Ferries between greece and italy

Captain jack

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Does anyone have any experience of these routes please? Am looking for one of the longer overnight ones, probably in September. Any comments on comfort, price, fun welcomed. There seem to be many choices of both companies and routes.
 
We, eight or however many it was on the Turkey Trot, went from Ancona to Igoumenitsa, overnight. It wasn’t hard.

https://www.ukgser.com/forums/showt...rkey-Trot-A-Ride-Report?highlight=Turkey+trot

From memory, I organised the tickets and cabins in advance. We rocked-up, I went and picked up the tickets, alongside lots of Turkish / ‘Stan / Greek lorry drivers. That was a bit of a process but I am very patient. Smoking was allowed in the booking hall and many of the drivers were a stranger to the soap. The real challenge came when off-loading at Igoumentisa, as our bikes were against a sidewall, blocked in by large lorries and a combine, which weren’t disembarking. The combine we had to climb under to reach the bikes. There was not then enough room to stand alongside the bikes to get on or push. Hey-ho, all just a normal morning in the life of Adventure motorcycling.
 
I’ve been from Ancona to Igoumenitsa and back a few times and also Bari to Patras.
Each time was with Superfast Ferries. The ships were clean, modern and compfortable.
The staff good overall and there is always plenty to eat.

The cabins were the usual fare. Bike strapping....I always carry a strap or two just in case. I think that they do it for you, but can’t remember exactly. Fun onboard???? It’s a ferry.....??

Departure times seem to have a certain “flexibility “ to them, if you know what I mean. It always seems to work though.

Ancona would me my choice of departure point in Italy, and the ride away from Igoumenitsa is through lovely countryside.
 
Oh, and if you book a berth in a shared cabin......

The ferry was due to depart at 10.30pm from Igoumenitsa but was delayed.....3am we boarded. I was tired.
Got the cabin key from reception, located cabin, unlocked door, stepped in and turned the light on.....

1 very unhappy Frenchman and a less than impressed Italian made various noises which I took to mean “turn that ‘kin light off!!”

iPhone torch was used instead, bunk located, sleeeeep.

The ferry does a triangular route, or used to, calling at more that 1 Greek port.
 
I've done the overnight Igoumenitsa to Bari superfast ferry route in May 2018. Got the tickets from an agent near the port ( it was a Saturday night )and it was about 90 euros each for a ticket, the bike and a couchette. Boarded at about midnight and had a beer or 2 we then went to the couchette area and it was not good. It was sweaty, loads of sleepers already snoring so I went to the purser and got a 4 berth cabin for the 2 of us which cost 100 euros, a good buy. Next morning a light breakfast and off we went across Italy. All in all a good experience with no negatives especially when you consider we got both tickets plus 2 bikes and a cabin for about 140 euros each.
We left the ship at about 09.30hrs so it was quite a civilised time. Incidentally, I think the money for the cabin went into the back pocket of the purser, so it will maybe cost more if booked in advance.
 
I’ve done Venice to Igoumenitsa a couple of times. Booked the tickets in the UK, I think we may have picked them up the day before sailing which was OK as we’d to unload the van and get it parked up for the duration of the trip, rode down to the port and all went swimmingly.

Apart from being the last off, and getting gassed as every single driver started their engine as soon as they got to their car and it took a good hour to offload everyone.

Took 24 hours, I’d go that way again for a Greece or Balkans trip


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I did a crossing from Vlore to Brindisi.

Departure times seem to have a certain “flexibility “ to them, if you know what I mean. It always seems to work though.

We left about four hours late IIRC, feedback from my fellow traveller regulars was that was perfectly normal.

Apart from being the last off, and getting gassed as every single driver started their engine as soon as they got to their car and it took a good hour to offload everyone.

Oh god, yes, this. And the Italians, sounding their horns impatiently.. Ear plugs a blessing.
 
Great to incorporate a trip to Venice on the way out and come back via Bari.
Some of the boats have a deck class.....it’s surprisingly windy and cold in the Adriatic at 2 am.

We shared a trip with a bunch of Hells Angels going to their annual convention in Greece a few years ago. What a weird ultra hierarchical organisation that is.


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Catching a much shorter ferry between Greek islands in 2019 made it very clear that the timetable was, at best, a vague indication of when the ferries might leave, all things being equal, perhaps, with a fair following wind.

Being very British and panicking because the taxi from villa to port had not turned up was all put into perspective by getting there 30 mins before planned departure time, as recommended, and having a 2-hour wait in the blazing sun. (Sami, Kefalonia to Pisaetos, Ithaca. Or may have been Cefalonia, or Cephalonia. Take your pick! Ithaca was an absolutely idyllic location though.)
 
From experience the more northern ports in Italy are preferable for the crossing to Igunemitsa as the A14 down the east coast to Brindisi etc is a nightmare for congestion and driving standards
 
Coming back via Albania and Kosovo was a great route, the first 100 miles or so of the coast road up Albania is one of the worlds better routes


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If you fancy a ride up to Albania you can take the shorter ferry from Durres to Bari.
The ferry itself was much like a Brittany ferry with decent restaurant, bar, shops etc. It was packed with what looked like Albanian families returning to Italy after their summer holidays at home - they were a delight to travel with - seriously.
The boarding process looked like an 18 century rugby match so we left them to it and squeezed on at the end. As others have said delays are normal - ours was running 10 hours late.
 
One comedy moment we avoided on the Turkey Trot was bods’ idea * to ride from Calais, straight to Ancona and “Just hop on the ferry”. A fine and cunning plan, until I pointed out that arriving in Ancona in the middle of the night when there was no ferry was, at best, pointless. So we went London, to Calais, to Milan in one hit instead. Then, the next day, Milan to Ancona.

The Easter dashes (an invention of Steptoe) were a great idea. Just turn up in Calais and set off. The original plan was Staples (as in corner) to Naples, the idea being to always set off on Good Friday and return back to London on the following Sunday. Steptoe also spoke to me about an Easter dash to the Arctic Circle.... until I asked if he wanted to establish two world records? Ever keen on seeing himself in the Guinness book of records, he said “Yes”. Excellent, I said, we are going at Easter to the Artic Circle on motorbikes. If it is colder than -18C then that will be one record broken. If it is warmer than -8C, that’ll be another. “Ah, it’s cold then”, he said. Yes, I said, the clue is in the word, Arctic. And that folks, is how we came to go to Morocco, instead.


* An idea, is not a plan. There was no plan.
 
we are going at Easter to the Artic Circle on motorbikes. If it is colder than -18C then that will be one record broken. If it is warmer than -8C, that’ll be another. “Ah, it’s cold then”, he said. Yes, I said, the clue is in the word, Artic. And that folks, is how we came to go to Morocco, instead.


* An idea, is not a plan. There was no plan.

Wouldn’t Bilco be better arranging an Artic circle ? :)
 
The “ Circle” is no bother from U.K. up through Scandinavia ,,, but the safe weather window is short
June till maybe end of July ( ish )
This was June
 

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The “ Circle” is no bother from U.K. up through Scandinavia ,,, but the safe weather window is short
June till maybe end of July ( ish )
This was June

“Let’s do the time warp, again............. “ :D
 
Same paraffin pony :camping:Motomartin different temp 34c
July 2020
 

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Sorry ,,digressed there :D ( Tis an age thing :D)
Ferries
We had a jaunt to Greece and used Ancona / Patras
Back via Igomenitsa ,,, all quite straightforward .
Fish n chips Greek ferry style :thumb2
 

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