almostemptynester

I have learned so much from all of you! Here is the plan so far for early September 2015.

Thurs: arrive Athens late afternoon, staying at The Central Hotel
Fri am: walking tour Acropolis/Parthenon, Plaka
Fri pm: rent car and drive to Nafplio, staying at Isioni Pension
Sat: Nafplio-- drive to ruins, Mycenae, Epidarus
Sun: Nafplio-- drive to Messene?
Mon am: check out and drive back to Athens, return car
Mon pm: fly or ferry to an island, Naxos now first choice?
Tues: island
Wed: island
Thurs: island
Fri: island
Sat: fly or ferry back to Athens to sleep
Sun: 6am flight to Paris

I just cannot pull the trigger on one island or 2? We will want beaches, relaxation, beautiful scenery. Our budget is not unlimited, but this is a special trip for us. I know you all recommend Athens at the end of trip, but since we arrive so late in the day and will be very jet lagged I thought staying that first night was best. Thanks for any additional advise!

joannyc

I'd add a night in Kalambaka so to visit Meteora. Spectacular a,

yipper

If you go for 2 islands try Paros which is close to Naxos. Look at ferry schedules and find a island that is easy to get to from Naxos and easy to get back to Athens.

PetrosB3

First of all I would add a whole day in Athens. You just can't miss the National Archaeological Museum, with the greatest collection of Ancient Greek Art globally, and ofcourse the Acropolis Museum with its amazing artifacts and its current exhibition with treasures from the island of Samothrace. Also, I don't think Messene is a good idea, it's quite far from Nauplion and if you are interested in ancient sites near Nauplion you can visit Nemea which has a beautiful temple of Nemean Zeus and it was the place of the first labour of Hercules, the Nemean Lion. But the best option for me is to drive to the beautiful town of Monemvasia and the next door beach of Elafonisos, one of the best in the World. The island of Folegandros is a must, totally recommended.

Heimdall

You already have a lot planned for 10 days, so don't be tempted to add more.

Ancient Messene is wonderful, but not worth a detour, IMO, unless you intend to spend more time in the southern Peloponnese. That area has some wonderful beaches, btw, the equal of any island. Therefore, if you skipped the islands you could see Monemvasia, as recommended by PetrosB3, and much more.

Not far from Ancient Messene are the seaside villages of Koroni, Methoni, and Pylos. They are beautiful island-like ports, and have Venetian castles. Near there is the village of Petalidi, which has its paniyíria in mid-September. If you happen to be there at the right time, it would be a wonderful opportunity to see a Greek festival. Paniyírias celebrate the patron saint of the village church, but include entertainment that goes on all night. Local tavernas have a pig roast at ridiculously low prices (our bill was so low, we thought the waitress had made a mistake). The whole village has a carnival-like atmosphere, with vendors travelling from all over the region.

Should you decide to visit the islands you have time for only one, and Naxos would be a good choice. It has the best beaches in the Cyclades, traditional inland villages, and day trips to other islands.

Lastly, I agree you should spend an additional day in Athens. If you don't feel up to the drive to Nafplio after a long flight, stay somewhere near Athens Airport and rent a car the next morning. Peri's Hotel is inexpensive. and has a free shuttle from/to the airport.

Heimdall

You could also reverse your itinerary by staying in Piraeus the first night and taking the 7:30 am ferry to Naxos the next morning. Then go to Nafplio upon your return to the mainland, finishing the trip in Athens. The choice is yours.

travelerjan

I like Heimdall's suggestions -- island first! You WILL be tired after that lengthy spine-killing flight from US (I'm guessing u are from there, not UK, it's always good to state where you start from, BTW). Naxos is a Great place to revitalize & ease into Greek life ... then by time you end your trip, you'll be savvy enough in Greek ways to breeze thru your big-city sight-seeing. AND don't make fretting noises about reservations... there's plenty of time to change the dates for those hotels, WITHOUT penalty.

You can taxi to Piraeus, but it's super-easy to take the X96 bus from right in front of the airport ... it costs €5 (1/2 price for over 65), takes about 70 mins, makes several stops in Piraeus. Friends who've stayed o'nite in Piraeus have recommended Piraeus Dream as a satisfactory hotel for good night's sleep. Pay at check-in, order taxi for AM to get 7:25 AM Blue Star.

Coming back to mainland, gotta warn, the combo of 5 hr ferry + bus or driving to Nafplio is a loooong tiring day... 9:30 AM til nearly dinner. Instead I suggest 50-minute flight midday (70E??) to ATH airport, pick up rental, drive 2 hrs with NO traffic lights on modern intercity highway. Then, after Nafplio drive back to airport, and Metro or X95 bus to central Athens.

mamcalice

We just returned from Greece where we spent 5 days on Naxos. We really loved this island. While there we took a day trip to Paros and spent a day visiting a number of small villages in the interior - really special but you need a car. Naxos is full of things to see and do and, while we spent 6 days on Santorini, Naxos was our favorite.

almostemptynester

I love you people, so many great suggestions! Yes, reservations so far can be changed. Back to the drawing board, I guess. And yes, forgot to say that we are traveling from mid-Atlantic region, flying out of Dulles, with layovers at Charles de Gaulle.

travelerjan

Thanks for filling in, almostEN. But I do hope you are aware of the challenges posed by a "Layover" at C deG --- after 2 nightmarish experiences doing that, I am wllling to work almost any flight to Greece to avoid that awful place. Since you are already locked in, I hope that you have allowed at LEAST 2 hours for the transfer ...

The airport is like an Octopus -- and you have to get from the far end of one Tentacle to the far end of another tentacle, with NO one willing to help. If you try your College French on so-called Information desk staff, they delight in mocking your accent, but fail to provide help. You must get from one tentacle to another via a bus that meanders around various tarmacs, no one tells you where to get off. Also, when you alight, you are OUT of the secure zone, so must line up again for tedious & time-eating security check.

On one memorable occasion where we were given 90 minutes to transfer (and then a late landing reduced this to 45), one group of passengers was ushered by an Air France staffer with a sign, but alas the 3 of us were not in a group. When we saw we'd miss our flight, we jumped off the bus, and ran thru the middle of the octopus center, probably over half-a-mile. We were the last to board the flight, just made it. As we taxiied out to the runway, we looked out of the window, and saw the bus just arriving. Of course, our luggage did not make the flight ... and since in Athens airport we were getting on a flight to Santorini, we arrived there luggage-less. Supposedly when luggage is delayed, the airline is responsible to deliver it to your hotel. Instead, the next day we were told the luggage was in Santorini Airport ... to retrieve it, we could either rent a car or taxi, @ 25E each way.

Long story, short moral: if you have a layover under 2 hours, pester Air France to provide an escort from one gate to the other -- know exactly what you are doing because you'll get no help, and do carry-on if at all possible.

mamcalice

We just flew to Greece from Dulles with a layoveer at CDG in late May. We experienced little of the hassle mentioned by travelerjan. (We did have to recheck through security.) Shuttles met the plane upon landing and transported us to the connecting terminal. It seemed like a long ride but it went to the terminal we were leaving from. We arrived at CDG at 8:25 am and left for Athens at 9:50. The connecting terminal is new and quite modern and we efficiently moved from the place the shuttle dropped us off to our departure gate.

Hope all works well for you.

almostemptynester

travelerjan, I am hyper-ventilating! Our layover at CDG is an hour and 15 min going to Greece and 4 hours on the way back.

travelerjan

I cannot tell you not to worry AMT ... mine is not the only horror story about C-DG and Air France; if you search D-dG on Trip Advisor you will see more such examples. ANd Mamcalice does not say whether their luggage made it onto the 2nd plane.

I can only urge you to sit on the phone, doggedly, until you can speak to an actual human being at Air France (one who is courteous, not dismissive), and try to arrange for some kind of escort between the 2 planes, and also some kind of assurance about baggage transfer, especially if you are revamping itinerary and plan to depart for an island soon after your arrival in Athens. One "tweak" to such a plan, to assure that y our bags are with you when you depart for an isle ... might be to NOT go to Piraeus, but to take a FLIGHT to Naxos on AM day 2 (there is 1 Olympic-Aegean flight per day, about mid-day). You could stay overnight near the airport at a moderate (80-90E)) B & B (St. Thomas, or Peris Hotel), both are just a 10E 15-minute taxi ride from airport ... the former has a pool & a buffet breakfast, the latter offers free ride to/from airport. THat way if your luggage didnt make it onto your Air France flight from C DeG, there will be another Air France flight to ATH either late night or early AM to bring y our luggage & u can retrieve it before your domestic flight.
But DO talk to Air France, don't count on getting special consideration at last minute check-in, or talking to the flight attendant after boarding, to get consideration about getting off plane FIRST. They could care less... they'd need a nudge from supervisor.

Good Luck!!

msackton

I'd add to the Naxos recommendation. We just got back from a two week trip to Greece of which Naxos was a highlight. We spent 6 nights there and it was just lovely. Great beaches, lots to explore inland, and several options for day trips. (We had our 3.5 yr old son with us, so didn't manage any day trips, but there seemed to be quite a few options).

As far as CDG- we've managed tight connections there before but it is not pleasant.

BeniciaChris

So glad we chose to spend a week in Naxos this Sept on our 3rd trip to Greece.
I took advise from someone on this site & we're going directly to Naxos from Athens. Thank you all

travelGR

If you're going to go to Naxos you might as well do 2 days in Naxos and 2 days in Paros, they tend to go hand in hand.