When I finish this current tour in Italy I’m being sent straight back out to Athens . At this moment I’m not aware of where I’m getting the ferry from but will be running on my own . I have been warned I may have to pay port taxes , in cash , in and out of Greece ■■ Anyone have any tips on tolls and / or taxes etc ?
Thaks in advance
Shade
Some unloading/reloading places can be tight with double parked cars and blind side reversing in to a place with inches to spare.
Beware the immigrants.It is a big problem in the ports similar to Calais.Check the truck as you do before boarding the ferries.
Before getting in the port they will try to get in or under the trailer at traffic lights.
Yoy pay your port taxes when you book on the boat (probably be Ancona Italy, to Patras Greece) head for the main building inside the port, all the agents are in there, Superfast, Minoan, and Anek Lines are the main 3.
If you can be one of the first on the boat (the Greeks like to be last on so they are first off) you will obviously be one of the last off and it is possible to get a 24hr break in. (Ask for a discount card on boat, or ask for a clubcard membership form when you book in at the port you get 20-25% off your grub and drink, including beers)
When you land in Patras, basically, you bear left off the boat (keeping the water on your left) follow to a little set of traffic lights (every man and his dog will be pushing in to get infront of you), at the lights, go left, past shops on right, sea on left, you will eventually go round a 90 degree right hand bend, then 300yds on, you will go around another 90 degree right hand bend, there is a Silk garage (this is where i filled up all the many times i went to Greece) (oh, and the lorry wasah is brilliant and cheap!) just past that is a Shell garage (this also has a very good lorry wash), a couple of hundred yards you will go over a very bumpy level crossing.
At the top of the hill is a set of lights with a garage on the right hand corner, there is a scrap yard directly in front of you, at the lights turn left and basically keep going straight following the signs for Athens. you will after not too long come to a payage,
When you get to the second payage you drive straight thru without stopping or paying.
At the 3rd payage, you stop and pay.
When you come back, the first payage you come to you stop and pay (the other side of the road is the last one you drove thru)
the second one (where you stopped and paid heading towards Athens) you drive thru,
the 3rd payage, (which was the 2nd payage heading to Athens that you drove thru) you stop and pay,
and the last payage (ther first one you came to heading to Athens and paid at) you drive thru.
Be vary very very wary of immigrants as yo start coming into civilisation. At the lights where the scrapyard is (and where you will turn right to go back down to the boat) this is where it starts getting very very bad for immigrants, they willrun alongside you and try to get onto your motor anyway they can.
It isnt any better in the port. I have seen them hiding behind roof spoilers on lorries, trailer axles, etc etc. When you get back in the dock (same way as you went out, just look out for your boat (Superfast Minoan etc) and park near it. Then, depending on who you are shipping with, you will have to walk out the port onto the main street and find the shippers office to book back on the boat .
Its mental if you drive in Athens, 2 lane carriageways can sometimes turn into 5 lanes, there are stray dogs running around everywhere, the roads are a bit hit and miss, banana and melon sellers are common on roadsides.
Saying all that, its a lovely country to drive in!
Oh yeah, and when on the single carriageways you drive half on the hard shoulder and half on the road proper.
(Or you could ship in or out of Igoumanitsa!)
ATHINA and the yellow writing above it are the signs to follow for Athens.
Well Kindle has covered most of what you need to know Shade but last time i went 3 years ago the tolls had gone upto 10 euros & as for port tax it differs but look at paying 40/50 euros each crossing!
Basically make sure you have 100/150 euros cash set aside to be safe!
Oh & keep off the Metaxa!!!
There is a Dutch video on youtube re the immigrants. Well worth a butchers! 
kindle basically said it all. all the tolls are in cash. if you go down the e55 to athens it can be a bit tight in places through the villages but other then that its good craic… the e951 is also a good road… very little garages are open at night as well.
Thanks for the replies , esp you Kindle , just the info I need mate !
Still not been told where i get the ferry but at least I’m now better informed !!
Good old Trucknet
Cheers again 
Got a friend leaving UK tonight going that way to Isreal.
Well you never know Shade one of us might even know the venue your heading for or where to park (like Harry’s) if you need to so when you get your details stick em up on ere & lets see if we can help!!!
One other thing i don’t know if it is still the same as a couple of years ago but fuel was bloody expensive in greece it was cheaper to fill up in Italy!
Is Israel for Depeche Mode?
No Toby its for the US Army.
whoops,posted twice!
toby1234abc:
Is Israel for Depeche Mode?
Do you know something the promoters don’t Tobes■■?
Next one is Abu Dhabi then back to Europe, no mention of Israel there mate!.. although Tom Jones was there on Monday!!! 
Whilst israel it’s self probably wouldn’t be too dangerous for us brits to be, syria may well be, with some borders being closed as well as some roads, then there is the strange rule about passport stamping , (if stamped in israel the syrians won’t let you in or something like that , oh and make sure you get your jabs for yellow fever
kerbut:
Got a friend leaving UK tonight going that way to Isreal.
If he’s taking the ferry from Piraeus, tell him to take a bag of supplies with him.
Catering tends to be very basic, and there probably won’t be any alcohol on board either.
Pot noodles.Kettle with Eu plug.Crisps and chocolate bars.
toby1234abc:
Pot noodles.Kettle with Eu plug.Crisps and chocolate bars.
That’s how we used to have an empire Tobes… except for the EU plug!! 
Just spoken to him and he is going to look on here at the advice" you in the know" have given , he is at Bologna at the moment but is going to move tonight at 22.00 hours (holiday today ) and is on the boat from Anconna at 10.00 tomorrow
Edit to add: When he reaches his destination ,he is leaving the truck and trailer there for a month ,fly back and they are going to use the machinery he has on ,reload it ,he will fly back and do the trip home .
toby1234abc:
Pot noodles.Kettle with Eu plug.Crisps and chocolate bars.
Toby , my friend has been doing this job before you were born ,could ride a bike or swim.
As kindle said but in patras now use the new port
You park outside the port in truck section to left is terminal building
U book on as freight outside at the windows
For 6 pm sailing they wont let you in the port until 2pm
They check every truck entering and if curtainsider will make you open sides etc and theyl get up and check for immigrants
Most the way to athens from patras is single carriageway so use hard shoulder as lane 1
If on minoan they will give you a 50% discount card
This can be used in the bar and food but make sure you give to them first to swipe
Before they tap it in till
