Tired of waiting for the skies to clear? Here are some ways off the island

THE MAIN obstacle to getting off Cyprus, is the lack of ferry services to mainland Europe where there are other options to move around such as trains and coaches.

To get there however travellers must either fly to a European destination from Cyprus not affected by the ash cloud such as Athens or Thessaloniki and possibly Rome, or to take the route north to Istanbul.

For those who manage to reach Paris this way there is the Eurostar train to London but if that’s more expensive, there’s the ferry from Calais to Dover with P&O for around GBP50, which takes around three hours but this means extra fares from Paris to Calais – another two and a half hours – and then Dover to London, add another one and a half hours.

 

London via Athens by air and train

Yesterday Cyprus Airways website had flights to Athens for tomorrow or Friday for around €64 one-way including taxes. To go this route a traveller would then have to organise a train trip back to the UK. The cheapest way to do this would be to purchase a ten-day Interail pass for around €250 or €150 for people under 26, and the quickest track using sleeper trains would be through Thessaloniki, Bucharest, Budapest, Vienna, Munich and Paris catching the Eurostar of ferry there.

The journey which would take three days and nights, and a lot of planning, would cost in the region of €400 without the cost of food and drink and the cost of a Eurostar ticket – which seems to be varying as the chaos deepens.

 

London via Athens by air, ferry and train

The other option from Athens would be a ferry to Venice – around 36 hours – and the overnight train to Paris. Greek ferry fares vary but expect to pay around €100 for a one-way trip. The Venice-Paris sleeper train could be anything from €100-€150 and again plus the Eurostar fare so the total cost Cyprus to London would be in the region of €400 and 2-3 days on the road.

 

London via Istanbul by train

The route Bucharest, Budapest, Munich and Paris is said to be the most convenient, comfortable  practical rail route from Istanbul.  It’s almost the same route as Athens-Paris but takes two days longer. Flights from the north were booked up yesterday, according to websites but there were fares to Istanbul for around €75 for the weekend. Trains on the prescribed routes from Istanbul cost would cost around €350 point-to-point, which brings the total – excluding the Eurostar fare – to around €425 but the journey would take five days.

All details for the above three options can be found at; http://www.seat61.com/Greece.htm#London%20to%20Athens

 

London via Rome by air and train, or coach

The only flight listed on the Cyprus Airways website for Rome this week was for Saturday with available seats one-way for €300. Aegean flies daily from Athens to Rome via Athens for around €200 one way.

From Rome, if the airport is open, there is an overnight train to Paris for anything from €100 one-way sharing a six-berth to €250 for a one-berth. Again, excluding the Eurostar Paris to London fare the total comes out at over €400.

The other way out of Rome is by coach. Using busabout.com will take you through Siena, Florence, Nice, Lake Como, Lucerne, Bern and Paris. A flexi ticket costs around €300 but would take forever. Another company, Eurolines has 15-day passes for €135 to €159 but you need to buy a ticket seven days before travelling.

http://www.eurolines.co.uk/coach/index.aspx

 

London from Cyprus by boat and train

If you have all the time in the world, there is one way off Cyprus that is little reported and that is the Grimaldi Lines cargo-ship cruise, which leaves Limassol every Friday and will take you to Salerno in Italy or through Cork in Ireland on to Bristol and ultimately Southampton but the journey will take 12 to 18 days if you go all the way. It costs around €520 sharing with shower, and €830 for someone travelling alone. Children have a 50 per cent discount. To travel in more style, there are cabins with sitting rooms and a bath for just over €1,000. Food is included. The fare doesn’t include train tickets from either Bristol or Southampton to London.

http://www.cruisecyprus.com/grimaldi_freighter_cruises.htm

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.