Survival Guide
1. Coming to Greece
2. Coming to Patra
3. Getting around Athens
4. Practical Information
The official arrival Date is Monday,17 July. If you are planning to arrive on an earlier date please inform us beforehand.
There are three options for your arrival to Greece.
1.1 Airplane
Araxos
Unfortunatelly Patra doesn't have an airport. The nearest airport is Araxos (40km away) but there aren't companies that serve the routes throughout the whole year. However during the summer there are many charter flights. These are:
| HAPAGLLOYD |
| SKY EUROPE |
| SWISSAIR |
| CENTRAL WINGS |
| AUSTRIA |
| AIR MEDITERRANE |
| AEROPOSTALE |
| STARAIRLINES |
| JET AIR |
| TRANSAERO |
| LITUANIAN |
| HABURG |
| TRAVEL SERVICE |
Eleftherios Venizelos
The major airport of Greece that serves the most international flights is Athens' International Airport "Eleftherios Venizelos". Many airlines have direct flights to Athens. The two biggest Greek air carriers are Olympic Airlines and Aegean Airlines.
You can also search for flights by reffering to your local airlines.
An extensive search for air connections between various destinations can be performed on this website (unfortunanately, the data base does not contain low cost airlines). There is also a number of cheap companies offering flights to and from Greece, especially the summer period. The following list contains the most important among them:
| Company | Destinations |
| German Wings | Flights from Athens and Thessaloniki to Germany |
| Air Berlin | Flights from various Greek airports (including Araxos) to Germany |
| EasyJet | Flights from Athens to Berlin, London and Milan |
| Virgin Express | Flights from Athens to Brussels |
| Sky Europe | Flights from Athens to Budapes, Bratislava and Krakow |
| Wizzair | Flights from Athens to Katowice (Poland) |
1.2 Ferry-boat to Patra
If you are coming from Italy (or nearby places) this is a good option for you. Ferries travel from Italy to Patra many times a day and offer a confortable and cheap way of coming to Greece. You are also arriving to the city where the Summer University will begin directly and don't have to use extra means of transportation. Ferries that arrive to Patra depart from the following Italian cities: Ancona, Bari, Venezia and Brindisi. Depending on schedules, you can get a ticket with a return trip for less than 100 euros. Various companies operate ferry lines to Greece, the most important among them being Superfast, ANEK, Minoan and BlueStar.
For alternative options you can check this website.
1.3 Train (to Thessaloniki)
The following trains depart daily to and from Greece for the following destinations:
"Trans Balkan": Budapest - Thessaloniki (through Bucuresti and Sofia)
"Olympus Express": Ljubljana - Thessaloniki (through Zagreb, Beograd and Skopje)
"Hellas Express": Beograd - Thessaloniki (through Skopje)
"602" for Svilengrad
If you intend to come by train from another Balkan country, we recommend you buy the Balkan Flexipass rail pass.
For further information, you can reffer to the official web site of the Greek Railway.
Unless you took the ferry directly to Patra, you will need to use internal transportation to come to Patra.
2.1 Coming from Athens to Patra by bus
In order to take the bus for Patra you have to go to "KTEL Kifissou", the central bus station in Athens serving trips to Peloponnesus. A bus trip to Patra takes about 2,5 hours (express bus) or 3 hours (regular bus). They both cost about 14 euros. You have to issue a ticket for Patra when you get there, look for a sign called "Patra" or "Achaia" at the ticket office. Advanced booking is not necessary. You can see the timetables in this site (From: Atiiki, Athens To: Achaia, Patra). To get to "KTEL Kifissou" you have the following options: You can get there directly from Athens airport by taking bus X93. You will get off the bus at the end of the line. If you find yourself in the center of Athens, you can go to "KTEL Kifissou" by taking bus 051. To take bus 051 follow these instructions: From Omonoia square (metro station Omonoia) find the street "Agiou Konstantinou" that starts from Omonoia. Take this street and turn left at the 3rd street (called "Menandrou"). The bus stop for bus 051 is a few meters away. The following map of Athens may be useful (courtesy of Greek National Tourist Organization)
2.2 Coming from Athens to Patra by train
Train is a bit cheaper than bus but takes some extra time (approximately 4 hours). To take the train to Patra you have to get to "Larissa Train Station". To get there do the following: Take the Metro and go to the direction of Sepolia and get off at "Larissa Station" (it could also be displayed as "Stathmos Larissis”). Please reffer also to the map of Athens and the website of the Greek Railway. From airport you can also take a train and go to Larissa station (frequency: every 20 minutes from 06:05-20:20).
2.3 Coming from Thessaloniki to Patra by bus
You can come either by bus or train. Bus is a bit expensive, 23 euros, but is faster and more confortable and has a direct route three times a day for Patra. Buses for Patra leave from "Makedonia Bus Station". You can issue tickets at the station, look for signs called "Patra" or "Achaia" at the ticket office. You can see the timetables here (From: Thessaloniki To: Achaia, Patra). To get to"Makedonia bus station" from the train station you need to take bus numbe 1.
2.4 Coming from Thessaloniki to Patra by train
There are not directly trains from Thessaloniki to Patra. You have to take a train from Thessaloniki to Athens and then take another train from Athens to Patra.
The days of July and August are by far the hottest in Greece. So, be equipped with light cloths (t-shirts for boys and short skirts for girls!) and of course a swimsuit (if you need one). It is also a good idea to have a jacket just in case, although most probably you will not need it. Furthermore, you should have with you a sleeping bag and a mattress for the camping site and athletic shoes for the trekking! We are also looking forward to taste your national drinks and possibly listening to your national music!
Although we will be very kind with you :-), it is important to have a travel insurance during your stay in Greece (E111 form for EU citizens). It's all Greek to me!
Although are primary language during the Summer University will be the English (and the body language), it will be possibly good to learn some words and useful expressions in Greek:
| English | Greek |
| Hello! | Gia! |
| Good morning | Kalimera |
| Good bye! | Gia! or Adio! |
| Yes | Ne |
| No | Ochi |
| Where? | Pou? |
| Thank you | Efcharisto |
| Excuse me | Signomi |
| Please | Parakalo |
| Water | Nero |
| Beer | Bira |
| I don't understand | Den katalaveno |
| Do you speak French? | Milate Gallika? |
| Beautiful woman | Oreo gomenaki |
| Handsome Man! | Paidaros! |
| Shall we dance? | Chorevoume? |
| I am more romantic than other men | Ime pio romantikos apo tus allus |
| Would you like to see my stamp collection? | Thelis na dis ti silogi gramatosimon pou echo? |
Costs
The Greek currency is the euro (€) made up of 100 cents. Euro coins come as 1c, 2c, 5c, 10c, 20c, 50c, 1 and 2.
Euro notes come as 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500(oh my God!). All euro notes and coins are legal tender throughout the euro zone, regardless of their country of issue.
If you come from a country not using the euro, you may find the latest exchange rates here.
In Greece you will not have any problem finding an ATM for taking money, as most machines accept also foreign cards.
In the following list you can see some typical price ranges currently found in Greece.
| Commodity | Price Range |
| Beer (super market) | 0.80 - 1.20 |
| Beer (pub or club) | 3 - 5 |
| Hamburger | 3 |
| Mineral Water (1.5 l) | 0.80 - 1.5 |
| Cheap Dinner | 4 - 6 |
| Medium Dinner | 8 -14 |
| Medium Pizza | 6 -10 |
| Shampoo | 4 - 8 |
| Cigarettes (20) | 2 - 3 |