All about Porto Heli - getting here, history, links, maps, travel info and more.
- Where is Porto Heli?
- Getting to Porto Heli ...
- by road from Athens.
- by sea from Athens.
- by land or sea from elsewhere.
- History of Porto Heli.
Porto Heli is situated on a beautiful, natural harbour in the prefecture of Argolis, located in the Peloponnese, the southern region of mainland Greece. Porto Heli is about 190km from Athens by road or 55 Nautical miles from Pireaus Port. With the help of Biff and his GPS we have determined that the Latitude and Longitude at the centre of the Porto Heli bay are: N 37° 19.18, E 23° 09.03. I have no idea what these things mean and how they are calculated so if anyone has issues, talk to the hand-held GPS!
by road from Athens International Airport.
- Most visitors to Porto Heli fly into Athens International Airport (Eleftherios Venizelos Airport). To arrive in style, pre-book a taxi (try Ioannis Taxi Service) and be met at the airport. You will end up paying MUCH more if you don't pre-book and just take a taxi from the airport!
- Hire cars are available from Heli Cars or Pop's Cars, both local firms or Avis, Hertz and others at the airport. Please click here for route notes and maps for the Athens - Porto Heli drive.
- The Greek Bus Service KTEL has a daily service from Athens. Telephone their central booking office on: 210 5134588 or please click here for that timetable and more details.
- If you have friends to meet you, come down to Corinth on the Proastiakos Railway Line and be collected from there. It doesn't save any travel time but you get to see the countryside, it's efficient, regular and pretty cheap.
by sea from Athens.
- Various companies provide a daily hydrofoil service to Porto Heli from Pireaus Port including: Hellenic Seaways Flying Dolphins and Catamarans and Saronic Dolphins.
- To get you to Pireaus Port, the E96/X96 bus leaves (from just outside the Arrivals area) every 20 or 30 minutes and the journey time is about an hour, depending on the traffic. For more information see the OASA website for the Airport Access connection.
- There is more travel information regarding these services on my Transport Timetables page.
by land or sea from outside of Greece.
- If you are driving to Greece, Via Michelin and Google have great maps and I've got route notes here for the Athens to Porto Heli stretch.
- There are no International ferry services to Porto Heli, most of them go to to Athens. Contact the Pireaus Port Authorities for details at: 210 4226000 or look at the Greek Ferries website or the OpenSeas website for sea vessels and their routes throughout Greece.
- If you have a boat of your own (or have hired one) you can sail or motor down to Porto Heli. The Porto Heli harbor is one of the safest natural harbors in Greece and there are also plenty of secluded bays for you to moor in. Porto Heli Marine Service, who deal mostly with motorboats and Franks Yacht Station, who handle yachts in the main, can help you out with service, spares, moorings and so on.
Porto Heli is also known as: Porto Kheli, Porto Cheli, Portoheli, Portohelion etc. so bear that in mind when referencing other sources of information. Sometimes it is easier to search for Kranidi or Kranidion first and narrow it down from there. Here are the links to some maps: Map of Argolis, a Local area map and the Village map. I've got more information including contact details, links and transport timetables on my Transport page.
The ruins of the ancient city of Halieis are on the south side of the bay, opposite the modern day village of Porto Heli. Some of the ruins (both on land and in the sea) are still visible.
The city of Halieis was enclosed by a wall with at least 5 gates and was large enough to have independent territorial rights and mint their own coins. The streets were laid out in a well organized grid, each house with their own courtyard and well and there were communal baths (visible in the shallows on a calm day). The inhabitants were fishermen and farmers in the main and the reasons for the decline/abandonment of the city are still not known today. Findings include decorated pottery, coins, remains of roof tiles, terracotta figurines and metal objects.
Most of the excavation work was done during the 1960's and 1970's for the American School of Classical Studies in Athens by the Department of Classical Studies and the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania and by the Department of Classics of Indiana University.
As interest in the area grew and the diggings tailed off, more independent travelers began to discover Porto Heli. Hotels were built in the area, more bars, tavernas and shops and the boom was on. During the 1980's Porto Heli became a very popular package holiday destination which, in turn, led to people falling in love with the place (as I did) and buying summer homes in the area but it still retains much of its small fishing village charm. This is why Porto Heli is ideal for both quiet breaks, simply relaxing and enjoying the area or activity holidays packed with biking, exploring and watersports by day and sampling the local brew by night.
The modern name of 'Porto Heli' translates (roughly) to 'The Bay of Eels' which was the mainstay of the fishing industry here some years ago. The fishermen here continue to go about their business and farming is the other main industry in the area. Argolis is well known for the quality of the wine grapes and the exceptionally low acidity of the olives (therefore olive oil) produced in the region. Don't forget to partake of both during your stay here.
Dr. Ken Citron has contributed an article on the history of Ancient Halieis, with more detail which is well worth reading and the former assistant director and architect of the Halieis excavations has an excellent website with lots of photos & info so please visit his site. The Greek Ministry of Culture, has a great site with more about the ancient acropolis of Halieis and other sites of archaeological interest in Greece.
