# Camping on Board the Italy - Greece ferry crossings



## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Camping on Board the Italy - Greece ferry crossings "Officially" ends for the season on the 31st October.

The smaller ferry companies operating on the short crossings Bari/Brindisi to Igoumenitsa/Patras usually allow/turn a blind eye to the use of the van on the crossing.

Agoudimos Lines http://www.agoudimos-lines.com/routeEN_01.asp
Bari to Igoumenitsa/Patras
Brindisi to Corfu/Igoumenitsa

Ventouris Ferries www.ventouris.gr
Bari to Corfu/Igoumenitsa

Endeavor Ferries (was Myway Ferries) http://www.ferries.gr 
Brindisi to Igoumenitsa/Patras

Don't ring/e mail the ferry companies as the head office will not admit they allow you to use your motorhome on the crossing in the winter.

Usually there is no need to book in advance just turn up at the port and buy your tickets there. There is plenty of room for overnight parking at Bari and Brindisi. At Brindisi you might have to park outside the port gates.
It's quite safe we have parked over night a couple of times.

If bad weather is forecast you will not be able to use the van on the crossing, you have the option of paying extra for a cabin or sitting it out at the port until the weather improves.

Sometimes there are reduced or cancelled sailings in January/February so be prepared.

A very good site for checking Mediterranean ferries is http://www.ferries.gr/

This info is current at 13th October 2007.

Safe travelling

Don


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Thanks for that Don, helpful as ever;

This will be useful info for those thinking of overwintering in Greece/Turkey. 
Am I right in saying that more and more are considering this for the winter instead of Spain and Portugal? 
It will certainly be our preferred destination when we retire.

pete


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## seamusog (May 10, 2005)

Thanks for that Don,we have been considering Greece for some time now,how does the weather compare to Spain and Portugal over winter? regards,paddywhack.


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## 104477 (May 13, 2007)

Hi seamusog,
regarding the winter weather in Greece it depends where you go! The further south the better as long as it is not up a mountain.  
i lived for three years on Crete and remember watching the snow line creeping down the mountain and the locals taking bets on how far down it would get! We worked in the olive groves in T-shirts when it was not raining and wore a thick woolly in the evening(nights can get cold but not freezing near sea level.) 
My friend took his daughters up mount Ida (Psiloritis) on a really warm day to experience snow for the first time whilst being questioned on why they needed wellies and mittens on such a hot day! (a 4 yr old who spoke Greek and English and had an understanding of German).
The ferries also supply E.H.U when camping on board, as noted on the Ancona-Patras route on both my trips(pre m/h).


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Hi Pete,

I've had a few enquiries from motorhomers interested in wintering in Greece. Now that you can get to Greece overland without leaving the EU seems very attractive to some people.

Hi Paddywack,

I don't think the weather is as good in Greece as it could be in Spain/Portugal. Having said that these days anything can happen weather wise.

The Peloponnese would be our choice if we were wintering in Greece.
See the following links

http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/553/148/
http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/581/100/
http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/269/30/
http://www.magbaztravels.com/content/view/265/30/

If you look on the Magbaz site you will find plenty of info on Greece.

Don


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## seamusog (May 10, 2005)

Thanks for that Rob. Don,thanks to you also,I will have a look at those sites,I have some serious issues with my van just now,have a meeting at Cannock with Brownhills,then on to NEC to cross swords with A-T,quietly confident that things will be sorted but cannot say too much until I get things sorted,or not,as the case may be.kind regards,seamus.


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## 101825 (Nov 18, 2006)

Thanks for the useful info Don.

As you know from previous correspondence we are taking this route to Bulgaria in December. 

Question: Is there a limit to the size of motorhome for the companies that "turn a blind eye" for use of the MH while crossing?

thanks
Rog


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

ivys said:


> Thanks for the useful info Don.
> 
> As you know from previous correspondence we are taking this route to Bulgaria in December.
> 
> ...


Hi Rog,

They will take a 12 metre ARV with no problems at all. You might have to drive your run about on separately.

For those interested this is what the Camper Deck looks like on the Agoudimos lines ferry from Brindisi to Igoumenitsa. This was taken early January 2006. Parked behind us is the four winds of Barry & Margaret Williamson of Magbaz Travels.










It does tend to get a bit more crowded in the high season. 8O

Don


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Bump, I've added a picture of the Camper Deck.

Don


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## 101825 (Nov 18, 2006)

We've just taken the ferry using Ventouris and here are the pics of what our crossing was like. We were packed in, even the ramps had trucks on them. In all we counted 35 of those vehicle carriers.

If you look closely you can see our camper amidst the trucks.

It was pretty cold and ehu was not available.

Rog


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Hi Rog;

I've mentioned this before, we have had 2 trips to Greece Camping on board, the first one was idyllic with a sea view, the second not so good, stuck next to an artic and in the middle of the ship where it is very noisy.
Might be worth slipping the loading crew a few €'s on your return trip for a good spot on the boat :wink: 

pete


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## 101825 (Nov 18, 2006)

Pete, I'm not sure that anything would have altered the "loading". :lol: Because it was night, we simply wanted to sleep.

The crossing went OK, although we left at 2:30am instead of 10:00pm because it took so long to load the ferry. It was a very noisy affair, and even in the early morning some folk came to check their car with lots of shouting to each other. Not much sleep!

Some trucks had various engines running all night, and several people slept in their vehicles.

FWIW we paid 580 Euros for the camper+car and four people (return). A bit more than I expected but we were tired and beyond bargaining.

It took about an hour to unload the ferry until we were ready to roll out. During that time some bright person decided to sit in his car and hoot. Maybe it caused them to unload faster.. :? 

I suspect the return trip will not be as busy .. hope so anyway. In reality if all we're going to do is sleep it doesn't matter how packed we are, but it would be nice to leave on time.

Rog


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

I sympathise Rog, when you're tired all you want to do is get on board and get settled.

This year we tried camping on board from Mainland Italy to Sardinia.
As we drove up the ramp the loading crew were directing us to a spot in the middle of the ship when there were clearly loads of spaces along the side of the ship which is obviously the best place for motorhomes. Armed with experience of the Greek ferries we indicated that we weren't happy with where they were going to put us and stopped near the top of the ramp so no one could get past us. They could see it was going to cause problems if we didn't move so they relented and we got a spot at the edge of the ship. A few other vans just went where they were put in the middle and you could tell they weren't happy. My point being - don't be bullied into being shoved into a crap spot in the middle of the ship - imo you've paid your money and are entitled to a decent spot. Like i said, it might help if a few extra €'s were offered to the loaders to smooth things out :wink: . Having a good place for the crossing makes all the difference.

pete


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

Hi Rog,

Sorry to hear about the crossing.

Camping on Board is a lottery at the best of times, this time of the year anything can happen. When is your return crossing? 

We prefer the Brindisi - Igoumenitsa day crossing with Agoudimos Lines. We spend the night on Brindisi docks which is usually very quiet and then the next night in the terminal car park at Igoumenitsa. Although it's an extra 75 miles to Brindisi the crossing is shorter and cheaper.

I hope you enjoy the skiing and the rest of the trip goes well.

The seasons greetings to you and your family.

Don


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