Arrival in Chania

The city of Chania is the nearest port of entry to Kolympari.

By air

Chania can be reached by air from the Athens airport. Athens is served by the "Eleftherios Venizelos" Airport. This airport is serving Greece's national carrier Olympic Airlines for both International and domestic flights. Olympic Airlines has several domestic flights to Chania per day. Another Greek carrier Aegean Airlines also flies from Athens to Chania. Alternatively, some international air carriers which provide direct flights to Chania or Heraklion (the capital of Crete) without connecting through Athens, may provide a more economical flight. See the section below on "Arrival in Heraklion" for this option.  

By sea

Chania has daily sea connection with Piraeus (the port of Athens) via ferry boats. Piraeus can be reached from the airport using the Athens metro system, public bus, or taxi. Here is an unofficial guide to getting around in Athens, including instructions on getting to the Ferry Boats. Here is a Greek Island Ferry Schedule. The journey may last from 5 to 11 hours (the faster ferries are more expensive).  The bay of Souda serves as the port of Chania. Taxis from the port of Souda to the Academy cost approximately 35.00-40.00 €, about the same as from the airport.

Transportation from Chania to Kolympari

Most overseas visitors will arrive at the Chania International Airport, which is located approximately 15 km from the city of Chania and 39 km from Kolympari. For those arriving on Sunday (August 23) afternoon or evening, a bus may become available for transportation to the Academy. Please inform the organizers by email to Prof. K. Iatrou in advance about your arrival times so that arrangements can be made for transportation.

 

Those arriving at other times should take a taxi to the Orthodox Academy in Kolympari from the Chania Airport, which costs approximately 35.00-40.00 €. Alternatively airport buses can transfer passengers to Chania center where they can get a taxi to the academy, or a local bus. The cheapest - but also the most inconvenient - way to reach the conference center is to take the bus from the airport to Chania city and then to Kolympari. This, however, will bring you about 1 km from the Orthodox Academy.

Arrival in Heraklion

If you fly to Heraklion (the capital of Crete), there is a bus connection (departure every hour) between Heraklion and Chania. The journey takes approximately 3 hours. You may then take either the bus or a taxi to reach Kolympari. You can also rent a car and drive.

Useful Information about Traveling to Greece

Information about travel in Greece from the Greek National Tourism Organization (G.N.T.O.)

Passports - Visas

A valid passport is required for travel to Greece. Whether or not a Visa is required to enter Greece depends on your nationality, your proposed length of stay, the purpose of your visit and the type of passport or travel document you hold. Greece along with certain other countries in the European Union now issue a uniform Visa called The Schengen Visa. The Schengen Agreement covers the following ten member-states of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Portugal and Spain.The Schengen Visa allows the holder to travel to, or through, all Schengen member countries, including Greece or move freely within them. All travelers should get in touch with the appropriate office, well in advance to their scheduled trip, as changes take place quite often and might not be posted on the site.

For holders of regular passports of the following countries who wish to visit Greece and stay up to 3 months NO visa is required:

Andorra Argentina Austria Australia Belgium Bolivia Brazil Canada Chile Costa Rica Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark El Salvador Esthonia  Finland France Germany

Guatemala The Holy See Hungary Iceland Ireland Israel Italy Japan Lettonia Lichtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mexico Monaco The Netherlands New Zealand Nicaragua

Norway Panama Paraguay Poland Portugal San Marino Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain Switzerland Sweden United Kingdom USA Uruguay Vatican Venezuela

  Please check VISA requirements that may apply to you with your travel agent before traveling

Facts for the traveler

Electricity supply	220v, 50 Hz AC
Time	two hours ahead of GMT/UTC; three hours ahead during daylight-saving time
Weights & measures:	metric
Currency	EURO (currency converter)