Driving in and around Porto Heli - REMEMBER, we drive on the right hand side of the road in Greece!
- Driving to Porto Heli from Athens.
- Driving in Porto Heli.
- Driving to Papoulia Chapel & Springs.
- Driving to Didima & Koilada.
Hire cars are available locally from Heli Cars and Pop's Cars or you can hire at Athens International Airport with Avis, Hertz and others.
If you don't want to drive yourself you can always use Gioannis taxi service to collect you from the airport, organise day trips in Argolis or take you on an evening excursion to the Ancient Theatre of Epidavros to see a performance.
- From Athens International Airport you head towards Attiki Odos which is a new toll road / motorway and costs you 2.70 Euros at the time of writing.
- Follow the signs for Elefsina / Korinthos (E94) until they divide into Korinthos and Elefsina, in which case you keep on (left) towards Korinthos (Corinth).
- This leads to the Ethniki Odos / National Road 8 (Athens-Corinth) where you will pay another toll of 2.80 Euros and stay on route towards Korinthos. You'll start seeing signs for Epidavros and depending on if you want to stop at the Corinth Canal for a break or not, you take one of two exits as you approach Corinth interchange.
- The first exit, Exit A, towards Epidavros takes you to the Corinth Canal, from where you can then get onto the Corinth - Epidavros (Korinthou - Epidavrou on the map) road for Porto Heli.
- The second exit, Exit B, takes you under a bridge straight to the Corinth - Epidavros road where you then turn left, following signs for Epidavros and/or Spetses.
- If in any doubt, the ONLY way by road to Spetses is through Porto Heli so just follow the signs for Spetses. For some reason signs for Porto Heli itself are not particularly frequent. I've got a Google Map below, showing the junction and the exits.
- If you don't stop at the Canal, there is a Shell petrol station on your right a couple of hundred metres along with snacks and drinks and gifts, a garden area where kids can let off steam and a spotless WC (although no baby changing facility). I can personally recommend it because I've stopped there often myself.
- Keep heading towards Epidavros / Spetses through the pine forests of the Sofiko region with the 'dangerous bents' until the signs for Epidavros and Spetses split directions (somewhere after Nea Epidavros) and then follow the Spetses signs.
- You'll exit on the right, come to a stop sign and turn left under the bridge. After the turn, stay on the right side of the road and keep going up the hill without turning off anywhere and keep going uphill (to your left) at the next junction.
- Traxeia, about 200m from the junction is renowned for very good bread, cheese and sausages - you'll see signs outside all the shops. I usually stop at the first place on your left as you enter the village: tasty produce, good food if you stop for a meal, friendly service and clean WC.
- From Traxeia you keep bearing right, following the signs for Spetses, Porto Heli or Kranidi and a few hundred metres before Kranidi there is a Lidl supermarket on the right, keep right at the next junction using the Kranidi ring road rather than driving through Kranidi and in about 10 minutes time you'll be in Porto Heli.
The road through Porto Heli is a bit of a work in progress at the moment so for now, here's what we've got.
- In Greece you yield to the right so, on the roundabout, you have to stop to let oncoming traffic join.
- From the roundabout to the end of the village/the church, it is one-way and ditto on the two roads leading back.
- The short uphill road to the church is also one-way but during the busiest part of the summer it is closed off.
- At the end of the first triangular island (with the fountain) you can turn left, across the main road, into the parking or to get back to the roundabout. Bear in mind that, despite the stop signs, you may be cut off by a) cars from the inside of the island also wanting to turn or b) cars coming downhill into that junction.
- There are two roads back along the port and visibility is not good if you want to change over so, if you want to park your car or go via the roundabout either into Porto Heli or to Ververoda or Kranidi, use the first turning to your left when you reach the end of town. If you want to get onto the Porto Heli - Costa road you should use the second road. Vehicles seem to be allowed to go in either direction from either one of the exit roads but it's easier if you get into the correct lane to avoid crossing the traffic.
- The Papoulia Chapel is a tiny, picturesque chapel sited in a small clearing with plenty of shady pine trees and a slide and roundabout for the kids. Just below is the springs, where people fill up water containers for free all year round. I drove there in March and the wildflowers were gorgeous.
- Just after Fourni, on route to Didima, you turn right into the triangle and then bear left onto a cement road.
- At the end of the cement, take the right/upper fork onto a dirt road. You'll pass lots of drywalling on your left and after about 1km there is a big rusty water tank on stilts to your right.
- Keep going downhill at the fork in the road, getting onto a cement road again and don't go up the hill, just straight on. Park your car in the shade of the trees and enjoy your visit.
- On the 1st of May, there is a gathering at the Papoulia Chapel, outside Fourni. People arrive in the morning, setting up barbeques, tables and stalls/cantinas selling beer, souvlaki, soft drinks and wine. This year, for the first time, the Motorcycle Club of Ermioni arranged a guided walk along the riverbed in the Katafiki Gorge. It was extremely well organised and the approximately 3km walk with scheduled stops for a swig of water, took about 2 hours. My 6 1/2 year old walked it all and my 3 year old was carried for parts of it by various members of the group and one of the guides! It was a relaxed and friendly event and we're going again next year. My thanks to the Motorcycle Club of Ermioni and the organisers of the event.
- This makes for a pleasant morning excursion and isn't too difficult. You leave Porto Heli in the direction of Kranidi and as you approach the village, turn left at the fork to take the ring road. Keep an eye out for traffic coming out of Kranidi at the fork, they have right of way.
- Follow the ring road down to the multi junction and go left. Keep on that road, through Fourni and over the hill to Didima. When you see the grain silos on the outskirts of Didima start looking for a brown signposted turnoff to the craters, it's on the left hand side after the silos. You'll see the larger crater ahead so just head for that.
- When you've finished looking at the crater and the churches, on your way back you may like to drop in at Koilada. After the village of Fourni there are a couple of turnoffs you can take, on your right, all signposted.
- The boatyard where the traditional wooden Caiques are built is just outside the village and Koilada boasts a number of seafood restaurants, cafes and so on, most located along the quayside. It is a nice spot for a coffee, ice cream or meal after visiting Didima. There is, of course, also the Frachiti cave across the Koilada bay to visit too and I'm working on the details of that, check back soon.
- I've got a Map of Argolis and some good places for local excursions are marked on my Village Map, also good for cycling to. If you are keen you can also cycle to some of the locations on my Local Area Map which are a bit more challenging. Also, not being much of a cyclist, if anyone has any tips or routes particular to this area I'd be grateful. Thanks.
- I'm going to be putting other drives up on this page as time goes on but if anyone has any advice or information regarding driving around the area, please contact me and I'll publish here.
- Some of you have asked about walking in the area so this winter I'll be busy pacing around the place and hope to have a new walking page up in the spring.
