Has anyone had any experience with the trains and buses in Greece? I'm trying not to rent a car, but am afraid there are many places I won't be able to reach easily by public transportation. The KTEL website is down for the foreseeable future, so I think I'll have to wait until I get to Athens befor being able to plan my excursions. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Eastern Iowa, USA
7899 posts
Yeah, the KTEL site has been a problem, but if it is any consolation, even when it was up, it was of limited use. Trains in Greece are getting better, but the only efficient lines are between Patras and Athens, then Athens and Thessoliniki, with a line off of that to Kalambaka (Meteora). Buses are the common mode of travel, the good news is the popular sites have very good service, usually several buses a day, some almost hourly. For planning, my general advice would be that expect any move to take up prime time during the day (much like Greek ferries) so to really do it right, plan two nights or more in each stop (travelling every other day as opposed to every day) If you pick up a copy of Lonely Planet Greece, they do give a pretty good summary of common connections between towns with travel times. As for costs, buses are very cheap.