Travel to Messinia

Air - To Athens or Kalamata?

The ideal way to reach SW Peloponese harbours and resorts is to travel by air to Kalamata (KLX). These charter flights (Schedules here) are only available May to October, and on Saturdays and Sundays from Gatwick and Manchester in the UK.

There are also charters to Kalamata from other European cities including Amsterdam and internal flights by Olympic Airlines from Thessaloníki and Iráklion (Crete).

On any other day, fly to Athens (ATH) from any London airport or continental hub airport and travel on by car , taxi or bus.

From regional UK airports it is worth exploring the possibility of flying to a continental hub and picking up an onward flight to Athens.

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Air to Kalamata

Charter flights to Kalamata (KLX) are ideal, but only run on Saturdays and Sundays in season. This page lists the schedules. Charter flights can cost up to £400 return when booked months ahead, but for those who don't mind uncertainty, late bargains are cheap at around £100. The most reliable way to check availability and price is to ring around the tour operators; alternatively a Google search for 'Kalamata flights' or try the web site of the flight-only tour operator, Kiss Flights.

- Onward from Kalamata.

Onward travel by taxi is cheap at about €1 per kilometre (approximately €1.20 to £1); that's about €10 to Kalamata marina, €25 to Pylos, or €40 to Finikounda. From Kalamata town bus station to the marina (€8 taxi) it is possible to catch buses (timetables here), but they're not really frequent enough to be convenient - especially on Sundays! Car hire can be arranged.

Air to Athens

British Airways (BA) and Olympic Airways run four and three flights, respectively, a day to Athens from Heathrow, Aegean Airlines and easyJet also run flights. This page lists details. When booked well ahead, return flights cost about £120. Late bookers pay a lot more - up to £500 for a return flight. Your choice of flight time and operator will depend which method of onward travel you choose, car or bus.

- Onward from Athens

By Car. If you hire a car from Athens (http://www.carhiresearch.co.uk/ppc/Greece/Athens-Airport/17096.html ) for the period of your visit (from about £150 a week, depending on size) the onward drive is about 4 hours to Kalamata, and 5 hours to Finikounda. Aim to arrive in Athens by 15:00 so that much of your drive will be in daylight. It's a picturesque, mainly good road, and the traffic is very light by English standards, if a little undisciplined. Click here for detailed driving directions . Car hire is available through Gordon and Wendy in Finikounda if you choose to travel by bus instead.

By Taxi. A one way taxi trip from Athens airport to Finikounda will cost €200, a not unreasonable sum for the convenience if you have four passengers. The trick is finding a driver whom you feel safe with! Our local Finikounda man,Takis Tsonis, is a sound driver with a new Mercedes (telephone: +30 27230 71312; or mob: +30 69 45 73 43 47). He doesn't speak too much English, so its best to book him through Gordon & Wendy's site, or us.

By Bus. A cheap but more challenging alternative is to take the bus, which takes about 6 hours to reach Kalamata (with changes) and about 1hr 30min onward to Finikounda. My preference is to take an overnight flight, arriving by 6am, then spend a gentle day cruising through the Peloponese in their rather comfortable coaches. Click here for a full description of the bus journey and time tables.

To plan your return flight you may need to know the return bus times. Timetables are here.

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