Foreigner seeking advice on trip to Greece

[Txarly 7]

Γεια σας ποδηλάτες !

I apologize but my Greek is extremely poor, so I'll continue in English. Besides, I don't know if the google translator is reliable or I'm insulting you without being aware of it 

My wife and I are planning to discover the lovely and history-packed landscapes of Greece this late Spring and I was wondering if any of you guys could provide us with some first-hand tips to make our bike trip more fun, interesting or safe. The idea is to get to Patra by ferry, go around the Peloponnisos peninsula stopping here and there to visit, then head north via Corinth, Amfissa, Lamia and Kalampaka. From there to Kastoria but going around the Voreia Pindos mountains, via Ioannina and Konitsa. And from Kastoria the idea is to go to the lake in the border with Albania, then to Florina and cross to North Macedonia (or FYROM, if you prefer) towards Bitola and Ohrid.

Any suggestion about scenic roads, places to visit, restaurants, local usages, safety tips, etc. will be warmly welcome.

Thank you for your attention and I wish we could met and share a drink and a ride.

Txarly

[HLIAS 7.581]

Wellcome to mybike.gr.

Hope you  will find nice tips and answers about your trip. 

We have many guys from all around Greece  so they will tell you everything. 

The trip that you are planning is very nice. 

Where are you coming from? 

And how many days are you gonna spend in Greece? 

[A-nik-i 1.180]

Hahaha, I'll tell you what happened. Google translate, translated "bikers" as "ποδηλάτες", which refers to a person riding a BICYCLE. And as I was reading, I was thinking to myself "damn those guys are committed, they must have the legs of a horse, if they seriously plan on doing all that on a bicycle". Sadly I can't help you with any suggestions and recommendations but I bet some of the guys here have done similar routes and will help you soon.

Have a nice trip!

[Txarly 7]

Hello guys, thanks for answering and sorry for the wrong translation  definitely we are NOT going by bicycle.

Answering HLIAS, both my wife and myself were born in Spain, but currently work and live in Nice, France. We'll ride to Ancona and (hopefully) board a ferry there to Patra. The stay in Greece will be of roughly 10 days. Needless to say, if any of you guys come around the french riviera, it will be a pleasure being your guide.

Thanks again,

Txarly

[HLIAS 7.581]

Αν υπάρχει κάποιος που θέλει να απαντήσει σε αυτο το θέμα και να δώσει συμβουλές ή κάτι άλλο και δεν το έχει με τα αγγλικά μπορεί αν θέλει να ποστάρει  ή να στείλει πμ και να βοηθήσω στην μετάφραση .

 

Είναι κρίμα να μας ζητάει κάποιος απο εξωτερικό συμβουλές  και να μην τον βοηθήσουμε ( το γράφω καλοπροαίρετα) 

[ΓιωργοςΤΤ 2.996]

πριν 20 ώρες, το μέλος Txarly έγραψε:

Hello guys, thanks for answering and sorry for the wrong translation  definitely we are NOT going by bicycle.

Answering HLIAS, both my wife and myself were born in Spain, but currently work and live in Nice, France. We'll ride to Ancona and (hopefully) board a ferry there to Patra. The stay in Greece will be of roughly 10 days. Needless to say, if any of you guys come around the french riviera, it will be a pleasure being your guide.

Thanks again,

Txarly

I am planning to visit the area during late summer- early fall. I will keep you in mind! 

@FlyingInADream

This man knows the area around Pindos, Ioannina and Konitsa like the back of his hand. He is the best to advise you about this area. 

[FlyingInADream 10.380]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

What bike are you riding? Are you interested more in places you will visit, the roadtrip experience between places or a mixture of both?

Mountain Greece roads, are the driver's roads except from one downside: Bad road surface, bad traction, potholes here and there, and locals entering the road from their farms without looking if anyone is coming. When riding on these country roads, if your riding style is fast, you should be extra carefull. Don't be fooled by views and landscapes, they are at places like the Dolomitian mountains in northern Italy, BUT riding on the Greek condition asphalt... not for the faint hearted.

From the general description of your road trip, it seems to be very interesting, peloponisos, hpeirous-west macedonia and pindos are all nice places to ride.

Carry waterproof clothing. If rain begins in these places in spring, it forgets to stop. Don't even get out of the ship in Parta if you don't.

I will be happy to help if you have more specific questions. I hope you have a nice trip.

[pan(dvs) 201]

 

I live in the region of Epirus.(Ioannina).A good hiking route is the following.

https://goo.gl/maps/W3K22rfiDSDetiAa6

 

If I can help you with something you tell me.

 

 

[Txarly 7]

Hi all, thanks for your warm welcome and kind replies.

I´ve been riding long and wide enough not to be afraid of bad condition mountain roads (you'd be surprised of how bad the Italian mountain roads here can be), although I obviously prefer smooth surfaces. Thanks for the warnings, I appreciate that.  

Happy owner of a 2011 VFR 800, I'm no Flanders, but I leave sporty riding for an unloaded bike and the roads I kinda know. Experienced travelers are well aware of how an unexpected shower can make you feel miserable and ruin your trip, so really  waterproof gear is mandatory, we agree on that.

Thanks Pan for the suggested route, is an interesting alternative to the one I had in mind; I´ll check with the boss, see if she approves 

Our interests are both in the places to visit, mainly historic sites (and man, is being hard to choose  ) and the riding pleasure of moving between sites.

And regarding specific questions, here you have the first: from Archaia Olympia to Mystras, which route do you suggest?
a. Coast: Kaiafas - Kaló Neró - Allagí - Leontari - Spárti - Mystras
b. Inland: Karkalou pass - Levidi - Tripoli - Spárti - Mystras
c. any other I´m missing
Pros and cons of each, places to stop (to visit, eat...)

Note that I´ve intentionally left out road 82 Kalamata - Mystras as we plan to cover it the following day.

GeorgeTT, please do not hesitate to contact me via PM once you have dates and planning, I´ll be happy to guide you around. And if you come riding, maybe I'll be able of showing you some nice local roads... by then mountain passes should be still open and col de la Bonette (2,804 mts.) is quite close...

Again, thanks to all for your kindness. Hope we can ride together some day.
Cheers,
Txarly