Greece Trip- So in the Dark

Start with a good guidebook, then come back to Fodor's with specific questions. You won't find Mt Olympus in the Peloponnese, and Cyprus isn't even in Greece, so you have a lot to learn.

and to help with planning how to get around here's a link to the Greek railway (OSE) site (timetables in Greek and English):

http://www.ose.gr/

Unfortunately, the English version of the KTEL (bus) site has been temporarily shut down. The Greek version is here:-

http://www.ktel.org/

Jon

Agree it's best to get a couple of good guidebooks, see what might appeal to you, tell your interests and there are plenty of people on here who can help you focus on an itinerary.

Having said that, in general I'd stick with the mainland - Athens, Peloponnese, etc. There's more than enough to see in your 10+ days. December is offseason and most places on the islands are shut down. Don't think you have time for places like Cyprus [which actually is divided between Greece and Turkey].

As far as transportation, our daughter studied in Athens for a semester last year (when she was 20) and spent lots of weekends exploring Greece. She did not care for the trains at all - very slow, crowded, and sometimes unpredictable. She much preferred the buses (which we've also taken) - very clean, modern, reliable, and very inexpensive.

Mount Olympus is not in the Pelopponese, the 2nd highest mountain in Greece is there. They have skiing holidays in the Pelopponese, not sure about other parts of the mainland.

PS Olympia, the old stadium is in the Peloppenese

...Cyprus [which actually is divided between Greece and Turkey].

Not exactly. The Republic of Cyprus (the Greek Cypriot part) is a separate country, and was controlled by the UK until 1960. The Turkish Cypriots administer the northern half of the country.

The real point, though, is that Cyprus is a long way from Greece - actually just off the Levantine coast, near to Lebanon.