Getting There and Getting Around
Flights to Kalamata
There are direct charter flights to Kalamata from London Gatwick and Manchester which operate from the beginning of May to the end of October, at present operated by Thomas Cook & Viking. The following companies have cheap flights going to Kalamata from the UK.
Aegean Airlines operate flights to Kalamata from Thessalonika and more usefully from Athens. The British Airways flights from Heathrow to Athens connect quite well with the Aegean flight to Kalamate from Athens. You can fly Aegean Airlines from London to Kalamata but most of them go via Munich and take 8 - 12 hours!
We can arrange for a local Chrani taxi to collect you at the airport and take you back at the end of your holiday. This costs 30 euros each way. Alternatively there is a bus service (take the Koroni bus and ask the driver to let you know when you get to Chrani) or you can hire a car.
Car hire
We can arrange car hire for you with a local Kalamata company run by Kostas Kassimiotis. The prices are competitive and Kostas will deliver your car to the villa or the airport or the bus station at any time to suit you. Alternatively there are two car rental companies in Chrani.
Flights to Athens:
There are regular daily flights from the UK and Europe to Athens El Venizelos Airport. There are many routes to Athens from Europe, including British Air, Olympic Airways, Easyjet and Aegean Airlines.
Airport information: El. Venizelos, tel: +003 010 3530000
From Athens to Kalamata you can either take the Aegean Airline flight, hire a car, or take the bus.
By coach
Take the E93 bus from the airport to the Kifissos Intercity Bus Station in Athens. From there you can catch a bus to Kalamata - journey time about 4 hours cost about €20 each way The buses are very comfortable coaches and they stop en route about halfway for refreshments etc. I can arrange for a taxi or a hire car to meet you at Kalamata bus station.
Bus Company: KTEL, www.ktel.org (Select FROM: Attiki/ Athens TO: Messinia/Kalamata).
By ferry to Patras
An alternative route to the Peloponnese is by overnight ferry from Italy to Patras. http://www.greekferries.gr/index.html The ferries depart from Venice, Bari, Ancoma and Brindisi. For UK travellers, Ryanair fly to Venice, Bari and Brindisi http://www.ryanair.com/ making this route quite an economical, if lengthy, alternative. From Patras you can hire a car or take a bus to Kalamata. We have driven from the UK to Greece four or five times now. We allow 2 nights stops between Calais and Ancoma and go through the Mont Blanc tunnel. The ferry to Patras takes 23 hours and the drive from Patras to Chrani is 3 - 4 hours.