Meteora, Delphi, Sifnos, Athens trip report
May 29th, 2009, 02:55 PM
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Meteora, Delphi, Sifnos, Athens trip report
I'm pretty sure I was more of a lurker than a poster while planning this trip, but I do want to thank everyone for all the information I found here -- and for the links to sites like Matt Barrett and Michelin road maps, etc. Anyway, I'll try to make this short. We just got back a few days ago.
DRIVING
Thrifty rents cheap cars and their staff are super nice to work with. They do not, however, have a counter or car return area at the airport. Gas stations post whether or not they accept credit cards, so look for the icons. And there are LOTS of gas stations. No reason to worry about finding one. Don't forget about toll stations, and have cash with you. I think it was E2.70 at each place.
METEORA
The drive to Meteora from ATH is long (but totally worth it!). And touring Meteora by car is way better than the bus. The least visited monasteries were, in our opinion, far more interesting than the touristy ones. We loved Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas Anapausas, but Grand Meteoron wasn't our favorite -- almost too much restored, and very museum-like. Still interesting, of course.
Pension Arsenis in Kalampaka, on the road to the monasteries, was WONDERFUL. Kostas was ebullient and funny, the food was great, beds comfortable, everything wonderful.
DELPHI
The people who patrol historical sites like Delphi are super serious about tourists being "respectful." Unfortunately, they don't enforce that with regularity. For example, one idiot in Delphi was straddling a column in order to get a phallic photo, and no comment from the guards; however, we were not allowed to get a photo of our stuffed bear (who travels with us--think the gnome in Amelie), next to a column, because the guard called it "disrespectful." That definitely wasn't our intent, and I understand their desire to keep things respectful. I just wish they'd been a little more even-handed about it.
ATHENS
Amazon Hotel was AWESOME. If you can get the rooftop suite, do it! Views of the acropolis, a private deck, a steam shower. We were lucky enough to get a free upgrade to that room. Moreover, the service at the Amazon was wonderful -- really nice people working the desk. My only complaints are minor: breakfast was so-so, and the Internet didn't work in our room. But great location, and quiet!
George the Famous Taxi Driver's son, George, drove us to our ferry. It was a quick drive and he was nice and professional.
Go right to the top of the Acropolis when it opens -- the tourists absolutely pour in and this is your best chance to get photos without very many people in them.
The Students and Travellers Inn is cheap, has a great location (Plaka), and the staff are super nice. But either it has bedbugs, or something came in the window at night and bit us a lot.
The Metro from Pireaus to Syntagma wasn't working, and we got shunted onto a bus that didn't even deliver us to Syntagma. Be ready to walk, and have a good map.
The bus from Syntagma to ATH (X95) was way too full both times we rode it. If you get claustrophobic, consider a taxi.
SIFNOS
It's hard to hear announcements on the ferries (esp. in English) so just double-check which stop is yours before you get off. Bring your own food and beverages. Also, transfers were really helpful for nervous travelers like myself.
We stayed in Kastro, which was lovely, quiet, and had wonderful restaurants. There is no bad place to eat on the island. But do work on your Greek phrases -- it helps when ordering food.
If you hike to Profitis Elias, take lots of water, and do it in a cooler part of the day. It's a grueling hike -- very uneven, lots of steps. Lots of flies and goat dung. But the view...!
RECOMMENDATIONS
We used Aegean Thesaurus Travel Agency, and that's how we got our hotel upgrade, ferry tickets, and transfers. They were wonderful to deal with! So nice, and such great accommodations! Totally worth it.
DRIVING
Thrifty rents cheap cars and their staff are super nice to work with. They do not, however, have a counter or car return area at the airport. Gas stations post whether or not they accept credit cards, so look for the icons. And there are LOTS of gas stations. No reason to worry about finding one. Don't forget about toll stations, and have cash with you. I think it was E2.70 at each place.
METEORA
The drive to Meteora from ATH is long (but totally worth it!). And touring Meteora by car is way better than the bus. The least visited monasteries were, in our opinion, far more interesting than the touristy ones. We loved Holy Trinity and St. Nicholas Anapausas, but Grand Meteoron wasn't our favorite -- almost too much restored, and very museum-like. Still interesting, of course.
Pension Arsenis in Kalampaka, on the road to the monasteries, was WONDERFUL. Kostas was ebullient and funny, the food was great, beds comfortable, everything wonderful.
DELPHI
The people who patrol historical sites like Delphi are super serious about tourists being "respectful." Unfortunately, they don't enforce that with regularity. For example, one idiot in Delphi was straddling a column in order to get a phallic photo, and no comment from the guards; however, we were not allowed to get a photo of our stuffed bear (who travels with us--think the gnome in Amelie), next to a column, because the guard called it "disrespectful." That definitely wasn't our intent, and I understand their desire to keep things respectful. I just wish they'd been a little more even-handed about it.
ATHENS
Amazon Hotel was AWESOME. If you can get the rooftop suite, do it! Views of the acropolis, a private deck, a steam shower. We were lucky enough to get a free upgrade to that room. Moreover, the service at the Amazon was wonderful -- really nice people working the desk. My only complaints are minor: breakfast was so-so, and the Internet didn't work in our room. But great location, and quiet!
George the Famous Taxi Driver's son, George, drove us to our ferry. It was a quick drive and he was nice and professional.
Go right to the top of the Acropolis when it opens -- the tourists absolutely pour in and this is your best chance to get photos without very many people in them.
The Students and Travellers Inn is cheap, has a great location (Plaka), and the staff are super nice. But either it has bedbugs, or something came in the window at night and bit us a lot.
The Metro from Pireaus to Syntagma wasn't working, and we got shunted onto a bus that didn't even deliver us to Syntagma. Be ready to walk, and have a good map.
The bus from Syntagma to ATH (X95) was way too full both times we rode it. If you get claustrophobic, consider a taxi.
SIFNOS
It's hard to hear announcements on the ferries (esp. in English) so just double-check which stop is yours before you get off. Bring your own food and beverages. Also, transfers were really helpful for nervous travelers like myself.
We stayed in Kastro, which was lovely, quiet, and had wonderful restaurants. There is no bad place to eat on the island. But do work on your Greek phrases -- it helps when ordering food.
If you hike to Profitis Elias, take lots of water, and do it in a cooler part of the day. It's a grueling hike -- very uneven, lots of steps. Lots of flies and goat dung. But the view...!
RECOMMENDATIONS
We used Aegean Thesaurus Travel Agency, and that's how we got our hotel upgrade, ferry tickets, and transfers. They were wonderful to deal with! So nice, and such great accommodations! Totally worth it.
May 29th, 2009, 03:23 PM
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Oh, also: I have a Road Editions map, Harrap's Greek phrasebook, and E3.90 left on a Greece phone card that I'd be happy to send to a future Greece traveler! (Hmm, hope that saying this doesn't violate Fodors TOS....)
May 29th, 2009, 05:09 PM
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Hi,
I am so happy to hear that you had such an interesting trip to Greece. We are off to Greece this August. How much was the Thrifty Car and did it include all the insurances? Autoeurope quotes a price of about $530 for a manual, AC, insurances and taxes for a Ford Focus for one week. I would be happy to pay less. Thanks for the info.
Yipper
I am so happy to hear that you had such an interesting trip to Greece. We are off to Greece this August. How much was the Thrifty Car and did it include all the insurances? Autoeurope quotes a price of about $530 for a manual, AC, insurances and taxes for a Ford Focus for one week. I would be happy to pay less. Thanks for the info.
Yipper
May 30th, 2009, 02:05 PM
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Yipper,
We got a manual Hyundai Accent for three days, all insurance and taxes included, for just over 100 Euro (103 or 104, I think). The two guys we worked with were super nice, and if you just call ahead to return the car at a different time, they're happy to work with you.
Enjoy your trip!
We got a manual Hyundai Accent for three days, all insurance and taxes included, for just over 100 Euro (103 or 104, I think). The two guys we worked with were super nice, and if you just call ahead to return the car at a different time, they're happy to work with you.
Enjoy your trip!
Jun 1st, 2009, 01:07 PM
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Hi Chelsey, thanks for the report. We will be in Athens in a month so your info is very helpful. Few questions - you said the metro from Piraeus wasn't working. Was this just a temporary thing or should I expect it to be a problem next month? Where did the bus you had to take deliver you to? You also said the bus to the airport was really crowded. How long a ride is it?
Also, how did you get your car rental, and where did you pick it up. Did you arrange it ahead of time? That's a good price, I'm getting quotes of over $200 for four days. But I do need to at least drop off at the airport, does Thrifty not do that?
Thanks
Also, how did you get your car rental, and where did you pick it up. Did you arrange it ahead of time? That's a good price, I'm getting quotes of over $200 for four days. But I do need to at least drop off at the airport, does Thrifty not do that?
Thanks
Jun 1st, 2009, 02:23 PM
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Hi Isabel,
The metro from Pireaus to Syntagma wasn't working this particular night. However, it sounds like it's a frequent problem, based on what the metro personnel told us and how other travelers reacted when we heard. We were able to take the metro up like two stops, but had to get off and then onto a bus that took us to Omonia Square (? I think it was). I have no idea if it will be like this next month, sorry.
The bus from Syntagma to the airport was about 50 minutes. If you get on right away, you can get seats (which we did), but otherwise you're stuck standing and being jostled around.
As for the car rental, believe it or not, we got it through Expedia.com (about the only thing Expedia hasn't sucked at). It was not bundled with flights -- just separate. Thrifty agents meet you at the gate, walk you out to the car, and will meet you back at the airport for drop-off. You just have to pre-arrange your drop-off time with them, as they don't have a place for you to return it to.
Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!
The metro from Pireaus to Syntagma wasn't working this particular night. However, it sounds like it's a frequent problem, based on what the metro personnel told us and how other travelers reacted when we heard. We were able to take the metro up like two stops, but had to get off and then onto a bus that took us to Omonia Square (? I think it was). I have no idea if it will be like this next month, sorry.
The bus from Syntagma to the airport was about 50 minutes. If you get on right away, you can get seats (which we did), but otherwise you're stuck standing and being jostled around.
As for the car rental, believe it or not, we got it through Expedia.com (about the only thing Expedia hasn't sucked at). It was not bundled with flights -- just separate. Thrifty agents meet you at the gate, walk you out to the car, and will meet you back at the airport for drop-off. You just have to pre-arrange your drop-off time with them, as they don't have a place for you to return it to.
Hope this helps! Enjoy your trip!
