Planning a trip to Mani
Getting There
By Car -- This is a long trip but not as tedious as the bus ride, which makes many stops. For the fastest route, take the National Road Athens-Corinth-Tripolis, and then head south to Githio (Gythion) and Areopoli via Sparta.
By Bus -- It's possible to travel from Athens to the Sparta bus station (tel. 27310/26-441), and from Sparta to the Githio bus station (tel. 27330/22-228) or the Areopoli bus station (tel. 27330/51-229), but this is a full-day trip. For schedule information, call tel. 210/512-9233, 210/512-9410, or the numbers above for the bus stations in Sparta, Githio, and Areopoli. For general information on Athens-Peloponnese schedules, try tel. 210/512-4910 or www.ktel.org.
By Ship -- At press time, Flying Dolphin (hydrofoil) service from Piraeus to Githio had been suspended. For an update, try tel. 210/419-9200 or 210/419-9000, or check www.hellenicseaways.gr. There is service from Githio to the islands of Kythera and Crete. The Rozakis Ship Brokers & Travel Agency, 5 Vas. Pavlou, on the harborfront (tel. 27330/22-650; fax 27330/22-229; rosakigy@otenet.gr), has information on sailings (including the Patras-Ancona Super Ferry service). The agency can make reservations and issue tickets.
Getting Around
Longtime visitors to Greece -- including me -- wax nostalgic about the days when they had to hoof it around the Mani. You can get around today by local bus, but by car is the most efficient way.
Fast Facts
Githio and Areopoli both have banks with ATMs. Don't count on finding banks elsewhere in the Mani. In Areopoli, most services are on or just off the main square: the bank (usually Mon-Fri 9am-noon), the post office, the OTE, the bus station, several restaurants, and an excellent small bookstore called Mani (tel. 27330/53-670). At the bookstore you can pick up Patrick Leigh Fermor's enduring classic, Mani, and Bob Barrow's Inside the Mani. The police (tel. 27330/51-209) are signposted on the main square in Areopoli.
