Travel Plans
Participants to the NLL 2018 Conference, reaching the Athens Airport have the following ways to reach the island on Spetses: (Plan 1) from the Athens airport go (via metro or bus [your choice]) to the Port of Piraeus and board the boat/ferry to the island of Spetses, or (Plan 2) if you have a big problem travelling by boat or you want to drive a car, drive all the way, from Athens to the town of Costa [or the town of Porto Heli], park your car (because private cars are not allowed to the island of Spetses) there and board a water-taxi (or a scheduled boat) to hop you to the island of Spetses. Below are details for following these ways.
Plan 1. Athens Airport to the Port of Piraeus to the island of Spetses
(Plan 1a) Airport to Piraeus by Metro
Cost: 10 Euro | Time: 1.5 hours |
First, find the metro station at the airport.
The Metro (from the Airport) runs every day, 06:30 to 23:30, and tickets cost 10 Euro (single) or 18 Euro (return). You can buy a ticket from airport’s train terminal station. You must validate the ticket by putting it through a slot (to be time-stamped) at the gate to the train platform, before you board the train.
From the train terminal at Piraeus, you have to walk for a couple of hundred meters (to your left, as you see the sea upfront after you exit the terminal). The boat/ferry leaves from gate "E8" - ARGOSARONIC. Sometimes the ferries (especially the "flying dolphin" hydrofoils) are docked between gate E8 and E9.
(Plan 1b) Airport to Piraeus by Suburban Railway
Cost: 10 Euro | Time: 1 hr |
This new suburban railway line connects directly the Athens International Airport «Elefterios Venizelos» to Piraeus port, with daily schedules every hour.
(Plan 1c) Airport to Piraeus by Bus
Cost: 6 Euro | Time: 1 hr 30 min - 2 hours |
The X96 Airport Express bus leaves directly outside the arrivals area of the airport (between doors 4 and 5). Take this bus nearly to the end of the line, at Piraeus harbour. The name of the bus-stop (at which you should get-off) is "ΠΛ.ΚΑΡΑΙΣΚΑΚΗ" (Karaiskaki Square).
From the Port of Piraeus to the island of Spetses
(Plan 1) Catching the boat/ferry (Flying Cat or Flying Dolphin )from Piraeus to Spetses
Cost: 35 - 45 Euro | Time: 2-3 hours |
The official Ferry schedules are available online. (Click "Highspeed" and look for Piraeus-Spetses).
You can buy your ticket at Piraeus, or pre-book it online, and pick it up at the Harbour. The boat/ferry office is called "Hellenic Seaways Maritime S.A." and can be found very near where the boat/ferry leaves, at Astiggos 6, Karaiskaki Sq., 185 31, Piraeus. It seems you can also pick up these tickets at the (many) sales booths on the harbour itself, and at some automated "e-ticket" collection machines.
Piraeus to Spetses costs 38,50 Euro (economy) each way (correct as at May 2017). On the bigger "Flying Cat" boat, business class tickets of about 48,50 Euro may be available.
The ferry leaves from gate "E8" - ARGOSARONIC. Sometimes the ferries (especially the "flying dolphin" hydrofoils) are docked between gate E8 and E9. Ask at a "Hellenic Seaways" booth to confirm where your boat is.
(Plan 2) Airport to Costa to Spetses
[Preferable only if you have a strong aversion to move by boat/ferry, or if you want to drive]
First, travel to the town of Costa (by car, taxi, or bus). Costa is about 150 km from Athens, on the Argolis peninsula of the Peloponnese. It is the closest point on the mainland to the Spetses island. If you drive, head in the direction of Corinth, then take the exit for Epidavros. Head for Kranidi, Porto Heli, and finally Costa. A taxi should cost 200 - 250 EUR and take about 2 hours.
As cars are not allowed in the island of Spetses, from Costa (or the nearby town of Porto Heli), you have to take a water-taxi to the island of Spetses. A water taxi is a small boat that holds up to 8 people. They run on demand, 24 hours per day. The fare can be a little higher between midnight and 6 am.
The price is per trip, not per person. That is, two (or more) people in the water-taxi can share the cost. In practice this means that the water-taxi trips can be very cheap. Kosta to Spetses may cost 25 or 30 euro, and Porto Heli to Spetses may cost 45 or 50 euro, one way.