Greece 2025, Part 2: From the ferry port across the Peloponnese to Athens

Arriving in Greece

After a relaxing night on the ship, we reached Igoumenitsa early in the morning. We had dropped our original plan of taking the E55 coastal road towards Patras and the Peloponnese: there were no fast chargers anywhere along it, at most a few AC chargers. And at the ferry port itself: virtually no infrastructure. A port, a few houses, not a single charging point.

First charging stop: a Supercharger that didn't exist yet

So we took the A2 motorway to Ioannina. That's where the only HPC charger far and wide was. Range-wise we would have made it, but I didn't want to take any risks – luckily. The A2 climbs up into the mountains, and the remaining range just melted away. We arrived in Ioannina with only about 50 kilometres left.

Then, on the way to the shopping centre, the surprise: a brand-new Tesla Supercharger that hadn't even appeared in the app before we set off. Of course we used it straight away and charged the battery to full: 59 kWh for 24.69 euros, around 42 cents per kWh. After that we took the A5 motorway towards Patras.

By ferry across the Gulf of Corinth

Near Patras, the big Rio–Antirrio Bridge spans the Gulf of Corinth. We still opted for the small ferry and finally arrived on the Peloponnese in the afternoon. After a short detour to Patras, we continued to Kato Achaia.

Kato Achaia: the charging app with pitfalls

Our first hotel was right on the beach and had its own charging point. It was the first time I came across a charger where you have to top up credit first – operated by Blink Charging Hellas. I had installed the Blink app beforehand, registered and added my credit card – but the car still wouldn't charge. Again and again the message “No Credit” appeared. The solution: you really do have to load money from your credit card into the app first. I topped up 20 euros, and at last the power flowed: 34 kWh overnight for 14.64 euros.

If you think the charging costs were then deducted from that credit, you'd be wrong. The amount was charged directly to the credit card, and the 20 euros stayed untouched in the app. The upshot: after the trip I had to write to support and ask for a refund. Hard to believe. The good news: support replied the very next day, and I got the 20 euros back very quickly. My verdict on Blink: a clumsy app, but very good support. And the next morning the battery was full.

Olympia and free charging at Lidl in Greece

Next we went to Pyrgos, very close to ancient Olympia. We visited the excavations – absolutely fascinating when you think about what was organised here thousands of years ago.

Because we only drove short stages each day, charging was never a problem. In Pyrgos there was even a Lidl where you could charge for free. Only at up to 18 kW, and the session stops after 30 minutes – but you simply plug in again and get another half hour. In fact, all the Lidl chargers we found in Greece were free, some with 11 kW, others with up to 18 kW.

Kalamata, Nafplio and the Corinth Canal

From there we drove via Kalamata and the old capital Nafplio towards Corinth. Of course we had a look at the famous Corinth Canal and walked across the bridge.

Athens

To round things off, we drove to Athens and spent a few more nights there, again in a hotel with a charging point. When travelling, I try to choose hotels where I can charge. There weren't many of them on the Peloponnese, but in Athens it worked out perfectly.

After a few wonderful days, I took Jurgita to the airport – she had less holiday than me and flew home. I then set off on the return journey at a relaxed pace: all the way through Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Austria and Germany back to Switzerland. More on that in Part 3.