Corfu to Macedonia via Greek mainland

Can anyone suggest an interesting route for between Corfu and
Macedonia? Does the north of mainland Greece have a rail network, or
are buses the transport of choice?
Thanks

(Dave Wheeler) wrote in message m...
Can anyone suggest an interesting route for between Corfu and
Macedonia? Does the north of mainland Greece have a rail network, or
are buses the transport of choice?
Thanks

The best way to get from Corfu to Macedonia would be to fly. Greece
has a limited rail network and none between Corfu (i.e. the nearby
mainland) to the rest of Greece. A new motorway is being built from
Igoumenitsa (on the mainland near Corfu) which passes through or near
Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani, Veria (and other unfamiliar places) on the
way to Thessaloniki, which is of limited interest. It's a very, very
long drive, let alone bus ride.

However, places of interest en route (but with detours) would be
Metsovo and Kalambaka, which is the stop-off point for Meteora, a
famous area with monasteries perched on top of rocks. (Takes 2 days to
go round them all, and is, apparently, exhausting.) Completely off the
route is Mt Olympus, which would need a lengthy detour.

Once in Thessaloniki, trains can take you to Macedonia. Greece is a
huge and often mountainous country. It takes more than 6 hours to
drive the motorway from Athens to Thessaloniki, for example. As to the
bus system, either on the route from Igoumenitsa to Thessaloniki or
more directly to Macedonia, I couldn't say how efficient this would
be, or how easy to book. The buses in the Athens area are excellent,
but Greece is notorious for its laid-back bureacracy, so away from the
capital, things might be more complicated.

Renia

(Dave Wheeler) wrote in message m...
Can anyone suggest an interesting route for between Corfu and
Macedonia? Does the north of mainland Greece have a rail network, or
are buses the transport of choice?
Thanks

It's not via Greece, but going via Albania is very interesting, if not
a bit hair-raising. Getting to Saranda is easy by ferry, and there are
plenty of busses that go via Gjirokastra, Berat, Durres, Tirana. From
there, you can cross at either of the border crossings at the
beautiful Lake Ohrid.

Albania's notoriety is possibly why you considered going through
Greece, but if you want it to be REALLY interesting, consider the
above route. Security on the above route is quite good. Just avoid the
north of the country.

Just a suggestion if you are feeling adventurous. I did the reverse
journey, and it was fascinating, especially Tirana.
---
DFM

thessaloniki is 575 kms from Athens
a good driver and a good car will need less than 5 hours..
unless the driver stops to look at beautiful landscapes.

I did it many times ( without motorway) in 5 hours.
"Renia" ha scritto nel messaggio
om...
(Dave Wheeler) wrote in message
m...
Can anyone suggest an interesting route for between Corfu and
Macedonia? Does the north of mainland Greece have a rail network, or
are buses the transport of choice?
Thanks

The best way to get from Corfu to Macedonia would be to fly. Greece
has a limited rail network and none between Corfu (i.e. the nearby
mainland) to the rest of Greece. A new motorway is being built from
Igoumenitsa (on the mainland near Corfu) which passes through or near
Ioannina, Grevena, Kozani, Veria (and other unfamiliar places) on the
way to Thessaloniki, which is of limited interest. It's a very, very
long drive, let alone bus ride.

However, places of interest en route (but with detours) would be
Metsovo and Kalambaka, which is the stop-off point for Meteora, a
famous area with monasteries perched on top of rocks. (Takes 2 days to
go round them all, and is, apparently, exhausting.) Completely off the
route is Mt Olympus, which would need a lengthy detour.

Once in Thessaloniki, trains can take you to Macedonia. Greece is a
huge and often mountainous country. It takes more than 6 hours to
drive the motorway from Athens to Thessaloniki, for example. As to the
bus system, either on the route from Igoumenitsa to Thessaloniki or
more directly to Macedonia, I couldn't say how efficient this would
be, or how easy to book. The buses in the Athens area are excellent,
but Greece is notorious for its laid-back bureacracy, so away from the
capital, things might be more complicated.

Renia

(Deep Flawed Muslim) wrote in message om...
(Dave Wheeler) wrote in message m...
Can anyone suggest an interesting route for between Corfu and
Macedonia? Does the north of mainland Greece have a rail network, or
are buses the transport of choice?
Thanks

It's not via Greece, but going via Albania is very interesting, if not
a bit hair-raising. Getting to Saranda is easy by ferry, and there are
plenty of busses that go via Gjirokastra, Berat, Durres, Tirana. From
there, you can cross at either of the border crossings at the
beautiful Lake Ohrid.

Albania's notoriety is possibly why you considered going through
Greece, but if you want it to be REALLY interesting, consider the
above route. Security on the above route is quite good. Just avoid the
north of the country.

Just a suggestion if you are feeling adventurous. I did the reverse
journey, and it was fascinating, especially Tirana.
---
DFM

Thanks all. What we eventually were able to do was: book a bus (Green
Bus) from Corfu town direct to Thessalonika in ten hours, for 28.5
euros (ferry to mainland extra). Tomorrow we will do the next leg to
Skopje