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BY CAR TO GREECE
If you have time on your hands and plan to stay a few weeks then driving to Pelion is a good choice. It is not the cheapest option unless you are staying for a few weeks, since the price of overnight stays and the ferries soon add up. There are, however, many fabulous routes through Europe, and the trip is really good fun if you allow enough time to enjoy it.
The fastest route is to cross France to Bern in Switzerland, then take the Gottard Tunnel into Italy to Venice. The boat departs from Venice Island, giving you outstanding panoramic views across Venice. We tried this route and it was really lovely. We took four nights to make the journey, staying in a Logis in France on the first night, by the Swiss lakes on the second night, and in Venice on the third and fourth night. We had a full day in Venice to enjoy ourselves, and each leg took between six and seven hours driving.
One suggestion for a memorable round trip is listed below.
Outward. Take the route nationale through Rouen to visit Monets Gardens at Givernay, then down through the rolling hills of the french wine and champagne regions to Lyon, a beautiful old french town with amazing murals on the buildings. Take the Frejus tunnel to Italy, enjoying the mountain roads and scenery. Travel through Milan and visit the magnificent towns of Pisa and Florence, before catching the ferry at Ancona. At Patras, take the non-motorway route, past Delphi, where the oracle of Apollo once gave advice, then on to Pelion.
Return. Take the road to Igoumenitsa via the Byzantine monasteries of Meteora, perched precariously on the tip of towering rocks. Take the ferry to Venice and enjoy the splendid canals and piazzas. Take the road to Verona and catch Aida in the open air at the ancient arena. Travel up the shores of Lake Garda and over the Alps via the Brenner pass into Austria. Visit Innsbruck, a picturesque Tyrolean town nestling in the heart of the Alps. Travel via Ulm through the black forest to Stuttgart, and follow the Rheine to Heidelberg, an old university town with a castle. Cross back into France via Saarbruken and Metz to Reims, home of many fine champagnes
The drive is approximately 1300 miles each way, depending on the route you choose. Using the motorways makes it very fast, but you have to pay tolls. The national roads add a lot of time onto your journey, and are not worth the effort unless you are sightseeing along the way. Allowing about a week for each way would give you time to enjoy the journey and the sights, and still cover about 250 miles a day.
The ferry crossing from Italy to Greece is 20-30 hours, depending which route you take. Cabins are not cheap, but the journey is far more enjoyable if you treat yourself to one. We tried the "aircraft seats" and only lasted four hours before begging for a cabin!
Greek Ferries
Ferries from Venice, Ancona, Bari and Brindisi to Igoumenitsa and Patras.
Speedferries
Cheap ferries from Dover to Boulogne.
Norfolk Lines
Cheap ferries from Dover to Dunkirque.
It is possible to travel all the way from Waterloo to Volos by train. There are various routes to choose from and you can break the journey in any way that appeals to you. A possible route is: London - Paris - Vienna - Budapest - Bucharest - Thessaloniki - Larissa - Volos. A European Rail Card allows you to take detours from your chosen route. We haven't tried this journey personally but have been told it is wonderful.
BY RAIL TO GREECE
Seat 61
Travel from London to Greece by train in 48 hours. Info on prices and routes to Greece by train.
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