# Touring Italy & Greece



## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

hi all, planning our next trip in april, sailing hull zebrouge dont know which way to head? we toured france spain etc this year ,so we thought of heading down to italy then getting ferry to greece, as we have never been this way before any tips advice, would be very welcombe. we were very glad of your experience when doing our last two trips , we plan to be away for about 3 mnths and will have our golden retreiver with us.
thank you tom njune


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## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

sorry in wrong forum


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi;

We've been to Greece twice with the van and that time of year is an excellent time to visit.

Probably the quickest way down would be Zeebrugge, Brussels, Namur, Lux, Metz, Strabourg, Basel, across Switzerland into Italy near Como then down to Milan and turn left for Venice or straight on for Ancona or the shorter crossings from Bari and Brindisi.

Ferry wise, for the longer crossings you have several options, you can go from Venice - Igoumenitsa - Patras, or from Ancona - Igoumenitsa - Patras. A stop off in Corfu on some routes is also possible if you fancy it.

The main operators for these routes are Minoan, Anek and Superfast, all offer camping on board at this time of year so no problems with the dog.

Check their websites for who does what route, you can book online but if youre not keen on that then book via an agent, we have used Viamare in the past with no problems.

If you have plenty of time and want to see more of Italy then use the shorter crossings from Bari/Brindisi. No experience of these but Don Madge has, he will advise you.

Have a good look through the Greece touring forums, theres loads of info in there or just come bak to us with any more specific questions and i'm sure you'll get some good advice.

We're off again next year in May/June but this time we're going across northern Greece to Turkey.

Have a great trip.

Pete


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## tomnjune (May 1, 2005)

thanks for the info pete, going to google earth your route now.

june


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## PAT4NEIL (Jul 21, 2007)

We went to Greece last year and had a fab time, and would recommend it. We went with Minoan Lines last year and are waiting to book again. There booking system is not up and running yet for next year. Although there is a link in a thread on here somewhere to Superfast ferries with so good discounts available if you book early. (bookable now).

I spoke to Viamere the other day, and they said to ring back in January to book.

We did mainly the peloponese part of Greece last year and it was really set up for motorhoming, we camped very cheaply sometimes wildcamping for free.

Pat


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## hmh (Jun 25, 2008)

*Touring Italy Greece*

Hi,

Greece is lovely, as Pete said.

If you go into Igoumenitsa, turn left and the beach up beyond Sagiada, in sight of the Albanian border, and opposite Corfu, is one of the nicest places, just a few German vans there, and the Germans have great guide books with suggestions as to which beaches etc you can park up on throughout Greece, take a small German dictionary . . . . a few lovely tiny fish restaurants, and good cafés for café frappé. Buy fish straight from the boats and cook it in a circle of stones on the beach.

Magbaz website has lots of info on Greece. Also Peejay's posting August 2008 . . .

There is a good beach down at the far end of the Peloponnese, (at Viglafia, near the ferry to Elafonissos island) where the parking is under the protection of a nice family restaurateur - eat there a couple of times, and you can empty cassettes etc at his tiny campsite, but park up on the beach for free.

Nafplio is lovely, you can park in the port carpark, it is one of the nicest towns.

Kalamata has (what we believe to be) the best olives in the world!

"Mani" by Patrick Leigh Fermor is a rambling but fascinating book about the central peninsular of the Peloponnese. Tortuous roads there are not for the faint-hearted, but it is not to be missed. Every village has tall towers, reminiscent of San Gimignano, and looking really like modern truncated blocks of flats, but actually very old . . . formerly each village was the site of family feuds, it is another world.

Pete, we hope to do the same, and go via N. Greece to Turkey, any info would be useful, do you have "Roumeli" by above author? Have you read Birds Without Wings?

Ancona or Venice are the nearest ports, if you go further South, San Marino is an autonomous state within Italy, which has excellent low tax jewellery etc and good free or cheap overnight parking. From the carparks it has a series of lifts to the town which is at the top of a hill.

Around Bari we were told by locals that it is best to park on campsites, security-wise. 
We fell in love with a tiny seaside town called Giovinatsu, just N. of Bari. There are nice small towns on the edge of Tuscany, around Lago Trasimeno, with wonderful 15th century frescos in the churches. Sansepulcro, for example, the birthplace of Piero della Francesca.

We also park overnight at Fontanellato, just off the Motorway West of Parma, a sweet little town around a castle with a moat, and a good free aree da sosta.

We have lots of GPS co-ordinates, but I can't find my notebook, and am going away tomorrow for 3 weeks - talk to you later!

Helen


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## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

What is the availability of proper cassette and other MH facilities in Greece?

On boats there it is illegal to discharge within 6 miles of the coast, but there are almost no discharge points in the ports in the whole of Greece.

But then there are still many places in Greece where the town drains discharge to the sea. 

Part of the charm of Greece!

Geoff


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