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Messinia
A tourist guide to this corner of the SW Peloponese
Travel
Pages explaining how to get here from UK:
Finikounda House for Sale - Close to the Beach!
House for sale in Finikounda
Anemomilos
Villa
How to buy a house in
Greece!
Updated 18 Jan 2011
Copyright, Jim Baerselman
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Travel to Messinia
Athens to Messinia by Bus
A cheap but more
challenging alternative to hiring a car is to take the bus. For this we
prefer to fly overnight to Athens, link to an early Kalamata bus, and
arrive in
Finikounda about 13:00, in time for a swim and siesta to catch up.
Alternatively (away from high summer!) 'do' the Acropolis and Plaka, an
attractive district: spend 2 nights at the small Hotel Adonis, near
Syntagma.
It's a two (or three) stage journey costing about €23 or so per person to Kalamata and a few euros more to reach Finikounda.
The first stage is a 1 hour 'express' (X93) bus from the airport to an Athens bus station. The second stage whisks you in 4 hours to Kalamata in a comfortable coach. There's a third stage if you're going to Finikounda . . . taxi or bus, depending on your patience, or whether we've offered you a lift!
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Pausing in Athens
OK, you're exhausted after the flight, so you'd like to pause overnight in Athens rather than rush on to your destination. We've often used the Hotel Adonis (info@hotel-adonis.gr) 500m SW of Syntagma (X95 from airport), for an overnight stop. Rooms are rather cramped and old, but good value at €45 with fine breakfast views of the Acropolis, and it's within the attractive Plaka district. Go mad, spend two nights and tour the Acropolis - but only if it's off season (crowds otherwise). The hotel will book you a taxi to the bus station - around €14.
Airport to Kifisos Bus Station
The X93 airport bus connects the airport with Kifisos Intercity bus station roughly every 35 minutes (65 minutes at night) and takes about an hour. From airport 'Arrivals', go outside and turn right. The X93 bus stop is near the N end of the building. Just before the stop is a kiosk which sells tickets. Your €3.20 (2010) ticket should be stamped in a machine when you board the bus. You'll tour Athens for an hour before wiggling through what looks like a junk yard. This heralds your arrival at Kifisos Intercity Bus Station.
Athens airport express buses also run to and from Kifisia (X92), to Ethniki Amyna metro station via two routes (X94 and X98), and, more importantly for most visitors, to Piraeus (X96 - for ferries) and for Syntagma (X95 - centre of town).
Kifisos to Kalamata
In the Kifisos ticket hall (which opens at about 5.30 am) find the Messinia/Kalamata counter in the far corner. Some Kalamata buses go on to Pylos and Methoni. Check the timetable for details. Buy your tickets, €19.80 single to Kalamata. Tickets allocate seat numbers on the bus, which leaves from the ‘Messinia’ platform (under cover just over the road on a corner). Buses for Kalamata take 4hrs or so, including a 10 to 20 minute refreshment stop at Tripoli (except expresses). Kalamata bus station is about 500m NW of the old town centre, and 2km north of Kalamata Marina. The marina can be reached by a further bus, but a taxi is easiest if you have any luggage.
Kalamata to Pylos, Methoni, Finikounda
If you're going onward, two of the Athens buses a day go on to Pylos and Methoni for about €4 or €5 extra fare, though they hang around for a frustrating (but relieving?) 30 minutes at Kalamata. Watch out for these when you buy your tickets back in Athens at Kifisos. Otherwise, check the local bus timetables in the Kalamata café/ticket office and decide whether you're going to take a bus or taxi to Pylos or Methoni. Taxis charge around €1 per kilometre: about €25 to Pylos, about €35 to Methoni, and about €40 to Finikounda.
Friends and Family for Finikounda
From Methoni (10min), Pylos (20min) or Kalamata (1hr 30min) we can usually pick you up - as long as you ring or text us with your arrival time as soon as you know it. We’ll plan our weekly shopping trip around your arrival - though sadly, our favourite Kalamata shops are closed on Sundays!
Back Towards Athens by Bus
For your return journey planning, check the bus timetables. When possible, it's best to buy tickets in advance from the KTEL office where you are going to board the bus, especially if travelling to Athens to catch a plane. This allows you to check the departure and arrival times. When you buy tickets, seats are allocated. Note that the local area services are very restricted or missing on Sundays.
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