MarkMag, are you having a Giraffe?

A leisurely drive to Greece for a holiday, with a maximum of ten days total, is to my mind impossible, never mind expensive.

Unless you are planning on driving for a solid 24 hours, and that would be going through the Balkan countries which are not considered safe, it is impossible to combine leisurely drives with a holiday in the middle all in ten days. If you go by ferry from Italy to Greece, it is expensive and takes around 14 hours. The drive from the port of Igoumenitsa to Halkidiki takes around 4 hours. The drive to Halkidiki from Thessaloniki is just over an hour to the first part of Kassandra peninsula.

The cost of fuel in Greece, and also in France, Italy, Switzerland etc. is the same or higher than UK prices.

Much better for ten days to get a cheap flight a hire a car.

You have full details provided above about the drive over.

1500 road miles, 14-24 hours ferry (shortest ..Brindisi-Igoumenitsa but all the way down Italy`s leg) 4-10 hour drive from whichever port ..then a holiday then drive back..all in ten days..no hope or bob hope..take your pick !

Mart I wonder if you would be kind enough to give a few more details of your trip (costs for hotels,ferry,petrol tolls etc) And any suggestions for best motels/hotels to use would be very welcome.My husband and son are making the journey from Greece to UK in August,and husband is elderly so would need as non=strenuous a journey as possible.I'd be much obliged for any further suggestions/advice you can offer from your fairly recent experience of this journey,as costs have probably risen quite a lot since some of the earlier posts. Many thanks..... Anne Macmillan

Hi MarkMag

You have no chance of doing this 'leisurely' in 10 days! sorry When we moved over to Thess a few years ago my hubby did the journey in 3 days via Ancona to igoumenista ferry then on to Thessaloniki he only had 4 hours sleep and a rest on the ferry, so if you do it leisurely you hols will consist of driving with maybe a day at the beach. In 2009 it cost 400e one way without the ferry ticket. No hotel either.

Hope this helps a bit

Jane

Hi Mart, we are driving from southern England down to Greece (ultimately Symi) in a few weeks' time and I would like to take you up on your offer of detailed route etc if you're still on this site. Currently looking at Dover-Calais and Brindisi-Igoumenitsa, or Ancona-Patras.
Would appreciate any further info - your route looks good -
thanks very much,
Lucy

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LucyB
Hi Mart, we are driving from southern England down to Greece (ultimately Symi) in a few weeks' time and I would like to take you up on your offer of detailed route etc if you're still on this site. Currently looking at Dover-Calais and Brindisi-Igoumenitsa, or Ancona-Patras.
Would appreciate any further info - your route looks good -
thanks very much,
Lucy

Hi Lucy

You will find all the information you need in my post in this thread dated November 7.

If you need any further advice please email me at mj.ingreece@gmail.com

You need to cross the channel, by boat, ot train, when you get to France, head for Italy but not on French Toll roads, too expensive, go to Belgium Luxembourg, Germany, Austria..you might need either a GPS device or..a map, you know, one of those books with lines representing roads, which you can look at, from time to time, to see if you are heading in the right direction ! Or..you could plan your journey with one, who knows !....After Austria going over the Brennar Pass, it`s downhill to one of the ports in Italy which you will need to go to, to get on a ferry , Venice, Ancona, Brindisi etc., depending on how much time you want to spend on a boat or in your car You can choose which one you want, and the next decision you will have to make is which port you disembark, You could stop at Corfu if you want, Igoumenitsa, if you want to drive to Thessaloniki, or Patras, gets you to Athens

Hi Mark,

You will need about 40-45 hours drive and it will cost you ~350 pounds each way if you decide to go through the Balkans plus any breaks you think you might need. Check the Vignettes you will need in Austria-Hungary and any insurances you might need for non EU countries such as Serbia and FYR Macedonia. Alternatively you can pass from Bulgaria after you ve left Serbia

If you decide to take on the Ferry from Italy then you should add another 15-20 hours plus another 200 pounds each way on the top for extra costs such as ferry costs and having to go though the French tolls (if you decide to go through that route). Halkidiki's location in northern Greece means you don't really gain lots of mileage if you take the ferry route relative to the Balkans route but it is a simpler route since you dont have to deal with many border crossings and different currencies.

It is not difficult to drive through the main routes in Europe if you are well prepared eg if you have a satnav or if you have printed a route map before you start your journey eg try the viamichelin website.

But

it is NOT a journey worth doing if you only have 10 days to spare. Especially on September, you should be able to find cheap tickets to go to Greece and there you can spend the spare monies on a car hire and travel the county around. Don't forget Halkidiki is a big place to explore with many different beaches to visit. In September the low season for Halkidiki tourism is well underway so you should be able to shop around for cheap car-hire and accommodation

Hi, I have bought a house in Kos an I am planning to drive there from DukinfieldCheshire. Can you share routes and advice to make the planning easier ?

Kos is nowhere near Halkidiki?

Easy peasy..Duckinfield M6 to M1 to M25 to M20 to Dover, ferry to Calais, crossthrough europe by the shortest route you can find, heading for Turkey... Bodrum..get a ferry to Kos !!

Have a look at Thassos Solo Travellers Page on Facebook. Lots of info.

Hi Jane,
Well, it depends on the wants and desires of your voyage to the Greece. If you want a comfortable and friendly journey without any hassle and tussle, then Ferrai would be a stunning choice. But, if want to go for economy and budget friendly needs, then car hire or taxi cab service should be used instead of Ferrai. There are many top class companies around operating within and outside of the UK. Try to go through the company reviews before hiring or booking any cab.

I will be driving over in April.
A couple of days leisurely drive to Ancona.15 hours on the ferry to Igoumenitsa and then another 4-5 hours slow drive to Halkidiki.

My wife and I want to drive from Newcastle upon Tyne to Kefalonia Greece by car and would like the best route and ferries.

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Ian & Val
My wife and I want to drive from Newcastle upon Tyne to Kefalonia Greece by car and would like the best route and ferries.

Try using the AA,RAC and Via Michilin route planners online.They are free to use and have options like fastest and shortest routes,avoid tolls avoid motorways etc

A1 to M25 to M2 destination, Dover for ferry (unless you want the chunnel)... Calais, Dunkirk, Brugge, Gent, Brussels, Namur, Dinant, Luxembourg,Saarbruken, Karlsruhe, Stuttgart, Ulm, Innsbruck, Brenner pass, Bolzano, Trento, Verona,Venice..Ferry to Igoumenitsa or Kerkira* (Corfu) or Patras.... OR Modena, Bologna,Rimmini, Ancona(ferry to Igoumenitsa or Kerkira*(Corfu) or Patras... OR Pescara, Foggia, Bari, Brindidsi Ferry to Kerkira* (Corfu) or Patras then ferry to Kefalonia

Whether you go by road all the way down Italy or get a ferry at Venice is up to you. You`ll need a ferry from either Corfu or Patras to get to Kefalonia so it`s six and two threes as to the longer sailing from Corfu to Kefalonia or a longer sailing to Patras and a short hop to Kefalonia .Better to drive to Halkidiki from Igoumenitsa, across Northern Greece to Thessaloniki and to Pefkohori !!! (or anywhere on the Kassandra peninsula come to think of it !!)

Do not use French Autoroutes, they are pay as you go and fekkin expensive..Don`t go through Switzerland, they hate cars and speeding fines are "on the spot" and expensive too, plus you need a "tax stamp for the windscreen to be legal" very expensive if you are only passing through for a few hours.

If you are not in an automatic, the route from the top of the Brennar pass is a freewheel all the way, apart from one or two level sections when you need to drop into top gear to keep the speed up.

Hi Mart.

I am planning to ride to Greece (Zante) next summer and the route you took really interested me. If you could send me a detailed plan of your route ( that's if you still have one) that would be fantastic.

I have worked in Greece for many years and would now love to travel by motorbike rather than catching the plane. I feel I am missing so much by flying each year.

I hope to hear from you soon and if you can help me, I will truly be grateful.

Best wishes

Paul

Hi Paul.
Have a look at Michelin route planner. It lets you choose things like fasest,shortest route,avoid tolls,motorways etc.It then gives you a choice of some routes and you can print out a detailed route

Paul. if you read the above messages I left for others wanting to use overland transport to Greece, you`ll see there are many alternative routes. What I would steer clear of is France, the quickest routes are Paiage, and expensive, the Belgium/Germany/Austria/Italy route is the most interesting, particularly if you want to see the Maginot Line and/or the Siegfried Line and the Menin Gate in Ypres. Call in at a Belgian brewery etc.