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How to travel to Aliki on the beautyful Island Paros
General information (early booking = cheap trip)
If you want a personal advice on how to get to Paros feel free to send us an e-mail. But maybe after you have read the following, you know how to get there by yourself. You need to travel a bit to get to Paros, with the boat or the airplane (Olympic Air or Aegean Air), but it is realy worth it and very nice. You will be able to enjoy a wonderful vacation without mass tourism or large hotels, even in the high season during July and August. It has nothing to do with the mass tourism of for example the Spanish coast/islands. On Paros there are no buildings or hotels with more than 3 floors. You will find no nightlife or discothques in Aliki . Just a few nice restaurants and beautifull beaches.
In order to fly to Greece, you can choose between different destinations; Athens, Mykonos or Santorini. From Athens you can fly to Paros with Olympic Air (or her partner Aegean Air). This takes about 35 minutes and costs about 85 euros each way. Olympic Air / Aegean Air flies 4 times a day in summer, but the seating capacity is limited. So keep this in mind and make your booking early if you want to fly. The ferries in the summer go often from Athens to Paros. The port of Athens is called Piraeus. It takes about 1 - 1.5 hours by subway or bus X96 from the airport to get there. If you fly directly to Mykonos or Santorini you can only go by boat to Paros. The ferry from Mykonos takes about 2 hours, Santorini and Athens about 4-5 hours by regular boat and about 3 hours by High Speed boat. These High Speed boats are therefore slightly more expensive per seat. There is also another port on the mainland closer "Athens Airport" named Rafina. Look on the Internet (www.polostours.gr) for the ferry from Rafina to Paros. These ferries are generally smaller than the boats from Piraeus (Athens) and go less often. The 15th of August is a national Greek holiday, with a big party on Paros because of the celebration of Mary in the church of Parikia (the port of Paros). Many Greek people traveling around that time, and it will be difficult to get a ticket. Try to avoid this date, to travel from Athens to Paros. |
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To fly to Greece * If you wish to travel from the Netherlands you can fly with Transavia, KLM, SwissAir, AegeanAir and Lufthansa. (TIP: If you book swiftly and you can be somewhat open in the data, you can go for around 200 euro’s return flight with Transavia. Alternatively, check the sites of Tix.nl, D-trips, Flyshop, Viva and Cheaptickets for different options. * If you are traveling from England you can find cheap flights with EasyJet, direct from London Gatwick Airport to Athens and Santorini. Or check the cheap tickets site Viva. * If you are traveling from France EasyJet is also possible. Or check the cheap tickets site Viva. * Other countries check the cheap tickets site Viva.
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If you want to have a connecting flight or boat on the same day, make sure you arrive early in Greece. If you arrive in the afternoon, there is a big chance you can not continue your travelling to Paros at the same day.
There is a hotel within walking distance from the airport, but it is not cheap. If you have to spend the night on the mainland, and have to take the boat the next morning, it is best to spend the night in one of the two ports; Piraeus or Rafina. Boat Times change sometimes but in general the boats from Piraeus to Paros leave around 6:00 to 7:00 o'clock in the morning, around 12:00 and around 17:00 - 18:00 o’clock in the afternoon. During the high season there are more boats, sometimes also night boats with cabines, which is a good option for the way back. Then you arrive early in the morning with the boat and can go straight to the airport to get the airplane. Check out this site for the boat times and boat tickets or reservations: www.polostours.gr. If you want to go by boat, it is best to get information about the ferries upon arrival at the airport. You can also buy your boat tickets there, for the outward and return journey. When passing through the glass doors of the arrival, go left (inside the building of the airport) and you will find a number of offices that sell boat tickets. Then you are sure of a ticket and the best connection for the boat. Do not forget to ask about the second port Rafina. Especially during the high season (July / August) it is better to buy tickets at the airport, then in the harbor. The taxi from the airport to the port of Athens (Piraeus) costs about 40 Euro. There is also a good bus and subway connection between the airport and Piraeus, and this costs about 4 euros per person, for the subway about 10 euros pp. Bus X96 run 24 hours a day from the airport to Piraeus, from the starting point to the end. X95 bus runs 24 hours a day from the airport to the center of Athens, the last stop at Syntagma square. You can also spend some time in the center of Athens and take the next or another day bus 40 from Syntagma Square to Pireaus.
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Google map of Paros with Aliki marked.
If you've arrived in Greece and want to continue to Paros with the plain |
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The fastest way to get from Athens to Paros is to take a connecting flight. This is only possible with OlympicAir or partner AegeanAir and takes about 35 minutes. They fly up to four times per day. Look at the site of OlympicAir for the flight schedule. Telephone in Athens of OlympicAir is (0030) 210 966 6666. If you have reserved a hotel through us we can arrange transport to your accommodation. If you want to rent a car or other vehicle for your own transportation, please email us 24 hrs in advance so that we can be sure the car is there.
Here are some hotels, in case you want to stay in Athens
On this site you will find surely a hotel that is suitable for you in Piraeus. Do not forget to indicate an area in Athens to make the search easier: www.greekhotel.com
If you come to Paros by flying to Mykonos or Santorini Mykonos and Santorini are the two closest islands with an international airport. From these islands you can also take a boat to Paros. From Mykonos to Paros takes about 2 hours and from Santorini to Paros takes about 4-5 hours. Up to date travel times can also be found on the site of Polostours. If for some reason you can not travel the same day from these islands to Paros, do not worry, because here are nice hotels where you can stay one or two nights. This way you avoid Athens and you can instantly enjoy your holiday, although on another Greek island.
If you have arrived in Paroikia, the port of Paros |
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Paroikia, port and capital of Paros
If you have arrived on Paros you can go by bus, taxi or rented car to Aliki.
* A taxi from the port to Aliki costs about 20 euros. If you want to take a taxi from Parikia, the port of Paros, to Aliki, it is best to book 24 hrs. in advance. To make a reservation, please call Kostas (who speaks English) at number: 0030 69 8181 0654.
* The bus station is right next to the harbor and a ride to Aliki cost about 3-4 euros pp. The bus runs several times a day up and down. Aliki has a number of bus stops, if you ask the driver to give a signal and you indicate which hotel you stay, he will tell you when to get off. (Bus timetable)
* If you want to rent a car, please e-mail well in advance so that this car will be waiting for you on arrival. (Reservation)
Should you decide to make the trip, then we wish you a good trip and we welcome you in Aliki.
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