Travel

How to reach the Island of Spetses

There is no airport in Spetses. The nearest airport is Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos).

Bus transfer from the Athens Airport to the Spetses Hotel on Friday August 29^th.

For all participants that have signed up for bus transfer, we have organised a free transfer from Athens airport directly to the Spetses Hotel on Friday August 29^th. Bus number 1 (50 seats) will depart at 14:30 from Athens Airport and bus number 2 (20 seats) at 16:00. The journey including a short boat trip from the mainland to Spetses Hotel will take 4 hours. 

You will find the busses at the Touristic Busses parking spot through exit 5 and 50 meters on your right. The busses will be labelled with the logo/sign FEBS Spetses.

If you would not make it by 14:30 or 16:00 you just need to approach the Port of Piraeus and from there you take Hellenic Seaways fast ferry Flying Cat to Spetses. Departure 17:30 or 19:30. 

https://www.hellenicseaways.gr/en-gb

Note that we do NOT organize a bus transfer on the departure day; here you have to book a fast ferry trip to Piraeus on your own (see below).

Athens to Spetses (via Piraeus harbour)

Athens International Airport (AIA) is located 33 km north-east of Athens, and the Piraeus harbour is in the southern part of Athens. The travel time from Athens Airport to Piraeus is normally 1-2 hours by bus (X96; €6) or taxi (€50-60), and 1 hour by metro (€10). In the harbour you take the boat (hydrofoil or ferry) to Spetses, be aware that you must reserve these boats in advance. The travel time by hydrofoil from Piraeus to Spetses is around 2-2.5 hours by high-speed ferry or 4.5-5 hours by conventional ferry.

* From Athens International Airport - to Piraeus port:

1. Use Google Maps to plan your route to Piraeus port.
2. The metro is probably the best option to get to Pireaus port from the airport. The metro leaves from a station in front of the arrivals section. To reach Piraeus from the airport by metro, take the blue line (line 3) from the airport (there is only one line that leaves the airport) and and get off at the last stop. From there, the Hellenic Seaways departure place or the Alpha Lines, are less than a 5-minute walk. Metro travel information can be found here https://www.ametro.gr/
3. The Express Bus (X96) leaves from the designated area located at the Arrivals Level, right outside the Intra Schengen area, between doors 4 and 5. The trip takes about one hour and runs at least every half-hour Athens airportbus. The bus goes directly to the Centre of Piraeus. The bus terminal is within walking distance from the spot from where the boats leave for Spetses. For more information, the web site of the company that operates the public buses is OASA (Athens Public Transport Organization).
   Ticket price: €6.00 For ONE trip, from or to the airport.
   Where to buy: From the bus driver, or all metro stations and public transport ticket outlets.
   OASA-site or contact the OASA call centre on 185 (Monday to Friday: 06:30-23:30; Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holidays: 07:30-22:30).
   
4. You can also take a taxi. Taxis are easily available and cost from the Airport to Piraeus around 50-60 Euros. Ask before you start about the price and whether credit cards are accepted (some drivers take only cash).

* From Piraeus port - to Spetses and return

1. After you arrived to the Piraeus port you have to travel by boat - to the Island of Spetses (region Saronicos): Flying Cat (Hellenic Seaways) and Speed Cat (Alphalines) fast ferries are leaving several times daily. The high-speed ferry trip takes about 2-3 hours and a one-way ticket (economy fare) costs about €55.

* From Spetses harbour - to Spetses Hotel

1. By foot: it takes about 15-20 min to walk the distance along the water - starting from the main square to the right of Dapia Harbour as you look at it from the sea.
2. A water taxi takes up to 8 people. The water taxis are very close to the hydrofoils and they sail straight to the pier of the Spetses Hotel.
3. By hourse buggies: the horse buggies, which take up to four people are parked by the harbour in front of the Possidonion Hotel.

Alternative route from Athens to Spetses (via Kosta) by Bus

You can take the bus to Kranidi from the Intercity bus station (K.T.E.L.), which is located in Kifissos Athens (Tel. [+30] 210-513458).
From Kranidi there is a connection to Kosta with another bus, which is coordinated with the departure of the ferry boats. (tel. Intercity bus of Kranidi [+30] 27540-21218).
Kosta is located on Peloponnese opposite of Spetses and is about 600 m away from Spetses.
You can cross from Kosta to Spetses in one of the following ways:

• With the ferry boat (15 minutes), which make 4 scheduled departures daily all the year around (8.00 - 10.30 - 13.30 - 17.00).
• With the Spetses Express, which makes departures daily, approximately every 2 hours
• With sea taxi (3 minutes), which operates 24 hours a day, from Kosta to Spetses or Spetses to Kosta.

Visa information

If you need an invitation letter to attend the event, you will be able to download an automatically generated letter in pdf during your registration.