing around the pool the only consideration for you may be getting to and from your accommodation in which case a taxi journey (distance dependent) may be the best option for you.  Whereas if you are visiting one of the larger islands but want to go see lots of historical sights you may want to hire a car and explore independently or alternatively book on one of the many sight seeing bus tours.  Similarly if you are taking a city break in Athens but want to see sights outside of the city you may want to take one of the fascinating bus tours on offer.