Getting to Alonnisos through Athens via Bus or Taxi to the Port of Kymi

During the summer of 2011 Skyros Shipping Co. will once again be offering services on its Achilleas ferry between the port of Kymi (located on the island of Evia) and Alonnisos. Kymi (sometimes spelled "Kimi") is located about five hours from Athens by coach bus, and the boat ride is just over two hours (an hour shorter than the trip from Agios Konstantinos (or Volos) to Alonnisos and HALF the price. (i.e., €23 per person versus €46/person from Volos to Alonnisos, and €50.5/person from Agios Konstantinos to Alonnisos).

To reach Kymi by bus from the Athens airport you will first 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 Kymi from the airport via Bus Terminus B will be perhaps as much as 6 hours, but could be more based on traffic conditions. If you'd prefer to take a taxi to Bus Terminus B, please page down to see information regarding a taxi driver in Athens that I recommend.

The cost of the coach bus to Kymi is €13.80 was of June 2010 (the latest schedule I have). If your arrival time is too late to connect with the Achilleas ferry you will obviously need to book a hotel in Kymi.

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 Kymi. Please note that a one-way ticket on the Metro is approximately €6, and that travel via train gets you to the city centre in perhaps half the time.

To Kymi 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 Kymi. Because this is a fairly lengthy distance, the cost of the taxi is about €220. While this is significantly more expensive than bus travel, if two 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 than one in Kymi. With the taxi you can stay in Kymi, sleep in, and then take the ferry.

If you are interested in taking a taxi, I highly recommend the services of a driver in Athens named Spiros Halkides. Not only is he a great guy, but he also speaks fluent English from his experience in living in New York for many years. 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.

Staying in Athens

If you aren't able to make the bus to Kymi, 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 Kymi to Alonnisos

If you are planning to reach Alonnisos via the Skyros Shipping Co. ferry Achilleas, then prior to your trip you of course need to reserve and pay for tickets. As of the date of this post (3-24-2011), the website OpenSeas.gr is not yet listing the Kymi to Alonnisos route for this tourist season. However, Skyros Shipping is definitely operating the ferry again this summer, so eventually OpenSeas.gr will add that route to its web page. If you want to purchase tickets and you're still not seeing the route on OpenSeas.gr, click on this link on the Skyros Shipping site to find a list of travel agencies that sell tickets on their behalf.

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

Posted by Jeff Maziarek at 3/24/2011 7:51 PM
Categories: Getting to Alonnisos through Athens via the Port of Kimi
Tags: Skyros Shipping Co. Spiros Taxi and Tours Kimi
 

What did you think of this article?




Trackbacks
Trackback specific URL for this post
  • Trackbacks are closed for this post.
Comments
  • No comments exist for this post.
Leave a comment

Comments are closed.