Edit: Thread title updated for this year's NL away trip. 

Judging by the price of Aer Lingus direct flights - plenty have booked this. It’s now 700 return.

Are you surprised? As discussed on numerous occasions, folks on here do their job for them by advertising the route, how much they paid etc. Even if you mention vis London etc. boom, up goes the connecting flight. it's 9 months away and there's plenty of options to get to Greece. Same as the rest of the games.

Except very few people posted about Aerlingus across the threads. If you went onto skyscanner to have a look it was right there, direct flight sorted. 

It's probably the easiest way to go so no wonder it went up first. 

There's plenty of ways to fly in though as you've mentioned from all across Europe. Peak summer season though so flights probably won't get much cheaper than they are no whatever route you go.

Very rarely fly direct myself but booked Aerlingus this morning simply for convenience 

Anywhere close to Monastiraki square would be spot on.

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Anywhere around Syntagma, Acropoli or Monastiraki metro stations would be spot on.  Central, plenty of restaurants and bars around there too.

I was there earlier this year. Plaka would be the area to go to, its the main area in the centre with plenty of bars and restaurants including the James Joyce pub. Plenty of reasonable accommodation too. It's beside the Acropolis and main tourist sites too

I have a couple of indirect options but wondering to hold off until athens is confirmed

Direct? What days are you flying?

Was looking at their recent attendances, I've last two campaigns. Highest attendance was 19k against Italy, every other one was in the thousands, including just 1.3k against Kosovo, would be surprised if they moved it, seems to be no demand to see the team. 

I see the recent northern Ireland match was originally slated for volos but subsequently changed to Athens. They announced the venue just 6 weeks prior to the match.

Got them for €290 return with AL. Out Thursday and back Saturday. Not too bad 

I was reading the regulations document earlier, the venue must be selected and sent to UEFA at least 120 days before the match.

Are the rules different for the nations league because they announced the venue 5 to 6 weeks before the scheduled date of the match.

Yeah, the regulations can differ for each competition.

It could be our only away this campaign that won't be oversubscribed and will count on away records

Direct from Dublin on way over on the Tuesday with AL and home the Sunday via Amsterdam with KLM.

Worked out around €320. 

Booked last night direct both ways over Aegean on wed, home aer lingus Saturday 250

Regarding which stadium we're gonna host the Irish team, we have recently moved from Olympiakos' ground because of a rivalry between Olympiakos and the federation and we don't play games there anymore. 

Oaka looks like the most probable case for me even though it's huge and we barely fill the half of it, afaik players don't seem to prefer it. 

There's also the new AEK stadium around which is based in Nea Filadelphia and I think it gets a huge chance to host some of this campaign's games.

Stadium which we hosted NIR is old and doubt we would use it in crucial games as well as every other stadium outside of Athens. 

Yes direct. Going the Tuesday.

Thanks for this! Any idea when they might decide?

Any chance of it being in Heraklion? 

Thanks for the information.

The new AEK stadium looks fantastic, I would imagine that Greece might want to showcase it.

So pretty much nailed on Athens ? 

Its Athens!! 

Worst case scenario is Crete! They'd planned to play games their recently and it fell through. 

Be a bollocks for those of us with flights booked to athens mind! 

9 hour ferry it is then.

Yeah I think the stadium rotation was just for the NL games so people in the county would get the chance to watch the NT. Although just yesterday the FA president was asked what's going to be if Poyet asks the team to move to Olympiakos' ground, he replied (in a rather unconvincing way) that they will do it id Olympiakos agrees (which is also why I pointed out that I exclude this option)

Also the players don't really like moving outside of Athens.

thanks 

Well recent failures have made people really dissapointed and when you include the obnoxious and passive way we've played since 2014, it's not an encouraging factor for someone to go and watch the team.

After topping the NL group seems interest has grown with the possibility of making it through the playoffs where Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan and Luxembourg are potential opponents.

Yeah Cyprus 

BigStrongMan wrote: Anywan been to any of the islands off Athens?

Africa.   Me and Joanne took a little trip to Afritionaire.  We left Nairobi, went south to Moshe,across the Serengeti to Musoma and the long trek east to the coast.

Good to hear, albeit not from an irish perspective! 

Hope we play in thr AEK stadium, looks a beautiful stadium

Was in Ios about 10 years ago at the tail end of our interrailing trip. Was great craic, real party island. About a 5 hour ferry from Athens. Don't think I'd be fit for it now though

I was there about 20 years ago. I handed over money for the privilege of getting hit on the head with a hammer by a barman whilst I did a Tequila Slammer. This was a pre planned assault of which I was fully aware and gave my consent. People were lining up to partake. 

These days you can't hit customers on the head with hammers. Its this new woke culture I blame.  

EDIT: Punters are provided with a crash helmet before getting a smack of a hammer which is very decent of the barmen. 

Aegina, Poros and Hydra are all within 90mins on the ferry and cheap to get to. Aegina gets busy at the weekends with Athenians and tourists going over for day trips. Aegina town is nice with good restaurants and drinking spots but it isn’t as photogenic as some of the other islands. Hydra is a bit more up-market and expensive so would probably avoid there. Poros has the best beaches if you’re looking to get a tan.

Same as the bus from Dublin to Donegal....not a bother!

Haha...Slammer bar. Their weapon of choice on me was a fire extinguisher. Lucky none of us lost teeth as I believe was fairly common from hitting the bar from the impact of the blow to the head

Which of those islands most closely resembles Dundalk?

In that case probably Salamis. There aren’t many locals there that can speak intelligible English 

I was in both Hydra and Poros this summer. Hydra is much the nicer, there are no cars in the island, the locals use donkeys. It is more expensive  than Poros but still cheaper than Ireland. No sandy beaches on Hydra though.

Poros wasn't great, struck me as a place that had it's tourism heyday 20 years ago, it's very run down. 

Neither place is particularly lively, but it was mid May I was there

Is there a risk of it being played outside of Athens?

I went for Pysri, looks really cool

Looks basic but good. I booked a room for 4 with free cancellation for 3 nights for €200. It's a long time since I have seen prices like that. Location looks good too 

That's a deal breaker in the middle of June 

If I got near a swimming pool on an away trip I'd be floating to the bottom. 

The price for 4 people for 3 nights is only a little bit more than what we paid per person per night in Glasgow. 

Good shout. Just booked it today. Great price and location 

Got return direct flights with Seats reserved and checked bags for €480 for us both and the one year old. Booked with Aegean.

Have booked 11 nights in a seaside suburb called Glyfada on the Athens Riviera. Tram outside the hotel info the city centre in 40 Minutes.

There will be time for sight seeing, catching friend around the match and down time with the family. Tram also goes to Pireaus so might go to an island for a day.

Seems to be a lot of seafront areas to the South of the city that will provide a good mix of holiday destination with accessibility to the city for tours and the match.

Stroller was difficult with being so busy and the mad broken paths. Weren't many places at least centrally that it felt ok to let him wander a bit so he was mostly annoyed. Gang tried to rob us on that tram you're talking about. We also went from Piraeus on a ferry and my son shat all over our cabin, and generally went mental for the whole journey!

But...once we got settled at a nice resort in Crete we were happy out, so you'll be grand out in a seaside place I'm sure.

I'm currently weighing up whether to take my 6 year old with me.  She loves getting away but Athens seems massive with loads of walking, but she is right into the football now so would enjoy the main event at least. The 4  and 2 year olds being left behind might be raging,  but no way am I taking them all.

19:00 Irish time.

Listed as 21.45 local , 7.45 Irish 

Yeah always a disaster alright, yet for years we always lived in hope that the next time it would be grand. 

But I've now made my peace being a sh ite tourist. Don't care about seeing anything. Happy out spending the day on a sun lounger on some generic Med coast, and not dragging screaming kids through dusty old ruins. A nearby waterpark is as far as I'll venture now.

Another San Miguel Julio pal... 

4 of us are staying in the Melia Athens anyway.

I had booked the Elikon which was a great price and central but changed to the nearby Melia for it's rooftop bar and view of the Acropolis. 

Same.  Have apartment booked but there's 5 of us so the flights add up. 

They don't have to confirm until 3 month before so that would be March. 

Heard it mighten be till the New Year when we hear - it will must likely be Athens but like yourself reluctant to book until confirmed 

Could do with France being confirmed as well

Yep got it before. Think it was 6 hours. Very comfortable. Not so much on the way back when we were dying a death!!

More than likely Athens but not confirmed 

Nothing official but the last I'd heard was Athens & the FAI were planning off this but nothing had been confirmed 

would you not be safe enough booking flights to Athens for this get internal flight or train if its played anywhere else 

If you are flying out the Friday be dodgy. Some of the spins are 5/6 hours 

Yeah, but looking to get a 2.45am flight after the game so want to wait for Athens to be confirmed! 

Thanks lads, hoping its thay new AEK stadium