best way from Athens to Patras
 

Hello, we are flying into Athens and traveling to our timeshare in Patras and wondered the best way to get there. RCI suggested train. Does anyone know where the train station is in Athens? Is that better than the bus (time, expense, etc.)?

Use this link for a good map of Athens:

http://www.athensguide.com/map/athens.htm
You will see that the train station is in the quadrant east of Omonia, to the left of the RED word "ATHENS" and above the red word "METAXOURGEIO."

Here's a link to KTEL, the Greek national bus system website:

http://www.ktel.org/en/direct_routeways.asp

KTEL for the bus system always cracked me up. That's the name of a US company that put out pop hit music compilation records in the 70's & 80's. :-)

I hated KTEL's website last August when I was researching my Greece trip. Whenever you put in "Athens to Patras" for example, it would say no routing. If you put in "Athens to Corinth" then maybe "Corinth to Patras" you might find routings. Combine this with the multiple Roman spellings of the cities and it became very frustrating. I hope it's better now but I haven't looked since my trip in October.

From the airport I took the suburban rail to the Acharnes Junction. 2 tickets were 12euro. At the Junction you have to exit the building, cross the tracks with a pedestrian bridge (no elevator) and walk a hundred yards to the west to get to the National Rail station.

www.ose.gr (Not that their website is much easier to use then the bus site! Click "EN" in the upper right corner to get English.}

On the rail website use the search buttons and select "Athina" as your start and "Pirgos" as your end. It will give you a list of trains and the times they run. If you click on the train number you'll see all the intermediate stops. "Patrai" is Patras on this web site.

2 first class tickets to Diakopfto were 26euro. In Greece 1st class turned out to be just a few euros more then 2nd class and was more comfortable.

Just outside of Corinth watch for the deep canal dug through solid rock. The entire train trip you're on the coast between hills and the water. It's very pretty.

Here's a map of the Athens metro/suburban rail:

www.urbanrail.net/eu/ath/athens.htm

For something unusual and gorgeous I highly recommend the cog rail at Diakopfto. It's breathtaking scenery. Make sure you book 1st class to get a seat at the end of the train. And make sure to book ahead of time at any train station especially for a weekend. It's very popular.

By the way I'm thrilled to be able to share this knowledge. It took me many, many hours to figure this all out. I'm happy my hard-earned knowledge isn't going to waste. :-)

Here's a link to my trip report:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34535452

It has been many years since I used public transport between Patra and Athena but for what it is worth:
The train was a terrible piece of junk, probably the worst I have ever seen in Europe. The bus was a modern comfortable cruiser with cushioned chairs and air conditioning. The bus got me back to Patra in less than half the time that the train took in the other direction.
To find the bus or train station look for signs in the city or the airport. Everything is posted in Greek and in English. Or hire a taxi. Taxis are not expensive in Athena. Many people speak English. BTW, what is RCI?

I believe you're looking for the Larissa station in Athens, which is very convenient because the Metro (Red?) line and the excellent Suburban Rail from the airport also converge there. Many Greek trains in and out of Athens were improved prior to the Olympics.

Hello! I would suggest you to go to Patras by bus. It will take about 2,5 - 3 hours non stop.
I don't think that you'll have a problem finding a ticket when you get to the station. I'll check if i can find a timetable somewhere and send it to you.

For 'repete' above:
I don't think that trains for Patra leave from Larissis Station. There is another station close by for Peloponese.

The railway to Patra is a narrow-gauge single track line, which means that trains can only pass one another at stations, so delays are common. The Intercity trains are comfortable enough and have a bar, but are not of the same standard as trains in Western European countries. They normally have just three carriages so are often fully booked (reservations are compulsory). Fares are very low. Buses are quicker and leave about every half hour so there's no problem booking a seat. They are more expensive than the train.
Personally, I prefer the train - the scenery's better and you can relax and have a drink - but it's often more convenient to get the bus because of their frequency. The trains all start from Pireas before going to Athens, so have an advantage if you're arriving by ferry, but that's not relevant in this case. The railway stations in Athens are close together: as I remember it, you have to go over a footbridge and walk a few hundred yards to get from the main station to the Peloponnese station.

christine,
You are absolutely correct, trains head north from Larissa. A little brain freeze on my part. Sorry for the bad info.

Thanks for all the great help on our trip, we too are traveling to our timeshare in Patras. I found the timetable on their website. Can't wait, we leave May 11th!