Before departing for our overseas adventures, I attempted to research the buses from Athens to Preveza. But no matter how many different combinations of search terms I used, the internet proved to be too difficult. All I could find was a bus timetable, but no information on where the bus departed from or how much it would cost. So, throwing my hands in the air, I copied the bus timetable details and left the rest to chance!
Upon arrival at Athens airport (Eleftherios Venizelos Airport), we found an airport information lady and asked about the buses. First of all, she could not understand our accent, so having our destination (Preveza) printed on paper proved to be a lifesaver! She was accommodating, giving us instructions about where to walk and the bus would be right outside. We were super impressed! Could it be this easy? We followed her instructions and queried another staff member (to make sure), and she also gave the exact instructions.
However, once we reached the bus, our hearts sank.. surely we were not going to survive a 6-hour bus ride on a rickety old bus that did not have air conditioning! So with heavy hearts, we approached the ticket desk only to find out that this was not the bus! It was simply a bus that did the circuit between Athens airport and the central bus station! So, wondering if we would make it in time for our bus departing in 30 minutes, we purchased our tickets and survived a rickety ride to the bus station that lasted about 1 hour.
How to catch a bus from Athens Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos Airport) to Athens bus station:
- At Athens airport, walk to exit 5
- Directly outside the door, there is a ticket window on your left-hand side.
- You must buy a ticket to the bus station from the ticket desk – It costs 5 euros per person.
- The 93x bus will stop on the road, straight in front of the ticket window.
- Once on the bus, you must validate your ticket in the machine onboard.
Upon arrival at the bus station, we were impressed by its size and the number of buses. However, we could not figure out where to buy our tickets to Preveza! After a bit of aimless wandering and asking around, we found out they were to be purchased from a ticket office within the mall area, which happened to be right next to where we had initially been got off the bus.
Our tickets from Athens bus station to Preveza cost €37.30 per adult. Luckily, figuring out our bus stop was more accessible than buying the tickets because each bus parking space is signposted with its destination.
Once onboard the 1.30 pm bus, we made ourselves comfortable, knowing we still had 6 hours. Not to mention were feeling a little tired from our 6 am start in Istanbul that morning. We quickly took over the front seats and spread out across two chairs. It was a speedy ride between working on our laptops, taking photos of the sights out the window, and having a cheeky power nap!
During the 6 hour journey to Preveza, we went over the Corinth Canal and the Rion-Antirion Bridge and stopped for a 15-minute toilet stop where I treated myself to ice cream! Unfortunately, our extended day did not end once we reached the Preveza bus station. The lady in charge at the station was accommodating, but the language barrier produced a slight miscommunication.
She informed us we did not need a €15 taxi and that the €1.60 bus to Akito coming in 20 minutes would take us to Cleopatra Marina. So, being trusting, tired, and not knowing any better, we jumped on the bus as the lady instructed our Greek driver where we were going. After 15 minutes of winding around the roads of Preveza, our driver proceeded to pull over on the main road and tell us that we were at Cleopatra Marina. We looked at him with what must have been horror! We were in the middle of farmland/wasteland with the sight of yacht masts far off in the distance. So we began the long walk down the narrow road to Cleopatra Marina, laughing at ourselves and wondering if putting out our thumb to hitch a ride meant the same in Greece as it does back home!
Even though the day was long, the buses were well worth it – we were about to start our adventure sailing from Greece to Italy!