GREECE: CAMPGROUNDS OPEN ALL YEAR IN THE PELOPONNESE & ELSEWHERE 

GOOD CAMPGROUNDS on the coast of the Peloponnese - the southern part of the Greek mainland – all on the beach with free hot showers, good toilets, unlimited electricity, a washing machine, maybe a few winter residents.

1. GLYFA CAMPING IONION BEACH: (2623-096395). Visit: www.ionion-beach.gr. 35 miles south of Patras on the road to Pirgos, turn right (west) at the traffic lights, into Gastouni. Continue 10 miles west through Vartholomio and Vranas, then turn left (after climbing the hill) to both campsites at Glyfa (signposted). Turn right for Ionion Beach after Glyfa village (signed). Opposite island of Zakinthos (ferry from nearby Killini; also ferry to Kefalonia). Near to Aginara Beach (see below) at a similar price. Very well run by friendly English-speaking family. Maybe a few German-speaking winter residents. Clean hot showers, unlimited hot water. Large pitches. Our favourite!

3. FINIKOUNDA CAMPING FINIKES: (Andrea on 2723-071429 or 6945-293106 or Ilias on 2723-071195 – both speak English). Check their website here. This is a new campsite by the beach, 2 miles west of Finikounda. Entrance on right of main road coming from Methoni. Clean hot showers and a key to your own toilet. Good washing machines. Pick your own citrus fruit! Heated apartments also available to rent. Another favourite!

4. FINIKOUNDA CAMPING THINES: (2723-071200). Check their website here. Between Methoni and Koroni. A new site opposite the beach, half a mile west of Finikounda. Look for right turn (signed) before the village. At least 2 English winter residents. Small pitches. Washing machines. WiFi internet included in the price.

5. NEAR DREPANO CAMPING IRIA BEACH: (2752-094253). www.iriabeach.com. From Nafplio follow road west to Drepano and continue for 8 miles east along the coast. Site well-signposted on left, just after (seasonal) Camping Posidon. Well-run by friendly young English-speaking family. Heated winter shower-room! A few German-speaking winter residents. Free lettuce and cabbage from family fields! Level gravel pitches, quiet, internet access available in Reception. Another favourite, although some distance to the nearest shops.

6. DREPANO CAMPING TRITON II: (2752-092128). At Drepano, west of Nafplio. Handy for Mycenae, Epidavros, the Argolid. Smaller site on the beach run by a Greek family. Woman speaks good English. Very good facilities, though more expensive than Iria Beach (see above), especially for short stay. Handful of winter residents. Perhaps WiFi by the winter of 2008/09. Monthly winter rate.

OTHER CAMPGROUNDS in the Peloponnese which are OK for short stays, convenient for visiting beaches, mountains and ancient sites.

7. SPARTA CAMPING MISTRAS PALEOLOGICA:(2731-022724). Between Sparta and the superb Byzantine town of Mystra. Petrol station and good restaurant. Run by Pete and his Dad, returned from Canada. English spoken. Be prepared to argue with the first price Pete suggests!

8. OLYMPIA CAMPING DIANA: (2624-022314). In Ancient Olympia within walking distance of the site and excellent museum. Small and expensive but facilities are OK. Some French is spoken.

9. GYTHION CAMPINGS MANI BEACH, GYTHION BAY & MELTEMI: There are 3 campsites near each other on the beach, 3 miles or so south of the splendid little port of Gythion. Mani Beach and Gythion Bay stay open all year with limited facilities. These are the nearest campsites for the Mani Peninsula.

10. PATRAS/RION CAMPING RIO (2619-091585): 5 miles east of Patras, where the ferry and the new bridge cross the Gulf of Corinth. Very small, reasonable facilities but very expensive indeed. OK to use before or after the ferry to/from Italy but no-one stays long at their non-negotiable winter price!

11. MYCENAE CAMPING MYCENAE (2751-076121): 20 miles south of Corinth. Useful for the ancient site of Mycenae. Very small, right in the village. Run by a very friendly extended family who often come bearing gifts of their own produce: oranges, wine, olive oil, beetroots, lemons, grapefruit, olives, etc. Also sell oil and wine.

12. KALAMATA KAMPING MARIA SEA & SUN: (2721-041060). Beyond the east end of the 2-mile-long promenade and usually open. Small terraced pitches.

13. AKRATA CAMPING KRIONERI: (2696-031405). A few miles east of Diakofto. Usually open. Owner's wife is Canadian and there is a resident English couple.

14. PYLOS CAMPING NAVARINO BEACH: (2723-022973). In Gialova village, north of Pylos on main road. Popular with wind-surfers. There is a better new site nearby, CAMPING ERODIOS (2723-028241), which might be open in winter.

15. ZACHARO 'WOHNMOBIL+CARAVAN STELLPLATZ' (MOTORHOME + CARAVAN PARKING). Follow the signs, turning right off the main road just north of the centre of Zacharo. New in 2007, a simple campground on the seafront. Basic facilities include electric hook-ups, water, toilets and hot showers. Unlike a true German Stellplatz, there is a daily charge (currently €10).

More details on many of the above on www.travelling.gr/camping/peloponissos.

This is just a selection of campgrounds open all year in the north of Greece - those convenient for a tour of the key features of the northern mainland. The climate is noticeably colder and wetter in the north in the winter, particularly in the east around Mount Olympus. Possibility of snow on the higher roads.

16. KALAMBAKA CAMPING INTERNATIONAL RIZOS: (2432-022954). North of Athens, this is convenient for the Monasteries of the Meteora and the wonderful surrounding Pindos mountains. There are several other campgrounds in and around Kalambaka, some of which stay open all year. This one is on the right of the road to Trikala, about 2 miles from Kalambaka.

17. ATHENS CAMPING NEA KIFISSIA: (210-6205646 or -8075579). In a northern suburb of Athens called Nea Kifissia. Small, English-speaking, good facilities. The centre of Athens (about 8 miles) can be reached by underground railway (the Kifissia-Pireus line). In Nea Kifissia itself are several UK stores and supermarkets.

18. ATHENS CAMPING ATHENS (210-5814113/4). 5 miles west of Athens, on the left coming in on the Corinth road. New facilities and a bus into Athens from opposite the gate. They offer a secure place to leave the motorhome while (for example) flying from Athens or taking a ferry, at a reduced price (€9 a night in December 2007).

19. SOUNIO CAMPING BACCHUS (2292 039572). Small with about a dozen pitches, on the beach, 4.5 km from Temple of Poiseidon at the tip of Cape Sounio overlooking the approaches to Pireaus. Managed by a friendly English-speaking Albanian. Facilities are excellent and use of the laundry is free. 5 km from town of Lavrio for banks and shops. Long-term winter rates available.(information from Malcolm Hill).

20. DELPHI CAMPING APOLLO: (2265-082750). Small, simple but convenient for the extensive site of Ancient Delphi on the northern shore of the Gulf of Corinth.

21. IOANNINA CAMPING LIMNOPOULA: (2651-025265). A large open site at the Nautical Club on the lake-side, just north of town. Not officially open from November to March (toilets and showers locked) but there is a tap and the gate is always open. There is often someone around to turn on the electricity for a small fee. A good stop between Igoumenitsa port and Kalambaka/Meteora.

22. STYLIDA CAMPING INTERSTATION: (2238-023827/8). Between National Road and beach, west of Lamia. 2 miles west of Stylida. Expensive, with poor facilities, but open all year and well placed for a break between Athens and Thessaloniki.

23. ALEXANDROUPOLI CAMPING MUNICIPAL: (2551-028735). On the National Road just west of the town. An extensive beach site - the last before the Turkish border. A good place to meet others going to/from Turkey. (No washing machine!)

Finally, one island campground we know that is open all year:

24. CRETE CAMPING AGIA GALINI: (2832-031507). At Agia Galini about halfway along the south coast. Small and a bit scruffy, this site is on a warm coast and provides an excellent base for mountain and coastal walks. Crete is reached by overnight ferry from Pireus in about 12 hours. A weekly ferry may run to Crete from Kalamata and/or Gythion in the winter months – a shorter crossing – but check!

More details on many of the above on www.campingreece.gr.

Few campgrounds in Greece remain open all year; most close end of September or mid-October until Easter or later. In winter, you may be asked to pay the high summer price – if so, try to bargain it down. Unlike hotel prices, campground fees are not fixed or monitored by the Tourist Police. You might be able to stay on a 'closed' site if the owners are resident and are around when you call, but don't pay the first asking price if it's excessive and you're staying more than one night. We were asked for €25 a night (with no hot water and filthy showers and toilets) at Preveza in January 2006!!!!! Not recommended.

Ancient Sites and Museums are FREE to all EU citizens on Sundays in winter (1 November-31 March), with a year-round reduced price for the over-65's. Many have large car parks suitable for an overnight, but ask first at the ticket office if open.

The EOT publication 'Camping in Greece' is comprehensive, free and quite easy to use since the improved 2003 version. It is sometimes available from an EOT office (if you can find one - eg the ferry terminal at Patras) or (less likely) from the Tourist Police. Free camping (or overnight parking) presents no known problems, provided you are discreet and off the road.

Large modern ferries sail to Greece (to Igoumenitsa near the Greek/Albanian border and to Patras in the Peloponnese) from Italy (Venice, Ancona, Bari or Brindisi). Buy your ticket at the dock, shopping around among the various ticket agents. A return ticket often gives a discount on the return leg only. Most lines give small discounts to the over-60's. 'Camping on Board' is often on offer (but check its availability in the winter months - some lines, especially those from Venice or Ancona, don't allow it from November to the end of March). It gives a unique experience as well as saving the cost of a cabin and meals. Ferries which don't offer 'Camping on Board' in winter may have a special return deal for motorhomes and caravans which includes a cabin, but this varies from year to year.

The Greek mainland has an excellent coastline, almost entirely unspoilt by tourism, several distinct mountain ranges typically rising to 8,000 ft (Mount Olympus is over 11,000 ft), ancient sites everywhere (only the important ones have been fenced and organised; others are on open access), farming unspoilt by chemicals (therefore abundant wild flowers, butterflies and bird life), walking unhindered by fences and private property, remote villages unchanged by time, and churches, monasteries, caves and grottoes permeated by the mysteries of the Greek Orthodox religion, itself still steeped in the gods and myths of ancient Greece.