The Adriatic and Ionian coast: A Ride to Athens

A Cold Drink and Coastal Cruising

I set off fairly early from my campsite and after a bit of riding, someone waved me down outside a café and asked if I wanted a cold drink. Obviously, I said yes. Inside, I was treated to a Coke and a coffee—pretty much the perfect way to start a morning. He had to head off to work, but I stayed to chill and sort some things out on my phone since I didn’t have data the night before.

Rolling on, my plan was to get as far as I could before the heat really kicked in. After a small climb and some nice scenery, I arrived in Vlorë. First stop: a bike shop to finally pick up a pump and an extra inner tube. Then I headed along the beachside road until a local invited me to stop for a dip by the sea. I took him up on it. There’s a big hill coming tomorrow, so my destination for today was Dukat—right at the foot of the climb, with a camping spot there. When I arrived I was greeted with Raki and Albanian Coffee. They also have fresh mountain spring water on tap which was delicious.

Climbing and Coasting

Had a really good night’s sleep my host's garden. I set off a bit later than I planned, mostly because I just couldn’t drag myself out of bed. Straight into climbing on the main road, but then the route cut off onto a much quieter pass—most traffic now takes the new tunnel. I think the climb took about an hour with some stunning views along the way, ending in a panoramic lookout over Himarë.

The first half of the day was great, especially with a dip in Himarë. But I didn’t eat enough before heading into the second half, so I was running on empty and still had hills to deal with. On top of that, I’ve lost the lowest gear on my bike, and despite stopping to try and fix it, I couldn’t get it working again. For now, I’ll have to manage without it and hope the hills stay manageable.

I think I overcooked it a bit today. My destination was Sarandë, but between the poor fuelling and missing gear, I didn’t get there until after 8pm. It was super busy, not really my vibe, so I pushed on. I usually like to be settled by 8, so this wasn’t ideal. I hiked down a rocky path toward a beach to camp, but it was closed—the waves had picked up a lot.

Goodbye Albania, Hello Greece

I had a lovely ride out of Edon-Bina, where I’d camped, and today’s mission was to cross into Greece. I cycled most of the day with views of Corfu in the distance. After passing a few lakes, there was one final, long climb to reach the Albania-Greece border, which turned out to be a pretty quiet crossing. I hadn’t had any breakfast and was out of Leke, so I stopped at the border café and probably got stung for not being more prepared.

After that, the road hugged the coast in a series of sweeping declines—really beautiful. I stopped in Igoumenitsa for a huge bowl of ice cream and a dunk in the harbour, then finished the day camped in an abandoned football field, which turned out to be a surprisingly good spot.

Chased by Horseflies

After a breakfast of jam sandwiches, I set off and noticed my front tyre was slowly going down—frustrating. Instead of immediately changing the tube, I tried pumping it up with my new, cheap pump (which is terrible—buy it nice or buy it twice, as they say). It did the job though, so I suspect it’s just a very slow puncture.

There was a climb early on, but nothing too bad, and soon I was descending a lovely set of hairpins to the beach. I stopped for a second breakfast but saved the swim as a reward for later. The route rolled in and out of little bays but stayed mostly flat, which was welcome. Then I turned inland to follow the Ambracian Gulf.

I had scoped out this section beforehand—there was a choice between the long main road and a shortcut trail. I stuck with Komoot’s route, which was a mistake. The trail was decent until I got near a lagoon, passed some cows, and was suddenly swarmed by horseflies. They were everywhere. I had no choice but to keep pedalling hard to escape, which meant I barely saw the lagoon and was on edge for hours.

Eventually, I reached a small town with one open café and stopped for a bite. Then it was a short ride to the beach—absolutely needed. I swam, had a shower, then rode on for a bit before grabbing dinner and finishing the day just outside Amfilochia.

Bike Repairs and a Big Push

Terrible night’s sleep. The place I thought was a good spot turned out to have a streetlamp that switched on as I was going to bed, and there was a nearby car park, so people came and went all night. Not ideal, especially since I’ve got big days ahead getting into Athens.

I limped out of Amfilochia toward Missolonghi, hoping a bike shop I found on Maps could help. Luckily, the guy there was brilliant—he fixed my gears and put slime in both tubes, so I’m now a bit more puncture-proof. I had a long break there, then rode on toward the ferry. The heat was brutal. I couldn’t be bothered to make dinner, so I stopped at a beach bar and had my first Greek salad in Greece. Rode a little further and found a nice tucked-away spot to camp, hidden but close to a neighbourhood.

A Windy Ride Along the Gulf

Today I was cycling along the southern edge of the Ambracian Gulf. Komoot kept trying to pull me off onto back roads, but I stuck to the main road instead. It’s the old state road, replaced by a newer highway, so it was mostly local traffic—easier to get into a rhythm and cover some distance.

Unfortunately, I was riding into a headwind the whole day—west-northwest, straight against me. Up to now I haven’t had much headwind, so I can’t really complain, but it did slow things down.

Still, it was a decent day. I stopped for a swim and shower partway through and finished near modern Corinth, which is more coastal than the ancient ruins.

Sea Urchins and a Shortcut

I started okay but noticed a pain in the ball of my left foot. I had about 90k to go to Athens, but just as I was leaving Corinth, I stopped at a bridge (waiting for yachts to pass) and checked my foot—turns out I had sea urchin splinters from Amfilochia. Painful to ride on, and after several long days, I was worn out.

I decided to call it and hopped on a train for the final stretch. I’m glad I did—just as I was getting off, I met another cyclist who’d just finished his trip from Vienna to Athens. We instantly clicked and headed for lunch. He had Greek roots and took me to one of his favourite spots in Monastiraki: a Greek-Indian fusion place with incredible Naanwiches.

We cycled a bit around the Acropolis then parted ways—both ready for showers. I checked into the Airbnb Jon had booked, sorted my gear and laundry, and finally dealt with the spikes in my foot. Not long after, Jon arrived. After a bit of chilling (he’d had a long journey), we headed out to a restaurant recommended by his Greek friend Andreas.

Athens on Foot

We spent the whole day wandering Athens, following a mix of recommendations from Fidel and Jon’s friends. It was a much nicer way to explore than getting funneled into the usual tourist traps.

The highlight was definitely climbing Lycabettus Hill for an incredible view over Athens—the Acropolis, the city, and the Mediterranean beyond.

The Acropolis and a Greek Salad Attempt

Today was for the Acropolis and its slopes. The size of the main temple is breathtaking. The only downside is knowing that the British Museum still has the marbles taken from the smaller temple off to the side. It would be even more powerful if they were returned.

Afterwards, we got out of the heat and I made my own attempt at a Greek salad, which turned out really well. Later we headed to the beach for a swim and some chill time, finishing the day with a beer and a perfect sunset.

Goodbyes and Hostel Vibes

We spent the morning packing, grabbed a final coffee (my first Greek coffee), then said our goodbyes as Jon headed for the airport via the metro. I checked into a hostel I’d booked, hoping for a place to do absolutely nothing.

It delivered. I parked the bike and jumped into a long conversation on the sofa with Alex (an American) and Ben (an Aussie). We talked the whole day. Later, we grabbed a late meal at an Afghani restaurant and ended with rooftop beers before bed.

On to the Ferry

Easy ride today from the hostel to the ferry port. I made a couple of stops to pick up new camping gas and a sleeping mat—since my air mattress failed back in Germany, I’ve been sleeping on the floor. Grabbed supplies for the ferry and a final coffee before boarding.

The Long Ferry and Rhodes

The long ferry was actually alright—I managed to get some decent sleep and enjoyed some really nice views of various Greek islands, including one called Chalki. Once I disembarked, I headed straight into the old castle walls of Rhodes town. It was fairly busy, with quite a few cruise ships docked, but I found a quiet spot for a coffee and to write a postcard.

Afterwards, I headed out of town toward Butterfly Valley. It was hot and I had nowhere else I needed to be, so I settled into a bar for a beer and a phone call home to Demi. A little after 4:00, I set off for Butterfly Valley,