Do not book katakolon express

[margbem]

They do not turn up! Maybe if you on a mega ship with lots of bookings they might come for you. We were on a small ship and they just didn't bother. We rented a car from Avis and did our own thing. Very easy, too.

[sos1720]

We were in Katakolon in April 2013 and used Katakolon Express. They were very professional and on time. We had good communication with them prior to our trip and no problems. I am sorry you did not have the same experience. I hope you wrote the the owner. He is very responsive.

 

 

They do not turn up! Maybe if you on a mega ship with lots of bookings they might come for you. We were on a small ship and they just didn't bother. We rented a car from Avis and did our own thing. Very easy, too.

[Sheindoors]

We have booked with the for next month, so hope they turn up :)

 

Di

[cruisemom42]

We have booked with the for next month, so hope they turn up :)

 

Di

 

Do you have a Plan B?

 

This is not the first post I've read saying that Katakolon Express didn't turn up.

[Sheindoors]

No plan B, will have to check how far to walk to the nearest transport if the bus doesn't turn up, anyone know? We don't want to hire a vehicle, would prefer to use public transport.

 

Di

[John Bull]

No plan B, will have to check how far to walk to the nearest transport if the bus doesn't turn up, anyone know? We don't want to hire a vehicle, would prefer to use public transport.

 

Di

 

The only other public transport option is the train. And its reputation for unreliability is ten time worse.:eek:

 

Leaves you with ship's tour or renting a car. The renting is easy, the driving & navigating are easy, & if there's four in the car the cost is only a few dollars more than the Katakolon Express. Can be reserved from www.rentacarkatakolo.gr without deposit or card details.

 

JB :)

[Sheindoors]

The only other public transport option is the train. And its reputation for unreliability is ten time worse.:eek:

 

Leaves you with ship's tour or renting a car. The renting is easy, the driving & navigating are easy, & if there's four in the car the cost is only a few dollars more than the Katakolon Express. Can be reserved from www.rentacarkatakolo.gr without deposit or card details.

 

JB :)

 

Thanks, will have to see what DH thinks :)

 

Di

[gosport11]

We caught the train a couple of weeks ago,cost E10 return very comfortable and air conned ,takes about 45 min and goes straight thro the towns so lots to see,its about 10 min walk to the ruins just go straight past the bins and over the bridge,the only thing was we went on a Sunday and it all closed at 15.00 and we arrived at 14.45,oh well been there got the t shirt :):) about 8 of us on the train its not very frequent and does leave a little early:(:)

[margbem]

Other people on our ship went for the train and that wasn't running either!

 

Have a plan B. Avis have stick shift and automatic cars and the journey is very simple to Olympia.

[sidari]

We used the train to olympia, other than waiting about 15 mins once we got off the ship for the train to arrive, we had no trouble with the journey, it was very pleasant :). When we left Olympia we did have to wait a while for the return Journey. I would advise that you make plenty of time to get back and dont take the last train leaving.

 

 

:):):)

[Fblack]

We just hired a taxi for 3.5 hours or so. They are located before town about 100 yards from the ship. You can negotiate the price a bit and we found a better deal from the third taxi we spoke to. Yes it's more money than the train, but they drop you off right at the ticket booth and wait near by. And we wound up sharing the taxi with another couple as well.

[Putterdude]

We used Katakalon-Express on September 16 and found Stephen (who is British) to be very professional and his guide excellent. They have now been restricted from picking up passengers inside of the port gates and we did receive an email a few days before we arrived from Stephen advising of the change and that he would meet us outside the port gates holding signs....we had no trouble finding him at all and quite enjoyed our tour with his company.

[Sheindoors]

I've email Katakolon Express but not got an answer yet. We have a place booked and we still want to take a chance, so will wait to see if they answer. Thanks Putterdude for mentioning the meeting point :).

 

Di

[Sheindoors]

We feel a lot better now we have had this reply from Katakolon Express and will be going with them

 

We will be waiting for you to arrive we have had problems at Katakolon because the local authorities changed the meeting point for ALL private tour operators. They did this overnight so we couldn't inform our clients of the change. Things are getting back to normal now but we are still contacting everyone booked with us regarding the change. Please see below;

 

If needed take the shuttle bus to the dock nearest to the town

Walk out of the port on the right you will see benches and umbrellas

Look for someone holding a large orange sign "Katakolon Express to Olympia"

We will be waiting for you when your ship docks please get to us as soon as possible.

 

Please allow an extra 20 minutes to meet us.

 

Di

[Putterdude]

That was pretty much the same email that we received a few days before we arrived in Katakolon. Stephen was waiting for us just to the right as we exited the port gates and he introduced us to our guide. Once everyone was assembled he and our guide walked us to our mini-bus which was parked about 2 blocks from the gates. As my DW has MS and was in a wheelchair he explained to us that he would like to bring the bus up to the gates but had been fined lately for doing so. It was all very professionally handled.

[Peep1]

They do not turn up! Maybe if you on a mega ship with lots of bookings they might come for you. We were on a small ship and they just didn't bother. We rented a car from Avis and did our own thing. Very easy, too.

 

We used them just recently and were very satisfied with their service. The guide Anastasia was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They had to move the meeting point to just outside the port gate 5 mins away due to port politics or something but emailed us to let us know. Stephen the owner (British ) was on hand also. Highly recommend them.

[Fess n Alby]

We used them just recently and were very satisfied with their service. The guide Anastasia was extremely knowledgeable and helpful. They had to move the meeting point to just outside the port gate 5 mins away due to port politics or something but emailed us to let us know. Stephen the owner (British ) was on hand also. Highly recommend them.

I agree, we also recently used Katakolon Express and had a wonderful time, Anastasia was a delight and the day including our lunch was great. I would highly recommend them.

[JACKNJESS]

Would like to add a comment of support for Katakolon Express. We were on a tour with them also on Sept 16th. We were informed of the problems getting into the port & advised of the change of meeting place. We had no trouble finding Stephen & our guide Anastasia. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, the lunch they arranged was wonderful and when it began to rain offered us alternatives to the beach trip that we were to take.

[prish]

Would like to add a comment of support for Katakolon Express. We were on a tour with them also on Sept 16th. We were informed of the problems getting into the port & advised of the change of meeting place. We had no trouble finding Stephen & our guide Anastasia. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, the lunch they arranged was wonderful and when it began to rain offered us alternatives to the beach trip that we were to take.

 

I've been reading mixed reviews about Katakolon Express and am in two minds whether to go with them or rent a car. We'll be there next June, so guess I have time to explore both options.

[magnet1640]

We used Katakalon-Express on September 16 and found Stephen (who is British) to be very professional and his guide excellent. They have now been restricted from picking up passengers inside of the port gates and we did receive an email a few days before we arrived from Stephen advising of the change and that he would meet us outside the port gates holding signs....we had no trouble finding him at all and quite enjoyed our tour with his company.

 

Let me tell you about my experience with "Stephen". The two of us wanted transportation only (no guide). He took our money 15 minutes into the ride, and tried to charge us 20 Euros each! I told him I was quoted 10 Euros. He responded angrily "Who told you that?" I responded "Everyone". He finally relented but growled "Then you can't use the WiFi". Which was fine, because it never worked at all for anyone on both ends of the trip. Then i watched him overcharge everyone else on the bus. What a nightmare!

 

If anyone doesn't believe me, please refer to tripadvisor's review of them.

[prish]

Let me tell you about my experience with "Stephen". The two of us wanted transportation only (no guide). He took our money 15 minutes into the ride, and tried to charge us 20 Euros each! I told him I was quoted 10 Euros. He responded angrily "Who told you that?" I responded "Everyone". He finally relented but growled "Then you can't use the WiFi". Which was fine, because it never worked at all for anyone on both ends of the trip. Then i watched him overcharge everyone else on the bus. What a nightmare!

 

If anyone doesn't believe me, please refer to tripadvisor's review of them.

 

This has more or less convinced me to rent a car, we'll be four so that should work out well, I hear parking's not a problem either at Olympia. We may even stop at the beach or Mercouri winery if we feel like it.