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Reach the EuroVelo routes in Greece by Boat
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EuroVelo 8 | The Mediterranean Route

• Igoumenitsa Port
The international port of Igoumenitsa is among the most important ones in Europe, a “Connection Portal” not only of Greece with the rest of Europe, but of the whole of Europe with the Balkans, the Black Sea and the Middle East, through the development of combined transport (maritime & roads) directly and long-term (through the Egnatia railway), incorporating the railroad. The city is built on the easternmost end of the Gulf of Igoumenitsa in the Ionian Sea, surrounded by green forests and blue crystal waters with beautiful sandy beaches such as the ones of Drepanos and Makrygiali, both of them situated on the northwestern edge of the Gulf of Igoumenitsa. The archaeological museum with exhibits from ancient times until the Byzantine period, is worth a visit. In recent years, the city has become a growing cruise destination, as cruise station for visits to archaeological sites and natural beauties of Thesprotia but also of the entire Ionian coast and the Ionian islands.

• Patras port
Patras city, with a history spanning four millennia and European Capital of Culture in 2006, is Greece’s third-largest city and the regional capital of Western Greece, in the northern Peloponnese, 215 km (134 mi) west of Athens. The city is built at the foothills of Mount Panachaikon, overlooking the Gulf of Patras. Dubbed as Greece’s Gate to the West, Patras is a commercial hub, while its busy port is a nodal point for trade and communication with Italy and the rest of Western Europe. The Rio-Antirio bridge connects Patras’ easternmost suburb of Rio to the town of Antirrio, connecting the Peloponnese peninsula with mainland Greece. Every year, in February, the city hosts one of Europe’s largest carnivals: notable features of the Patras Carnival include its mammoth satirical floats, balls and parades, enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of visitors.

• Piraeus port
Piraeus is a port city in the region of Attica, located within the Athens urban area, 12 kilometres (7 miles) southwest from its city center (municipality of Athens), and lies along the east coast of the Saronic Gulf. Piraeus has a long recorded history, dating to ancient Greece. The city was largely developed in the early 5th century BC, when it was selected to serve as the port city of classical Athens and was transformed into a prototype harbour, concentrating all the import and transit trade of Athens. During the Golden Age of Athens the Long Walls were constructed to connect Athens with Piraeus. Consequently, it became the chief harbour of ancient Greece, but declined gradually after the 4th century AD, growing once more in the 19th century, especially after Athens’ declaration as the capital of Greece. In the modern era, Piraeus is a large city, bustling with activity and an integral part of Athens, acting as home to the country’s biggest harbour and bearing all the characteristics of a huge marine and commercial-industrial centre. The port of Piraeus is the chief port in Greece, the largest passenger port in Europe and the second largest in the world,servicing about 20 million passengers annually. The city hosted events in both the 1896 and 2004 Summer Olympics held in Athens.

• Corfu port
Corfu or Kerkyra island is the second largest of the Ionian Islands and, including its small satellite islands, forms the north-westernmost part of Greece. It is bound up with the history of Greece from the beginnings of Greek mythology. Its history is full of battles and conquests from the ancient times all through the Middle Ages, with castles punctuating strategic locations all across the island. In 2007, the city’s old quarter was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Being a crossroad of civilizations, Corfu is a very popular tourist destination for its superb natural beauty and its rich cultural heritage in arts and music, while Corfiote cuisine is a culinary experience.

• Zakynthos port
Zakynthos or Zante island, being the third largest of the Ionian Islands, is connected to the mainland of Greece through “Kyllini” port in north-western Peloponnese. It is highly visited by tourists due to its undeniable natural beauty of “blue caves” cut into cliffs and rare rock formations with arches. The island is the birthplace of Greece’s national poet, Dionysios Solomos (1798–1857), who was the central figure of the Heptanese School of Literature, consisting mainly of lyrical and satirical poetry in the vein of Romanticism prevalent throughout Europe of the time.

EuroVelo 11 | The East Europe Route

* Thessaloniki port
The Port of Thessaloniki has one of the largest passenger terminals in the Aegean Sea basin, as the city is also turning into a major tourist port for cruising in the eastern Mediterranean. The city is the second-largest city in Greece, located on the Thermaic Gulf, at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. It is bounded on the west by the delta of the Axios river. Renowned for its vibrant cultural life, Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, it was an important metropolis during the Roman era, among the largest and wealthiest cities of the Byzantine Empire, therefore it is home to numerous notable Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.

• Skiathos port
Skiathos is a small Greek island in the northwest Aegean Sea. It is the westernmost island in the Northern Sporades group, east of the Pelion peninsula in Magnesia on the mainland, and west of the island of Skopelos. Skiathos with its many sandy beaches and green landscape is a popular tourist destination. There is a regular boat service connecting the island with the rest of the Sporades islands and with the Greek mainland through the ports of Volos and Agios Konstantinos.

• Volos cruise port
Volos is a coastal port city in Thessaly situated midway on the Greek mainland, about 330 kilometres (205 miles) north of Athens and 220 kilometres (137 miles) south of Thessaloniki. Being the only outlet to the sea from Thessaly, among Greece’s largest agricultural regions, Volos is an important industrial centre, offering facilities for conferences, exhibitions and major sporting, cultural and scientific events, while its port provides a bridge between Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Volos was the homeland of mythological hero Jason, who sailed in quest of the Golden Fleece accompanied by the Argonauts. To the west of Volos lie the Neolithic settlements of Dimini and Sesklo, with the remains of the oldest acropolis in Greece (6000 BC), and also the foundations of a palace and mansions among the most characteristic examples of Neolithic civilization worldwide.

EuroVelo 13 | The Iron Curtain Trail

• Thessaloniki port
The Port of Thessaloniki has one of the largest passenger terminals in the Aegean Sea basin, as the city is also turning into a major tourist port for cruising in the eastern Mediterranean. The city is the second-largest city in Greece, located on the Thermaic Gulf, at the northwest corner of the Aegean Sea. It is bounded on the west by the delta of the Axios river. Renowned for its vibrant cultural life, Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of the ancient kingdom of Macedon, it was an important metropolis during the Roman era, among the largest and wealthiest cities of the Byzantine Empire, therefore it is home to numerous notable Paleochristian and Byzantine monuments, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as several Roman, Ottoman and Sephardic Jewish structures.

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