 At sea, approaching Greece, no airports, no flights. The most relaxing way from Rome to Athens |
Italy to Athens without flying
Hop on a fast train from Rome, Naples, Florence, Venice or Milan to the southern Italian port of Bari, then sail across the Adriatic to Greece by overnight ferry. It's the comfortable and scenic no-fly way from Italy to Greece.
Rome, Naples,
Florence, Milan & Venice ► Athens
Athens
► Rome, Naples, Florence, Milan & Venice
Italy ► Athens
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Day 1, travel from Rome to Bari by train.
From Rome, a Frecciarossa 1000 leaves Rome Termini at 10:00 and arrives Bari Centrale at 14:10.
From Naples, leave Naples Centrale at 08:25, change at Rome Termini, arriving Bari Centrale 14:10.
From Florence, a Frecciarossa 1000 leaves Florence SMN at 08:14 arriving Bari Centrale 14:10.
From Milan, a Frecciarossa leaves Milan Centrale at 08:05 and arrives Bari Centrale at 15:27.
From Venice, a Frecciarossa leaves Venezia Santa Lucia at 06:53 and arrives Bari Centrale at 14:31.
It's an enjoyable & scenic ride across Italy on a modern air-conditioned train with cafe-bar, power sockets at all seats & free WiFi. These departures give you plenty of time for a coffee or beer in Bari's pleasant old town near the port, before checking-in for the early evening ferry.
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On arrival in Bari, you can walk the 1.9 km from the station to the port entrance in 25 minutes, a stroll through Bari's pleasant old town past the cathedral and castle, see correct walking map from the station to the port entrance gate (If Google tells you any different, trust me, not Google!). Bus 50 runs from Bari Centrale station to a stop near the ferry terminal roughly every 40 minutes. A taxi takes 10 minutes. Map of Bari showing station, port entrance, check-in building & Superfast Ferries berth.
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Day 1, sail from Bari to Patras by overnight ferry.
The ferry sails from Bari at 19:30 on Mondays-Saturdays, arriving Patras at 13:00 next day (day 2)
On Sundays the ship sails at 13:30, too early to make connections from Milan.
You can check sailing times & dates at using the Direct Ferries website or at www.superfast.com or www.ferriesingreece.com.
You should check in at the Superfast desk on the ground floor of the cruise terminal (Terminal Crociere) at Bari port with passport & booking number to get your boarding pass, ideally 3 hours before departure in summer, although in practice 2 hours or even 1½ hours is normally fine.
You then walk 500m from check-in to the ferry, board the ferry via the foot passenger gangway at the stern and head up the escalator to the main lounge and reception desk to get your cabin key.
This comfortable ferry has a self-service restaurant, bar, lounge and sun deck. You can book a deck place (a good & cheap option in summer if you have your own sleeping bag), a reclining seat or various types of cabin, all with private shower & toilet. Strolling the decks in the morning sun as the ship cruises past the islands of Cephalonia and Ithaca is the nicest part of the trip, and it's a wonderful way to arrive in Greece.
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On arrival in Patras, head into town. The ferry arrives at the new South ferry terminal a few km from the town centre. You can hop in a taxi for around €10, journey time 15-20 minutes.
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Day 2, travel from Patras to Athens by Greek Railways bus/train combo.
Hellenic Train (Greek Railways) operate an integrated bus/train service from Patras to Athens every hour or two, total journey time 3h02. No prior reservation is necessary, just buy a ticket to Athens at Patras railway station ticket office.
For example, at the time I write this, buses leave from outside Patras railway station at 14:15, 15:15, 16:00, 17:15 & 18:15, taking 90 minutes to reach Kiato railway station near Corinthos. At Kiato they connect with a modern air-conditioned regional train taking 78 minutes to Athens Larissa Station in downtown Athens. You can check Patras to Athens bus/train times using the journey planner at www.hellenictrain.gr.
Athens ► Italy
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Day 1, travel from Athens to Patras by train+bus
An air-conditioned train leaves from Athens main railway station at 08:00 arriving at Kiato at 09:20, connecting into a Greek Railways bus departing Kiato at 09:30 and arriving Patras at 12:00.
You've time for lunch and a look around Patras. There's a later 11:50 train from Athens arriving Kiato at 13:19, connecting with the 13:30 by bus arriving Patras at 15:20, but this leaves relatively little room for any major delay. Check times locally, as they may change - you can find these train+bus times on www.hellenictrain.gr but it takes some finding - look under Destinations then Athens Suburban railway.
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On arrival in Patras, take a taxi for around €10 to Patras' new South ferry terminal a few km outside Patras town centre. Remember to allow for a 2-hour ferry check-in.
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Day 1, sail from Patras to Bari by overnight ferry
The ferry sails from Patras at 18:00 every day arriving in Bari at 09:30 the next day (day 2).
This comfortable ferry has a self-service restaurant, bar, lounge and sun deck. You can book a deck place (a nice cheap option in summer if you have your own sleeping bag) or a reclining seat or various types of cabin, all with private shower & toilet.
You can check sailing times & fares and buy tickets using the Direct Ferries website or at www.superfast.com or www.ferriesingreece.com.
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On arrival in Bari, walk (1.9 km, 25 minutes, see correct walking map, a pleasant stroll through Bari's old town) or take a taxi to Bari Centrale station. Bus 50 runs roughly every 40 minutes from a stop near the ferry terminal building to Bari Centrale station. See map of Bari showing the Superfast ferries berth, ferry terminal and station.
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Day 2, take a train from Bari to Rome or anywhere in Italy.
I recommend at least 3 hours between scheduled ferry arrival and train, as the ferry can be late.
For Rome, a Frecciargento train leaves Bari Centrale at 12:46 and arrives Rome Termini 16:55.
For Naples, leave Bari Centrale at 12:46, change at Rome Termini, arriving Naples Centrale 18:23.
For Florence, leave Bari Centrale at 12:46, change at Rome Termini, arriving Florence SMN 18:46. Or have lunch in Bari and take a direct Frecciarossa 1000 train leaving Bari Centrale at 14:55 and arriving Florence SMN 20:46.
For Milan, a Frecciarossa leaves Bari Centrale at 13:30 and arrives Milan Porta Garibaldi 20:47.
For Venice, a Frecciarossa leaves Bari Centrale at 14:30 and arrives Venice Santa Lucia 22:09.
How much does it cost?
Rome, Florence or Milan to Bari by train starts at €29.90 in 2nd class or €39.90 in 1st class. Fares vary like air fares, so book ahead.
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Bari to Patras by ferry varies by season and seat/berth/cabin type, but might typically cost €63 with a basic deck place, €76 with a reclining seat, €127 with a bed in an inside 4-berth en suite cabin, €179 in a 3-bed outside en suite cabin. Other cabin types & suites are available.
Youth fares for anyone under 26 are up to 20% cheaper than this. Senior fares for anyone over 60 are up to 10% cheaper than this. Round trip fares are cheaper than two one-ways.
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Patras to Athens by bus costs around €18 each way.
How to buy tickets
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Step 1, book the ferry between Bari & Patras using the Direct Ferries website or at www.superfast.com or www.ferriesingreece.com.
You select the type of accommodation you want, either a deck place, reclining seat or various types of cabin berth. Booking for the ferry opens up to 12 months in advance. It's ticketless, you simply pay online and quote your booking reference at check-in.
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Step 2, book the train between Rome (or anywhere else in Italy) & Bari Centrale at www.thetrainline.com (in €, £ or $, easy to use, small booking fee) or www.italiarail.com (easy to use, in €, £, $ or Au$) or www.trenitalia.com (in €, more fiddly). Italiarail will refund their small booking fee if you email them at seat61@italiarail.com with your booking reference. Booking opens up to 4 months ahead. It's ticketless, you simply print out your booking reference or show it on your phone.
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Step 3, buy your Patras to Athens bus/train combo ticket at the railway station in Patras when you get there, there's no need to book this in advance. Westbound, buy it at Athens station on the day or the day before.
Route map
What's the journey like?
Walk, bus or taxi from Bari Centrale to Bari port
You can walk the 1.9 km from station to port entrance in 25 minutes, a pleasant stroll through Bari's old town past cathedral and castle, see walking map to the port. Or a taxi from station to port will take 10 minutes. Alternatively, bus 50 runs from the station to the road outside the pedestrian gate into the port roughly every 40 minutes. See map of Bari showing station, port entrance, the check-in building and the Superfast ferries berth.
This is Bari Centrale, Bari's main station. Photos in this section courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.
As you approach the port, this is the main road which runs along the port's perimeter. The arrow marks the port entrance, walk into the port in the direction of the arrow and head round to the right to find the cruise terminal.
Check in for the ferry
The Superfast Ferries check-in desks are on the ground floor of the cruise terminal (Terminal Crociere), the arrow in the photo below left indicates the entrance. You should check in with passport & booking number to get your boarding pass, ideally 3h before departure especially in summer - although 2 hours or even 1½ hours is normally fine. You then walk 500m from the check-in desk to the ferry, board via the foot passenger gangway at the stern, up the escalator to the main passenger lounge and reception desk to get your cabin key. See location map.
Bari to Patras by overnight ferry
Superfast Ferries sail from Bari to Patras daily all year round, although Sunday sailings leave too early for same-day train connections from Milan. If you book a 'deck place' you can use your own sleeping bag and set up camp in a covered area on deck near the stern. For a few more pounds you can book a reclining seat. Or you can book a berth in various types of cabin, all with private shower & toilet. The ferry crossing is the best part of the journey, over deep blue waters and past many islands.
The ferry Superfast II from Bari to Patras, boarding at Bari. Photos courtesy of DiscoverByRail.com.
Private cabin with en suite toilet & shower.
The ferry passes Cephalonia & Ithaca then approaches mainland Greece. This is what travel to Greece should be like!
The ferry approaches the new port of Patras.
Travel from Patras to Athens by bus/train combo
On arrival at Patras port, take a taxi or bus the few kilometres from the ferry dock to the town centre. Every hour, a bus run by Hellenic Train links Patras railway station with Kiato, connecting with an air-conditioned electric train along the Aegean to Athens. Look out for the Corinth Canal as the train passes from the Peloponnese peninsula to the rest of Greece, blink and you'll miss it.
Connection to Corfu
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The Bari-Patras ferry calls at Corfu on certain dates in summer, check with www.superfast.com.
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It always calls at Igoumenitsa on the Greek mainland, all year-round. If you can't find a direct ferry to Corfu, book the ferry from Bari to Igoumenitsa, then take the local ferry from Igoumenitsa to Corfu with Kerkyra Lines (kerkyralines.com). These sail half a dozen times a day, crossing time 60-90 minutes, fare around €5-€10. Buy a ticket at kerkyralines.com or when you get to Igoumenitsa.