November in Greece

Old Aug 1st, 2015, 12:58 PM
  #1  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
November in Greece

My husband and I will be in Greece the first week of November (the first leg of a two-month trip) and are looking for recommendations on where best to spend our time. Our first priority is to make things as stress-free as possible since this will be the first leg of the trip and we will probably have 2 bags to lug around.

We prefer to rent a car, stay in one place if possible, and make day trips to sites in the vicinity. Since we have already been to Athens, Olympia, and Santorini, we're thinking about Delphi or the Peloponnese with perhaps Nafplio as a base or an island such as Naxos or Mykonos. We're looking for beautiful scenery and rustic charm, ancient sites, good Greek food and wine. Any suggestions for a base that will keep us interested and busy at a slow pace?
CamilleSMA is offline  
Old Aug 1st, 2015, 09:36 PM
  #2  
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 896
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
On November I would not want to go on a place popular mostly on summer months such as an island. Yes, one like Naxos which has large permanent population and not everyone deals with tourism might fit the bill for a more down to earth visit with plenty of sightseen and facilities available and good food and wine , but on my opinion local people are a bit fed up after serving the hordes of visitors on summer and would like to be left alone.
Off season prior to season, say on March or April, there is some expectation on the air, people making preparations for the approaching season, have refill their batteries during winter months and are more than happy to see the first pre-season visitors. Of course people will be as accommodating and as welcoming as ever on November, but I always catch a vybe of exhaustion in the air and occasionaly people who have spend past 6 months socialising with visitors, repeating same conversation again and again "how life is on the island, we come from Minnessota", "Back home we do things lke this","it is a beautiful place to live here" "where are you going next" "Santorini" "yes of course" " do you happen to know X hotel/church to get married/how to reach Z/how frequent ferry runs to Y" "I need driving instructions to so and so" "We plan to follow this route tomorrow", "How did you like the villages" and so on, while will always politely respond to you, may unintentionally not be so keen to interact .

The same may be said up to an extend for places such as Delphi and Nafplio but in reallity November is just a very slow month as it is late January/early February on those places and they get visitors all year around. Fewer visitors on winter maybe but their summer is not so hectic as on the islands and people are used to see people all year around and have higher energy levels all months of the year.

Nafplio holds around 15 000 population itsself, so even if there is no visitor on sight the place will feel quite lively. Delphi nowadays holds less than 1500 population so be aware that it may feel too isolated on November although there is a lot to see and do on the area.

If it was me I would consider to go on a non-touristy city with lots of action and lots to see and do on the vinicity such as Ioannina. While a city, Ioannina has a very rustic feel at parts, scenery, architecture and history are very interesting and you have plenty of side trips to keep you busy. Plenty of food and wine to be had too.
mariha2912 is offline  
Old Aug 1st, 2015, 11:07 PM
  #3  
 
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 9,901
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
I agree with mariah2912. Were I to travel to Greece in November I would stick to the mainland, with Nafplio and the southern Peloponnese a priority. Friends who live in the southern Peloponnese say the weather stays warm there late in the year, and the roads are quite good in that area. I've been there in mid-September, but not as late as November.

All the islands have ferry service 12 months of the year to and from the mainland, but many crosslinks tourists use end in September and October. Were you to visit Naxos, the only other island you could visit on a day trip that time of year would be Paros.

You say you've already been to Athens, but that is no reason you shouldn't visit the city again. I've been to Athens many times, and have barely scratched the surface of things to see, but on later visits have discovered many things off the tourist trail that make it such a wonderful city.
Heimdall is offline  
Old Aug 2nd, 2015, 04:32 AM
  #4  
 
Join Date: Aug 2015
Posts: 49
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
and no wasps or mosquitoes
meuniere is offline  
Old Aug 3rd, 2015, 05:47 PM
  #5  
Original Poster
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 21
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Thanks so much for your suggestions. We will spend two nights in Delphi and then drive down to Nafplion for the rest of our stay.
CamilleSMA is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
DRoch
Europe
7
Aug 25th, 2012 12:24 AM
Norbert
Europe
9
Aug 13th, 2009 12:15 PM
chaisaelee
Europe
9
Aug 10th, 2008 01:27 PM
ellencmog
Europe
12
May 12th, 2008 05:07 PM
lcfdublin
Europe
4
Sep 23rd, 2003 10:42 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are On


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Manage Preferences - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information -