Travel Details

You will need to take an airplane to Athens Greece Athens (ATH - Eleftherios Venizelos) then onto Ikaria Island (JIK - Ikaria Island). It's best to leave via New York or Boston. For the best prices for international flights purchase your ticket 3 to 4 months before.

It is very important to make a good connection from Athens to Ikaria. At times you may need to stay an additional night in Athens on either end of your trip. It might be nice to stay a few extra days in Athens to explore the city. See below for some hotel options in Athens.

Another way to travel to the island via Athens is to take a ferry from Piraeus Port. You can use the websites ferry hopper.com or go-ferry.com There are two ports on Ikaria, the closest one to the retreat is Evdilos I would recommend trying to get into this port first and taking a short cab ride Armenistis. Ayios Kirikos is the other port it would require a 1 hour cab ride to the hotel in Armenistis. It is a beautiful drive and would allow you to take in some lovely views.

Please note. Ferry Schedules do change check them closer to your departure date.

We highly recommend you get travel insurance. Please check out www.allianztravelinsurance.com

Although travel has its risks these days, we would like to try and ensure that we have a covid free retreat. If we follow some basic precautions we can reduce the risk of this. If you can mask in public spaces and be diligent at least 10 days before departure we can reduce our chances of bringing covid to our retreat. Please if you have any symptoms before you leave you might postpone a few days. If you arrive with symptoms of any kind please mask until you are sure you do not have covid. Please wear a good mask in the airport and on the plane, N95. If you are willing to get a booster do so before the trip. If you do not want to get a booster please be extra cautious. We also ask you bring some tests with you at least 3.

We will be staying at the Cavos Bay in Armenistis Greece. We will make all the arrangements with the hotel. Everyone will have a single room on the trip unless you specify you want to share with someone you are already traveling with. If you are staying in Athens and would prefer not to drive into the city and excellent easy hotel to stay at is Sofitel Athens Hotel. You can walk to it and its a nice place to stay to transition to and from the retreat. all.accor.com +30 2103544000. all https://sofitelathensairport.reservationstays.com Another hotel in Athens near the Plaka and the Parthenon is Hotel Adonis Hotel- Adonis.gr phone umber is +302103249741 This hotel has a great location and is reasonable in price. Book ahead for June. One thing to note about hotels and restaurants in Greece. All toilet paper gets wrapped and placed into the garbage. DO not flush. The septic systems are not meant to handle any paper at all. It takes a little getting used to, I wanted to prepare you all before hand.

Our breakfast will be at the hotel every morning after Yoga and meditation. The hotel breakfast offers various kinds of coffee, juice, tea, milk and chocolate. Variety of bread, marmalade, cereals, cheese and eggs. Ham, turkey, sausages, butter, yoghurt, seasonal fruits, olives, tomato, cucumber. We will enjoy local specialities such as greek salad and dips, moussaka and spanakopita and much more. I will provide 4 delicious dinners or lunches depending upon our itinerary. All other meals participants will be on their own. All breakfasts are included.

There are two main ferry ports on the island. One in Evdilos and one in Ayios Kirikos. If you travel by boat its best to come into Evdilos, it’s only about a 15 minute taxi ride to the hotel. If you arrive in Ayios Kirikos it’s about an hour to the hotel. The Airport is in Faros, Ikaria. If you come by air you will need to take a taxi to the hotel this is also about an hour. Thynamis Retreats is not responsible for paying your transportation to and from the retreat site. Transportation is included in the retreat once you arrive at the hotel. We would be able to provide suggestions for Taxi’s and would be happy to assist where we can. I always recommend asking the taxi driver or better yet the taxi company what the set price would be to your destination. More on this when the time is closer.

We are hoping that cell phone usage will be at a minimum during our retreat, however if someone intends on using their existing phone please call your cell phone carrier ahead of time. It’s important to understand what your rates are and if your company offers international coverage. Some companies makes it easy to buy an international SIM card that you can temporarily use while traveling abroad limiting excessive fees. Other companies have good international plans. It’s important to look into this ahead of time so you are prepared and you do not have any surprise charges when you arrive home.

Please look into getting a passport or renewing your passport as soon as possible. It often happens that someone thinks their passport is valid and just before a trip they realize its expired. Check into this right away.

I would highly recommend keeping personal documents and money on your person while traveling at all times. Please keep your luggage close to you at all times. If you travel in Athens please do not keep a wallet in your pocket. There are a lot of pick pockets at the airports and bus terminals. Things are generally safe but being cautious is very important.

We like to advise our participants to call their credit card companies so they are aware you are traveling abroad. At times card companies will temporarily deny transactions to protect their customers. It is important to contact your credit card company ahead of time to prevent this from happening. Also its a good idea to check to see which of your cards has the best rate. You can call your bank and see what charges you might incur if you use a bank machine or if you make a purchase. Usually you do not get an extra charge when you purchase something with a card, but you will have the exchange rate to consider. Using your card is often cheaper than taking money out of a cash machine on the island. You could bring a small amount of cash for spending money if you like and change it at the airport.

A few helpful packing tips. Pack light. The many times I have traveled to Greece I usually wear about a third of what I bring. You will be grateful not to be burdened with a lot of luggage particularly if you travel on after the retreat. Most days are spent in light clothes or bathing suits and cover ups. In the evenings you might want a light dress or pants. I would recommend bringing a wind breaker or sweatshirt. Sometimes the wind kicks up and you will want something to keep you warm and protect you from the wind. Bring a cover up for the beach and good walking shoes, hiking shoes or hiking sandals. A sun hat and sunglasses are important. If you have an interest in enjoying the sea a mask and snorkel is encouraged. Please bring anything that you might need for your health, wellbeing and comfort while traveling. Sun screen, Advil, vitamins, creams, stomach support, tiger balm, eye mask and ear plugs. Andrea will carry a first aid kit, but we are encouraging you to take good care of yourselves and bring what will support you. Please remember to put larger liquids in your checked bag and if you are not checking a bag remember the airline regulations for liquids regarding carry-ons. Please check with your airline ahead of time to make sure your luggage is the appropriate size to avoid any additional fees.