Ferry to Greece

Today we look at what it is like to travel by ferry to Greece on our own. A number of travel agencies offer this route as part of cognitive and subsistence tours, but you know traveling with CK is like sucking bonbon in cellophane. The true travel experience brings travel along your own axis, without precise times and rules. Although ... at least the time of departure of the ferry will have to be met. We have already gone through 4 x this way so I can offer you valuable needs if you are going to do it for the first time.

For our natives, only one of the Italian ports can be considered for the trip to Greece. We are always there they were leaving Ancona. One because we already know it there over the years and for the species because the distance to us is approx. 1000 km from the Czech Republic still seems acceptable. And where else can Italy sail to Greece? Let's take it from the north - you can embark in Trieste, Venice, Rimini, Bari or Brindisi. The further north, the longer and more expensive the cruise, of course, and going south to Brindisi to shorten the cruise by a few hours is also not a real nut.

For the first time, we (with no cars) traveled with the shipping company Superfast Ferries, which has been associated with another carrier over the years ANEK lines and therefore offers comparable conditions and prices. During the next voyages we only used company ships MINOAN Lines and we have no reason to change. In terms of price, they are a little better than ANEK or Superfast, but they have a more modern fleet and departure times are advantageous for us - travelers from the Czech Republic. It usually departs from Ancona around 18:00 in the evening and you will dock in the first Greek port - Igoumenitsa around noon the next day. For another approx. For 5 hours you can be in the Peloponnese in Patras, where the ship ends its line. But Igoumenitsa in the province of Epirus is a great starting point for further exploring the west coast, so before the boat arrives at the pier in Patras, you can already have a tent set up somewhere in a campsite or be accommodated in private.

How was your trip to Ancona?

Part of the journey is intimately known to all who travel to Lake Garda or further south to the sea. A classic comfortable journey across the Brenner Pass, then down to Modena, Raven, Bologna and further along the east coast of the Adriatic. Of course, count on the fees for the pass and the Italian motorway. Around Bologna is one of the most critical places of the whole trip, by which I mean congestion. It is one of the major transport hubs to Rome, Venice, Turin and Ancona. We drove three times all the way in one go, overnight, with only a little sleep in the car. Subsequently, we decided not to bother the car or the body with a long drive. Not far from Mantovay we booked cheap for Italian conditions, net transit B # B Hotel Mantova just off the motorway exit. The link to the accommodation is here.  After overnight stay we were still around. 400 km to the harbor, which is the distance you leave when you leave in 9: 00 you can easily overcome 4,5 hours. You will be sleepy, relaxed, and there will be plenty of time to leave the ferry. Give yourself more reserve because the Check-IN in the port opens already 2 hours before the connection is over. It's actually similar to the flight departure procedure.

So how do you get married?

Suppose you have already purchased tickets in the Czech Republic. You can do this for example in Čedok, where they will take only a few hundred for a deal or directly on the site www.minoan.gr . The most expensive tickets are always on weekends and at the end and start of holidays. You can really save a lot by selecting the weekly date.
In both cases, you will not get classic tickets, just some vouchers you have to hand over at the port at the shipping company's counter. They check, compare travel documents and print out full-fledged tickets for the trip back and forth. At the same time, you will receive a sign with the destination port designation. And depending on whether you have written it on it ANCONA or PATRAS The port attendants direct you to the right pier for your dream ship. You don't have to worry, the way to the port is already marked in Ancona on the coastal highway as (CHECK-iN, Ferry Boat) and even in a large port you won't get lost thanks to the guides. Employees will guide you to the right GATE and to the line to which you belong. That is, people among people, caravans among caravans. Don't try to find a place on your own, these people know what they are doing, and if you don't follow their instructions, you can't do without the whistling of whistles and cheerful Italian swearing. 

So we managed to get to the port, confirm the tickets and wait for the ship. What's next ? It is true that waiting two hours in a row of stationary cars is boring and can be uncomfortable in the hot summer. Feel free to keep it "at hand" camping chairs, you can put them aside and watch the mumraj in the harbor. As at the airport, you must not walk away from this, as after CHECK-IN at the airport. Fortunately, there is a snack bar near the toilet. I forgot to state that cars are sorted in rows mainly by height. The price of the boat ticket also depends on this. It is classic for a car up to 2 m high and approx. 5 m long. That's enough for every person or MPV. We always had a box on the roof, so the total height of our MPV was over 2 meters, but no one checked it.

The ship is finally here!

It is good to realize that a ship is not a train or a bus. The sea is unpredictable, so it can happen that there is a two-hour delay along the way and you sail a little later. If you see your ferry in the distance, you still have plenty of time to pack up provisions, children and walk to the toilet. The mooring procedure is interesting for us terrestrials, and even though we have seen it many times, it has not ceased to amaze us. I don't understand how sailors can land on a meter exactly with a colossus weighing 54.000 tons (!) Without breaking down the pier. Minoan Lines operates in the Adriatic and Ionian Sea with two vessels. My name is Cruise Europe Cruise Olympia . They are modern ships built in 2010. Both of these sea sisters are 225 m long and 33 m high. So you can certainly imagine what a monster it is. Each can accommodate 2850 passengers and 960 cars. I don't know if they only count people, or even those trucks and buses that are ready to embark around us as well. As soon as the ship is brought to the pier and the hinged tailgate opens, the madhouse begins. Cords of cars, trucks and buses leave the bowels. They are picked up by passengers who have come down from the deck, into the trumpet, the whistling of whistles. This may take 30 minutes. And then it's your turn. You don't have to worry about anything, just watch the car in front of you and the port authority that will take you to the ship. In it, the sailors will direct you every few meters to the appropriate "DECK" deck. It just wants to be a little afraid of parking, but it's basically the same as in underground garages. In addition, a sailor will guide you here exactly to the place, so that as many vehicles as possible can fit into the ship. Nice mirror to mirror. The deck has about 12 boats like this, so remember carefully where you parked, it will come in handy.

Up on Deck - Distances call.

Before you go on board, don't forget to thoroughly prepare for your stay and night on the ship. It is very probable that after leaving you will not be able to get to the car in the garages, they are closed to passengers during the voyage. If you chose a "DECK" boat ticket mainly because of the price, it means that you will spend a 16-hour cruise on board. Cabins are several times more expensive, so this option is chosen by the vast majority of passengers. You need to bring your documents, money, some drinks, snacks, toiletries, a mat or a mattress and a blanket. In the corners of the giant ship, there are many places where even whole families go to bed without shame. Whether it's on the carpets in the areas around the stairs or in the chairs in the rest corridors. It is perfectly normal not only on ferries to Greece and no one is worried about that. But I recommend sleeping on the open upper deck only to experienced fighters. It is usually windy there and sometimes it is sprinkled with a salt spray.

The ship is really such a small town and you can find everything you can remember. There are toilets on every floor, everywhere you walk over the load rugs and there is also a cleanness, considering how much people transport. You can drive several elevators, and if you want to spend some Euro, there is much choice. For Gyros, beer on the upper deck, or for games at the Hermitage Center. The more adventurous can try it in slot machines, at a disco or in a Duty-free shop. There is a self-service dining room, where you can eat at luxury prices and luxury bars and restaurants. It always fascinates me, so we always come to our camp sleepy and tired after exploring the ship, often after midnight. You are lying down on the mattress in anticipation of the next day in Greece. If the weather is not stormy, you will not even feel any rocking of the boat and you will fall asleep quickly with the muffled rumble of the boat engines. Just beware of one thing - the whole ship is lit for safety reasons all night, and someone may mind. You will definitely use the eye flaps ..

We are coming to Greece!

Early morning at sea is one of the most beautiful experiences I know. Most of the passengers are still asleep, so I'm on the twelfth deck, at the back, where the flags are flying. A view of the furrow behind the boat and the rising sun, the cigar and the coffee. Warm, humid air and where only the water can see the eye. Absolute happiness.

The sea is dawning very early, so there is plenty of time for packing, lounging and swimming in the pool. He's on the top deck, but he usually puts it only a few hours before you arrive in Igoumenitsy. I point out that the water in it is beautifully clean, it is very salty because it is taken from the sea. Well in advance of the target, the on-board radio in several world languages ​​signals that we are approaching the destination. We have plenty of time to pack and wait until the garage entrances open.

Then the scenario is similar to that of the embarkation. Car search, mummery, blinking, whistles and starting engines. And after a while, we stand on the Greek soil and set out for another adventure. But about it the next time.

Try to drive ferry to Greece, you will be happy to remember ..