Mary_Berger

My husband and I are planning our first visit to Greece((2 weeks) for this October. My main question is how much time should we spend in Athens. We were thinking about a week, but other people have told us that's too long to be in Athens. To me it looks like there is plenty to do in Athens. We are very interested in archeological sites and history. Also we're perfectly happy spending time sitting at outdoor cafes etc.
Beyond Athens, we're thinking about renting a car and visting the Peloponnes. That seems like the most reasonable area to visit in the amount of time we have, as we are not inclined to island hop & I assume beach weather will essentially be over by mid October. Any suggestions on "must sees" in the Peloponnese for a couple who are really interesting in archeological/historical sites? Are there any islands that we absolutely should try to see?
Thanks in advance for any advice!

jamikins

We split our week between Nafplio and Athens - there are lots of things to see in both places! I think 3 days in Nafplio with trips to Mycenae and Epidavros and 3 days in Athens would be perfect (and then one day in the middle to do the travel time) = 7 days

Mimar

A week does seem a bit long in Athens. From there you could do a day-trip to Sounion to see the temple to Poseidon. Another day, sample Greek islands by doing the one-day cruise to Hydra, Poros and Aegina.

And I think, for one of your interests, Delphi is a must-see. You could also do this as a day trip from Athens or, better, an overnight. Though there shouldn't be so many other tourists in October.

Or pick up your car and drive to Delphi, then ferry across the Gulf of Corinth to Aigio and go to Olympia, step 1 in your tour of the peninsula. There's lot to see on the Pelopponnese. In addition to Olympia, there's Epidaurus, Mycenae and ancient Corinth. And Mystras looks very interesting to me. Plus scenery galore.

You really need to get some guidebooks and read up on all this. Or check the great information on the Internet.

HappyTrvlr

I think days in Athens would be enough to see the ancient sites and museums. We stayed in Napflion and used it as a base for the Mycenae, Tyrns,Epidavros. While we were in Napflion, we took a day trip to the pretty little island of Spetses and recommend that for a little island experience.
We left Napflion for Mystras, then to an overnight at Olympia and then drove up to Delphi from there.If you are intereseted in archeology you will be thrilled with your visit to these areas of Greece.

Mary_Berger

Thanks so much for the replies! Gives us lots to think about. I was looking at Napflion as a base for some day trips. I may not have made clear in my original post that we are planning on a two week visit (1 week athens & 1 week peloponnese). I dont' know if that makes any difference in terms of recommendations.

valtor

We stayed 7 days in Athens (the last week of 2011). We took two organized tours: 1/2 days to Cape Sunion and one day to Epidarius , Mycenae and Corinth canal.
So we had 5 1/2 days to visit Athens. This gave us the possibility to visit a lot of archeological sites, museum, to walk, to enjoy a good greek coffee, to go to a taverna ..For us, this was perfect.

mariha2912

I think if someone wants to take it easy and really likes ancient sites and museums, one week can be very pleasantly spent in Athens.
Then of course I had happily spent 16 days in London and 13 days in Paris on past trips without feeling the need to go elsewhere, so I guess I am in the minority here...

Jackie

Does the unrest in Athens bother you? We are planning a trip to the Islands in June/July and are now having second thoughts about booking the trip. At this point, we will just watch and see.

mariha2912

No one can predict the future, but up to now Athens is one of the safest cities in Europe. Media present a really false picture of Athens. Peaceful protests have been happening mostly in Athens and sometimes in other areas of Greece since 35 years ago without anyone making a fuss about it.
Riots is a different matter, and those are street fights among a few eeejits and police. Those do not happen of course on every protest, there have been about 5-6 such events in the last whole year 2011. Yes, 5-6 days of so called "riots" and those concentrated in Syndagma Square.
Last couple of years it is true that those "fights" have sometimes expand a bit and are more harsh at times, including a minority even on those troublemakers, who try to burn down banks, offices of multinational chain companies and public service offices here and there, again mainly around Syndagma Square and surrounding streets. Still these events happen very very rarely and is not an everyday occurance as some media make it to seem. About other areas of Greece, there have been some tention in large cities lately, but not the one you'd imagine. A few people tried to burn down or vandalise some local politicians' offices. Those are not really riots.
No one can predict the future, but up to now, on my opinion, Greece is absolutely safe for a tourist. Never anyone hurted a visitor, on the contrary locals try to protect tourists, plus if someone just use common sense, it is very easy to plan around and avoid risky events/areas. I guess no one plans to stand between a policeman and a troublemaker, so how one is supposed to get hurt??? This is so far my description of Athens and Greece "unrest". Note that originaly I am coming from Delphi, I move around Greece a lot due to work, and I spend many weeks per year, mostly on winter in the wider Athens area. I have often been in Athens center when those events occure, so I know what I am talking about, trust me.

BowenLinda

I've never been to Greece but, as a planning tool only, you might want to take a look at the Rick Steeves website and "Athens & the Heart of Greece in 14 Days Tour" itinerary and map, particularly for the sights it includes outside of Athens. If I had a friend to join me on a driving tour, this is the route I'd take...

Heimdall

Jackie, given the recent publicity, it's natural that you would be concerned. Demonstrations take place mainly in the small area around Syntagma Square in Athens, because that's where the Parliament building is located. The demonstrations are usually announced in advance, so if you are in Athens during one it would be easy to avoid that area.

For the most part, the islands are completely unaffected by the demonstrations. I have reviewed the travel advice of the US State Department and on foreign office websites of other English language countries, and none warn against travel to Greece.

Delaine

I too am very interested in history and archaeological sites, but I think 7 days in Athens is a bit long. I think you could visit everything in 4 days. In just 2 (busy) days I was able to fit in the Acropolis (early morning is a must), the New Acropolis Museum, Areopagos Hill, the ancient agora (including the Theision), the roman agora, the National Archaeological Museum, Anafiotika, Hadrian's Arch, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Choragic Monument of Lysikrates, the Plaka and the Olympic Stadium. I would have liked to visit the Kerameikos, to climb Filopappos Hill and to have gone to the top of Lykavittos Hill, but I ran out of time.

I like the suggestion of taking a trip to Delphi.It's a wonderful spot, especially in the early morning. The museum is quite fine there too. You could stay in Delphi town or in a charming little town nearby called Arachova.

I would definitely stay in Nafplion. I loved it there. In the Peloponnese was able to visit Olympia, Epidaurus, Mycenae, Tiryns and Ancient Corinth. I visited Ancient Corinth around 5pm, and it was just me and about 3 other people on the entire site, which was really nice.

dunia123

We spent 2 weeks in Greece 2 years ago, starting in Athens. We spent 4 days in Athens and found it was plenty. (My husband could have done with 2 or 3.) While there are lovely museums and plenty to see, it is easily do-able - we walked everywhere in a pretty reasonable amount of time. While you haven't mentioned it, I would put a plug in for both Crete and Santorini. We spent the balance of our time in these places, which are both amazing and very different.

Jackie

Marihia--I appreciate the feedback from someone who is actually there.

Heimdall, I was checking the state department site last night and saw some warnings. The red flag went up for me when I read that travel insurance companies may start declining trip insurance for Greece. I still want to go and not sure if my paranoia is justified or not. There is time to decide; just going to keep an eye on it.

Mary-I apologize for hijacking your thread with my fears. To answer your question, my first trip to Greece, I was advised by a Greek colleague that Athens didn't warrant much time. As a solo traveler, I did the Chat Classical tour and was not disappointed by the number of sites and museums we visited; I was disappointed that we did not have time to stop in the small towns/villages/beaches along the way. Delphi was my favorite stop and an area I will get back to some day. I would suggest that you follow a similar itinerary as the Chat tour, but definitely do it on your own.

Mary_Berger

Thanks so much to all for the comments. All your advice will be very helpful. I think we could easily spend a week in Athens, especially with some of the suggested day trips added in, as we do like to take our time to get to know a place when we travel (spent 2 weeks in Beijing and never got bored).
Well, time to start planning! Thanks again for all the info!

GVRGirl

Mary

I think that you will find plenty to do in Athens - you don't sound like you are interested in just checking things off of a bucket list, and Athens is filled with hidden gems (you can visit true-athens.com as to learn about many of them - but even without doing that really visiting the top 8 Archaeological sites and the top 5 museums plus the top of Lykavittos, the changing of the guard and taking a stroll through the National Gardens will easily eat of 6 days - and not at a really slow pace).

I go back and forth between Athens and Chicago, and after 7 years of doing this I still discover new amazing things when I'm in Athens. My parents come to stay with me for a month in Greece every year, and with each visit my mom always has new things on her "to do" list (both for Athens and beyond).

With regards to the political climate - you can easily choose places to stay that where you won't even know what's happening in Syntagma Square and along Patison street. (I have guests here now and they did not know what was going on Sunday night until I called on Monday to check on them - and they're staying in a apartment behind the Old Olympic Stadium just 15 minutes by foot from the Acropolis)

I think you will have a wonderful time exploring Athens.

Heimdall

Jackie, there is no travel warning issued by the State Department for Greece. The list of countries for which travel warnings have been issued is here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_p...w/tw_1764.html.

The State Department website also has short term "Travel Alerts" — currently none for Greece. In its "Country Specific Information", there is a section entitled "Threats to Safety and Security" for every country in the world. The advice in that section for Greece is to help you avoid certain situations like demonstrations, and where they are likely to occur, but not to discourage travel to the country. The section lists a few areas of central Athens and one in Thessaloniki, but none on the islands or elsewhere in Greece.

Mary_Berger

GVRGirl -- thanks for the website on Athens. That's exactly what we like, to find the less well known things. I'm looking at hotels in/near the Plaka, so I'm sure like your friends we'll probably be unaware of any demonstrations. But we're not going til Oct. so the entire situation could be different by then anyway.

Jackie -- I'm glad you asked the question. The political situation is not stopping us from planning a trip, but just to play it safe, I'm going to avoid pre-paying for anything that I can't get a refund or change my destination like plane tickets.

parosblue

There is plenty to see and do in Athens. Don't be deterred from planning a week there. It definitely depends on your style of travel and whether you want to linger in museums and not race through. There is plenty to see and do right in Athens; plus the many side trip opportunities. Delphi should be on your list. Staying in Naufplion is a great choice as well. Don't miss Mycenae and Epidavros. Enjoy.

Heimdall

The Consular Section of the US Embassy in Athens has a Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Consul...=wall&filter=1
Click on "Like", and you will start getting updates.

Another good source of goings-on in Athens is http://livingingreece.gr/.