Getting from Athens to Volos

If you are heading to Volos from Athens you are making your way to one of the most underrated cities in Greece. Volos sits on the Pagasetic Gulf at the foot of the Pelion peninsula in Thessaly, a proper working city with a long waterfront lined with ouzo bars and seafood restaurants and a lively university population. The Pelion peninsula behind it is extraordinary, a mountain range of beech forests and traditional stone villages dropping down to some of the finest beaches on the Aegean coast. Volos is also the departure port for ferries to Skiathos, Skopelos and Alonissos in the Sporades, so it sits at the start of one of the best island-hopping routes in Greece.

Getting there by air

Volos has its own small airport at Nea Anchialos, around 20 kilometres from the city, with domestic connections from Athens. The flight takes around 45 minutes. The airport is small and connections are limited so check availability before planning around it.

Take the train or drive

The Hellenic Train intercity service from Athens Larissa station to Volos takes around 3.5 to 4 hours and is a good journey through Thessaly. The drive from Athens via the E75 motorway takes around 3 to 3.5 hours and is one of the more pleasant mainland drives in Greece, passing through the Vale of Tempe between Thessaly and Macedonia.

Take the ferry

There is no direct ferry from Athens to Volos. Volos is a mainland port connected to the Sporades rather than to Piraeus by any regular passenger service.

Your best option

Drive or take the train. Both are comfortable options at under 4 hours and the train in particular is a genuinely good journey. The train drops you close to the city centre and avoids the need to find parking, which is worth considering if you are not continuing to the Pelion peninsula or the Sporades islands.