Greek Railways buy a ticket. Traveling around Greece by train in graffiti style. What is InterRail pass

It is located in the Balkan Islands, in the very south of Europe and borders Turkey, Bulgaria, Macedonia and Albania. The country has almost 2000 islands, the most famous and largest of which is the island of Crete. From Russia, Ukraine, CIS countries, Europe and the world you can get to Greece by plane, ferry, bus, train and car.

Airplane

The largest in Greece and one of the most modern in the world is the city's International Airport - Eleftherios Venizelos, connecting Greece with many countries. Also, from other countries, direct flights are operated to the cities of: Thessaloniki, Alexandroupolis, Kavala, Kalamata (Peloponnese Peninsula), Heraklion and Chania (Crete Island), as well as to the islands: Corfu, Rhodes, Kos, Mykonos, Santorini, Zakynthos, Kefalonia, Lemnos and Samos. In addition to national airlines, the destination is served by European low-cost airlines: easyJet, Ryanair, Wizz Air.

Train

By train you can get to the Greek city of Thessaloniki from Belgrade (Serbia) by night train of the Serbian Railway, 14 hours 17 minutes on the way. Also, you can get to Thessaloniki from Sofia (Bulgaria) by train of the Bulgarian Railway, in 7 hours 7 minutes. From Thessaloniki to Athens, trains depart several times a day, and the journey time is 5 hours 20 minutes.

Bus

You can't get there by bus greek islands directly, but to Athens or Thessaloniki is quite possible. It makes sense to get to these cities by bus from neighboring Turkey, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Albania. From Sofia you can get to Thessaloniki in 5 hours, to Athens in 12 hours, by buses of the Greek company “KTEL” and the Bulgarian “Ilias Travel”. The Greek company “Crazy Holidays” accepts buses from Istanbul (10 hours to Thessaloniki), from Belgrade (8 hours to Thessaloniki), from Budapest (16 hours to Thessaloniki), from Chisinau (23 hours to Thessaloniki).

Automobile

Plan car route to Greece on European roads, you can calculate the cost of gasoline and tolls on highways on the Via Micheline website.

Ferry

You can get to Greece by ferry from Italy and Turkey. Ferries run to the island of Corfu from the Italian cities of Ancona, Bari and Trieste. From these same cities it is possible to get to the Greek cities of Patras and Igoumenitsa. In addition, ferries from Venice and Brindisi sail to Patras and Igoumenitsa. The shortest route: Bari (Italy) – Igoumenitsa (Greece), 10 hours travel time on a day or night flight, served by the Greek company ANEK Lines. You can get to the island of Rhodes from Fethiye (Turkey) by ferry from the Tuana Maritime company, the journey time is 1 hour 30 minutes.

You can select the required ferry flight to Greece and view the schedule on the website

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Just a few years ago, get hold of current schedule trains in Greece outside its borders were extremely difficult: for some reason the Greeks, having printouts of the schedule in tourist offices, they didn’t exactly post them on the Internet. Now times have changed, and you can finally find out all the details online. True, there are still some nuances that are best dealt with separately.

So, in 2012, the Greek railway operator OSE successfully launched ticket sales through its updated website. At the same time, it became possible to view the train schedule. Grekoblog wrote a detailed article on how to use the site using an example.

With this route everything is simple and there should be no problems. But they can arise if you veer off the beaten path and want to try Greek railways in the outback.

That’s why we decided to dig a little deeper in order to dot more i’s and help to understand those situations where the solution is not on the surface.

The railway network in Hellas is quite small

Features of planning trips from Athens

As we wrote earlier, the Greek railway network is quite small, but developed. There are three types of trains on the routes: regular (E), regular intercity trains (Intercity - IC) and high-speed intercity trains (Intercity Express - ICE).

There are two main branches leaving from Athens: to northern Greece and to the south (Peloponnese). Almost all routes from the capital can be found on the TRAINOSE website.

Tickets are sold at ticket offices at the station, travel agencies and through a network of agents. You can also purchase them online or make a reservation by phone.

If you are going to actively use trains on your trip, it may be more profitable to purchase. The latter differ in the number of days during which the voyage can be made, as well as depending on the age of the passengers: youth (up to 26 years old) and adults (over 26).

If you have problems with tickets or reservations, you can try to solve them through the main information Center OSE in Athens at Karolou 1. Local English helpline number 1110.

The metro station where the station is located is also called Larisa

Connection with Northern Greece

Trains to Northern Greece depart from the capital from Larissa station (Stathmos Larissis). It's the easiest to get to. The metro station where the station is located is also called. Get to the train station from International airport You can also travel to Athens by the Proastiakos commuter train - we will talk about it in more detail below.

All “northern” trains go to Thessaloniki with stops in Thebes and Larissa (the city of the same name). From Thessaloniki you can travel to other Greek cities in the north or to neighboring Balkan countries.

Directional information numbers: 210 529 8837 or 210 823 7741.

Proastiakos Station

Connection with Southern Greece

To travel by rail from Athens to South mainland country, you need to use Proastiakos - a commuter train.

Regular trains depart from Athens International Airport, Larissa and Piraeus stations and go to Korinthos and Kiato in the Peloponnese. In Corinth you can change trains to other cities in the Peloponnese.

Schedule commuter trains Proastiakos in printed version.

Alternative travel schedule by entering the starting and ending points of the route. Please note that when planning a trip from the Greek capital, you should enter the name of the starting station, not just Athens.

So, if your trip starts at an airport, you should indicate Athens International Airport in the system; if in Piraeus - Piraeus. You need to choose Athens when your trip begins with railway station Larisa in Athens.

Helpline: 210 527 2000

At Athens Airport, metro and Proastiakos trains depart from the same station

International trains

Before the 2010 crisis, Greece maintained active rail connections with other Balkan countries and Turkey. Then, in order to save money, these international routes were suspended for some time. Since May 2014, some of them have been resumed again. So, now (as of spring 2015) daily trains depart from Thessaloniki to Sofia and Belgrade (via Skopje).

Check the current schedule international trains from Thessaloniki can be found on this page.

Photos by: κύριαsity, Giannis Houvardas

Moscow is almost 2 thousand kilometers away from Athens, and 2,500 kilometers between St. Petersburg and Athens. Therefore, for Russian citizens, as well as citizens of CIS countries, the most right choice- air travel. There are direct flights between many major Russian airports and ports in Greece. The flight lasts from three and a half to four and a half hours, depending on the ports of departure and destination. The flight from Moscow to Athens takes just over three hours, from St. Petersburg – more than four hours.

A trip by rail, car or bus from Russia will take at least three days, so this option is suitable if you are planning to travel throughout Europe and look, among other things, into Greece. Prices for air tickets to Greece from Russia depend on the time of year, rising highest from June to early September (and Easter week). However, during the periods - April-May and from the end of September to October, prices decrease, falling lowest from November to March (with the understandable exception of Christmas and New Year, when prices are as in high season). Please note that if you fly on weekends, you will have to pay extra.

You can reduce costs by contacting some specialized agent or discounter (an agent who makes money on the clientele’s love for discounts): they not only find discounted airline tickets for last-minute flights for their clients, but sometimes also offer benefits for students or young people, as well as a number of related services - sell along with a ticket, a train ticket, a car rental agreement, a train ticket, and so on. There are also companies that buy in bulk a large number of tickets and then selling them at a discount. Sometimes it is more profitable to buy a package of services - this is a comprehensive trip that covers not only air travel, but also accommodation in the host country and other services.

Even if you don’t end up buying a ticket for your flight online, browsing the sites itself is worthwhile: at least you’ll find out where and who has the best deals. But companies usually put on their website a very meager set of fixed prices for tickets that cannot be returned or changed, on the one hand, and very economy class prices, on the other, so if you want to expand your choice, you need to call the company office or Look for advice on one of the sites that advertise discounts and other benefits for travelers.

The cheapest options come with all sorts of restrictions: a flight on the night from Saturday to Sunday, say, or a mandatory stopover for three days, or the ticket is only valid for a month or two. Moreover, for violating the conditions for receiving any discounts and more or less tempting benefits, you are immediately frightened with terrible punishments for any violation: you can even lose the full cost of the ticket if you are late for departure or change your return date. Sometimes they offer discounts for people under 26 years of age.

• Airport in Athens

It is very easy to get lost in the huge Athens airport or miss your flight, especially when changing from one plane to another. Airport regulations require that the gap between your arrival in Athens and your departure from Athens on another aircraft must be at least 55 minutes, but some airlines require a gap of 90 minutes. Keeping in mind the usual, especially for Olympic, delays and protracted delays - safety! – checks, try to adhere to this rule when buying tickets.

Some - but (alas) not all - automatic ticketing systems will not satisfy your request if the interval between flights does not fit within the above limits. Hand over your luggage for inspection and check-in for the entire route, until your final destination. Even international flight departing from your home country will be terribly late, if you follow this rule, you will still have a good chance of completing your chosen route on the same day, although your checked baggage may be delayed for a day.

Although Athens remains the main destination for low-cost flights, there are direct flights from Moscow to, as well as to the islands of Crete, Kos, Kerkyra, Zakynthos, Skiathos, (Thira), Lesvos and. And having flown by plane of any company to Athens, you can buy a ticket for any domestic flight - planes of the Greek companies Olympic Airways and Aegean Airlines fly to more than three dozen ports on the mainland and on the islands. The charter flight season lasts from the beginning of May to the end of October. At the height of the season, you may find that transactions involving only the purchase of an air ticket are rarely or reluctantly carried out by companies.

A direct flight to your chosen island may be more expensive, so it is recommended to take into account that many places can be reached much cheaper if you choose a flight through Athens. Tickets to domestic flights from Athens can be booked on the Aegean Airways website. Return ticket prices during high season start from reasonable prices for a flight from Moscow to Rhodes, or Kerkyra and comes to the average prices for a trip to or Kefalionia. The usual prices for air travel in both directions between Russia and Athens depend on the season, for example, in winter it is cheaper, and when departing in August or at Easter, the cost of air travel will double. During the high season, prices increase.

If price is most important to you, then at the height of the tourist season there is nothing left but to get to with transfers through some suitable European cities. Each airline has a variety of tariffs according to which it transports passengers. Some of them you may not even know about because they are confidential. From others officially recommended international associations air carriers, your hair may stand on end, because the price of an air ticket issued at such a fare can be very high. But we will talk only about the most popular of them. Tariffs that do not impose any restrictions on passenger transportation are usually called normal.

They are divided into the following categories: First (F) – for a first class ticket, Business (C) – in Business Class, Full (annual) – economic. Tickets issued at these fares are usually subject to free change of dates and routes, and have no restrictions on validity periods. If you want to return such a ticket, you will only be charged the cost of the form. For an unused return ticket, you will receive a half refund minus a communication fee. In addition, passengers with such tickets can carry more baggage free of charge: 40 kilograms in first class and 30 kilograms in business class. The excursion tariff is not particularly different from normal tariffs. But there is one limitation: usually this is a certain minimum and maximum stay at your destination.

A ticket issued at this fare is almost always fully refundable and allows you to change the dates and route of travel. However, to change the date, you must contact the airline no later than 72 hours before departure. However, most passengers do not want to fly business class. That's why the broadest category of tariffs we use is called special tariffs. Each company determines for itself how much it will take tourists on vacation for. All special rates have a number of general rules: You cannot buy a one-way ticket; after departure, if you are late or change your mind, the ticket cannot be returned; a return before departure is also impossible or carried out with a huge fine.

All fares have a minimum and maximum length of stay at the destination. Another characteristic feature of this group of fares is the impossibility of booking it: the rules indicate that payment for the air ticket must be made no later than 24-72 hours after booking. The airline’s logic here is quite obvious - the lower the tariff, the stricter the conditions for its application. For example, you can most often buy an inexpensive ticket issued at a youth fare only three to seven days before departure. The tariff, of course, is limited by the age of the passenger - from 12 to 25 years. If you bought a ticket with a fixed return date, it will not be returned even if you try to return it 10 minutes after purchase. Approximately the same conditions when purchasing a ticket at an age fare.

It provides a discount for people over 60 years of age: 25 percent of the price of a full annual ticket economy class. A prerequisite for purchasing a ticket at a group rate is to have a voucher proving that you are abroad. Moreover, 6-10 passengers must have such a voucher at the same time. The most affordable tickets for regular flights can be purchased at the Apex fare. An even cheaper version is called Super Apex. Both tariffs have a lot of restrictions. You can only fly at this fare in an economy class cabin. In addition, a strict “Deadline” appears as a strict tariff condition, that is, the deadline for purchasing a ticket.

Most often, it is necessary to purchase such a ticket 21 days, 14 days, 7, 3 days before departure and, conversely, no earlier than 7 days, no earlier than 3 days. Another serious limitation is the so-called “Blackout days”, days on which you cannot fly at this fare. According to the rules of some airlines, a ticket purchased at the Super Apex fare obliges the passenger to stay in the destination country for some time. certain time. For example, the tariff conditions of Aeroflot airline stipulate that a passenger must stay in the country from 7 to 14 days. Recently, there has been a noticeable spread Special offers and advertising rates. This is how airlines try to fill empty flights during the off-season or attract passengers to new flights.

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of these programs is their unpredictability, so it’s definitely not worth planning a trip based on such a tariff. So, if you want to save a little money on regular flights, you need to follow some fairly simple recommendations. The most important of them sounds simple: you need to buy a ticket in both directions at once, it will always cost you 30-50% less. As a rule, all confidential, special and promotional fares are only valid when you purchase a return ticket. There is no need to look for any special reason here; this is purely a marketing ploy by your air carrier: the company forces you to use its services when returning home.

If your route requires more than two cities, try to organize your trip so that the flight is as close to a direct line as possible. The price of an air ticket is calculated in terms of miles, and the more direct the route, the more reasonable it will be. There is such a tricky thing in air travel tariffs as the “Sunday rule”. When planning your trip, try to include at least one night from Saturday to Sunday in your stay. Compliance with the “Sunday rule” will provide the opportunity to take advantage of various discounts.

• Packages and tours to Greece

Almost any tour operator will certainly include Greece in their programs, although, as a rule, you will find that you are offered only famous resorts- these are the islands of Rhodes, Kos, Skiathos, Zakynthos, Kerkyra and, on the mainland, Tolo, the Messinia region and the Chalkidiki peninsula. When you purchase one of these last minute deals, especially in the spring or fall, you may find that they cost a little more ticket by plane, and accommodation in an expensive hotel or a modest shelter is at your discretion. However, if you want to get to a resort that is not so crowded with tourists and is “more Greek,” it is better to purchase a ticket from some specialized agency.

There are also such offers to clients as trips to islands and those corners that are not too crowded with tourists. By and large, we can say that these agencies are divided into two categories: some, like large chains, offer a contract for the entire season, including hotel accommodation and air travel (sometimes their own plane). Others will organize individual tours, include in the contract all the hassles with transport and accommodation at the vacation spot. Services of the second category are sometimes more expensive, but both flights and accommodation, as a rule, are of much higher quality.

• Traveling to Greece by train

A trip by rail from Moscow to Greece takes from two and a half to three and a half days and can cost more than air travel. This trip is also difficult to plan because there are no direct trains and you have to buy a ticket from different operators. However, you may be able to make stops along the way by purchasing an Interrail card (for EU citizens only) or a Eurail card (for residents of other countries), covering the entire European railway network, including Greece.

These cards are not valid on Russian railways; they can only be issued for travel abroad. Usually they travel from the UK through France and to Bari or Brindisi, from which ferries go to. The alternative is a longer route overland through and. Book your seats in advance (especially in summer), and the most cheap tickets will cost you several hundred euros, of course not including travel expenses. You can use more expensive cards, which provide more opportunities.

Reims - - , and from Milan by Adriatic coast get to one of four ports with ferry piers.

However, even if you manage to get on the most expressways, you are unlikely to be able to drive the entire way without at least two overnight stops. Most ferries coming from Italy call at (Kerkyra), where you can stay for a while - you just need to make a note on your ticket about this intention. Usually, ferry service year-round, but from December to April the number of flights and services is reduced. The journey from any Italian port to Patras costs the same as the road to Corfu. The cheapest route is from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa, but further, to the port of Patras, there is no ferry.

In addition, drivers have already discovered that extra fuel costs and tolls for using Italian motorways eat up all the savings on cheap ferry tickets departing from the piers in Brindisi or Bari, so if you take more expensive tickets on ferries leaving from Ancona or , you won’t lose anything in money. There is a tax on all international ferries - around €10 per person and per car or motorcycle, usually (but not always) included in the ticket price. For non-EU citizens, the fee is €19 per person and is sometimes charged twice, once upon boarding and once upon departure.

• Ferries Italy-Greece

If you want to sail from Italy to Greece you must choose one of five ports. Regular ferries carrying passengers and cars link Ancona, Bari and Brindisi with Igoumenitsa (the main port) and/or Patras (at the northwestern tip). All these flights are running all year round, but from December to April - less often. Less regularly, ferries run from Venice and Trieste to Patras via Igoumenitsa or Corfu. Tickets for longer routes are more expensive, but the difference in price is exactly the same as the cost of travel to Brindisi. Almost all flights have the opportunity to make a stop in Corfu.

To get to Athens or to Athens as quickly as possible, go to Patras, from where you can get to across the country. In summer (especially July-August) it is necessary to book tickets several weeks in advance. In winter, you can simply head for the main ports (Brindisi and Ancona are perhaps more reliable than the others). However, making reservations in advance, at least a few days in advance, can’t hurt, especially if you’re driving or want a private cabin.

In contact with

This year, Greece is one of the most desirable countries for tourists from all over the world. Russian tourists were no exception. Increasingly, residents of our country decide to go to family holiday, treatment or for a wedding ceremony, honeymoon.

Every year in summer time year, the Moscow-Athens train was launched, which connected the capitals of two unique states.

Duration in Greece holiday season is about 5 months, so even at the end of October everyone can escape from rainy Moscow to warm and picturesque greek cities, which will give inspiration and help prolong the summer. It doesn't matter if you decide to go beach holiday or go shopping for a new fur coat. This trip will be unforgettable and will be remembered for many years!

Unfortunately, not all travelers are ready to travel to Greece by plane, which is associated with a fear of flying. It was for such tourists that it was decided to create summer season direct train from Moscow to Greece.

A huge number of people like to observe picturesque landscapes and scenes of life, enjoy urban views, which will allow them to feel the spirit of amazing settlements, countries This trip will help you get closer to people who live in different cities and states. After all, this is why people decide to travel!

Train schedule Moscow to Athens

Unfortunately, the direct train Moscow – Athens will not be launched this year. However, every tourist will be able to enjoy the beautiful scenery of Greece in 2016 while traveling by train and bus. To do this, just buy a ticket for the Moscow – Sofia train, which departs from Kievsky railway station Russian capital. In 51 hours it will be possible to reach Sofia; during the trip tourists will be able to see such beautiful cities, like Bryansk, Kyiv, Lvov, Vadul-Siret, Bucharest, Pleven.

When crossing the border with Europe, the train will need to change wheel bogies, which is due to different railway gauges in the EU and CIS countries. For this procedure, the carriages are raised together with the passengers, after which the wheels will be changed. The manipulation takes about 2 hours, during which employees border service They collect passports and declarations from passengers and ask the necessary questions.

Train route Moscow to Athens

European trains are equipped not only with compartment and SV carriages, but also with RICs, which exist in several versions.

Luxury carriages

This carriage has only 4 compartments for two passengers, which have an increased area and a lounge bar. This coupe was equipped with a shower, a dry closet, a sofa, an armchair and an upper shelf, the size of which is 90 cm. The coupe has air conditioning and a TV.

First class carriages

In each similar carriage, 10 compartments were created for two people, and a common shower and toilet room were created. The compartment is quite narrow; it contains an armchair, a washbasin, and a table.

Second class carriages

Each carriage has 11 compartments for three people, which are quite cramped. The fact is that all the sleeping places are located on one side, on the other they placed: a hanger, a ladder, a washbasin. As a result, all passengers will have to either sit or lie down during the day.

It is worth noting that while traveling as a family in a second class carriage you can avoid hassles, but traveling with strangers can be a real hell.

In Sofia you will have to transfer to a bus, which can comfortably deliver you to the capital of Greece. This bus departs at 7 am from Sofia, and at half past twelve the bus will arrive in Thessaloniki, after which at 19.50 you can enjoy picturesque Athens.

Many tourists would like to enjoy a trip on the Moscow - Athens train, but today no direct train has been created. But there are many other interesting options for traveling to Greece!

P.S. We are always interested in your comments about this article. Where to go, how to get there, where is the best place to buy tickets? Registration is not needed, you can just write a comment, the moderator will publish it. The form is below. Or you can write to our forum

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