Getting to the yacht in Patras

The concept of our Greek Island cruises is that from the moment you get on our yacht, we'll take care of all the practical issues, so you can just relax and enjoy your holiday in Greece. In the same principle, we researched for you all the possible ways you can get to our yacht in Patras port, to assist you in planning your holiday and making your journey easy and comfortable.

Patras is the ideal base for exploring the Ionian Islands by yacht as it's only a couple of hours drive from Athens and at the same time a short sail to this beautiful island group. Located at the north-western coast of the Peloponnese (Greek mainland), it is connected to Athens / Athens airport by a new and scenic motorway. As your route will take you over the Corinthian Canal bridge, we would recommend a short stop so you can walk along the bridge and enjoy this incredible engineering feat spanning 6400 meters.

We will be happy to organize your transfers by minibus or taxi between Athens airport (or your hotel in Athens) and our yacht in Patras. If you are interested in history and archeology, you can combine your transfer with a detour to the famous site of Ancient Olympia or Ancient Delphi.

If you prefer public transport, there are also good connections by national bus and train departing every hour from Athens central bus station and the airport.

• Minibus

Our driver will be waiting for you at the Arrivals Hall of Athens airport holding a sign with your name on it and take you directly to our yacht in Patras port if you arrive on the day of your cruise or to your hotel in Patras if you arrive prior to the day of your cruise.

If you have chosen to spend a few days in Athens first, our driver will pick you up from your hotel at your preferred time (ideally around 1-2 p.m.) to bring you to the yacht in Patras, but we can also arrange for your transfer from the airport to your hotel in Athens.

Similarly, after your cruise we can arrange for your transfers between our yacht in Patras and Athens airport / your hotel in Athens / Piraeus port (if you plan to take a ferry from Athens to the Aegean Islands).

An 8 seater minibus will fit 8 passengers with their luggage, provided of course that they are not the extra large type of luggage and the transfer between Athens and Patras will only take two hours.

The 20-seater minibus is a bit slower due to a 100Km / h speed limit on transport vehicles with more than 8 passenger seats, so the transfer between Athens and Patras will be two and half hours.

The prices (one-way) for the minibus - not per person - are:

• 8-seater between Athens (airport or city center) and Patras: 440 Euro
• 20-seater between Athens (airport or city center) and Patras: 590 Euro

For our shared yacht cruises we also organize a shared minibus, where the cost per person depends on the number of passengers. For 8 people sharing the cost will be 60 Euro per person one-way.

• Taxi

Our driver will be waiting for you at the Arrivals Hall of Athens airport holding a sign with your name on it and take you directly to our yacht in Patras port if you arrive on the day of your cruise or to your hotel in Patras if you arrive prior to the day of your cruise.

If you have chosen to spend a few days in Athens first, our driver will pick you up from your hotel at your preferred time.

Similarly, after your cruise we can arrange for your transfers between our yacht in Patras and Athens airport / your hotel in Athens / Piraeus port (if you plan to take a ferry from Athens to the Aegean Islands).

A taxi will fit 3 passengers with small to medium sized luggage, but we would suggest up to 2 passengers for extra comfort. The transfer between Athens and Patras is only two hours.

The price for a taxi (one-way) is 400 Euro.

• National bus

The bus departs from Athens central bus station or Patras bus station every hour but on busy periods there are departures every 30 minutes. There are 2 options, the Express bus which goes between Athens and Patras directly and takes 2 hours 30 minutes and the normal bus which makes an intermediate stop and takes 3 hours.

The buses are modern and comfortable, the route is very nice on a new motorway and the ticket costs 19 Euro one-way or 30 Euro return.

Patras bus station is just 300 meters from the port so if your luggage has wheels you can walk to the port cafe where you can enjoy a drink until embarkation time, otherwise take a taxi from the taxi rank outside the bus station.

Options for traveling between Athens airport and Athens central bus station:

1. The Express bus X93 runs between the Arrivals / Departures of Athens airport and the central bus station, the ticket costs 8 Euro and the journey would take you 60 minutes. You can buy the ticket from the kiosk next to the bus stop, or directly from the driver. This bus departs every 35 minutes during the day (05:00 - 24:00) and every 60 minutes during the night (24:00 -05: 00).
2. A taxi ride between the airport and bus station would cost around 40 Euro and the journey would take around 45 minutes.
   
   

Options for traveling between your hotel in Athens city center and Athens central bus station:

1. A taxi from your hotel to Athens central bus station would cost around 15 Euro and the journey would take around 10-20 minutes (depending on traffic). Your hotel will book the taxi for you.
2. Local bus, but we wouldn't recommend this option as it is not too easy to find the bus stop.
   
   

Booking your bus ticket:
You can look at the timetable and book your ticket online in the bus's website, at the following address:
https://www.ktelachaias.gr/en/homepage-en/

• National Rail
  

The train is the most direct route for someone who wants to use public transport between Athens International Airport and Patras. The railway terminal is outside the Arrivals & Departures Halls of the airport and the train to Patras departs every hour at 9 minutes past the hour.

You will have to make 2 changes, the one is at the station of 'Kato Acharnai' and the other at Kiato. As the part of the railway line between Kiato and Patras is being renovated at the moment, for that part of the journey you will be transferred to the bus of the railway company.

The departures from Athens International Airport at the following times do not have any waiting time in Kiato, so the journey duration is 3 hours and 30 minutes:
06:09, 08:09, 10:09, 12:09, 14:09, 15:09, 16:09, 18:09, 19:09

The departures from Athens International Airport at the following times have 1 hour waiting time in Kiato, so the journey duration is 4 hours and 30 minutes:
07:09, 09:09, 11:09, 13:09, 17:09

The departures from Patras are the following and don't have any waiting time in Kiato , so the journey duration is 3 hours and 30 minutes:
06:25, 08:25, 10:15, 12:25, 14:25, 15:25, 16:15, 18:25

You can check for any changes on the timetable and book your tickets at:
https://www.trainose.gr/en/

• Car rental

All the major car rental companies have offices in Athens airport and city center. You can rent a car or minibus from Athens airport or city center and drop it off at Patras (one way rental), or park it at Patras port (free parking) during your cruise so you can use it for your return journey to Athens at the end of your cruise.
The car rental companies typically charge a one-way fee of 80 Euro for dropping the car off at their office in Patras.

The 250 kilometer drive between Athens airport and Patras port is very easy and shouldn't stress you at all, as it is all along a new 2-3 lane motorway which is not busy at all.
If you choose to rent from Athens city center, please keep in mind that driving in Athens, just like in all big cities around the world, there is heavy traffic.This however applies only to weekdays, as the streets in Athens have lighter traffic on weekends.

Transfer including Ancient Olympia (minibus or taxi)

For those who would like to combine their transfer with a full day excursion to the famous site of Ancient Olympia, it is possible to do it on the day of your cruise, although you would have to make an early start. If you have a day to spare, you could make the excursion a day earlier and spend the night before the cruise in a Patras hotel.

The prices are:

• Taxi between Athens - Ancient Olympia - Patras: 530 Euro
• 8-seater minibus between Athens - Ancient Olympia - Patras: 590 Euro
• 20-seater minibus between Athens - Ancient Olympia - Patras: 690 Euro

* The price does not include the tickets to the ancient site, lunch and refreshments

Your transfer times with an 8-seater minibus would break-down as follows:

• Athens to Ancient Olympia (incl. A 30 minute stop): 4 hours
• Visiting Ancient Olympia: 2-3 hours
• Lunch stop: 1 hour
• Ancient Olympia to Patras: 1 ½ hours

TOTAL: 9-10 hours

* With a 20-seater minibus the duration would be 10-11 hours.