AREADNE 2024: Transportation

AREADNE 2024
Research in Encoding And Decoding of
Neural Ensembles

Eliopoulos Conference Center
Milos, Greece
25–29 June 2024

Travel Information

All paths to Milos require a stop in Athens, whether the last leg is by air or by sea. In addition to the information on this page, there are many travel guides and web sites with extensive coverage of Milos.

Getting to and from Athens (ATH)

Air transportation to Athens International Airport (ATH) is available through major international airlines and many discount and charter companies. We recommend arriving in Athens in the morning if possible to facilitate connections to Milos. Participants coming from non-EU countries connecting in Athens for Milos Airport (MLO) will need to pass though immigration at the first entry into the European Union, and normally also customs at ATH by collecting baggage, going through customs, and re-checking at the transfer desk. It is usually possible to select flight schedules so that overnight stays in Athens are not required when flying to and from Milos, although flights to and from the island are limited and do sell out.

Getting to Milos (MLO) from Athens (ATH) by air

Air transport to Milos from Athens takes less than an hour and is available multiple times per day. The Milos airport (MLO) is 5 km from the port town of Adámas (also called Adámantas) where the Eliopoulos Conference Center is located. Transportation to Adámas is normally by taxi, public bus, or rental car. Airlines servicing Milos from Athens include Aegean Airlines through it's subsidiary Olympic Airways (IATA code OA). While Aegean Airlines (IATA code A3) is a Star Alliance partner, Olympic is not a full partner, so only some benefits accrue. Additional flights serving ATH-MLO are available from SKY Express. Both airlines use 42-seat ATR-42 propeller planes to service MLO.

When departing from MLO by air with a connection in ATH, it is strongly recommended to allow two or more hours of time between flights as MLO-ATH flights are often delayed, especially toward the end of each day.

Under the most common flight patterns, you will have a wonderful view of the island while landing or taking off when sitting on the left side of the plane.

Getting to Milos from Athens by sea

Boats to Milos leave from the Athenian port of Piraeus (TZE) located about an hour's drive away from the ATH airport. Bus and rail transportation are available from the airport and other parts of Athens to Piraeus. The train station in Piraeus is directly across the street from the port itself, although you should be prepared for a possibly long (20+ min) walk to get to your boat. Boat tickets can be arranged beforehand or purchased as late as the day of travel, but often the less expensive classes of travel fill up early. If you are flying in to Athens and want to take a ferry the same day, we strongly recommend arranging the sea tickets beforehand. If you are planning a few days' stay in Athens before going by ferry to Milos, then it is possible to purchase tickets in Athens. Ferry ticket prices are controlled, so shopping between agents for price is not necessary, although some agents do not represent all carriers and not all agents willingly accept credit cards. Boat schedules are available through www.gtp.gr.

There are two broad classes of boats which serve the Aegean islands: traditional, and high-speed ferries. The traditional boats are slower, have open decks, make more stops, and are less expensive. The high-speed ferries are faster, enclosed, and are more costly. Be sure to check the transit time in addition to the departure time for any boat you are considering, as some boats make many stops on the way to Milos. There is only one inter-island seaport in Milos. Slower boats can take 4 to 5 hours from Piraeus, and high-speed boats as little as 2-1/2 hours. Be certain to verify the route and schedule when booking. For Summer of 2024, passage from Piraeus to Milos runs will run about 80 euros, depending on various factors including boat speed. Smoking is permitted on some ferry boats, and on those, non-smoking sections are available.

Getting Around Adámas

The town of Adámas is the port and main settlement on the island, although there are significant other villiages in the mountains and near the water. The Eliopoulos Conference Center is at the very southern edge of Adámas, at the edge of the bay. Adámas is readily explored on foot, and many establishments are not accessible by any other means.

We provide a high-quality map of Milos to participants for navigating the island. A preview of the Adámas portion of the map is available that can be helpful with hotel planning.

Getting Around Milos

The island of Milos is small enough that it can be circumnavigated in a single day by motorized vehicle. There is frequent bus service from Adámas to other towns, beaches, and the airport. The bus depot is near the center of town; tickets (currently 2 euros) are purchased in cash on the bus. Cars, motorized scooters, and bicycles are readily available for hire, but you must have a motorcycle license to rent a two-wheeled scooter. An international driving permit is required to rent any vehicle with a non-EU driving license. Filling stations are strategically placed around the island.

Avis, Budget, Avance, and Matha car rentals have pick-up areas at the airport. Other agencies operate out of Adámas.

The central taxi station is in Adámas. Empty taxis do not circulate looking for fares, thus rides are best arranged by phone +30 22870 22219 or by going to the main taxi stand. Taxi rates are reasonable on the island. Fares for common destinations are displayed on the dashboard of each taxi cab. You may ask the driver to use the meter, but that will likely result in a higher fare for longer distances. There is a surcharge for arranging a taxi by appointment. A typical fare from Adámas to the airport is 10 to 12 euros, and to the conference center is 6 to 8 euros.

As of 2023, ride sharing services like Uber and Lyft do not operate in Greece, but there is a well-regarded app called Taxi Beat (now, just "Beat") that works for licensed taxis in urban areas like Athens or Thessaloniki. It is not applicable in Milos; call the number above instead.

What Milos Looks Like Right Now

We have put up a page of collected web cams of Milos (when viewing, don't forget that Greece is on Eastern European Time, GMT+2 in the winter or GMT+3 in the summer). Some of these are more reliable than others, but as a collection, they form a nice view of the island. If you find a webcam that is not listed on that page, please let us know!