Great narrative, full of ideas for newcomers & "vets" alike. Glad you ended on a satisfied note ... AND the wish to return. That's something to keep you going thru the next decade as u push those boys toward adulthood! Thanks for the report!

Thanks Travelerjan. You provided a lot of good tips for this trip.

Thank you for finishing the trip report. Really enjoyed reading about your stay in Athens and the sites you saw. I'm leaving in a few weeks and can't wait to experience it in person. Aristotle sounds great. If I wasn't doing a solo trip, I would probably consider getting a private guide.

Great report. Really enjoyed it!

Thank you.

Enjoyed your trip report although as seniors now we are a long way from trips with our favorite 13 year old. A couple of questions in preparation for our trip next May. What podcasts did you listen to before you went? Did all bakeries have sandwiches and spinach pies? Just the larger ones? At the monasteries in Meteora was it OK to eat your lunch on the wall (no signs about no picnicking)? Were there food trucks there or just a coffee truck?

You really seem to have the system for traveling with kids figured out. Our trick was to let him choose how to spend some of the time. Since he was passionate about comics we learned about comics and comic book stores in cities from Paris to Singapore and we all enjoyed the journey to and from the stores. He now owns a small comic shop in the West Village of NYC and has customers from Paris to Singapore.

Thanks for your help and thanks for a good read.

RubyTwins, what a wonderful informative report ! lots of ideas for our up coming trip . We are traveling with 8 & 10 year old girls, and have 2-3days in Athens and 2 days in Santorini booked but have another 3 days in between to explore some where else..from your experience with kids, where would you recommend? we were thinking of Delphi/Mateora but now wondering if Napflio is a better option.

Nikidi, Nafplio is definitely a better option! It's easy to reach via rental car (2.5 hrs on Greece's most modern multi-lane divided highway, great scenery when u exit, thru orange groves, gently rolling hills). Nafplio is on peninsula surrounded by sea. This superb website http://www.visitnafplio.com (non-comercial) tells all... click every menu including the top ones like "really useful information". Here's a splendid foto album by "stanbr" another fan: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...57632094108982

For energetic kids, Nafplio is fun to explore -- go up to "Acronafplia" the castle ramparts above the city, do the amazing walk around the base of the peninsula - http://www.visitnafplio.com/volta.html - and take amazing photos. And of course there is the "Gibraltar" of Nafplio, the fortress-topped Rock of Palamidi looming above. (Tip: do not climb UP the 999 steps; you can taxi or drive up the BACK way, and walk DOWN -- if u drive, 1 parent accompanies, the other drives to a cafe at the foot of the steps & waits with coffee & newspaper). BTW, the town beach Arvanita is a lot of fun too, w. a cafe where u can sit while girls splash.

You can easily enjoy the full 3 days checking out Old Town (SUPER small museum, with wonderful 20 min video your kids will understand & Love - AND the only Iliad-era suit of armor in the World). However, if u want to do a bit of ruins-scrambling, just 10 mins out of town is TIRYNS, a fort built like Mycenae but unrestored an NO tour crowds. Also, check out ASINE, another ancient wall, WITH a cute beach right beside it and one taverna to watch the sunset & have a fish dinner.

Finally, do not miss the splendid row of cafes along the seafront, marquee-roofed, wonderful cushy loveseats. I consider Nafplio sunsets about the best in Greece, (and NOT cram-jammed viewing along a rimside path as alas the Oia Santorini experience has become). After dinner, in the moonlight, local kids ride trikes, play soccer in the large Marble-paved central squares as parents watch from cafe tables. You may feel as if you are in a movie ...

PS: I forgot to say, that if you don't want to rent a Car, the intercity (KTEL) bus is great -- €13 1 way, less for kids -- reserved upholstered comfy seats. 1st bus at 8, then 9:30 & hourly on half-hour, takes 2.5 hrs, good view of Saronic bay (get seats on LH side) and olive groves, fruit orchards etc. IF u do this, u can rent a car for 1 day for environs (Tiryns & Asine), or taxi.

IF u DO rent a car, simplest to rent @ airport -- nonstop on Intercity highway until u get off at exit for Nafplio. Optional stops outbound -- at same area where u exit for Nafplio, just 5 mi NORTH of hiway is NEMEA -- a "runner-up" to Olympia as Sacred Games site. Thrilling stadium where kids can race from starting blocks 2500 yrs old! Also, w. car, you can "jump off" the big highway at Corinth Canal to see this VERY deep VERY Skinny marvel.

Enroute back to Athens area, you could take alternate route -- go EAST toward the sea, stop in Epidaurus to see ancient theatre then move on. Yes, you can do all of htis in 3 days... and then end up at Airport to fly to Santorini (I assume u are flying rather than 8-9 hr ferry ride).

Nafplio it is then..or time in Naxos instead? hubby wants just chill rather than sight see too much. thanks for the detailed reply travelerjan and Rubytwins, sorry for hijacking your thread.

nikidi, why didn't u say so in the first place... instead you said "explore." Sure you can go to Naxos -- either take the 10:30 fast-ferry Champion (it has small back deck for departure view) or 3:15 Blue Star (Big ferry, sit outside for 2-hr mini-cruise). Since it's offseason, the far beaches (essentially buildings in a strip along the sands) will be good for swims but otherwise tavernas, cafes, shops, closing up... so instead, get rooms or a 1-br unit at St George (Ag Giorgios) beach adjoining port town... this Skymap is great visual of layout http://www.skymap.gr/apps/site/viewm...pid=29&cid=305 -- fiddle with it, enlarge, move around to see. Should be vacancies in October... don't know your budget, look at Villa Naxia, or hotel Spiro. Husband can veg by the pool, u & girls can explore town. Not going to give you more details, the homework is up to you.

jmgorga Thankyou.
The podcast I listened to was an Open Yale Course Introduction To Ancient Greek History with Professor Kagen. http://oyc.yale.edu/classics/clcv-205
I learned a lot and remembered a lot that I forgote! I also downloaded Rick Steve's podcasts because they were easy to follow when actually at a site with bad signage (lots of sites have lousy signage).

Bakeries: Hmmmm. It really depends where you are. Some even had pizza.

We stayed at AirBnBs and apartments with refrigerators. I like going to local grocery stores and we picked up cold cuts and bread and olive oil and made sandwiches.

Meteora: There was a coffee truck and there was a food truck but as I recall it was like ice cream and chips. Lots of people were eating their lunches outside the monastery walls.

I look forward to the day we can return to Greece.

nikidi As a base, Nafplio is great. There are lots of restaurants, shops and the waterfront is really lovely. My kids went out on their own exploring. We actually didn't spend a ton of time IN the town but had a great apartment as our base. Great supermarket and bakeries to stock the fridge. We drove to Epidaurus one day. Mycenae the next and then ALL the way to Mystras the third day.

We got bags of oranges from a farm stand and made fresh squeezed OJ. We did climb the fort and we did walk along the water. The kids fed the cats but were told that some of the dogs were "bad bad dogs" that kill cats and not to feed them. )-:

I personally did NOT like Delphi (the town). Yes, the site is interesting but the town feels like it was quickly built up around an ancient site.

From Nafplio we drove to Metochi and took the ferry to Hydra. My kids LOVED Hydra. I think they were getting sick of Greek Columns so they enjoyed the kicking back and just people watching, feeding stray cats (you can buy cat food by the kilo in the small markets) etc. And running around and getting lost in the town (no cars).

We drove ALOT. My husband likes to drive. But if you have kids that get car sick: be forewarned. The roads are very windy on some of the routes we took (Metochi to Delphi for example.)

<i>"I personally did NOT like Delphi (the town). Yes, the site is interesting but the town feels like it was quickly built up around an ancient site."</i>

As I recall from my reading, the town was originally over the ancient site, and the residents were moved when excavations began. So yes, that's what happened.