"Mike Lane" wrote in message
dia.com...
tim.... wrote on Jun 23, 2011:


"Martin" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 23 Jun 2011 11:46:57 +0100, "tim...."
wrote:


"Mike Lane" wrote in message
dia.com...
Dan Stephenson wrote on Jun 19, 2011:

Hello, in the Fall I will travel to Greece, flying into Athens and
heading to the Pelopponese by car, for maybe 10 days.

There are several car rental places at the airport: Avis, Budget,
Hertz, National/Alamo and Sixt.

Can anyone recommend one more than the rest? I wouldn't be buying
the
high-dollar collision damage waiver.

Thanks,


Wouldn't you be better off travelling to the Peloponnese by public
transport
and renting a car from there? That's what I did a few years ago. You
would
save yourself the trouble and expense of driving through Athens which
is
a
place to be avoided these days as far as possible.

I took a ferry from Piraeus to Porto Heli - a small place on the east
coast
of the Peloponnese near Spetses - and hired a car there for a week. It
was
a
very relaxed experience compared to the hassle of Athens.

Athens airport to the Peloponnese is 100% motorway.

The only time you'll have to stop is to pay the toll

Why waste time driving and paying per kilometre, if you can start from
a more convenient place?

As the options for this more convenient place a

1)Taking the bus to the Peloponnese presumably from Athens bus station.
Any
idea where that is? I'll wager it isn't very convenient
2) Flying to Kalamata. Hm, I wonder how many flights a day that gets
from
London/New York or wherever it is that the OP is starting.

They don't seem very convenient to me.

It's a 100 km drive, how hard can it be?

Or:
3) Bus to Piraeus (leaves from airport outside arrivals), then100 metre
walk
to ferry gets you to Ermioni, or Porto Heli in the Peloponnese.

I know which I would rather do.

But the guy is still going to be hiring the car (presumably) to go touring.
Why **** around lugging your bags on/off a ferry to save a 100km (one hour)
drive?

And what happens if when he get to Piraeus the next ferry is full?

tim