Living my myth in Greece

Hey guys. I'm about to hop on a flight to Greece (Athens) and have a couple questions. First and foremost, what is Greece's bus system like? Looking on the KTEL website it seems complicated as frick because each region of Greece has its own website with a seperate timetable and shit rather than just one public transport resource/app like most countries.
I also wanted to ask about the ferry situation in winter. I know that ferries don't run as often but if I make my way to Chios in the morning am I going to be stranded for the day? Or will there still be 1 or 2 Ferries?
Any resources or tips are greatly appreciated.
I'll be in Athens for 7 days but will probably spend 2 or 3 of those days visiting surrounding cities and spots like Corinth, Delphi, etc.
After that I'll be going to Malta but returning to Greece for 5 days and was thinking of maybe doing Crete (and another island if there's time).

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  1. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Kys shill

  2. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Yeah Greece is moronic and disorganized like that to make each regional KTEL it’s own fiefdom with separate websites and ticketing.

    Korinthos alone has the canal and medieval Castle with its nearby archaeological site. By bus or suburban rail it’s 1 hour from Athens or so, so you should stay in a hotel by Korinthos. The canal and castle are quite far from each other. The harbor near the city center is also cool to stroll down. By nearby Loutraki there is a very good spa with affordable massages.

    I also know a few good urban exploration spots on the outskirts of Korinthos if anyone is interested. I reached them via bicycle.

  3. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I’ve been in Greece now since November 19th.

    So far in Greece:
    — I’ve received 3 massages
    — I’ve done 2, 2 hour mountain bike technique sessions in Athens on Mount Ymittos with Ride Greece
    — I’ve done a session of a muscle scraping technique in Tripoli called Ergon, plus cupping and osteopathy for an hour
    — I’ve seen 2 concerts(Voivod + the Greek rock band Γυμνά Καλώδια)
    — I’ve attended 2 plays
    — I saw one Greek standup comedy act
    — I saw a combination of a standup act that had a portion parodying Greek songs akin to Weird Al(Αποστόλης Μπαρμπαγιάννης/Τσολιάς)
    I’ve bowled once(alone…)

    Just to give people ideas of different things to do besides the usual tourist bs of museums, visiting ruins and getting drunk. Some options like the plays and standup aren’t available to non-Greek speakers. Though I think that the National Theater or others have English subtitles offered during plays. You can see what concerts are available in Athens here:
    https://www.athinorama.gr/music/guide

    Other Greek cities have different sites listing their cultural events. Patras has patrasevents, Chania in Crete where I’m at now has:
    https://www.chania-culture.gr

  4. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    Going to Greece, then going to Malta and returning to Greece seems moronic to me on so many levels: it’s a gross mismanagement of time, waste of money. It’d be better to do everything you want to while staying in Greece only once and then heading to Malta.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      It's moronic but suitable for what we're doing. We want to be in certain countries for certain dates and this is the best way for us to do it.

  5. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I got back from Greece about 2 months ago.
    So firstly, I found the KTEL buses quite good, the KTEL website is how I got my tickets, I can't recall exactly how shit the website is but I don't remember ever having a hassle with getting tickets. It's a good habit to just ask someone at the counter to double check your ticket when you get there.
    I can't tell you how often ferries will be running but I found the overnight ferry to Crete quite nice and a good way to be cheap since you don't have to pay for accommodation for a night (even if you have to sleep on a couch). If money doesn't matter to you though, flying may be preferred.
    I think Crete is well worth the visit. The people there wish Crete was it's own country which makes for some funny cultural quirks, and the Cretans were exceptionally friendly. Heraklion is a lovely city even if it's not exactly a tourist area, the Rocca a Mare castle was incredible and is the must see attraction if you ask me. On the other hand, KNOSSOS SUCKS! The ruins of knossos are mostly fake and for someone who is actually interested in history like me that was an unpleasant surprise! Crete is littered with nice little beaches and resort towns and the KTEL buses go to most of them, funnily enough there was a town called Bali which I really liked but since you're going in winter I don't know how nice those beaches will be. Crete is actually renowned for it's skiing in winter. I did not have time to visit Chania, but people I met in Crete all seemed to like it. I stayed at Intra Muros Hostel in Heraklion. If you visit Crete you will have no need to go to other islands.
    I also went to Santorini, I did not think it was worth the money despite the instagrammable coastal architecture. I like to stay away from tourist traps but there were other people involved which is why I was there.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I visit Greece in November and December. In off peak season I would recommend just buying tickets at the KTEL station shortly before departing. Unless you want an express route(no stops) to Athens to another major city like Patras, Thessaloniki, in which case those tickets sell out quick and you need to buy them beforehand. But during peak season you may likely need to buy most tickets beforehand.

      I just spent a month in Greece and honestly didn’t like it much. compared to Italy it was super boring and the people were no where near as friendly. Very run down as well in most places besides the islands. Idk not what I expected

      Italy receives a larger gross amount of tourists, but it's population is 5x more than Greece's. Greece receives far more tourists per capita, so more Greeks are over-saturated with tourism and over being awed about the foreigners about them. If you visit some remote village, it would mean more, but not in a tourist trap.

      [...]
      [...]
      can you rent a boat and sail around from island to island? that's always been my fantasy.

      You can rent a boat, but it would likely cost a lot, you would need insure and a boating license and experience. Getting escorted by a captain in a private sailboat would likely cost even more. You'd likely need to be fairly wealthy. I just got a taxi from Gytheio to the Diros cave and back and just that ran me 90 Euros. A sailboat captain would likely charge more I imagine.

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      You should have really took a flight/ferry to Chania and not Heraklion.Plus Chania is less of a flight or ferry trip since it's closer to Athens. I just spent 4 days there and it was awesome. They had these cool little alleyways everywhere that were fun to explore. The city also has amazing historic layers, one minute you are walking past the remnants of an ancient Minoan settlement, then you are going past a ruin from Venetian rule, then from the Byzantine period, then perhaps an Ottoman hamam.

  6. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    I just spent a month in Greece and honestly didn’t like it much. compared to Italy it was super boring and the people were no where near as friendly. Very run down as well in most places besides the islands. Idk not what I expected

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      I got back from Greece about 2 months ago.
      So firstly, I found the KTEL buses quite good, the KTEL website is how I got my tickets, I can't recall exactly how shit the website is but I don't remember ever having a hassle with getting tickets. It's a good habit to just ask someone at the counter to double check your ticket when you get there.
      I can't tell you how often ferries will be running but I found the overnight ferry to Crete quite nice and a good way to be cheap since you don't have to pay for accommodation for a night (even if you have to sleep on a couch). If money doesn't matter to you though, flying may be preferred.
      I think Crete is well worth the visit. The people there wish Crete was it's own country which makes for some funny cultural quirks, and the Cretans were exceptionally friendly. Heraklion is a lovely city even if it's not exactly a tourist area, the Rocca a Mare castle was incredible and is the must see attraction if you ask me. On the other hand, KNOSSOS SUCKS! The ruins of knossos are mostly fake and for someone who is actually interested in history like me that was an unpleasant surprise! Crete is littered with nice little beaches and resort towns and the KTEL buses go to most of them, funnily enough there was a town called Bali which I really liked but since you're going in winter I don't know how nice those beaches will be. Crete is actually renowned for it's skiing in winter. I did not have time to visit Chania, but people I met in Crete all seemed to like it. I stayed at Intra Muros Hostel in Heraklion. If you visit Crete you will have no need to go to other islands.
      I also went to Santorini, I did not think it was worth the money despite the instagrammable coastal architecture. I like to stay away from tourist traps but there were other people involved which is why I was there.

      I’ve been in Greece now since November 19th.

      So far in Greece:
      — I’ve received 3 massages
      — I’ve done 2, 2 hour mountain bike technique sessions in Athens on Mount Ymittos with Ride Greece
      — I’ve done a session of a muscle scraping technique in Tripoli called Ergon, plus cupping and osteopathy for an hour
      — I’ve seen 2 concerts(Voivod + the Greek rock band Γυμνά Καλώδια)
      — I’ve attended 2 plays
      — I saw one Greek standup comedy act
      — I saw a combination of a standup act that had a portion parodying Greek songs akin to Weird Al(Αποστόλης Μπαρμπαγιάννης/Τσολιάς)
      I’ve bowled once(alone…)

      Just to give people ideas of different things to do besides the usual tourist bs of museums, visiting ruins and getting drunk. Some options like the plays and standup aren’t available to non-Greek speakers. Though I think that the National Theater or others have English subtitles offered during plays. You can see what concerts are available in Athens here:
      https://www.athinorama.gr/music/guide

      Other Greek cities have different sites listing their cultural events. Patras has patrasevents, Chania in Crete where I’m at now has:
      https://www.chania-culture.gr

      can you rent a boat and sail around from island to island? that's always been my fantasy.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Yes, I rent a yacht when I visit the Mediterranean, just make sure to get one with a helipad so you don't waste time at the airport

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        You can, but I t’s kinda spendy, and now is not a great time for it. It’s pretty cold and rainy. Like 50s and cloudy most days. It would be pretty fun in the summer time though.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Yesterday I was in Paleochora, Crete and it was warm enough during mid-day that I stripped to a short sleeve shirt. At night I needed a long sleeve. The weather is not that cold. The next few days even Athens is going to hit 68+ Fahrenheit.

          OP here, I'm in Athens now and having a great time. Love the vibe of the city. It's dirty and grimy but also comfy as frick. Been to a bunch of the ancient ruins in the city the past few days and I also went to Mycenae and Epidaurus today.
          Love that I can get a bottle of water for 0.13 euros
          Won't be doing any islands until I come back but I'm looking at Crete and Santorini or Paros.
          Most of the islands I want to do are off the coast of Turkey (Rhodes, Chios, Samos and Patmos) so is it easier to just do those when I go to Turkey in the future or is it a pain in the ass considering Turkey/Greece relations and taking a ferry from EU to non-EU?

          Rhodes is a big island and you can easily spend over a week there. There is alot to see there. The huge castle and all the little stores and houses in it are so cool. Chios is also a pretty big island, but I never been there. There could be a lot to see.

          It seems like you are planning on barely seeing anything and hopping from place to place. For example you went to Epidaurus, but you didn't go to nearby and beautiful Nafplio with its ancient castle. Years back I saw Nafplio but not Epidaurus. You also could have stopped in Korinthos and seen the sights there(canal, castle, archeological site by the castle).

          • 1 year ago
            Anonymous

            >It seems like you are planning on barely seeing anything and hopping from place to place. For example you went to Epidaurus, but you didn't go to nearby and beautiful Nafplio with its ancient castle. Years back I saw Nafplio but not Epidaurus. You also could have stopped in Korinthos and seen the sights there(canal, castle, archeological site by the castle).
            It was all part of one tour. I ended up just wanting a day where I could chill so I booked a tour that was Epidaurus and Mycenae but there was a stop in Nafplio and Corinth canal. Nafplio was beautiful

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      City buses are crowded as frick and only really a thing in athens and thessalonity. But they'll get you where you want to be. Athens also has a subway.
      Intercity buses/coaches are run by regional companies. You'll need to call or check their website to find the schedule, usually no pre-booked tickets since there's enough availability although you can usually book by phone.

      We're getting sick of tourists. In the 90s and early 2000s it was exciting to meet someone from a foreign country. That was pre-broadband pre-tourist explosion.

      From the mid-2010s on resentment started kicking in. Islands and city centres are turning into a greek themed disney world, useful businesses are displaced, roads are crowded, all the tourism related jobs are shit, and the real estate prices EXPLODED. Airbnb execs will definitely rot in hell if there is one.

      Imagine living with a Greek salary trying to compete with someone from Germany or US on a holiday budget. Just doesn't fricking work.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Let me know when you get tired of refugees, junkies and communists then maybe you can worry about some boomer spending $200 a day eating shitty food and getting mugged at the acropolis

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        One of my distant relatives in Patras(3rd largest city) lives a little less than 2 miles out of the city center and pays like 260-270 Euros for a 2 bedroom apartment that isn't small(it is isn't big either) which includes an enclosed courtyard. I just met another distant relative in Paleochora, Crete a tiny town of 1,8000(and a very crowded tourist destination in summer) and he pays about the same for a one-bedroom apartment but he knows the landlord and they have frozen his rent price since the early 2010's. His rent would likely be much higher. This gives a good idea of how foreigners distort the local result market.

        But he said the minimum wage in Paleochora is like 5 Euros an hour, while in most the rest of Greece it is a bit above 3 Euros an hour. Still it isn't enough to compensate. All the restaurants in tourist areas like China and Paleochora are much more expensive than the rest of Greece. Locals can't as easily dine out with these kinds of prices.

        But tourist jobs are better than working at some soul sucking factory. But factories don't distort the local economy so it is a trade-off.

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          That's a typo, I meant to type Chania in Crete(not China).

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        I wasn’t balling out and I don’t expect Greeks to treat tourists like royalty. It was just kind of a depressing place and I didn’t think people were that friendly. I get where you’re coming from but it’s not like the people coming to Greece are doing it to frick with locals. Your government is the one that advertises it as a trendy spot for foreigners to come visit.

  7. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    OP here, I'm in Athens now and having a great time. Love the vibe of the city. It's dirty and grimy but also comfy as frick. Been to a bunch of the ancient ruins in the city the past few days and I also went to Mycenae and Epidaurus today.
    Love that I can get a bottle of water for 0.13 euros
    Won't be doing any islands until I come back but I'm looking at Crete and Santorini or Paros.
    Most of the islands I want to do are off the coast of Turkey (Rhodes, Chios, Samos and Patmos) so is it easier to just do those when I go to Turkey in the future or is it a pain in the ass considering Turkey/Greece relations and taking a ferry from EU to non-EU?

    • 1 year ago
      Anonymous

      >Love that I can get a bottle of water for 0.13 euros
      Honestly, bottled water is the one thing that Europe (not just Greece) gets right. Even in western/central Europe, a 2-litre bottle costs a few cents, bottle deposit included.
      Where I live, a bottle that isn't even 1 litre can be over a dollar. Sometimes more than 2 dollars, depending on the brand.

      • 1 year ago
        Anonymous

        Bottled water is just stupid and wasteful. For one this thread is about Greece. Most the tap water in all parts of Greece is drinkable and of good quality. My uncle in the outskirts of Korinthos used to have undrinkable tap water that was visibly brackish back when I visited him in 2001. But after a big gap I visited him in 2014 and his tap water was excellent.

        If I get a water bottle, I keep refilling and refilling it until its no longer usable or disgusting.

        Bottled water is a scam, in the 1970's everyone thought you were an idiot if you bought water. In 70's America only one niche company Perrier had overpriced bottled water. Now so many morons want bottled or "spring" water everyday...

        • 1 year ago
          Anonymous

          Tap water used to be safe in America when America was run by white men but that's just not true anymore or true in much of the rest of the world but if you are too poor and brainwashed then drink your polluted water

  8. 1 year ago
    Anonymous

    So I had a ferry booked to leave Heraklion yesterday at 9 pm and arrive in Piraeus at 6 am. I arrived at the ferry terminal to learn it was canceled because of strong beaufort and stormy conditions. Apparently according to the guy at the ANEK/Bluestar ferries counter I was not notified of the cancellation via an SMS text because I didn't add 0030 to the phone number I gave! I didn't do that because I specifically got a Greek SIM card to contact my relatives and Greek businesses, so I figured I didn't the country code to dial out to Greece since I had a local Greek number.

    I asked three of my cousins that if as natives if they would have known to put the country code. Two admitted that they didn't know. One wrote: "Shit happens, welcome to Greece."

    But I was the only one at the ANEK/Blue star ferry counter, so I guess most the other Greeks received SMS's or emails somehow. But there were lots of pissed off Greeks, some even with luggage at the Minoan Lines counter.

    To compound things -- because I didn't learn of this cancellation till I wasted half a day packing up my stuff, and waiting doing nothing in the hostel, I had to get raped buying a last minute Aegean Airlines flight to Athens for €170.30.

    I can seriously see why my grandparents left this country back in 1967, It is like they deliberately want to not succeeded as a nation.

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