Athens To London / London To Athens By Train

  • by XpatAthens
  • Friday, 06 March 2015
Athens To London / London To Athens By Train
No problem! You can travel from St Pancras station to mainland Greece in just 48 hours, with a bed at night in a sleeper on the train and a cabin on the ship, a restaurant for your meals, and great scenery. Sailing across blue seas under even bluer skies past the islands of Ithaca and Kefalonia is a wonderful way to reach Greece. A far more rewarding experience than 3 hours strapped to a seat on a plane, and affordable, too. Or you can travel overland by train all the way, a 3-day rail adventure via Paris, Vienna, Budapest & Bucharest.

You can reach Greece from London either by train to Italy for the ferry to Patras, or by train all the way to Athens across eastern Europe via Vienna and Budapest. Here are the main options:

Option 1, by train to Italy then cruise ferry to Greece...
This is the quickest, cheapest and most comfortable way from London to Greece without flying. It's shown in red on the route map below. It's a wonderful trip and a great alternative to a flight, taking just 48 hours from St Pancras station to stepping ashore in Greece. Take Eurostar from London to Paris, the overnight sleeper from Paris to Bologna, then an air-conditioned train to Bari in southern Italy. Modern cruise ferries sail overnight from Bari to Patras in Greece, for the train to Athens. Why not stop off to see a little of Italy on the way?

Option 2, by train all the way to Athens...
The overland route from London to Greece takes you via Paris, Munich, Vienna, Budapest & Bucharest to Thessaloniki, Larissa & Athens. This route is shown in dark blue on the route map below. Alternatively, you can travel via Brussels & Cologne, and/or via Belgrade - these alternative routes are shown in light blue on the map below. The complete journey from London to Athens takes 3 nights, with safe & comfortable sleeping-cars available for each of the overnight sections. It's an exciting journey with some wonderful scenery on the way, via Transylvania and the mountains of Greece. Feel free to stop off if you like, too.

Option 3, by train to Venice then by cruise ferry...
This is a simpler but longer variation of option 1. You can take the train from London to Venice and a cruise ferry from Venice to Patras in Greece for the train to Athens. This shows you Venice on the way, and it's a simpler train journey as there's a direct sleeper train from Paris to Venice. Ships from Venice to Patras sail either daily or several times each week, depending on the season.

For further information and details please visit: Seat61.com

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