Just trying to make a route for my upcoming trip to Greece this summer. I was wondering if I should worry about there being transportation(bus or train) available between the towns I plan to visit on the peninsula. I'll be taking a ferry to Hermoni and then I plan to go to Nafplion, then to Olympia, then to Petra. What's the best way to get to and from these towns?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7916 posts
With the exception of Athens to Patras, trains are pretty much useless on the Peloponnese. Buses are cheap and easy. The only bad thing is that trying to get schedule info ahead of time is pretty much impossible. In each town is a bus depot with a ticket counter that can help you out. As I recall for example, in Nafplio they specifically sell tickets between there and the top tourists spots, which is good, because otherwise you would have to try to piece together legs, including changes. Just indicate where you want to go..and they will print out an itinerary. I will add though that buses do seem slow and figure that each of those legs will take a good chunk of a day. From Nafplio to Olympia for instance means leaving relatively early morning and getting there maybe at 2:00 or 3:00 in the afternoon. The trip though is very scenic, especially as you go through the gorge area, which rivals the Amalfi Coast in Italy for top scary bus ride in Europe.
Posted by
Tulsa, Oklahoma, US
290 posts
Paul is absolutely right about the trains; unfortunately, the bus isn't much better. As an avid rider of trains I hate to say it, but the only effective way to travel the Peloponnese is to rent a car in Athens; then you can go where you want when you want. Happy travels. Ash