Evia (also spelled Euboea) is the second-largest island in Greece. Owing to its great vicinity to the Greek mainland and its connection to it by two bridges, it is accessible over both sea and land; by numerous ferry lines along its western coast, as well as car, buses, and trains to its capital city, Chalkis (also Chalkida). In this post, you will find all the essential information about how to get to Evia Island, depending on where you are coming from and where you want to get to.
Ferries to Evia Island
Here is a list of all operating ferry lines that connect Evia Island to the Greek mainland, in succession from south to north.
- Rafina – Marmari: This one connects Attica’s second-largest port (reachable within an hour from Athens by bus) to the small port-village of Marmari on southern Evia… COST: €9 per passenger, €21 per vehicle. Tickets available on the spot. Several routes per day, year-round. Lacking official website. Up-to-date timetables available here (in Greek only).
- Agia Marina – Nea Styra: This is another route connecting Attica to southern Evia, harder to reach from Athens, but cheaper and quicker… COST: €4.20 per passenger, €16 per vehicle. Tickets available on the spot. Several routes per day, year-round. Lacking official website. Up-to-date timetables available here (in Greek only).
- Oropos – Eretria: This is the busiest, cheapest, and most frequent route of all. It runs between the northern Attic city of Oropos and the renowned ancient city of Eretria on central Evia… COST: €2 per passenger, €6 per vehicle. Tickets available on the spot. Many routes per day, year-round. Official website. Look here for up-to-date timetables.
- Arkitsa – Edipsos: This one connects the small port of Arkitsa in Phthiotis Prefecture with the famous spa town of Edipsos on Evia’s Northwestern coast… COST: €3.40 per passenger, €16.80 per vehicle. Tickets available on the spot. Several routes per day, year-round. Official website. Look here for up-to-date timetables.
- Glyfa – Agiokambos: This one connects Glyfa, another small port of Phthiotis Prefecture, on the north coast of Maliakos Bay, to the small village of Agiokambos on Evia’s northern coast. COST: €2.30 per passenger, €13.30 per vehicle. Tickets available on the spot. Several routes per day, year-round. Official website. Look here for up-to-date timetables.
Additionally, ferry and flying-dolphin routes run regularly between the eastern Euboean ports of Kymi and Mantoudi and the islands of Skyros, Skiathos, Skopelos, and Alonissos. Via the latter three, one may as well indirectly reach Evia from Volos city by sea. Occasionally, and rather unreliably, the odd route may appear connecting Volos directly with northern Evia.
How to get to Evia from Athens
It is extremely easy and quick to reach Evia Island from Athens over both land and sea. The latter case would make sense only if your final destination is somewhere on the southern portion of the island. If that’s the case, you can choose any of the first three ferry lines – depending on your exact destination, as well as your ticket budget – explained in the above section. If you are going anywhere in central or northern Evia, it will be much cheaper and faster to go overland.
Driving, you can reach Chalkis, the capital city of Evia, in 50-60 minutes (or even less if you don’t adhere to speed limits). By public transport, you can get to Chalkis by both buses and trains. Buses are more frequent, more reliable, and faster. Trains are slightly cheaper and drop you off right in the city center. Below you find all the information you need to get to Evia overland from Athens, by all available means.
By bus
All buses to Evia Island depart from Athens’ Liossion Bus Terminal. The station’s address is Gousiou, Liosion 260, Athens 10445. Its geographic coordinates are 38.010071, 23.722504. Buses 420, 711, 720, B10, B11 run from the city center and stop at Liossion Station. The closest metro station is Kato Patissia.
However, unless you live within a very close walking distance from the station itself, it usually makes more sense to catch the bus from Kato Patisia metro on the spot. All northbound routes, make a stop there to take more passengers. The bus stop is located right outside the metro station, diagonally across the street from the little square, beside a kiosk. You will always see many people waiting.
Besides Chalkida, there are direct routes to several other cities on Evia, such as Eretria, Aliveri, Kymi, Psachna, Prokopi, and Istiaia. From the bus station in Chalkida, you can catch additional buses to numerous other parts of the island.
Buses normally run every approx. half hour from dawn till 22:00. Routes may be somewhat sparser on the weekends. Tickets may be purchased both at the station and on the bus. A one-way trip to Chalkis costs €7, and a return trip €12.50. The trip to Chalkis takes 1 hour. Check the bus company’s official website for up-to-date timetables and prices.
By train
Numerous trains to Chalkis depart daily from Athens’ central Larissa Train Station. The station is reached by public transport via metro red line, stop Larissa Station. Currently, a train departs every one or two hours, starting from 4:51 and ending at 21:51. The ticket costs €6.50 and is purchased at the station. The trip takes a bit more than an hour. Check out the train company’s official website for up-to-date timetables and prices. The train station of Chalkida is situated right before the Euripus Bridge, in the heart of the city center.
By car
In order to reach Chalkis by car, take the national motorway A1 (European motorway 75) towards Lamia and Thessaloniki. Follow the signs to Chalkida and leave the motorway at the height of Schimatari town, some 60 km away from Athens. You will soon thereafter cross the bridge onto Evia Island. €3.60 tolls must be paid to use the motorway. Additionally, you may also drive to any of the ports mentioned before and carry your car across the bay on the ferry. If you don’t have a car already, look here for some of the best car rental deals.
By taxi
If you are not fond of public transport and you don’t have your own car, it is always easy to simply catch a taxi ride to Chalkida or some other part of Evia. Given its great vicinity to Athens, most cab drivers you’d stop in the streets would promptly accept the route. An average fair fare for the trip from central Athens to Chalkida should be around €60. Make, though, sure to pre-agree on the price, as Greek taxi drivers aren’t generally renowned for their honesty. To maintain your peace of mind and guarantee yourself the best price and high comfort, I would personally recommend booking your trip through gettranfer.com.
Hitchhiking
If you are the adventurous and reckless type of backpacker, hitchhiking is always a possibility. Greece, unfortunately, is not among the hitchhiking-friendliest European countries, but showing the right amount of patience, you will surely get your ride. I, for one thing, would definitely pick you up if I happen to drive past. Get onto the A1 (E75) motorway – the further north out of the city, the better (eliminating thus the majority of cars driving within the metropolitan area of Athens) – write Chalkida (or Χαλκίδα even better) on your sign, ideally find a petrol station, and persist.
How to get to Evia from Northern Greece
To reach Chalkis from northern Greece, you may be occasionally able to find a direct bus from Thessaloniki, Ioannina, or other big cities, but most often, you would get on a train to Athens and change at Oinoi station. If you’re rather going to north Evia, you would probably prefer to catch a ferry from Arkitsa or Glyfa ports.
Flights to Evia Island
Evia Island, despite its large size and population, does not have an airport of its own. It wouldn’t make much sense to have one, given its great vicinity and good connectivity to Athens’ International Airport. So, if you are bound for Evia, you are basically looking for flights to Athens.
Athens Airport to Evia Island
Unfortunately, as of November 2020, there are no direct means of public transport connecting Athens International Airport with Evia. It still is, however, relatively easy, fast, and straightforward to get from the airport to the island by connecting routes. The quickest way to reach Chalkis overland is to catch a train to either SKA or Agioi Anargyroi stations, whence you transfer onto a direct train to Chalkis. Alternatively, you may also get to Athens’ center and take either a train from Larissa Train Station or a bus from Kato Patisia Station. Either way, it should take you anywhere between two and four hours, and cost you around €20 per person, to make it to Evia’s capital city. If you are in a hurry, or have too much luggage to carry around, a preordered taxi would get you there in less than an hour for €50 for up to three people. If your final destination is located on the southern part of Evia, take the direct bus from the airport to Rafina Port, whence you get onto the ferry to Marmari.
Accommodation & Activities on Evia Island
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Videos from Evia Island
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