ALONNISOS-BLOG.PONDERCENTRAL.COM: Getting to Alonnisos through Athens via Bus or Taxi to the Mainland port of Agios Konstantinos (Updated July 1, 2010)

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Getting to Alonnisos through Athens via Bus or Taxi to the Mainland port of Agios Konstantinos (Updated July 1, 2010)

If you are unable to book a flight from Athens to the island of Skiathos as the point of departure by boat to Alonnisos, you also have the option of taking a bus (or taxi) from Athens to the mainland port of Agios Konstantinos as the departure point. With either of these options, you will need to book passage on a boat from Agios to Alonnisos (more on this later).

To Agios Konstantinos via Long Distance Bus

To reach Agios Konsantinos by bus, from the airport you will need to take the X93 bus (Click here for more information about this bus/its fare cost) to the Bus Terminus B bus station in Athens (Click here for more information about this bus station [or "O stathmos," in Greek], and to see the latest long distance bus schedule for buses departing from Bus Terminus B click here. The total time it will take you to get to Agios Konstantinos from the airport via Bus Terminus B will be perhaps as much as 4 hours, but could be more based on traffic conditions.

The cost for the next segment to Agios on the KTEL Lamia Bus to Agios Konstantinos is 14.7 Euros per person. For complete details regarding this bus and its regular departure times, click here. If, based on your travel schedule your arrival in Agios is too late to connect with a Hellenic Seaways Flying Cat to Alonnisos, you will obviously need to book a hotel in Agios for that evening. To assist you in this regard please review the Category Archives on this page under "Hotel in Agios Konstantinos" for information regarding a property I recommend.

One other note, in addition to bus X93 from the airport, you can also reach Athens City Centre via the Metro Train line. Ask the information desk at the airport for directions to the on-site Metro station (it's on the lower level). If you do take the Metro, you'll also need to ask what stop to use in order to facilitate the most direct access to Bus Terminus B for your next travel segment to Agios Konstantinos. Please note that a one-way ticket on the Metro is approximately 6 Euros, and that travel via train gets you to the city centre in perhaps half the time.

To Agios Konstantinos via Taxi

If you aren't as much concerned about cost as you are about comfort and speed, you also have the option of taking a taxi from the Athens Airport directly to Agios Konstantinos. Because this is a fairly lengthy distance, the cost of the taxi is roughly 190 Euros (price in the summer of 2010). While this is significantly more expensive than bus travel, if 2 or more people are traveling together the price is much more reasonable, especially considering that the cost of a hotel in Athens is at least 30 - 40 more Euros than one in Agios. With the taxi you can stay in Agios, sleep in, and then take the 10:30 hydrofoil to Alonnisos. If on the other hand you stay in Athens, you'll have no option to sleep in as you'll need to catch the 6:15 a.m bus to Agios in order to arrive in time to make that boat departure time.

With respect to a recommended taxi driver, on several occasions both my in-laws and other friends with homes on Alonnisos have used the services of a driver named Spiros Halkides. All have reported complete satisfaction with his services. In addition, when we flew into Athens for our 2009 trip Spiros sent one of his drivers to pick us up at the airport and the service was excellent. Here is his contact information: Telephone: 30-2109944771 (H) & (30)-6944285686 (MOBILE) [Note that 30 is the country code for calling Greece.] To visit Spiros' website click here. To contact Spiros via email, click here. (Please note, in Greek, when you speak about someone you use the "s" at the end of their name, for example, "I know Spiros." However, when you actually contact Spiros, you call him "Spiro.")

Staying in Athens

If you aren't able to make the late afternoon bus to Agios Konstantinos, and don't want to spend the extra money to take a taxi, please review the Category Archives (to your left) under "Hotels in Athens" for information regarding a property I recommend. I also provide information about getting to the hotel via city bus from the airport.

Making a Boat Reservation from Agios Konstantinos to Alonnisos

If you are planning to reach Alonnisos by boat from Agios Konstantinos, then prior to your trip you need to reserve and pay for tickets tickets for the roughly 3.5 hour boat trip on to Alonnisos. Unlike the summer of 2009, Hellenic Seaways is once again offering hydrofoil service between Agios Konstantinos and the Sporades islands. There are currently (as of 7/01/10) two hydrofoil departures per day (10:30 a.m. and 7:45 p.m.), and there's also a ferry that runs at 11:00 a.m, but it's always wise to check the Hellenic Seaways website as this schedule can change without much notice. Assuming you want to book passage, you will need to reserve and pay for boat tickets in advance. The Hellenic Seaways site is fairly easy to navigate, just be sure to choose your language of choice at the upper right of the screen, then select "Online Booking" at the left side of the screen and follow the prompts.

When you have completed the reservation the site will bill you for the tickets, but will not actually provide you with them. Instead, you will receive a confirmation email that instructs you to take your reservation confirmation to the Hellenic Seaways representative in Agios Konstantinos (called "Bilalis Travel Agency", operated by Nikolaos Bilalis). For details regarding the location of this travel agency, click here. Once there you will need to present the ticket confirmation form you received via email from Hellenic Seaways. They also may ask you for a passport for identification. Once you have your ticket(s), if the boat is leaving shortly I recommend you promptly proceed to the boarding area which is directly across the highway. Click here for a map of the Agios waterfront.

If you have any issues booking boat reservations from Agios to Alonnisos, I recommend you phone the Bilalis Travel Agency at (30) 22350-31760 (ask for Helen), and purchase the tickets directly from them using a credit card. To contact Bilalis Travel via email click here.

To contact me via email with any questions regarding this post click here.