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RAFINA - THE FERRY HARBOUR NEAR ATHENS
From Rafina, one of the harbours close to Athens, you can reach many islands in the Cyclades very quickly, depending on what kind of a boat you are on. There are ferries and highspeedboats going to the islands. Most of them depart in the morning or at the end of the afternoon / beginning of the evening. On some days there are also boats which leave later until about 11 in the evening or around. Check at the website of Openseas on the internet. If you are lucky you will see a beautiful sunset from your boat as we did. Rafina is a quiet alternative to the much larger port of Piraeus. The destinations are Andros, Tinos, Mykonos, Paros and Evia. From Tinos and Mykonos you can take another ferry to a whole bunch of other Cyclades islands. The journey from the airport to the port of Rafina takes about 30 to 45 minutes by bus or taxi. When you walk out of the airport of Athens you will see the bus stops with the departure times of the buses to Rafina. There are no night buses. Buses will be in time to meet the ferry and they cost around 3 or 4 euro. Tickets for the trip to the islands you can buy in the ticket offices that are situated opposite the place where the ferries depart. They open for a while before the ferry departures. If you take a taxi to Rafina you ask for the price before you get into the taxi (the price is fixed but there are taxi drivers that want to take advantage of tourist- I speak from personal experience). If you want you can also reserve a taxi ahead. Suppose you have a bad time on your flight and you must spend a night in Rafina and wait for the ferry the next day than it is absolutely no punishment to stay overnight in Rafina. It is a cozy village with some nice taverna's in the harbor and with a nice atmosphere. You can just start your holiday right here. The same for the return flight: it's a great place to stay the night before you fly back home. If you want you can also book ferry tickets ahead (especially handy in case you are with a car - check for Agoudimos Lines). |
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Rafina Hotels - Hotel Avra Airport Ideally located for a visit combining city and island trips, this hotel is within walking distance of the ferry, town square and airport bus terminal. Awake in your comfortable bed and greet the sunny day. Take the short, pleasant stroll to the ferry port to take a trip to the glorious islands of Mykonos, Siros, Tinos and Andros. Or you can stay closer to the hotel; just 200 metres away is Raffina’s blue flag beach. Rafina town is one of the most colourful and vivid places of Attika, with a variety of fish tavernas, bars and restaurants by the sea. The new conference hall of Avra Airport Hotel has capacity for up to 250 people, and the beautiful verandas overlooking the bay of Rafina make this renovated and pleasant hotel an ideal choice for meetings, conferences and product launches. Check availability and prices & book Hotel Avra in Rafina CLICK HERE |
Hans Huisman 2009, www.angelfire.com/super2/greece