Piraeus to Athens
Before we get to my photos of Symi from the weekend, let’s just finish off in Athens. A few people have said they would like to make this trip from Symi to Piraeus by ferry but aren’t sure what to do at the other end. It’s actually pretty simple. You get off the ferry…
…and a courtesy bus or two is supplied to take passengers around to the main gates of the port. This is because they Blue Star ferries for Symi leave and arrive at gate E1 which is one of furthest from the main entrance. [Map] You simply pile on with your luggage and sit or stand wherever you can. The bus takes about five minutes (it’s a 40-minute walk otherwise) and drops you at the gate. Cross the road ahead (carefully!) and turn left between the shop fronts and the kiosk and you’ll come to a small square where you find the train station. This is the Green Line, and the routes are displayed as they are in any other metro – easy to follow.
You have real people selling tickets, or you can use the machines which come in various languages. I was only going six stops to Thissio, so I bought a 45-minute ticket which lets you travel for 45 minutes from the time you put the ticket on the scanner at the entrance. There are other kinds of tickets you can get depending on where you’re going.
That done, you’re now in the city, and it couldn’t be easier. However, there is another, easier way to do things. We have recently started using a taxi company called Welcome Pickups. You can find them online. You get a quote for a collection and, if you like it, make the arrangements. We used this for when Neil arrived in Athens at 1.10 in the morning the other weekend. You send a photo of yourself, so your driver knows who to look for, and nearer your pickup time they assign you a driver and give you their name and phone number, plus their image, so you know who is meeting you. This makes it safer for everyone concerned and your fare is paid in advance, so there’s none of that being ripped off business. We used them for a trip back from our hotel to the boat to save the long walk from the gates as that courtesy bus only runs from the ferry and not to it.
Also, there is a bus to the airport which leaves from the Blue Star ferry dock every 30 minutes during the day (check times for winter schedule in case it’s not as often). This goes from just behind the Blue Star ticket office, and you can see the bus from the ferry as you dock. It takes about an hour and a half on this bus, depending on the time of day and traffic, and it terminates at the airport, so you can’t get lost. You can also take it back the other way, and it costs €5.00 last time we used it.
So, let that be the end of the Athens trip for now. It’s Sunday as I write and we have the International Street Party to look forward to this morning, raising funds for the football teams, followed by lunch at Yiannis’ house and a visit to the godboys. I’m off for a morning walk soon so there should be some new images for you from tomorrow.
