Ferry tickets to TinosTinos is a Cycladic island full of natural beauties, amazing beaches, manors and traditional houses. Some of its villages seem to come from the old days, untouched by time. Nevertheless, Tinos is a modern island, with developed touristic infrastructure, which welcomes visitors all around the year, mostly pilgrims who visit the Holy Temple of Panagia Megalohari. In Hora as well as in the rest of Tinos, you will find numerous chapels and monasteries since the island is a holy destination. Tinos, apart from pilgrims, also attracts tourists who visit it for its beautiful landscape and amazing beaches. Almost all the beaches in Tinos are organized and offer numerous water sports and various other athletic activities. The nightlife on the island is not that frantic but you will find several restaurants, taverns and bars that stay open until late at night in Hora. The local cuisine of the island is extremely good and you should definitely try froutalia, an omelet stuffed with cold meat and cheese. There are also several stores on the island for the ones interested in shopping. If you too want to spend unforgettable holidays in Tinos all you have to do is book your ferry tickets now.
The Tinos Port
You can easily and comfortably travel by ferry from Piraeus, Rafina and the surrounding islands to Tinos. You can also book your boat tickets online via aktoploika.gr for a journey more comfortable and carefree. The journey from Piraeus to Tinos lasts about 5 hours by ferry and about 3 hours and 30 minutes by speed ferry. The journey from Rafina lasts about 4 hours by ferry and about 2 hours by speed ferry. In the summer there is a ferry departing from Lavrio for Tinos as well and the journey lasts about 4 hours. There are actually two ports in Tinos, the new one and the old one. The new port of Tinos is in Pallada which is close enough to the center of Hora while the old one is exactly in the center of Hora. The regular and very frequent ferry itineraries make the port of Tinos one of the busiest ports of Greece. When you reach Tinos and get off the ship you will see the road leading to Panagia of Tinos.
Connection With Other Islands
Tinos has a ferry connection with the following ports: Piraeus (Athens), Rafina, Thessaloniki, Amorgos, Andros, Ios, Koufonisia, Mykonos, Naxos, Paros, Santorini, Syros.
Ferry Tickets
You can now book ferry tickets online for Tinos via Aktoploika.gr. If you plan to travel during July and August, it's best if you have booked several days or weeks earlier to avoid hitches. You should also know that round-trip/return ferry tickets come with a considerable discount.
Transportation
The road network of Tinos is relatively developed and keeps getting improved. There are lots of buses connecting all the villages and the beaches of the island with Hora as the main terminal. During summer, there are frequent itineraries from early in the morning until late in the evening. In Hora you will also find radio taxis available until 1 o'clock in the morning that can take you anywhere on the island fast and comfortably, although the cost is pretty high. Due to the developed road network and the signposts, you can easily travel by renting a vehicle. You will find several car rental agencies on the island but because the island is a favorite holiday destination, you should book the vehicle of your choice online.
Tinos is a "high traffic island" during summer months and the visitors' increased transportation needs can properly be covered only by the local buses. Although there are only 10 buses available, routes are frequent, while there are some tourist offices, that offer a daily tour, a popular option for those, who wish to have a short look in the island. These tours usually take place in July and August. The bus station is located just beside the port. The days before and after the Assumption more private buses are added, increasing the routes' frequency.
The 'holy' beautiful island.
It's one of the most important religious centers of our country, however the beauties of the island are so many that wouldn't deserve to be seen only in this way! The church of Megalochari attracts thousands of tourists every year from Greece and all over the world.
A tour on the island, is enough to begin to reveal the beauties of the island. In the central part, dominates the steep hill of Exomvurgo at a height of 641 m with the Ancient and Venetian town, and the ''plateau of the war'' seems to be the hide many secrets, which expect the traveler to discover them. The total length of the coastline is estimated at 114 km and the circumnavigation of its coasts in a short distance from the shore sailing, requires approximately 37 n. miles. Tsiknias, that is located to the East is the island's tallest mountain at a height of 726 m.
Gastronomy
Vegetables, potatoes, dairy products, such as the famous Tinian little cheeses and the graviera cheese of finest quality, production of Tinos, are just some of the local products of Tinos. Also, the thyme honey of premium quality, and the famous ''rozaki'' grape. Taste the traditional recipes of the island, they will amaze you!
Fragrant 'amigdalota', the ''lichnarakia'' of particular shape, an Easter sweet with fresh cheese and strong orange flavour, crsipy 'fish' with almond fillings (sweet offered mostly in marriages with «xerotigana» and «sesame in lemonofilla») and crispy 'mezedes' with lots of lemon shavings.
From cheese products Tinos is famous for its ''stone'' cheeses, made from the cheese «petroma», for the ''round cheese'' (because of its shape), for ''malathuni'' but also for ''kopanisti''. Also taste ''caper'', ''dried tomatoes with mush'', ''pickled samphire'', ''scalloped potatoes'', ''furtalies'', ''pickled artichokes or with scrambled eggs'', and ''agkinaroryzo'', ''livers in tomato sauce with pilaf'', ''kordomakarona'', ''marathos balls''. The next time you visit the 'holy' island, stay more than a few hours. You have so many flavors to taste …
Tinos' "musts"
- There many beaches, for all tastes, but there is one very unique, especially for the way visitors get there. Pahia Ammos beach, 8 kilometers away from Hora, is probably Greece's only beach, that one can get there by a...slide. And that's because there is a sand-hill that you'll have to roll to cross it. Try it, it's safe and it's definitely fun. Avoid it only if you have very small kids. Also be sure you'll have all the necessary with you, because the beach isn't organized.
- Tinos' biggest part of beauty is in its 62 settlements. One of them, definitely the most special, is Pyrgos village, an out-door art museum with Halepas' and other local artists' art-works.
- Kardiani village is the island's true diamond, with a lot of flowing water, picturesque alleys, arches, full of flowers yards, marble decorations and plane-trees. This village is officially declared preservable by the Greek Ministry of Culture.
- It's difficult for someone to describe Tripotamos village, 5 kilometers away from Hora. We could liken it to an out-door labyrinth. Countless alleys and paths, other interlock, other seem to be dead-ends, and hospitable residents set one of Cyclades most unusual places. The village is set-up in a way, that can be likened to a castle. There are no walls, neither moats, but when the gates are closed no-one can get in or out of it. People move through the small alleys, galleries, yards and the houses' roofs. There are no squares and everybody knows everyone. People's relationships and the place's atmospheric sense are so unique, that, if you manage to book one of the few rooms available for rent, you'll feel you are on another planet.
- Visit some of the 600 dovecotes, most of them on the island's mainland and southeastern area.
- Try and buy some "Tinos' pastelia", a local sweet made with lemon-tree leaves.
Don't forget
Before you choose on which beaches to go, be informed about each one's course and facilities. You'll have to walk or climb to access some of them, while others are so isolated, that you'll definitely have to bring everything you'll need with you.
If you can avoid it, don't visit Tinos in the middle of August. That's when the island celebrates and there are dozens of thousands of visitors, a fact that will tire you to get there.
Happy Holidays in Tinos!!!
