We are planning a trip in Greece and have not been there before. We are planning to take a ferry from somewhere in Greece to Bari Italy. We are going to be in Athens before leaving for Italy so thought we would take the ferry from Patras to Bari. Is there a ferry company that is the best one to take? Also, is the best to rent a car to get to Patras from Athens?
Thanks
That's going to be a slog. Is Bari the only place you're going in Italy? Must it be your first stop? There are flights from Athens to Italy, but nothing non-stop to Bari. If you have some flexibility, I'd try to reconfigure the itinerary so you can take a simple flight between the two countries. It will be much, much faster and probably also a lot cheaper. At this point Skyscanner is showing non-stops between Athens and both Rome and Milan. Perhaps as more people travel, there will be additional flight options.
Yes it is a long ferry ride, my husband is a big boater and would like to ferry over instead of flying. We are going other places in Italy but plan on staying in Puglia.
The easiest way to get to Patras from Athens is by bus. It's about 2 1/2 hours and the Patras bus station is about 4 km north of the new ferry dock. It's best to take a taxi from the bus station to the dock. It's possible to take a train from Athens partway, but then you have to transfer to a bus and the trip takes longer. Driving in Greece is "challenging," particularly getting out of Athens. I wouldn't bother unless you can't make the connection easily any other way. Also, the Bari ferry right now is only running one day a week. Probably it will run more often in summer, but you should plan your trip carefully. There may be daily ferries to Ancona, which is much farther north than Bari.
Thanks for the info. Good to know about rental cars and getting out of Athens. The bus sounds like a good plan. What are the buses like that are transporting people from town to town? Just checking as I haven’t taken a bus in a foreign country for several years.
The intercity bus system (Identified by initials, KTEL bus network) is very efficient, used by all levels of society, since Greece has almost no rail network. Modern A/C vehicles, comfortable reserved seats, footrests, departs promptly on schedule from 2 different KTEL terminals in Athens, very modest rates (example, €15 1-way to Nafplio 2.5 hr ride) . From a central Athens Hotel the simplest way to reach the Kifissos terminal (for the Peloponnese) is to taxi. I've found the "official" schedule sometimes hard to work with .. I use this one -- https://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/busschedulesA.htm -- hasn't been updated for ages, so the ticket prices aer not correct, but the schedule says much the same... this is for "summer season" .
Really appreciate the info! You have been very helpful!
Thanks for the info
