Greece in November - How's my Itinerary?

Old Sep 21st, 2014, 06:36 AM
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Greece in November - How's my Itinerary?

Hello everyone!!

My boyfriend and I will be coming to Greece in early November and are planning a trip for 10 - 14 days (TBD based on itinerary). He'll be running the Athens Marathon on November 9th and we're building the trip around that. We're both in our early 30s, athletic and adventurous. We enjoy physical outdoor activities (hiking and scuba diving) as well as simply wandering around new places.

That said, I've put together a tentative itinerary I'm hoping I can get your input on. From what I've read, early November may not be the best time to come to Greece (colder, rainier, closed islands), but it also sounds like in some ways it may be better for us. We're not big into crowds, partying or laying on beaches. We like to see new places, visit historical sites, eat good food, drink delicious wine and go a bit off the beaten path. Tricky since it is both of our first visits to Greece and we'd like to see some of the more well-known places as well!

I'm not sure how travel to and from all of these places would be in early November or what the best route/order may be. Also interested if we're missing something spectacular, are trying to do too much or aren't spending enough time in any one place.

Here's the wish list:

Athens: 4 days
- Marathon run
- Acropolis museum
- Parthenon
- Dionysius Theatre
- Lycabettus Hill
- Agora
- Flea Market – Sunday
- Central Market
- Outdoor cinema (are any open in November?)

Fly or rent a car and drive 5 hours to Meteora, hike, visit monasteries. (X days?)
Return to Athens. (I looked, but couldn't find a car rental place near Meteora to drive one way, drop off the car and fly back. True?)

Take a ferry or fly to Santorini (3 days)

Take a ferry to Naxos (3 days)

Fly back to Athens and catch a connecting flight home.

I hope I've provided enough info to give you an idea of what we're looking for.
Thanks in advance for your insights and advice!
s9frey is offline  
Old Sep 21st, 2014, 06:54 AM
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At Athens, I would add:
National Archeological Museum
Museum of Cycladic Art
Byzantine Museum or Benaki Museum
Thission
Theatre of Herodes Atticus
Kaisariani Monastery

and around Athens:
Dafni Monastery
Cape Sounion Temple
Akrokorinthos
Mycenae
Nauplia
Epidauros

What do you plan to do during 3 long days each at Santorini and Naxos in November? Naxos is fine for hiking, but November may be rainy and windy. I suppose you know that most Santorini ferries stop at Naxos.

If you rent a car, you could combine Meteora with Delphi and Ossios Lukas (and may be Korinthos/Mycenae/Nauplia/Epidauros/Mistras).
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Old Sep 21st, 2014, 07:02 AM
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I've been playing around with scheduling and flights and here's how I think it could break out. Of course, not sure I've got the right amount of time in each place or if transportation will be running when I hope it would!

November 3: Arrive in Athens, early afternoon. Drive to Meteora (?).
November 4 – 5: Meteora
November 6: Return to Athens
November 7 – 9: Be in Athens (Must be in Athens on the 8th and 9th)
November 10: Go to Santorini as early as possible
November 11: Be in Santorini
November 12: Go to Naxos as early as possible
Novmeber 13: Be in Naxos
November 14: Return to Athens
November 15: Depart for home on 7 am flight
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Old Sep 21st, 2014, 07:07 AM
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That's a good question, neckervd!

Mostly plan on walking around, maybe renting a scooter to check out the views, do some hiking. Was also going to look for a potential dive trip, though I'm not super optimistic!

Don't think I can make 3 days in both places work anyway. Does 2 seem more realistic?

November 10: Go to Santorini as early as possible
November 11: Be in Santorini
November 12: Go to Naxos as early as possible
Novmeber 13: Be in Naxos
November 14: Return to Athens

Will also check out your other recommendations for Meteora as I felt like I might have too much time there. Thanks!
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Old Sep 21st, 2014, 07:25 AM
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Just a few thoughts.
For Athens be sure to climb Philoppas hill for the best views of the Acropolis as this hill is above the acropolis.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57632121475515

Meteora. You will need to rent a car and drive. If take the car on the drive up to the Monasteries you can pretty much do the monasteries in a day. If you plan to hike to the Monasteries then two days will do it nicely.
You can also just take the local KTEL bus if cost is an issue.

You certainly might want to consider one day in Meteora and then head south to Delphi which is one of the best archaeological sites around. You can do both in two days and still be back in Athens in time.
Images of Delphi and Meteora. Ignore the first few photos they are of Olympia.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645469717811/

Santorini and Naxos
While I am a firm believer that first time Greek island visitors should see Santorini in November it is mostly going to be shut down. Naxos has a permanent population so there will be activity along the waterfront of Naxos town but tourist season is over and you may not be happy with this part of your plan.

I am inclined to agree with nekervd and would also suggest for your last 6 days rent a car and drive to Nafplio. On the way you can stop at Ancient Corinth, Ancient Nemia which was a sister to Olympia and has its own stadium and a partially restored temple then head south for Mycenae. You can make Nafplio your base. It is on the sea so it has the feel of an island but you can further explore there on day trips to Epidaurus, Ancient Tiryns the home of Hercules and perhaps head south to visit the wonderful Cathedrals at Mystra. That site alone will take you 4 hours.
Here is what I am talking about in the Peloponnese.
Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094108982/
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Old Sep 21st, 2014, 10:46 AM
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I recommend going to Nafplio instead of Meteora. There are wonderful antiquities to wander around and the town is lovely. I liked Meteora but am not a big fan. If you do go there also go to Delphi, which is wonderful. Santorini in November deserves a room with a view for 1 night an a walk from FIFA to Oia.
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Old Sep 22nd, 2014, 11:41 AM
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You would be wise to forget Naxos and spend all your time on the islands at Santorini. You wrote: "November 12: Go to Naxos as early as possible". That will probably be the 3:30 pm Blue Star, which arrives on Naxos at 5:30 pm. You will have only one full day on Naxos, hardly enough time to even scratch the surface of the island.

Your plan to return to Athens the day before your flight home involves a small risk. If, for any reason, (weather, strikes) the ferries are cancelled on Nov 14th, you will miss your 7 am flight home the next day. The Naxos airport has only small 37 pax Dash 8-100 turboprops, which are vulnerable to weather canx or reduced passenger loads. Santorini has larger A320 jets & Dash 8-400 turboprops, and a much longer runway.
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Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 12:32 PM
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Thanks for all of your suggestions!

yipper: Wondering why Meteora didn't appeal to you as much. I saw some stunning images of the landscape and was drawn to the unusual rock formations. The idea that there was a number of beautiful monasteries was a nice bonus, a good set of points to hike around. Also, the walk around Santorini sounds amazing.

stanbr: Your photos were amazing! Delphi certainly looks like a good stop as well. Does it feel very different than the sites in Athens? And did you think Meteora a worthwhile place to visit? Did you hike or drive? You've given me a lot to think about with those pictures of Nafplio and Peloponnese! If you had to pick, would you go Meteora/Delphi to Nafplio/Peloponnese?

Heimdall: Thanks for the heads up on the planes! I was wondering if I might be cutting it a little too close. Think at this point, just visiting one island sounds like the best best time-wise, and I found a dive center that will be open through mid-November on Santorini.
s9frey is offline  
Old Sep 23rd, 2014, 02:58 PM
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Thanks for your kind words on my pictures.
I thought Delphi was probably the best archaeological site we have been to and Meteora is amazing. Having said that Nafplio is so much closer that you will not be spending a long time in the car. The drive to Meteora is 4 to 5 hours each way. The drive to Nafplio is no more than 2 hours not counting stops at the sites on the way. With limited time I would choose Nafplio.
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Old Oct 15th, 2014, 05:41 AM
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Nafplio is a good base and I would also avoid the two islands at this time of year due to weather and that it would not offer you anything from real Greece (even during summer). I am Greek (have been almost everywhere) and I would not visit any distant island at this time of year.
Another v good base is Ermioni town (60 min south of Naflio). This will give you an excellent base to visit 2-3 very nice islands but with really short/safe trips (Hydra, Spetses, Poros).
After that, maybe a couple of days further south of Peloponnese.
I can give more details if you wish. Bye.
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Old Oct 15th, 2014, 05:55 AM
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We loved the time we spent in Naflio, it is a gorgeous place with lots to see in and around the town. Easy to get to from Athens as well.

Here are our pictures:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7627669385061/
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