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Taxi and own means: to move within Karpathos there is nothing else. Forget about public transport: waiting even after the hour at peak times; add, then, that on some days of the week, not even a bus circulates.
From the airport and the port, to get to your accommodation, the taxi is advisable. Before getting on, check the fare, which, however, should not be very high. For getting around Karpathos, the car is preferable, especially if you plan to move to the Northern part. Otherwise, Karpathos is wonderful to ride even on mopeds, following only a few recommendations.
- TRAVEL ALWAYS WITH THE FULL TANK; in the small towns, you will not even find a single fuel pump. Often, the fuel is sold (with slightly higher price than the pumps) from the rental agencies, which are spread a bit ‘like wildfire. Only in the capital you will find petrol stations.
- RENTED TWO WHEELS OF DISPLACEMENTS LIKE OR HIGHER TO 100CC; the island, mountainous, has slopes that would put a strain on any 50cc!! Choose a scooter that has a good fuel range.
GETTING AROUND KARPATHOS BY BUS
KTEL manages the public road transport system. All buses, head to Pigadia, the Capital of the island. Anyone who wants to move, will therefore have to forcibly pass through the city. Not enough, the frequency of the races is a further limit.
Only 9 lines are active, with a frequency of only one daily run. Numbered from 1 to 9, they all start and arrive in Pigadia. Here is the list of main lines:
- Line 1: Pigadia-Olympos. Monday, at 08:45 and 17:00. Wednesday, 09:15. Friday, 09:15 and 14:00. Saturday, 09:15.
- Line 2: Pigadia-Menetes / Arkasa / Finiki / Lefkos
- Line 3: Pigadia-Apella / Kira Panagia
- Line 6: Pigadia-Amoopi. Activate every day, from Monday to Sunday. 5/6 ran during the week; three races on Saturday and two races on Sundays.
- Line 9: Pigadia-Vrontis. Activate from Monday to Saturday.
SOME MYTHS TO BE BORN. Sifting through the various forums you read all the colors, about which means to use. There are those who recommend renting only 4×4 or SUV (mah!), Or who even claims that a scooter can be swept away by Meltemi (mah!). There are also those who strongly advise against going north due to the impracticable road (the moooorte marshes, Gollum would say). Let’s debunk all these myths. Probably many of these people, write just to do it and maybe they have not even been on the island!
Personally, and therefore from experience, I can say that with a rather large scooter (it was a Kymco at the time) and heavy, I turned the island and all the beaches quietly. The Scooter is ideal for getting around Karpathos. Put your helmet, lots of protection and go … The only caution was to always travel with the full before leaving. If the destination was a beach in the South, just simply stretch a bit for Pigadia and fill up. Often, you will find availability at almost all two-wheel rental agencies (and these, indeed, are not lacking in the island).
If you want to move to the North, for example in Olympos, a Panda is fine. Other than SUV as someone advises: there are dirt roads so narrow that only a small box could pass …. let alone an SUV!
*all information contained herein, including timetables and prices, is for informational purposes only and is not to be considered official. All names and trademarks herein belong to their respective owners.