# Details of Greek campsites we used Spring 2010



## Grizzly

This might be useful:I'll put them in the database when I'm home and have a proper keyboard and mouse !

Italy: Night before the ferry: Camper Club Adriatica sosta at Posatora -via Sanzio Blasi , Ancona- N43.60033 E 13.48537) This is 12 euros per night and has the usual facilities plus electricity as well as being situated across from parkland and having good high open views. It is on the bus route to the harbour so you can go in and collect your actual tickets and boarding card ( if you have the internet booking voucher) the night before and so save yourself some faffing about next day.

GREECE . We were there in April and May 2010. We had 3 sources of discount and used them, hence all prices shown are low season, plus discount. The discounts are available all year with either the Camping Card International ( 10-20% discount) or Magic of Europe Traveller's Camping Club ( the first site you visit in Europe gives you a voucher and this is exchanged for a booklet in Greece which gives you a 10% discount with Sunshine Camping Club of Greece sites - and a free bottle of retsina at your 5th site!) or Harmonie Campsites ( the map and stamp page for this can be obtained at a participating campsite or from the ferry offices -20% discount)

Camping Rion Patras: ( N 38.30583 deg E 21.77968 deg) turn left off the boat when it docks- go through the dock gate and turn left again and then continue along the sea front until the road turns right and goes on to the main road . Follow the signs to Rio. About 7 km from the dock along the same seafront, at the end of the Rio-Antirio bridge in Rio.

Small family-run site which is well shaded (trees) but has only a few spaces for long vans. Friendly reception, clean but dated facilities. We did not use the showers as we deemed them to be electrically unsafe - they have small electric heaters attached to the taps and with various wires loose around them. 10 amp electricity. At least one restaurant on site and several others nearby. Beach across the road. Rio-Antirio bridge is only 300m from the entrance and there is a Frankish fort there which is interesting. No noise from the bridge oddly enough but wonderful views and you can walk right under it. The car ferries also go from here ( bridge tolls 12 euros/ ferry said to be half that) There are a few small shops. Quiet at night except for Scops owls ! [20euro/night]

Camping Isthmia Beach: Epidaurus road, Korinth. (N37.89011 E23.00750)
From Patras come off the motorway at the Epidavos turnoff and, at the bottom of the slip road turn right. Continue through Ishmia village for about 6 km and the site is off to the left and well-signposted. (If you want to stop to view the Corinth Canal dropping bridge on the way then turn left a in Isthmia village - signed Old National Road and continue for about 2 km until you come to the canal and the bridge. Plenty of parking and one or two tavernas with views of the canal.
Nice site, full of orange trees- help yourself- and hedged pitches with plenty of shade. The site is separated from a shingle beach by a fence so some sites have sea views. Good clean sanitary facilities with plenty of hot water, internet access ( free) at Reception and a small minimarket in season. Fish restaurant at the entrance to the site and a restaurant on site. Helpful reception.
[18euro/night]

Camping Mycaena: Mykines. A very small site in the back yard of a lovely friendly family . About 8-10 pitches but would be quite intimate if all occupied. We were the only ones there and felt a little intrusive. Shaded by high bamboo covered shelters. Clean showers and loos and all made attractive by flowers, ornaments and furniture (Not suitable for large vehicles but it is well signposted in the middle of the village; a right turn going towards the ancient site). The site is in the middle of the village and there are shops and places to eat. The ancient Myceanae site is about 3 km - uphill on busy road- from the site but there is limited parking for vans when there. No internet. This might be a difficult one for larger vans. There is another, bigger, campsite at the entrance to the village ( Camping Atreus (N37.71900 E22.74165))

Camping Athens, Athens. (N 38.00933 E 23.69552) See MHFdatabase entry and advice about the necessary U turn to reach the site from the Patra direction. Very clean sanitary facilities with plentiful hot water.Friendly reception with necessary information for getting into town. Some pitches have ( high) shade netted shelters, others, nearer the gate, have shade trees. No shop on site but plenty within an easy walk of the site and the buses to Athens are from the entrance. 
Going into town involves taking your life into your hands and crossing an 8 lane highway; coming back the bus stops outside the site. The site is noisy as there are roads on all sides of it but it is very convenient for the city. If- because of public transport etc strikes- you have to get a taxi back from town then you will pay about 7 euros. Bus/Metro tickets are available from Reception. If you validate the metro part of the ticket within 1 hour of starting your journey then it will only cost you 1 euro to the city centre. Free internet all over site. (29 euro/night)

Camping Bacchus, Sounio (N 37.67620 E 24.04957)Another rather quirky site. Lots of statics but mostly hidden in the trees. Short walk to the bottom of the site to the beach ( sand) and a good walk along the headland. Most transient pitches are under high shade netting and we don't think there are many of them but suspect they will wedge people in somewhere. This might be a tight site for big vans. Clean sanitary facilities ( don't assume the ones by reception are the only ones) with unlimited very hot water and good showers. Bar, restaurant and minishop on site. Internet free from the bar veranda but would not reach our van though we were quite close. No other shops close by but there are plenty in Lavrio and parking is free close to the MyMarket supermarket. [21.60 euro/night]

Camping Ramnous, Marathon. (N 38.13154 E24.00773) Holiday site on a good beach. Transient pitches are all shaded and hedged and reasonable size on gravel. Good sanitary facilities, shop, bar and restaurant in season and washing machine and tumble dryer at reasonable price. ( 3+3 euros) Swallows and martins nesting in the communal kitchen and ladies showers so, as there is no glass in the windows, you are dive-bombed as you shower as they fly in and out! No useful shops in walking distance so stock up before you arrive. No internet access working (early May 2010)but this is due to change very soon. [22 euro/night]

Camping Apollon, Delphi... (N 38.48364 E 22.48131) and stunning views from this site. This is the first site as you leav e Delphi in the Itea direction, on your left, about 1 km from the end of town. The ancient site is through town and about another km- easily walkable from town. There is little parking at the ancient site. The campsite has a very good restaurant- with the same views- and very good sanitary facilities though, if you pitch on the grassy terraces below the shop,restaurant and office then you have a steep walk to the block. There is a pool in season. The pitches at the top of the site (on the same level as office, way in etc) are all under shade netted shelters. In the terrace below the pitches are marked, hedged and shaded and have incredible views from the snow-capped mountains on your right to the sea and islands on your left with the "sea of olives" miles below.

There is a free mini-train which runs from town to the site ( leaving at 8.30am) back through the modern town and to the entrance of the ruins. It returns, via the new town where all the stops are well-marked, to the campsite at 12 noon. It is said to go to the others 2 campsites further down the road to Itea but when it had dropped us- the only passengers- it went back to town. Wifi in the van: 2 euros/30 mins, 3 euros/1 hour. Quiet except for the goat bells as the goat herd over the road walks them on the slopes around the site.

Camping Kato Alissos near Patra: (N 38.14917 E 21.57803) Quiet,well shaded site with informal pitching on gravelly grass with mature olive and citrus trees. This can get crowded as it is a popular site for first and last nights. Clean sanitary facilities with the usual very hot showers. Steps down to small shingly beach and friendly restaurant with limited menu but lovely views from a terrace over the sea. Small but comprehensive shop, free wifi- best from outside reception though pitches near there can pick it up in the van. There are no shops within walking distance so stock up. [18 eoro/night]

Camping Dounio Beach near Nafpaktos/ Antirio. ( N38.34280 E21.77114)This site - in the Caravan Club 2 book- appeared closed- mid May 2010.

Camping Alfios, Olympia: (N 37.64338 E 21.62501) A lovely site with very good views on a plateau looking over the town and the ruins. The pitches are all marked, on gravel and are under (high) bamboo shelters. There is a pool, bar and restaurant- I did not see a shop. Sanitary facilities very good. Wifi at the office: free for 30 minutes and then 1 euro per hour. There is a footpath running along the road downhill to the ruins and it takes about 15 minutes and is shaded all the way. Coming back we took a taxi from town- 5 euros. [22.80/night]

Camping Diana Olympia: This is the site we had originally intended to use but it was very full (" a group of Hollanders had booked it " and seemed small and crowded anyway. The man in charge was very friendly and went out of his way to try -even to the extent of pruning a tree-to fit us in virtually under the awning of a French caravan on the forecourt. We are glad we moved on to Alfios as it was the nicest site and much easier to access than Diana which was very tight.

Camping Kiparissia, Kiparissia. (N 37.25787 E 21.67773) Our favourite I think. Friendly, welcoming reception. The site is divided into 2 areas. In the one closest to reception pitches are under trees and are informally arranged. There are sanitary facilities and a launderette here as well as a bar, restaurant and (very) small shop. There is also a rarity- a MH service point. There were 3 RVs arrived and they pitched between the 2 sites but I don't think there was an EHU there and there was no shade. Free wifi with good signal all over the whole campsite.

A short distance along the beach the pitches are all under palm leaf shelters which, apart from the ones along the front of the site facing the beach, seem to be designed for caravans or low-profile vans. We did a lot of measuring and rejecting and eventually found a pitch that we could squeeze under. There is a sanitary block here - good showers etc. Very good beach and a short walk or flat cycle to the harbour and a supermarket and 2 good restaurants. Town has a good selection of shops but it is a steep walk up from the harbour. The harbour area front is being developed and dug up at the moment (May 2010)so it is a bit untidy ! [18 euro/night]

Camping Thines, Finikounda: and a very well organised, regimented site with clean and shiny everything but pitches quite close together. Some tree shade and the site faces a long, clean sandy beach from which it is separated only by a small local road- more of a developed footpath.Quite a lot of long-term Dutch caravanners. Clean sanitary facilities but hot water only available for 2 hours per day ( 9-10am and 5-6pm) and they did not include the hours I wanted to shower - ie when I get up. There is free iced water in the kitchen however....! Free wifi but signal weak on edges of site. Bar and - I think- shop and restaurant- but it is only about 20 minutes walk to the village where there are dozens of tavernas and tourists catered for with shops etc. Quite steep for the last part of the walk to town. Our least favourite site. From Methoni towards Finikoundas turn right 1km before the village and continue to the site on the left. Turn right literally at the sign board on the main road.

Camping Blue Dolphin Korinth: ( N 37.93464 E 22.86614) Shade provided by rattan awnings and support poles for these plus narrow roads between the "sheds" made finding a pitch quite difficult even though the site was almost empty. We did find a good one with shade but we could not open the top windows at all. Good sanitary facilities and constant hot water. The site opens onto a long sandy beach on the gulf of Korinth and the hill of Acrocorinth is behind the site.

Bar and restaurant with fairly standard Greek tourist menu. Small shop but there is a Eurospar and bread and pastry shops etc within walking distance and the bus to Korinth goes from a short walk from the site. Footpath from the site to ruins of Corinth but about 4.5 km and it looked tough going to us. Helpful reception with lots of advice on places to visit and how to do it.Free wifi but it was being upgraded and only worked from around the bar when we were there. The drinking water here was incredibly salty ( sea water seeping into the ground water supply) and we bought water from the site shop. This was expensive and, if we had known, we would have taken a supply with us as it is very cheap locally ! We would be concerned about the safety of drinking it if either of us had a kidney condition. It was very unpleasant. [20 euro/night]

Diofkoto rack railway: We hoped to stay for a night here and "do" the railway next day but we had difficulty enough even parking as the village and station area was full of coaches and cars. If you intend to do this trip and stay overnight then we recommend you arrive quite late after all the crowds have gone. There is a big car park next to the station. Note that the trains are now smart air-conditioned Swiss trains.

Tsoli's Camping: Egio: we did not camp here. We stopped, intending to do so, but it was extremely noisy ( right under the coast road) as well as distinctly scruffy and run down with all grubby statics and very few, cramped, spaces for transients. We did not investigate beyond the gates. (This is at Egio 1km west of Lambiri)

Camping Golden Sunset Beach: This site has clearly closed down and does not look as if it intends to open this season.

Italy: Night after the ferry:
A good find: Camperstop Adriatico, Torrette: N 43 deg 48.30 E 13 deg 04.56 This is between kilometres 256 and 257 from Fano on the SS 16 coast road from Ancona to Rimini. It is a right turn just before an Agip petrol station on the left and it is just opposite a Peugeot garage. The sosta is in an orchard so firm grassy pitches, plenty of shady trees and good hot showers. It is a few minutes walk from a sandy beach and though there is a train line at the end of the site between trains it is quiet.10 euros per night. 700w electricity. Opposite the entrance is a sign on the left side of the road to an Agriturismo site but we did not investigate.

We were impressed with Greek campsites on the whole. The ones we visited were clean, friendly and moderately priced. Sanitary facilities were good though separate changing areas in shower cubicles are rare and it helps to take a polythene carrier bag to hang clothes and towel to keep them dry.

Hope these are useful and bring back memories for others.
We are now at Nancy in the middle of a storm.

G


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## MaxandPaddy

Brilliant!  
Just the sort of info we are looking for,it really helps to hear of your first hand experiences.
I have been looking at some of these sites so it is good to have your feedback.
Hopefully we will be going over there in September this year but if we cannot make it then it will certainly be on our to do list for 2011.
Any more information would be fantastic,do not be surprised if you get several pm's in the future :lol: !

regards,

Val


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## Koppersbeat

Hi Grizzly,

Very useful info,many thanks. Is it worth buying the "Greece" map download for our Tomtom or can you get by finding these sites without GPS ?

Which route did you take to Ancona? We are thinking of avoiding Switzerland,is this a good idea?

Thanks Helen


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## Grizzly

Helen, we were very glad we bought the TomTom Greece map. We did not always trust it but it saved us some real disasters and I would not have been happy without it as our paper maps were not of the best.
I was impressed - and surprised- to find that the European Campsites POI that I have included Greek campsites and all the ones we used were on it except Thines. When i get home I will PM/e-mail it to you if you like. Let me have your e-mail address by PM. We get home next Wednesday evening.
IMHO it is always a good idea to avoid Switzerland but i have a thing about the country. We travelled down via a non-motorway route going through the Frejus tunnel and then via the motorways in a straight line to Ancona. We came back via Switzerland for speed.
G


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## Grizzly

E-mail posted - I hope- Helen. We're on a shaky wifi link at the moment.

G


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