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Spetses |
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Everything you want to know about Spetses… | |
How to get to Spetses
By Road:
From the Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos), we can arrange for a taxi to take you straight to Kosta, the closest point on the Peloponnesus mainland, and from there to the
island of Spetses.
If you are driving yourself, upon leaving the airport, you take the "Attiki" motorway, towards Elefsina. You then leave at the Epidavros exit, and follow the sign-posting for Spetses. You should reach Kosta in about 2.5 hours. From there, you can choose between 3 different ways to reach the island:
- by ferry boat, journey time 15 minutes, 4 times per day, all year round (please ask us about the ferry timetable).
- by kaiki (small local wooden boat), journey time 15-20 minutes, leaving whenever they fill up, run only during summer months.
- by water-taxi, journey time 10 minutes, available around the clock, winter and summer.
Private-use cars, of course, are not allowed onto the island. There is a paying car-park at Kosta for this purpose..
By Sea:
From the main port of Piraeus, you can catch the Flying Dolphin or Catamaran, belonging to the company Hellenic Seaways (www.hellenicseaways.gr), or the ones belonging to Euroseas (www.euroseas.com). You can find timetables and book online for both companies using the web addresses given above. The journey to Spetses is approximately 2-2.5 hours, sometimes a little longer, depending on how many ports the vessel calls at on the way.
Water on Spetses is a scarce commodity. As the island has no supply of its own to speak of, water is brought daily from the Peloponnesus mainland in specially adapted ships. It is for this reason that it is not recommended to drink the tap water on Spetses.
The town of Spetses is under a preservation order, and includes many listed buildings. It is for this reason that the archaeological authorities placed a ban on the use of private cars in all areas between Agia Marina in the east, and the old Anargyreio and Korialenio College in the west. The most commonly used modes of transport are mopeds and bicycles, and there are two bus routes, covering the coastal road of the town in both directions from the town centre, and some of the outer-lying areas. There are also taxis for hire (a total of 4!), plus a large number of horse-drawn buggies. Of course, the picturesque side-streets and alley-ways are always a joy to stroll down. Alternatively, if your destination is close to the water, there are many water taxis, and some kaikis (traditionally-built wooden boats). During the summer months, the part of the sea road which passes through the town is off-limits to private motorised vehicles of all kinds from 18:30 until 02:00.The relevant sign-posts can be found at the entrance to all streets leading to the forbidden area. Whichever one of the above you choose to move around on Spetses, please let us know so that we may help in making the arrangements you might need.
Public services operate from 08:30 until 14:00.
Shops open from 09:00 until 14:30, close for siesta, and re-open between 17:30 and 21:00.
During the summer months, many businesses will remain open all day long, and late into the night, including Sudays.
Banks:
ALPHA BANK (Dapia - 22980 75343)
NATIONAL BANK OF GREECE, (Dapia - 22980 72286)
PIRAEUS BANK (Clock Tower Square - 22980 75262)
(Tourist) Police - 22980 73100
Port police - 22980 72245
State Health Clinic - 22980 72472