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Air travel restrictions due to volcanic ash

You will be aware due to the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland all flights in and out of British airspace and northern Europe are grounded or severely restricted until further notice.

There is only one thing worse than a crisis and that is lack of information and if you’re one of the many clients affected by cancellation or delayed flights, you will want to know how your Staysure policy is affected;

1. Let us know if you have bought a single trip policy but haven’t yet travelled and your trip has been interrupted by volcanic ash, as we can change the travel dates on your policy.

2. If you have bought a single trip policy and are already in resort or your return travel is delayed, let us know and we will extend the travel dates on your policy.

To make these amendments call Customer Services on 0845 508 1318.

Due to the enormous amount of calls our telephone lines are extremely busy, so if you would like further information we request that you visit www.staysure.co.uk/ash to get the latest update on the situation and how it affects your cover.

Kind regards

Customer Services Manager
Staysure.co.uk Ltd – the over 50s experts

For information on how to buy in property in Greece
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Flying to Greece by Dealchecker

Greece has been a popular holiday destination for many years. The beautiful beaches and excellent holiday resorts on both the mainland and on Greece`s many islands are only part of the appeal that keeps visitors coming back year after year and attract the majority of visitors during the hot summer months.

During late spring and early autumn the temperatures are cooler and the beaches and resorts are quieter and many visitors are attracted by the beauty of the hills and wild flowers. There is always a warm welcome from local people and the traditional Greek culture and lifestyle is easy to find. The resorts vary depending on location and whether the holiday maker is looking for a lively night life, great cuisine, a deserted beach or beautiful mountain walks, Greece has it all.

Flights are available to most popular Greek holiday locations from the UK during the holiday season only and by the end of October the majority of holiday resorts have closed for the season. Flights to Athens are available throughout the year. Athens is fast becoming a popular holiday destination as well as a great location for a short break or long weekend. With its ancient sites such as the Acropolis and the famous Parthenon, Athens is steeped in history and myth, but is also a modern city where the visitor can enjoy designer shopping, boutique restaurants, exciting night life and local markets.

Greece`s national airline, Olympic, flies from Athens airport to many of the smaller islands that are not catered for by UK flight operators. In addition, visitors can reach the islands that do not have an airport by catching a ferry from the port of Piraeus in Athens or from Agios Constantinos in the north to Skiathos and Skopelos.

It is easy to fly from UK to Greek locations such as Athens, Volos, Thessaloniki and Skiathos. Easyjet flies from London Gatwick to Athens daily between mid-April and the end of October and from Manchester every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday during the same period. Easyjet also fly to Thessaloniki from London Gatwick each Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday during late April and throughout May. From June to the end of October there is an additional flight available with Easyjet to Thessaloniki on Thursday. Thessaloniki has a large port from which there are many ferries to the islands in the Aegean. The beautiful holiday island of Skiathos is a popular holiday destination during the summer months and Thomas Cook provide flights from Birmingham and Newcastle once a week and fly from Manchester and Gatwick, providing 2 flights each week on Wednesday and Friday.

The city of Volos is the third largest in Greece after Athens and Thessaloniki and is located approximately 320 km from the capital. Many Greek islands can be reached via ferry from the port in Volos including the Sporades islands of Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. Air Berlin fly to Volos from London Stansted, while Flybe and Monarch Charter fly from London Gatwick and Manchester. BMI fly to Volos from London Heathrow and Edinburgh, with SAS flying from Aberdeen.

Flights are available between mid-April and the end of October.

This Article is brought to you by dealchecker

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How do you travel from London to Thessaloniki by train?

This is a pros and cons guide for travelling by train from London U.K. to Thessaloniki Greece.

We have done it and will tell you how.

Why travel to Greece by train?
When travelling by train, you can book months before or, buy your tickets and seat reservations just before the train departs.
You can arrive at the train station just a few minutes before departure.
Unlike airplane travel, there are no luggage restrictions. You can take as much luggage as you like as long as you can carry it on and off the train.
With train travel you get to see a lot of interesting places and changing countryside along the way.
You can choose where to hop off; decide what to see and how long to stay.
The best part is that most tickets can be refunded (some only up to 85%) if you decide not to travel.
If you don’t like flying, take the train, it can be an interesting and an enjoyable adventure.

The downside is
You can book the entire train journey from the U.K to Greece but you cannot book the return journey. Only when you reach the ticket office in Thessaloniki can you book the return journey and they will only book it to Belgrade. Once in Belgrade you have to book the next stages back to the U.K. yourself. (On hearing this, we chose a route from Volos, Greece to Brindisi, Italy by bus and ferry).
You need a lot of spare time and patience as train journeys can be long and tedious.
Connections can be late or cancelled and if you miss your connections, your seat reservations become invalid.
Overnight sleepers can cost as much as a hotel room and you get woken up constantly throughout the night by the train stopping at stations, noise and passport control.
Trains in Eastern Europe we travelled on often broke down due to old rolling stock. They did not have buffet cars and sometimes sleeper cars had no lights.
Stations in Eastern Europe were old and crumbling. Information was sparse
“Keep your doors locked” the Romanian guard shouted at us on the Bucharest to Thessaloniki night train. “There are bandits in Bulgaria who jump on the trains!” My wife quickly armed herself with a coat hanger. Maybe she wanted to politely ask the bandits to hang up their coats before they attacked us!
Hidden costs, reservations and small extras can make it more expensive than an economy airplane ticket.
Ferries from Italy to greece can be rough in bad weather and toilets can be disgusting.
Travelling by train is much, much slower than airplane travel.

How much time is needed to travel from London to Thessaloniki by train?
The shortest time from the U.K to Greece by train would be about 3 days.
The longest time is up to you.

Pre-planning is essential
Study maps and have a pretty good idea of your route before you travel.
It is very important to co-ordinate the planning of your route with train timetables and ferry schedules.
We chose to book through Eurostar: www.eurostar.com and DB Bhan: www.bhan.co.uk
Make sure that you leave enough time in-between connections. Half an hour is not enough, 2 hours is advisable.
Remember to find out if your next train connection starts from a different train station and if it does, leave enough time to get there.
Make sure you reserve seats on all the trains you travel on. (Compulsory on most trains) Journeys can be long and trains overcrowded. If you don’t reserve a seat you may have to stand and in some cases even if you have a ticket you may not be let on as the train may be full.
Take water, some food, mobile phones with spare batteries and a book to read.
Be prepared for delays, cancellations and missed connections.
Always have a plan B.

Train Tickets

Eurostar: www.eurostar.com
DB Bhan: www.bhan.co.uk

The best way to travel by train is to buy an InterRail Global Pass.
There are various types of tickets and they would work out cheaper and give you more freedom (Hop on-hop off) of travel than buying each ticket individually.
Remember this ticket does not include Eurostar, seat reservations or sleepers. Each seat reservation would have to be bought separately from the Global pass.
Prices for reservations can range from about Euro 3 per person to about Euro 10 per person per seat. Sleepers on the overnight trains can be around Euro 84 (entire 3 person compartment unless you want to share)
You must fill out the days you travel, destinations, connections and train numbers on the InterRail Global Pass before you board the trains you travel on in two places on the ticket. If you don’t the ticket inspectors will fine you Euro 50 every time.

So, how good are the trains?
Western European trains are fast, reliable, comfortable and mostly on time.
Eastern European trains are slow and frequently break down as rolling stock is old. The trains we travelled on were mostly delayed (some by 3 hours) and the toilets were terrible. There are no buffet cars, so bring your own food. I bought beer from the train guards and the price went up every hour! For some reason they also seem to like driving the trains with the carriage doors open. Stations can be chaotic with platforms crumbling. Information is sparse. Things seem to run on luck!

The best and worst trains we travelled on

The best
The French, German and Italian trains

The Worst
The Romanian (Old Rolling stock) and Greek trains. It is always better to travel by bus in Greece. (EG: Thessaloniki to Volos by train-5 hours – by bus 2.5 hours).

London to Thessaloniki Greece by train

Our route: London to Paris – Paris to Vienna – Vienna to Budapest – Budapest to Bucharest ( with stopovers in Sighisoara and Brashov) – Bucharest to Thessaloniki – Thessaloniki to Volos by bus – Volos to Skopelos by ferry.

Tickets: Eurostar, InterRail Global Pass and paid for seat reservations.
Eurostar: www.eurostar.com
DB Bhan: www.bhan.co.uk

Day 1
London to Paris by Eurostar:
(Eurostar is not included in InterRail Global Pass.)
Choose your travel time and best price – Frequent trains
Duration: About 2hr 30m
Ease and Comfort: 8 out of 10
Notes: On time.

Day 2
Paris to Vienna by ICE Trains (12:24 hours- 1 change)
Seat reservation: €4 per person
Departing Paris EST at 6:58am
Arrive: Vienna 19:22
Duration: 12hr 24m
Ease and Comfort: 7 out of 10
Notes: 5 min late. Dinner and sleep over in Vienna

Day 3
Vienna to Budapest by IC Trains
Seat reservation: €4 per person
Choose your departure time – Frequent trains
Duration: About 3 hours
Ease and Comfort: 7 out of 10
Notes: 15 min Late

Budapest to Bucharest, Romania by CFR Trains.
Seat reservation: €84 for a three berth sleeper
Choose your departure time: Trains every 2-4 hours or so.
Duration: 14hr 15m – depending on train
Notes: It is best to arrive in Bucharest by 10:30am to catch the 12:16 connection to Thessaloniki or by 18:00 to catch the 20:04 connection to Thessaloniki. (Only two trains a day)
We chose an over night sleeper to Sighisoara
Depart: 19:13
Arrive: 05:40 next day
Duration: 8hr 56m
Ease and Comfort: 2 out of 10. Old Sleeper car. Clean sheets. No lights. At 23:30 work was carried out to replace the train battery. Much noise and what a carry on!
Notes: We arrived 65 minutes late.

(Day 3&4)
2 days touring in Romania

Day 5
Brasov to Bucharest – (It is the same Budapest to Bucharest train)
Seat reservation: €4 per person
Choose your departure time carefully: Every two hours or so (Choose 07:14 train to catch connecting 12:16 train to Thessaloniki).
Duration: About 3:15 hours
Ease and Comfort: 1 out of 10 – Trains stink of unwashed backpackers – No opening windows. Stop and start journey.
Notes: 90 min Late – mechanical problems with train. We only had 13 min to catch our connection to Thessaloniki.

Bucharest Romania to Thessaloniki Greece by CFR Romanian trains
Seat reservation: €78 for a three berth sleeper
Choose your departure time: 2 trains a day – (Don’t miss it!)
Departs: 12:16 or 20:04
Arrive: Thessaloniki 5:40 or 12:50
Duration: 17hr 24m
Ease and Comfort: 3 out of 10 – Sleeper was cosy with clean sheets. We were told to lock our doors whist travelling through Bulgaria as bandits can jump on the trains. No buffet car. Buy beer/water from train guards. Much noise.
Notes: We arrived 2 hours late.

Day 6
Thessaloniki to Volos by bus – Volos to Skopelos by ferry
Make sure you check the Ferry schedules before you travel so you don’t arrive after the last boat departs. Please make sure you reserve and buy seats on the ferry/flying Dolphin before you travel.

Ferry schedules: www.ferries.gr
Hellenic seaways Volos –Tel: 0030 2421023415
www.hellenicseaways.gr

Take bus No.18 outside train station to the central bus station (20min). Then take the bus to Volos.
KTEL Bus Company  in Thessaloniki: www.ktel-thes.gr
Tel. 0030 2310 510-835

Bus from Thessaloniki to Volos
Price: €15.80 per person one way
Frequency: every 2 hours.
Duration: 2hr 30m
Ease and Comfort: 9 out of 10
Notes: On time. On arrival in Volos it is a 25min walk to the port or a 5min Taxi ride. If you have heavy baggage, take a taxi. (It costs around €6)

Ferries / flying Dolphins: Volos to Skopelos
Price: €40 per person one way
Frequency: Check schedules (times change during summer and winter) www.ferries.gr / or ticket offices. Hellenic seaways Volos – Tel: 0030 2421023415
Duration: 3 hours
Ease and comfort: 8 out of 10 in good weather – 2 out of 10 in bad weather (vomit commit)
Notes: On time, saw some dolphins

Skopelos to London by Train

We decided not to book a return journey from Thessaloniki via Belgrade.
We travelled from Skopelos Greece to Italy and France to London

Our route: Skopelos to Volos by Flying Dolphin – Volos to Ioannina by bus – Ioannina to Igoumensta by Bus – Igoumensta to Brindisi, Italy by ferry -  Brindisi to Rome by train (with stopover in Florence) – Rome to Paris by train – Paris by Eurostar to London.
We booked all the above as and when we travelled.

Day 1 – Return
Ferries / flying Dolphins: Skopelos to Volos
Price: €40 per person one way
Frequency: Check schedules (times change during summer and winter) www.ferries.gr / or ticket offices. Hellenic seaways Skopelos Tel: 0030 2424022767
Duration: 3 hours
Ease and comfort: 8 out of 10 in good weather – 2 out of 10 in bad weather (vomit commit)
Notes: Best to leave on the first ferry/flying dolphin of the day from Skopelos to make all connections.

Bus from Volos to Ioannina
Price: Around € 28 per person one way
Frequency: every 2 hours.
Duration: 4hr 30m
Ease and Comfort: 8 out of 10
Notes: Bus travels through Meteora, one of the largest and most important Eastern Orthodox Monasteries in Greece – A must see sight. The bus then travels around and through the tunnels in the mountains.
On arrival in Ioannina central bus station, run through the station building for the connecting bus to Igoumensta as it leaves on the hour every two hours. We arrived at 17:59 and our connecting bus left at 18:00. If you miss it, it is a two hour wait for the next bus.
A direct bus route operates on the newly opened highway from Thessaloniki to the port of Igoumensta cutting journey times by 2 hours.

Bus from Ioannina to Igoumensta
Price: Around €3 per person one way
Frequency: every 2 hours.
Duration: 90 minutes
Ease and Comfort: 6 out of 10
Notes: Igoumensta is a new Greek shipping port and it is still being built.
The terminal for international ferries to Brindisi Italy is on the far left (facing the sea)
We stayed over night in a hotel near the port.

Day 2 – Return
Ferry from Igoumensta Greece to Brindisi Italy
Price: €78 for two people on deck ( price included with an InterRail Global Pass)
Be aware, you will have to pay Port Tax:  €10 per person - not included in your ticket price
Time: 7:30am – make sure you are on the ferry by 7:00am
Duration: 8 hours
Ease and Comfort: 8 out of 10 if it is not cold and does not rain (0 out of ten for toilets.)
Notes: Take wet wipes/antibacterial hand wash
Arrived 45 min late.
On arrival in Brindisi don’t get ripped off by taxi’s wanting to charge €20. Pay around €5 or €10

Brindisi to Rome by train Eurostar Italia high speed trains
Seat reservation: €10 per person
Travel time: 17:30 – 23:38
Duration: 6hr 8m
Ease and Comfort: 9 out of 10
Notes: Eurostar Italia is not the same company as Eurostar.
Beware of people dressed to look like train or platform staff. If you ask them a question about your train they look at your ticket then grab your bags and run with them to your carriage and seats. They then demand payment.

Day 3&4 – Return
Touring in Italy

Day 5 – Return
Rome Italy to Paris France by train TGV France
Seat reservation: €10 per person
Travel time: 11:30 – 23:19 (11hr 49m)
Arrival: gaud de Lyon Paris
Ease and Comfort: 7 out of 10
Notes: 10 min late.
Hotels in Paris can be expensive and awful.
Paris Metro is fast and cheap. (€1.60 for a single ticket)

Day 6 – Return
Touring in Paris.

Euro star Paris France to London U.K
Pre-booked tickets (£140 for two people – return)
Travel time: 18:30 – 21:30 (2hr 30m)
Depart: Gaud De Nord
Ease and Comfort: 9 out of 10
Notes: On arrival into London St. Pancras we found out about the weekend’s engineering works, causing tube cancellations and train delays. Welcome home!

Useful info:

Eurostar: www.eurostar.com
Train bookings: DB Bhan: Tel: 08718 80 80 66 -  www.bhan.co.uk
Flying dolphins/ferries, international/Greek: – www.ferries.gr
Hellenic seaways Volos, Tel: 0030 2421023415 -  www.hellenicseaways.gr
Hellenic seaways Skopelos, Tel: 0030 24240 22767 – 003030 24240 23060
KTEL Bus Company in Thessaloniki: Tel. 0030 2310 510-835  www.ktel-thes.gr

The Man in Seat Sixty-One: www.seat61.com

Disclaimer: Prices quoted in the above article are subject to change. Train timetables and prices quoted are subject to change. Ferry prices and schedules are seasonal. We are not responsible for the companies that have links on our site. Our article is a guide and should be viewed as such. Other people may have very different experiences to ours.

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Buyers beware: Local Estate Agent trading under our name without agreement in Skopelos Greece

It has recently come to our attention that our copyrighted company logo ‘Angels’ has been reproduced and is being used to sell property and land on the island of Skopelos without our permission.

Angels Greek Island homes is a separate company and has no affiliation with ‘Angels’ For Sale – Homes and Land’ operating locally on the island of Skopelos by Angelo. We therefore can take no responsibility for any property sales or transactions carried out with this real estate agent.

Please see how our copied and reproduced Angels logo looks in the sign below. It does not contain the words ‘ Greek Island Homes’  like our logo

Warning: We do not work with the Estate Agent (Angelo) trading under this name

=========================================================

Our Angels Greek Island Homes Logo looks like this:

N.B. Please be aware of the difference between the two logos as Angels Greek Island Homes can take no responsibility for any property sales or transactions carried out with ‘Angels’ FOR SALE HOMES & LAND. This is not our company and is not in anyway affiliated to us.  Please see: First report

If you need any further advice or have any queries please contact us

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Provided by holidaylettings.co.uk and angelsgreekislandhomes.com

Increase bookings on your Greek property with a special offer from holidaylettings.co.uk

For a limited time only, any new advertiser joining the holidaylettings.co.uk website quoting promotional code 45922 will be entitled to either Offer Credit bundles worth £50, a 3 week Spotlight worth £70, or 15 months for the price of 12 to use during their first 12 month subscription.

What’s an Offer Credit bundle?
Offer Credit bundles are two Late Deals and one Early Bargain, or two Early Bargains and one Late Deal. Advertisers can use Offer Credits to promote special offers to holidaymakers at which point their advert also appears on the relevant Late Deal or Early Bargain page on our site.

What’s a Late Deal?
Late Deals are a highly effective way for homeowners to fill last minute vacancies through a dedicated Late Deals search section, which attracts in excess of 100,000 searches per week in peak periods.

What’s an Early Bargain?
These are a great way for new advertisers to kick-start their first year’s letting income by promoting the offer of a discount to those who book early.

What’s a Spotlight?
Displayed on rotation, Spotlights are seen over 100,000 times a month on the left hand side of every search results page, providing an extra marketing boost

With Greek homeowners enjoying on average 37 booking enquiries each year from their Holiday Lettings advert, can you afford to miss out?

If you would like to take advantage of this special offer now:

Just register here and quote promotional code 45922.

Home 91126  |  Peloponnese, Greece June 2009  “We are very happy with the website. Thank you. Over all I am impressed with Holiday Lettings because so far we have received more enquiries from your site than from any other sites we advertise with. Keep up the good work!”

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It has recently come to our attention that our company logo ‘Angels’ is being used to sell property and land on the island of Skopelos without our permission.

Please be aware that Angels Greek Island homes is a separate company and has no affiliation with ‘Angels’ ‘For sale Homes and Land’ operating locally on the island of Skopelos by Angelo. Our logo is currently being reproduced and used without out consent.  We therefore can take no responsibility for any property sales or transactions carried out with this real estate agent.

If you need any further advice our have any queries please contact us

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Edited May 2009 Glossa Houses Newsletter

After a winter with lots of rain for Skopelos the title of Greece’s Greenest Island will not be challenged any time soon.

The spring flowers were stunning. The tall yellow spikes of mullein were surrounded by crimson poppies while the purple, blue and yellow vetches scrambled for space wherever they could. Many orchids are now popping up all over the countryside.

The birds have been a delight this year too. The nightingales have been singing day and night. The resident birds are becoming more territorial as the local hooded crows fearlessly scramble to intercept peregrine falcons, mild buzzards, ravens and even seagulls if they feel any threat to their young.

We always look forward to the hoopoes as they pass through. This year’s flock of bee-eaters have been bigger than ever, flashing around like flying jewels in the sun. Two pairs of golden orioles paid a visit on their way up north. The black storks stoped only long enough over Glossa, circling high above before heading off for the mainland in Europe.

As the summer season starts and direct flights to nearby Skiathos resume, visitors are arriving. Some are in search of the Mamma Mia experience on the island and some want nothing more than to relax on the beach to suntan and rest. Two of the best beaches in Skopelos are Panormos blue flag beach and Milia.

For those who would like to have a place they can call their own, there are bargains to be had. Several properties have been reduced in price including, the beautiful new stone built Bellvue House and the completely restored Top House. New properties in the lower price range also include Anna’s House (currently Euro: 64, 000) and Garden Apartment. (Euro: 55,000)

Please see our property page for more details.

Getting to Skopelos Greece is even easier now. Monarch Airlines has started a direct route from some UK airports to Volos on the mainland. From there the direct ferry takes two hours to Glossa

There is a new Hellenic Seaways service from Aghios Constantinos to Glossa Skopelos. The Highspeed 1 is a car ferry. It is a larger version of the Flying Cat and is therefore known locally as the Fat Cat! There are strong rumours of a new seaplane service.

Argo Airways plan to offer short haul flights interconnecting Volos, Thessaloniki, Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. This new service is expected to start this summer (2009).  We are still awaiting conformation of a start date and schedules.

Kalo kalokairi! – Have a good summer

Please see: New sea plane service to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos.

Please check our: Travel Page for updates

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It has been announced that a new sea plane service will be provided as an alternative mode of transportation in the region.

ArGo Airways will offer short haul flights interconnecting Volos, Thessaloniki, Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos. This new service is expected to start this summer (2009).  We are awaiting conformation of a start date and schedules.

ArGo Airways will mainly use seaplanes as the core of its fleet. It presently operates one type of aircraft, the De Havilland DHC-3 Turbine Single Otter.

Passenger capacity is 9 seats.

Flights to Skopelos will land at Agnontas on the south western coast. Prices will be approximately 40 Euros one way per person and journey times around 30 minutes.

This new mode of transport may not suit all travellers to the Islands as baggage allowance is 10 kilos per person.  Excess baggage will be charged at 10 Euros per kilo. Carry on luggage allowed is 4 kilos.

Children between 5 and 12 years can travel alone. Their parents or guardians will have to provide all the necessary documentation before departure. Pets are allowed to fly as long as they are in a proper container and will be charged accordingly. Guide and service dogs, together with their containers and food, will be carried free of charge.

ArGo Airways say on their website that passengers with disabilities must be able to board the plane on their own. They say it is important for people to understand their policy to have a maximum of one PRM (Persons with Reduced Mobility) on the flight.

It is always best to contact them directly regarding any questions you may have via their website: http://www.argoairways.com

This is an exciting time for the Sporades group of Greek islands as another much needed form of passenger transport becomes available in making getting to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos easier.

Comments (4)

By Jonathan, Angels Greek Island Homes
Getting to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos is easy. There are a variety of routes available. Fly direct to Skiathos during the tourist flight season (May to October). Fly to Athens and take an internal flight to Skiathos. Fly to Volos or Thessaloniki.

There are no airports on Skopelos Island or Alonissos.

From Skiathos

Once you arrive in Skiathos Airport it is about a 5 minute taxi ride to the Port where you can take the car or fast ferries – flying dolphin / flying cat to the Skopelos ports of Loutraki (for Glossa), Skopelos Town and then on to Alonissos. It is advisable to check ferry schedules before your departure to Skiathios as these can change. It is also advisable to book a ticket in advance during the high season. This can be done on websites or by telephoning Skiathos ticket agencies direct. One company is Hellenic Seaways Tel: 0030 24270 22209.

Travel times from Skiathos are about 25min on the fast ferries to Glossa Skopelos, 45min to Skopelos Town and about 90min to Alonissos.

From Athens airport

you can get an internal flight to Skiathos. For travel by bus and ferry or you can either take the Metro to Omonia Square and walk to Alkon Travel in Kanigos Square. You can also take the Metro / Airport Bus to Syntagma Square and then take a Taxi to Kanigos Square. There are also Taxi’s from the Airport however; the journey by bus or metro is quite easy and cheaper!

On the corner of Kanigos Square (97 Akademias Street) you will find Alkon Travel Agency, a company which runs special buses to connect with the ferry at Aghios Konstantinos. They generally  open at around 6.30am. Next door there is a coffee shop where you can wait. I always order a Greek Coffee.

It is important to buy the combined bus and ferry ticket. The coach leaves from outside Alkon Travel, generally around 7am but, this is dependent on the schedules. It is important to check these before you travel as it can change. You can’t book the bus ticket online at the moment so it is best to telephone. Alkon Travel Tel: (00 30) 210 3832545 or 3843220.

The coach takes about two and half hours to Aghios Konstantinos where a connecting Flying Dolphin or ferry awaits.

From Thessaloniki (Salonika)

At most times of year you can get flights to Thessaloniki (Salonika). There are many airlines operating services and from 2008 Easy jet have a regular flight from the UK to Thessaloniki.  You can then take the public bus to Volos and the flying cat to the sporadic islands. At certain times of the year there is a car ferry service from Thessaloniki to Skiathos and Skopelos. It is best to contact SAOS Ferries or G.A Ferries for information and schedules.

Adverse Weather Conditions

Sometimes in winter there is no sea transport due to bad weather, if this happens it can be fun to stay a night in Athens. Book into a hotel, do some sightseeing, go to a good restaurant and try again the next day.

Alternatively you can travel on the public bus from Athens to the port of Volos from where ferries and Flying Dolphins may run more frequently.

Go to the Liossion Street bus station in Athens and take a bus to Volos (about a five hour journey).  This bus also passes through Agios Konstantinos. From Volos the Flying Dolphin / Flying Cat to Skiathos takes around 90 minutes, and around 2 hours to Skopelos.

If you need to stay in Volos overnight there are hotels opposite the port. There is often a Flying Dolphin or Ferry at 8.00 am, but again you must always check the schedules and availability.

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