Where to celebrate Easter in Greece?
Aug 9th, 2005, 05:08 PM
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Where to celebrate Easter in Greece?
Greetings!
We are in the midst of planning a family trip to Greece for next spring. I just realized that my kids' spring break coincides with Greek Easter. Is this great news, or bad news?
Would we want to be in or out of the city (Athens) by then? On any particular island? Or away from any particular island?
We would love to have a low-key Good Friday and attend church, and participate in all the festivities of mid-night mass, etc.
Will everything be closed from Friday through Monday? Will the only restaurants available be on resorts? Will the archeological sites be open?
Please reply with any info, tips, suggestions you can think of. Thanks so much in advance.
We are in the midst of planning a family trip to Greece for next spring. I just realized that my kids' spring break coincides with Greek Easter. Is this great news, or bad news?
Would we want to be in or out of the city (Athens) by then? On any particular island? Or away from any particular island?
We would love to have a low-key Good Friday and attend church, and participate in all the festivities of mid-night mass, etc.
Will everything be closed from Friday through Monday? Will the only restaurants available be on resorts? Will the archeological sites be open?
Please reply with any info, tips, suggestions you can think of. Thanks so much in advance.
Aug 10th, 2005, 12:12 AM
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Easter is one of the most amazing times in Greece, especially if you are a religious Christian. It is also the time of year when the wild flowers are in full bloom on the islands, and everything is green and beautiful. So I'd say its incredibly good news.
Easter is the most important holiday in Greece, and most Greeks return to their home islands to celebrate the holiday with family. For travellers, this means it is VERY IMPORTANT to have plane, ferry, bus, car rental, and hotel reservations FIRMLY pinned down. I really can't emphasize this enough.
That being said, I would definitely spend Easter on an island rather than Athens. But that's just me -- I like the friendliness of rural Greeks around the holidays. Don't be surprised if you get invited to participate in a local celebration, particularly if you have kids which, depending on their ages, can be a real ice-breaker as Greeks ADORE chidren.
Also, because so many Athenians head to rural Greece, many businesses in Athens will be closed. On the other hand, because so many people go to the islands for Easter, rural businesses are more likely to be open. Restaurants do especially brisk business during the holidays as out of town visitors entertain their local hosts, and many restaurants add special holiday foods to their menus. I know people who like Athens at Easter because it is so quiet and empty, but I don't share their opinion.
There are religious services ongoing the entire week before Easter, and are very beautiful to behold. Orthodox Easter services repeat many of the events, such as Christ's crucifixtion, and taking him down from the cross, carrying a shrouded bier covered with flowers around the village accompanied by a procession of almost everyone, the women keeping vigil for Christ all night in the church with an icon of Christ's body, the soldiers guarding the tomb, etc. One of my favorite parts of the week is keeping vigil with the women the night through, singing songs, and contemplating the gift of Christ's crucifiction. (You don't need to stay all night, but you may want to spend a little time at church with the women, lighting a candle or two in memory of the season.)
I love the point in the midnight service when all the lights go out in the church, and then the priest cries out "christ is risen" (christos anesti) with the congregation responding "indeed he has risen" (alithos anesti) as the light of the priests candle spreads from person to person until everyone is holding a lit candle. At this point, many people head home, all carrying a lit candle (the devout stay to complete the liturgy). Don't be surprised to hear firecrackers and gun shots as Greeks exuberantly celebrate their joy at the news of Christ's resurrection.
Anyway, I'm giving you more religious information than you probably asked for! As to archeological sites, they will be on a holiday schedule. Keep in mind that Good Friday, Easter and the day after Easter are all national holidays, which usually means closed sites. Many people treat Holy Saturday as a holiday, which would mean in 2006 that April 21-24 are essentially all holidays and you cannot count on much (except for restaurants) being open. I'm not saying everything is closed - just that many things are likely to be shut. (In other words, like Thansgiving and Christmas in the US.) As in the US, banks will definitely not be open during this period of time (ATMs still work, however).
Easter day itself is always my favorite day of the year. Family and food are paramount. I'd put a Greek Easter dinner up against a groaing Thanksgiving board in any competition! You'll have a great time.
Easter is the most important holiday in Greece, and most Greeks return to their home islands to celebrate the holiday with family. For travellers, this means it is VERY IMPORTANT to have plane, ferry, bus, car rental, and hotel reservations FIRMLY pinned down. I really can't emphasize this enough.
That being said, I would definitely spend Easter on an island rather than Athens. But that's just me -- I like the friendliness of rural Greeks around the holidays. Don't be surprised if you get invited to participate in a local celebration, particularly if you have kids which, depending on their ages, can be a real ice-breaker as Greeks ADORE chidren.
Also, because so many Athenians head to rural Greece, many businesses in Athens will be closed. On the other hand, because so many people go to the islands for Easter, rural businesses are more likely to be open. Restaurants do especially brisk business during the holidays as out of town visitors entertain their local hosts, and many restaurants add special holiday foods to their menus. I know people who like Athens at Easter because it is so quiet and empty, but I don't share their opinion.
There are religious services ongoing the entire week before Easter, and are very beautiful to behold. Orthodox Easter services repeat many of the events, such as Christ's crucifixtion, and taking him down from the cross, carrying a shrouded bier covered with flowers around the village accompanied by a procession of almost everyone, the women keeping vigil for Christ all night in the church with an icon of Christ's body, the soldiers guarding the tomb, etc. One of my favorite parts of the week is keeping vigil with the women the night through, singing songs, and contemplating the gift of Christ's crucifiction. (You don't need to stay all night, but you may want to spend a little time at church with the women, lighting a candle or two in memory of the season.)
I love the point in the midnight service when all the lights go out in the church, and then the priest cries out "christ is risen" (christos anesti) with the congregation responding "indeed he has risen" (alithos anesti) as the light of the priests candle spreads from person to person until everyone is holding a lit candle. At this point, many people head home, all carrying a lit candle (the devout stay to complete the liturgy). Don't be surprised to hear firecrackers and gun shots as Greeks exuberantly celebrate their joy at the news of Christ's resurrection.
Anyway, I'm giving you more religious information than you probably asked for! As to archeological sites, they will be on a holiday schedule. Keep in mind that Good Friday, Easter and the day after Easter are all national holidays, which usually means closed sites. Many people treat Holy Saturday as a holiday, which would mean in 2006 that April 21-24 are essentially all holidays and you cannot count on much (except for restaurants) being open. I'm not saying everything is closed - just that many things are likely to be shut. (In other words, like Thansgiving and Christmas in the US.) As in the US, banks will definitely not be open during this period of time (ATMs still work, however).
Easter day itself is always my favorite day of the year. Family and food are paramount. I'd put a Greek Easter dinner up against a groaing Thanksgiving board in any competition! You'll have a great time.
Aug 10th, 2005, 07:40 AM
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Thank you both for the reassurance! I'm getting very excited now!
Eleni, your descriptions of the services are just lovely. My husband is of 100% Greek descent, and we are all of the Orthodox faith, so we are familiar. But your writing was inspirational! And thanks for the warning regarding travel reservations.
You both have also confirmed that we would not want to be in a deserted city for the holiday. And I don't think Crete either, as our main purpose there would be to visit the Palace of Knossos, etc, which is likely to be closed.
Mzani, I am not familiar with Tinos and Chios... I'll have to do some research there.
Green and blooming sounds great. But will it be too cold to lay on a beach? Will resort pools be open?
If you did not have family to visit, which island would you visit for some R&R over the Fri-Mon of Easter weekend? And why?
Eleni, your descriptions of the services are just lovely. My husband is of 100% Greek descent, and we are all of the Orthodox faith, so we are familiar. But your writing was inspirational! And thanks for the warning regarding travel reservations.
You both have also confirmed that we would not want to be in a deserted city for the holiday. And I don't think Crete either, as our main purpose there would be to visit the Palace of Knossos, etc, which is likely to be closed.
Mzani, I am not familiar with Tinos and Chios... I'll have to do some research there.
Green and blooming sounds great. But will it be too cold to lay on a beach? Will resort pools be open?
If you did not have family to visit, which island would you visit for some R&R over the Fri-Mon of Easter weekend? And why?
Aug 10th, 2005, 09:19 AM
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Hi,
We have been to the lovely island of Symi. They have a web site www.symivisitor.com On this site are news items and photographs and if you do research you can read about their Easter festivities this past May. It sounds wonderful.
We have been to the lovely island of Symi. They have a web site www.symivisitor.com On this site are news items and photographs and if you do research you can read about their Easter festivities this past May. It sounds wonderful.
Aug 10th, 2005, 09:51 AM
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For me, it is too cold to lay on the beach at the end of April, or to go on the water. As for pools, that is a question you will need to ask each individual hotel.
Dreamer, does your husband know where his family is from in Greece? If so, that is the place to go and perhaps reconnect with the relatives there, since, as I mentioned before, Easter is a big time for families. And even if you don't want to make contact with local family, it still may be more interesting to go someplace where you can feel some sense of connection.
And if you don't want to track down your family, and you are Orthodox, no doubt you know people in your parish who still have connections with Greece. You may want to hook up with a local family using these connections. You won't be sorry if you do -- and certainly will eat better!
As for which island, in the absence of friends and family, mzani is right -- Chios is truly a lovely island, and would be a great place to spend Easter. But you should keep in mind that Chios is in the northern Aegean, and these islands can get a pretty cold wind going in the spring.
Although my heart is truly in the northern Aegean, if I were after warmer weather, I would advise you to go to Crete or any of the other islands further south. You say not Crete because your only reason to go there would be to see Knossos. Is that because you've been to Crete before, or because you have a negative view of it? Although I haven't been to Crete for Easter, I've been there many times and love it. It has the advantage of being big enough that visitors can rent a car and enjoy its beauty no matter what is open or closed. Although Heraklion doesn't have much to commend itself in my opinion, both Hania and Reythymnon are beautiful and interesting places to stay.
How old are your kids, what do you and they like to do with your time, what makes a great trip for you, etc. To make a good recommendation for you, this kind of info would be helpful.
Museums etc. should be open during Holy Week except for the Fri-Mon period.
Dreamer, does your husband know where his family is from in Greece? If so, that is the place to go and perhaps reconnect with the relatives there, since, as I mentioned before, Easter is a big time for families. And even if you don't want to make contact with local family, it still may be more interesting to go someplace where you can feel some sense of connection.
And if you don't want to track down your family, and you are Orthodox, no doubt you know people in your parish who still have connections with Greece. You may want to hook up with a local family using these connections. You won't be sorry if you do -- and certainly will eat better!
As for which island, in the absence of friends and family, mzani is right -- Chios is truly a lovely island, and would be a great place to spend Easter. But you should keep in mind that Chios is in the northern Aegean, and these islands can get a pretty cold wind going in the spring.
Although my heart is truly in the northern Aegean, if I were after warmer weather, I would advise you to go to Crete or any of the other islands further south. You say not Crete because your only reason to go there would be to see Knossos. Is that because you've been to Crete before, or because you have a negative view of it? Although I haven't been to Crete for Easter, I've been there many times and love it. It has the advantage of being big enough that visitors can rent a car and enjoy its beauty no matter what is open or closed. Although Heraklion doesn't have much to commend itself in my opinion, both Hania and Reythymnon are beautiful and interesting places to stay.
How old are your kids, what do you and they like to do with your time, what makes a great trip for you, etc. To make a good recommendation for you, this kind of info would be helpful.
Museums etc. should be open during Holy Week except for the Fri-Mon period.
Aug 10th, 2005, 11:11 AM
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Terribly sorry to hijack this thread but we will be in Greece April 29 - May 13th, 2006.
We had planned to spend 3 nights in Santorini and the rest of our time on the mainland, but Eleni's comments about the weather got me wondering...
Is early May still too cool to swim in the ocean or lay by the pool on Santorini?
We are planning an "islands trip" in the future so we could save Santorini for that trip.
We had planned to spend 3 nights in Santorini and the rest of our time on the mainland, but Eleni's comments about the weather got me wondering...
Is early May still too cool to swim in the ocean or lay by the pool on Santorini?
We are planning an "islands trip" in the future so we could save Santorini for that trip.
Aug 10th, 2005, 11:46 AM
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If the wind's been blowing it will cool the water the way you cool a cup of hot coffee, so it's possible the water will be chilly. Otherwise it depends on how warm you need the water to be for your comfort level. I was on Santorini this last May from the 12th on and most of the days when the air was still the water was just fine for me. Laying by a pool is definitely a nice thing to do, but be advised that the pools are not artificially heated so they won't be very warm then.
Aug 10th, 2005, 11:50 AM
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Thanks brotherleelove.
We'd be there a full week earlier than you were - arriving May 3rd.
I am going to look at our itinerary again and think about saving Santorini for our islands trip. We'd probably be able to stay longer then anyway, and that trip will be a mid-June trip so the weather would be warmer.
Thanks for the insight!
We'd be there a full week earlier than you were - arriving May 3rd.
I am going to look at our itinerary again and think about saving Santorini for our islands trip. We'd probably be able to stay longer then anyway, and that trip will be a mid-June trip so the weather would be warmer.
Thanks for the insight!
Aug 10th, 2005, 12:30 PM
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I have spent Orthodox Easter on Crete and it was lovely. We went to Knossos on the Tuesday. If you're telling me that Easter Sunday is the 3rd, I'd encourage you to get there for the 1st, because the ceremony with the flowers on Mayday is amazing too.
Knossos, incidentally is closed on Easter Sunday as you'd expect but is open 8- 7.30pm on Easter Saturday and Easter Monday
Knossos, incidentally is closed on Easter Sunday as you'd expect but is open 8- 7.30pm on Easter Saturday and Easter Monday
Aug 11th, 2005, 11:06 AM
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Well now, the plot thickens. I have been reading a lot about how wonderful Easter is on Crete (rosewater? ), and that is where my husband's family is from. My husband and I did visit them once before, but any "link" relatives have now passed away. I found Crete to be very arid and brown (summer). But either my husband or I were planning on bringing our son to the Palace of Knossos on a day trip from Santorini (4:am ferry) - so maybe we should reconsider. Especially since the tourist sights will be open on Saturday. Perhaps we should choose one of these other recommendations to go to after Easter weekend.
Eleni, in answer to your questions. Our kids are teen-agers. This is to be our last big family trip before our daughter is off to college! She loves to walk on the beach and read by the pool, and doesn't want to run ragged touring sites. My son (15) wants to see every ancient site from Meteora to Olympia to the Temple of Apollo. So we're trying to strike a happy balance, and work in Easter! We all want to spend time in tavernas, eat authentic foods, and have a couple fine dining experiences.
Well, you've all been very informative, helpful, and encouraging. I can't thank you all enough! I will definitley post back our plans once final decisions are closer to being made, and hopefully a trip report later saying how wonderful it all was.
Eleni, in answer to your questions. Our kids are teen-agers. This is to be our last big family trip before our daughter is off to college! She loves to walk on the beach and read by the pool, and doesn't want to run ragged touring sites. My son (15) wants to see every ancient site from Meteora to Olympia to the Temple of Apollo. So we're trying to strike a happy balance, and work in Easter! We all want to spend time in tavernas, eat authentic foods, and have a couple fine dining experiences.
Well, you've all been very informative, helpful, and encouraging. I can't thank you all enough! I will definitley post back our plans once final decisions are closer to being made, and hopefully a trip report later saying how wonderful it all was.
Aug 11th, 2005, 12:57 PM
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sorry; I must have misread that.
PS. It's STILL worth going to Crete. Waking up on Easter Sunday with our flat overlooking the harbour in Chania, to see all the spits up roasting lamb; and the tables laden with flowers and red dyed eggs and plaited bread and glasses of raki for every passer by. And that was AFTER the midnight service the night before
PS. It's STILL worth going to Crete. Waking up on Easter Sunday with our flat overlooking the harbour in Chania, to see all the spits up roasting lamb; and the tables laden with flowers and red dyed eggs and plaited bread and glasses of raki for every passer by. And that was AFTER the midnight service the night before
Aug 11th, 2005, 03:10 PM
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This thread is perfect since I was going to post a similar question. Although we are arriving April 24, 2006 and I was not sure if Easter celebrations went past Easter. We will be in Athens M-T-Weds. and leave for Santorini 4-27-2006 and have not secured anything but flights at this time. Is the week after Easter crowded too, anyone? Please respond...
Aug 18th, 2005, 06:33 PM
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We went to mainland Greece, Crete and Santorini during my Easter Break, but I was unaware that it was the biginning of the Greek Orthodox Lent. It was their Carnival. All the children were dressed as witches, ghosts, monsters and all kinds of costumes. It felt like Halloween during Spring. I was told that the Greek Orthodox Easter in Greece is a very special time and very memorable time to be in Greece. I think you'll have an AWESOME Time. We went in March of 2002. The weather was cool. Being from Texas and use to warm weather, it was really refreshing. It felt great, especially with all the walking.
Oct 11th, 2005, 04:17 AM
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Trying to firm up these reservations, and evidently, schedules won't be posted for booking until 2-3 months before travel dates. That's a scary thought to an uber-planner!
Can anyone confirm:
Is the Palace of Knosses in Heraklion open for touring on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter?
Will the hydrofoil run from Crete to Santorini on Easter Monday?
Thanks so much for any first-hand confirmations!
Can anyone confirm:
Is the Palace of Knosses in Heraklion open for touring on the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter?
Will the hydrofoil run from Crete to Santorini on Easter Monday?
Thanks so much for any first-hand confirmations!
Oct 16th, 2005, 11:04 AM
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Sorry, I've been in France. You will find confirmtion of what I said about the opening hours for Knossos on http://www.culture.gr/2/21/211/21123a/e211wa03.html
ferries, I have no notion of.
ferries, I have no notion of.
