Olympics!

I read something in the paper yesterday about ticket availability for the olympics. I checked the official site and to my amazement found tickets available for almost every single athletics event. I'm going to the 100m final!
Now I've started the search for accomodation. If anyone else out there is going to Athens let's talk and swop info about where to stay and how to get around.
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Comments

  • I'm going if I run sub 2:15 @ FLM :-)
  • i'll be there. Fortunately i have no accomodation worries, as my wife is greek so we're staying with family.

    Mens 100m final session clashes with womens marathon, so i've opted for finish of marathon in the old olympic stadium in the centre of Athens.

    In terms of accomodation, as far as i know hotel rooms will be very very hard to come by. I did hear that they were going to bring some cruise liners into Pireaus (port city about 10 miles away) for accomodation purposes. There's also the option of renting private properties. August is the month most Greeks go on holidays, so many private flats will be empty.

    As far a transport is concerned, i havn't worked this out yet. Certainly from the centre of Athens to the Olympic stadium is easy. There is an excellent metro service. Very new and efficient.
  • We lloked into this but gave up due to accomodation costs which were staggering.

    Simon
  • MMMMM very interesting. The athletics events look good and even the final day is within reason. Pity about the acom prices though.

    Plenty of other sporting events on during the day as well. I've heard ladies beach volleyball is a very good spectator sport.
  • yep i cant wait. Got quite a few tickets for athletics but also some others, such as Greece -v- USA basketball (should be good), but also some beach volleyball as well. Wife not coming to that one!!
  • urm guys before you worry about the accomodation costs look at the flight costs... I looked into going out but the cheapest flight I could find was £400 one way (with easy jet..)
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    Spans - we thought about it too, but the Kosmar brochure has £400 supplements for any flights during the Olympic weeks.

    Ulp!










    (We're going to Greece in May instead)
  • I've been trying work out ways of going on the cheap. I was thinking about getting a last minute package holiday flight to one of the islands like Kefalonia and getting the ferry to Corinth and camping somewhere on the south side of the Saronic Gulf and getting the hydrofoil to Athens. i haven't worked out the details yet though.
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    Cheap way to get to Athens for the Olympics:




    Fly to Bulgaria.






    Walk to Athens.
  • DD - I was thinking on those lines too!... A couple of years ago I managed to get flights only with Cosmos holidays very cheap, but I doubt that will be the case this year... let me know how you get on
  • The travel agent across the road from me is very good for that sort of thing, like flight only to Cancun for £179. But I think it might not work for the Olympics as I suspect demand for flights is going to high. I'll see what they say in June.
  • I got a cheap flight on the folloowing site:
    http://www.airline-network.co.uk/index.asp

    £140 rtn from heathrow. the downside is the outbound flight time, but I don't care.

    accomodation is now my only issue
  • We are staying in beach place on an island called Aegina and getting hydrofoils in. Booked accomodation with a greek agency called Dolphin I found on the net - recommended on an independent site. Had to pay £400 for flight with Olympic, and the acomodation ain't cheap - you book in set blocks of days. Once in a lifetime though - had to be done. Seeing gymnastics (EXPENSIVE), cycling, rowing, as well as the track and field. No beach volleyball for me!
  • NessieNessie ✭✭✭
    PS - Aegina is LOVELY. Make sure you spend some time on the island. It is soooo laid back and really pretty.

    We were there 2 years ago, and would have been back this year if we had been able to get "our" hotel the week we are off. Next year, definitely.
  • Potting shed can you send me the URL of Dolphin please/
  • We've got several 'off' days, as well as days with evening events only, so hoping to unwind a good deal when not in Athens. Glad to hear the island is nice, and looking forward to it even more now!
  • Yeah, Aegina is lovely.

    Ice cold Amstel, watching the sunset across the harbour from a taverna - sigh.

    Right, off to look for a campsite on Aegina.
  • Sorry FFM, just seen your post:- www.dolphin-hellas.gr. If I've written it wrong just do a search on Dolphin Hellas
  • I've got lots of tickets for events in the second week. It's cost us a fortune to go though. £1500 for accommodation in Pireaus port and that was the cheapest we could find! Most of the places were trying to charge £2500 and the majority of this is already booked!!!! Even Aegina was really expensive and what with the uncertainty about hydrofoils back to the island so late in the evening, we opted for the port accommodation. The flights cost £600 from Manchester, they were the cheapest we could find as all the airlines were charging silly prices for the Olympics weeks. Sorry if that put a spanner in the works for anyone.
  • As I started this particular line in the forum, I thought I'd give you an update.

    It was appearent that the only way an 'ordinary Joe' could afford this was to camp out of town and travel. I found a decent campsite at: www.athens2004accomodations.com
    I booked flights and car hire from:
    www.airline-network.co.uk.

    All in it has cost just under £700 for the two of us to spend 4 days in Athens including tickets to the rowing on one day and the athletics the next.

    Given some of the horror stories I'm reading about hotel and flight costs, I figure that's not too bad.

    Now if only those Greeks could finish the stadiums, roads, airport etc etc......
  • Four days and at a campsite in August temperatures!! You are either mad or keen to see these Olympics.... :)
    You do realise that there are severe car restrictions in Athens during the games? They are virtually closing the city down, so you won't be able to drive anywhere....
  • and you didnt buy any tickets for the ladies beach volleyball!!!!
  • Probably both mad and keen. The campsite has a pool, so I guess we'll sit in that. The car hire thing was recommended by the campsite owner who said the buses will be crap.

    The chances of me 'selling' beach vollyball to my wife as a 'sporting' event only are pretty slim.
  • Fatest Fat Man, the new airport was finished over 2 years ago and public transport links from it into the city centre are excellent.

    At the risk of being slightly defensive (my wife is Greek), please don't believe everything you read and hear. Yes, there are problems, some of them major i.e. the main stadium roof and some recent industrial action taken by construction workers protesting about working conditions and safety (13 construction deaths so far this year), but please don't just make randon assumptions on what is ready and what isn't.

    It will be ready. The main problem i foresee is that general apathy towards the games based on my chats with friends and family whilst i was there last week.

    To those thinking about car hire, i wouldn't bother. Parking facilities will be minimal and that together with car restrictions make it much more sensible to use the public transport facilities.
  • I would've thought 13 construction deaths was pretty good cause for industrial action.

    Hows that beach volleyball stadium coming along?
  • Gary, finished last year and a tournament has already been held there. I cant wait till the 17th Aug. Now who do i fancy seeing. Mmmmm, Brazil -v- Sweden would be nice!!
  • FFM - which campsite are you staying at? The only one I could find was 60K outside of Athens! How much (if you don't mind me asking) is the camp fees?
  • check the email link I sent earlier. I'm staying at the Backhus. Yeah, its miles away but I can't afford £250-£350 a night.

    I got a deal off the manager theere. The website says min 7 days booking. I got it for three for Euro 42 pp per night. Price includes the tent.

    No doubt as others have pointed out, I'll probably roast alive in the heat......

    When are you going TT?
  • Going from 25th to 29th although as flight on 29th is at 7am we'll prob camp at the airport for that one!!!

    What are transport links like from backhus???
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