Mykonos, Greece by Richard Martin

Catching the Bus

During the busiest times a bus runs from the airport to Fabrika, one of the two bus stations in Mykonos Town (otherwise known as Chora). Like the taxis, the busses are good value for money if one is already there but as they are very infrequent, this is unlikely.

For travelling around the island itself, the busses are a little better and more frequent. Fabrica bus station has busses going to Platys Gialos, Paraga, Paradise, Ornos and Agios Ioannis, most with one or two busses departing every hour. In the evening, there are hourly departures to Platys Gialos and Paradise, from which much of the south side of the island is accessible.

The Northern bus station on Mykonos situated near the old port has departures for Ano Mera, Elia (departing at 11AM, noon, 2PM, 4PM, 6PM and 7PM, returning 30 minutes later) and Kalafatis. If you need to get from one bus station to the other, it requires a short walk across the town.

If you intend to purchase your ticket directly from the bus driver, be warned you will need the exact change ready however you can also buy a ticket prior to boarding from a ticket vending machine, special kiosks, mini markets and many other shops around Chora. If you find yourself without the change needed while on the bus, don’t be tempted to try to sneak on as tickets are checked regularly.

Hiring a car or Scooter

While the public transport on Mykonos is great for getting to and around the southern beaches, it is not so good when it comes to discovering the rest of the island. The east, west and northern beaches are generally less populated as a result which is one good reason to want to visit them.

There are many little spots and hidden beaches that are great to explore and some of which have nearby small, local restaurants and taverns that offer a change from the usual tourist scene. To do this, it is best to hire a car or a scooter for one or more days to enable you to get around more freely. There are a number of rental agencies available, most of whom are located either near Fabrika Bus Station or behind the Archaeological Museum.

This article is a contribution of Hotel Palladium, a boutique hotel mykonos.

The post A Traveller’s Guide To Mykonos Island | Greece appeared first on Best of European Union.

Photo by elegantfrenchcruises.com

There are many reasons why you might be considering working on a barge in France and luckily for you there are normally a bunch of job opportunities every year as the French canals are an increasingly popular destination for tourists from all over the world to vacation, as well as the French themselves.

What Jobs Are There?

A cruising barge is normally sold as a slice of luxury, a bit like a hotel, so there is a wide range of jobs you could do:

• Captain, Deck Officer or Deck Hand
• Mechanic or Bus Driver
• Host, Steward, Tour guide, Translator or Cabin staff
• Chef, Barman or Waiter

Depending on your strengths there is sure to be one of these roles that leaps out at you. If you’re good at steering boats and look good in uniform, you might be the perfect captain. If you speak French and English well, are charming as the day is long and know your way around the canals and nearby vineyards, you are a perfect host or tour guide. If you’re scared of water, you may have to settle for being a bus driver that meets the boat at its scheduled stops to take people to attractions and on excursions.

Where Do You Find These Jobs?

Any website or agency that recruits staff for airlines, ferries and cruise liners will normally have a section just for canal cruise staff. Online is the obvious choice and a minimal amount of searching will quickly offer you several places to register. (Crewconnected.com is a suggestion.)

Alternatively you could just travel to the place where you want to work from (e.g. the south of France) at the beginning of the summer season and look for a cruise barge. Introduce yourself and you might get lucky.

What Will The Work Be Like?

It depends what job you’re doing but if you are a steward or a barman you will find that you spend much of your time living on the boat, tending to the guests and generally making everyone happy. You won’t be working 24/7 though and you will have days to spend time on dry land. The scenery should be typically lovely and if you’re there in the height of summer you can expect to get a good tan.

Sound like a life for you?

Jean Gaul is a French river cruises veteran. He started with a short canal cruise vacation in Burgundy 10 years ago and is now captain and owns his own fleet of luxury barges.

The post Want To Work On A Canal Cruise In France? appeared first on Best of European Union.