Travel from the UK

Direct Flights & Package Holidays:
There are direct charter flights from Gatwick & Manchester to Mitilene
 on Thursdays during the summer season only.
  In 2008 the first flights out are on 17 April,
(this is First Choice only, with one flight from Manchester calling at Gatwick en route.
Everyone else starts 8 May)
 The last return flight is scheduled for 4 October.
UK holiday companies offering hotel or self-catering packages for 2008 include:-
First Choice:- www.firstchoice.co.uk
Kosmar Holidays:- www.kosmar.co.uk
Manos Holidays:- www.manos.co.uk
Direct Greece:- www.directgreece.co.uk
Sunvil Holidays:- www.sunvil.co.uk
These companies usually have flight-only bookings available for a maximum stay
 of three weeks.
One-way charters are also often available.

Independent Travel
There are frequent direct flights from several UK airports to Athens by
British Airways  www.ba.com from London Heathrow
easyJet www.easyjet.com from London Gatwick & Luton
Olympic Airlines www.olympicairlines.com from London Heathrow

with up to 8 onward flights a day to Mitilene by
Aegean Airways www.aegeanairlines.gr
and Olympic Airlines
(NB. when searching for flights, note that the airline spelling is Mytilene.
To avoid confusion, use the international codes, ATH & MJT)
Through bookings are available with Olympic.

It is also possible to fly via Thessaloniki (SKG) at, usually, higher cost and
much lower frequency, though easyJet have introduced several flights a week
between Gatwick and Thessaloniki for 2008.
Through bookings with Olympic from Gatwick to Mitilene via Thessaloniki
are available and can sometimes be the cheapest option.

Ferries
NEL Lines www.nel.gr
is the 'native' Lesvos ferry company, and until recently had
a near monopoly of ferry services to the island.
It operates a daily overnight ferry from Piraeus to Mitilene via Chios,
normally leaving Piraeus at 19.00, Mitilene at 18.00,
 and taking approximately 12-14 hours.
There are also occasional non-stop services,
 NEL has now updated its website with an English-language option and on-line booking.

Hellenic Seaways www.hellenicseaways.gr
introduced a daily 8½ hour service in September 2005 with a brand-new ship,
'Nisos Mykonos' and claimed, by November 2005,
to have captured the major share of traffic.
The service is now being run by her even newer sister ship 'Nisos Chios'.
The website offers online booking and eticketing.

From Thessaloniki SAOS Lines www.saos.gr has one sailing a week
and GA Ferries www.gaferries.gr three.

SAOS also has two sailings a week from Kavala, and one from Lavrion to Sigri
The latter is currently the quickest scheduled crossing from mainland Greece (7 hours)
and worth considering if you have a car and are staying in the west of the island.
The current schedule only runs until mid-September,
and the service will probably be withdrawn then.

A booking agency at www.ferries.gr offers current timetables
 and online booking for all major ferry lines serving Greek ports.

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