Ferry to Patra(s)
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One reason to write a blog like this is to provide others with the information that you would like to have found yourself but couldn't.
We booked our truck on the Anek Lines ferry from Ancona to Patra(s) via the highly recommended UK Ferry agency Viamare Ltd (+44 20 8206 3420). This is one of the few ferry journeys that you can take with a motorhome and live in your van rather than have to take a cabin.
The two pieces of information I would like to have had before boarding the ferry were exactly where do you enter the port and what facilities are provided with so called "open deck" tickets."
Like many people we decided to spend the night before our ferry at the utilitarian motorhome parking area about 10 km out of Ancona by an Auchan supermarket (43.55160, 13.51490). This area caters for about 30 vans and has water and grey water dump facilities. It is free and the height barrier is 3.5 metres (not 3.2 metres as listed on some web sites; important if your van is 3.4 metres!)
If you look at a map of the port area of Ancona it is very difficult to differentiate between the roads within the port area and the public roads a metre away. If you try to use your satnav to find a route to the port you will find it very confusing. The best advice is simply to head towards the town center until you see a sign to the port and then follow the signs. When you find them leading you out of the town of Ancona and then back in again don't panic they will eventually get you to a large parking area where you can exchange your ferry voucher for actual tickets, after that you still have a couple of kilometers of convoluted road to follow within the docks to get to the loading area of your ferry.
The "open deck" that motorhomes (and the odd caravan) are parked on, is in truth only slightly "open". There are large holes on both sides of the deck with a good flow of air thru the deck, but only those vans parked directly at the side actually get a view of the sea.
The atmosphere on the open deck is very relaxed, and some groups have set up tables in the open spaces. The use of gas cooking and heating equipment is prohibited and gas cylinders are meant to be turned off. Passengers traveling on the "open deck" have access to the rest of the ship, which is well equipped with restaurants, bars, cafes and a casino.
I had been unable to establish in advance if electrical power was available, but it is and nearly everybody seems to be plugged in.
There are clean (if basic) toilets and showers accesible from the "open deck".
