If you are unable to book a flight from Athens to the island of Skiathos as the point of departure by boat to Alonnisos, and, you also find that there is no space available on boats leaving from the port of Mantoudi to the Sporades islands, you also have the option of taking a long distance bus from Athens to the mainland port of Volos (pictured to your right) as the departure point. With this option, you will need to book passage on a hydrofoil boat or ferry from Volos to Alonnisos using the Ferryscanner.com website.
To Volos via Long Distance Bus
To reach Volos by bus, from the airport you will need to take the X93 bus to the Bus Terminal B bus station in Athens, and to see the latest long distance bus schedule for buses departing from Bus Terminal B click here. The total time it will take you to get to Volos from the airport via bus X93 and from Bus Terminal B to Volos will be perhaps as much as 5.5 hours, but could be more based on traffic conditions.
The cost for the next segment to Volos on the KTEL Bus to Volos was €27.40 per person in 2013 so it is of course higher now in 2020. If, based on your travel schedule your arrival in Volos is too late to connect with a hydrofoil boat to Alonnisos, you will obviously need to book a hotel in Volos for that evening. To assist you in this regard please review the Category Archives on this page under “Hotel in Volos” for information regarding properties I recommend.
One other note, in addition to bus X93 from the airport, you can also reach Athens City Centre via the Metro Train line. Ask the information desk at the airport for directions to the on-site Metro station (it’s on the lower level). If you do take the Metro, you’ll also need to ask what stop to use in order to facilitate the most direct access to Bus Terminal B for your next travel segment to Volos. Please note that a one-way ticket on the Metro is approximately €6, and that travel via train gets you to the city centre in perhaps half the time.
To Bus Terminal B via Taxi
If you aren’t as much concerned about cost as you are about comfort and speed, you also have the option of taking a taxi from the Athens Airport directly to Bus Terminal B for your bus to Volos. The cost of the taxi fare to the bus terminal is approximately 50 Euros . While this is clearly more expensive than bus travel, if you’re in a hurry to meet a bus departure time or simply want more comfort, then this is a great option for you.
With respect to a recommended taxi driver, on several occasions my wife and I, as well as my in-laws and other friends with homes on Alonnisos have used the services of a driver named Spiros Halkides. All have reported complete satisfaction with his services. Here is Spiros’ contact information: Telephone: 30-2109944771(H) & (30)-6944285686 (MOBILE). To visit Spiros’ website click here. To contact Spiros via email, click here.
Making a Boat Reservation from Volos to Alonnisos using Ferryscanner.com
If you do intend to reach Alonnisos by boat from Volos, then prior to your trip you need to reserve and pay for boat tickets in advance. The Ferryscanner.com site mentioned earlier is fairly easy to navigate, just choose your departure and arrival points and then follow the prompts. In the summer there are typically two (or perhaps three in high season) departures per day from Volos to the Sporades islands (including Alonnisos).
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