I also do not recommend driving in Athens. Parking is also a nightmare.
Don't miss Meteora!

Makeithappen,

I just wanted to mention that we have stayed at The Aegeon Beach hotel in Sounion, which is the closest hotel to The Temple of Poseidon. We walked to the temple in about 15 minutes. It was worth overnighting there to see the temple lit up after dark. In fact the stay there was one of the highlights of our last trip to Greece. The hotel was about an hour + from the airport.

Speaking of Sounio, Grecotel Cape Sounio is an excellent hotel with a fantastic view over Sounio as well.

Just watch this :

http://www.capesounio.com/el/index.h...FSfmwgodxEkAeQ

Personally, I think 7 + 4 nights in Athens is too many. You can see all the major tourist & museums in 3 days. Athens is just an ok major tourist site in my opinion. We likes Athens it but there is so much more to see in Greece. I understand you don't want to move around much, but on the Pelopennese there is so many important ruins (Olympia, Myceane, etc.) and you've gone that far you should really see them. But it does require driving.

http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/destinations/peloponnese

Should say: "We liked Athens but there is so much more to see in Greece."

I would not cut any days off Santorini!

I wanted to qualify my statement that it takes 45 min. to get into Athens from The Westin. I just realized that we have only stayed in Vouliagmeni during early June, most often during Posidonia, a Greek shipping conference that brings tons of visitors to Athens.

I'd assume that October won't be as bad, but will probably still take about 30 minutes each way. Given the choice, I'd minimize the time in Vouliagmeni and add it on to another island or Athens/mainland.

Thanks to all for the information. I don't want to feel rushed while enjoying Athens so that's why we choose to stay so long. During our stay we were going to take day trips to the various islands and I was looking into Delphi, Olympia, Corinth canal and Meteora. We were also concerned about jetlag once we arrive in Athens..thinking we need at least a day to just lounge around...we're coming from Texas. Would it be just as relaxing if we stayed in Athens for 4 days and then go to the Pelopennese area for about 3 days at the top of the trip? We just don't want to be on the go every single day trying to fit everything in. Or should we stay in the Pelopennese area 7 nights at the top and Athens the last 4 days at the end. I do know we want to be in Athens at the end of the trip for better access to the airport.

I thought that we would need more time in both Athens and Pelopennese to actually enjoy it so I was leaving one off for this trip. After more research it seems as though we really would need to stay closer to Meteora as opposed to taking a tour from Athens because of the distance...does that apply to both Delphi and Corinth Canal. We don't mind driving and exploring but don't want to spend entire days on the road.

Thanks so much for the help. It seems as though I'm all over the place with my questions, but just trying to get a better flow for my 2 1/2 weeks in Greece and want to utilize our time as much as possible.

Spending the first 7 days to drive around the Mainland sounds like a very good idea, and you will have enough time to see Meteora, Delphi and a big part of the Peloponnese.

I would start with studying the map, to see where all these places are located, and calculate the distances between them.

Athens - Meteora ( Kalambaka) is 360 km one way.
After Meteora you could drive to Delphi and continue to the Peloponnese from there.

On the Peloponnese you could visit Olympia and then continue to Nafplio. Northern and Central Peloponnese is a wonderful area full of history and beautiful mountain villages.

You can always ask here for more details....

I agree not to miss Meteora!

Thanks clausar.....where can I find a really good map because I'm not having very much luck with locating one that is in detail.

I use http://www.travelmath.com and Google Maps...

I am sure others will have better ideas.....

There's no way I would stay outside of Athens, not only because of the hassle of getting into the city every day but also because I personally found it so wonderful to look out my hotel window and see the Acropolis at different times of the day and in different light. For some people it's not as big a deal, but for me it was.

I allotted 4 nights for Athens only because I took a guided day trip, which I don't usually do, but I'm glad I did because I could avoid driving and learn more about my sights of interest. The tour went to the Corinth Canal, Mycenae and Epidavros theatre in the morning, and then to Nauplion (the old capital)for a late lunch. I arrived back in Athens by 6 pm. The Peloponnese is beautiful and I wish I could have spent more time there; sounds like you'll be doing that.

As others said you can do Athens in 3 days and don't drive whatever you do! I want to recommend the Goulandris Cycladic Art Museum. Since you're going to Santorini you may appreciate this. It's small and very manageable, items are labeled clearly and in English--one of my favorite museums in all of Greece.

http://www.cycladic.gr/frontoffice/p...node=1&clang=1

I went to Greece in late September/October for 18 days, pretty much like you. My itinerary was 4 nights in Athens, took a plane from Athens to Crete, stayed in Crete for 6 days, took a ferry to Santorini, and stayed there for 7 days.I took the ferry back to Piraeus, which took 9 hours, caught a taxi to the airport, and spent 14 hours on a plane because we made a stop in Zurich. It was grueling and I would never do that again.

If I had it to do over, I would have spent more time in the Pelopponese, more time in Crete, and less time in Santorini--like 3-4 nights. Don't get me wrong, Santorini is breathtaking and everyone should see it at some point, but there were a lot of tourists even in October. It also had a Disneyland feel to it that I didn't care for. The only consolation for me is that I met a wonderful man who also happened to be a chef, so I got REALLY lucky!

The place that I totally fell in love with was Crete and I plan on going back and spending the whole time there. It's big and there are so many different beaches and landscapes there. It is also a great choice for the last week of your trip because there's so much to see, the food is delicious, and it's so laid back.

I also would have gone back to Athens on the day before my flight home, relaxed and recovered a bit, and be rested for my flight the next day.

Apologies for such a long post, but I absolutely loved Greece. You really can't go wrong no matter what you decide. Happy planning!

Meteora is fantastic, make an overnight stay of it though so that you can immerse yourself.

The theatre at epidorus and the other highlights of the Peloponnesus are definitely worth some time. We also loved our visit to the original Olympic venue. A hightlight for us was to walk the original running track and the Greek staff/guards who monitor the site are lovely and very relaxed.

Thanks again to everyone...

So here's what I'm thinking.....fly into Athens, stay 4 nights, while there, explore, Acropolis and other museums, ferry to Santorini for 3 nights, fly back to Athens and take a 5 day tour to Peloponnese area to visit Olympia, Corinth Canal, Mycenae, Delphi, Nafpoli and other surrounding areas and then return to Athens for the remaining 3 nights before our flight home. I want to go to Crete but would like to spend 7 or more days so I'll save that for another trip. Is this feasible?

Also, I am now open to a hotel near the center of Athens. I love staying near a beach, so maybe we can do that at the top of the trip with all the jetlag and adjust the days to where we can move to the center and explore that area at the end of the trip.

I just don't know about taking a tour because you're not allowed to tour on your own and we like to explore and be on our own schedule. I'm a little nervous about the driving in the Peloponnese area and if we explore on our own, we would like to have a knowledgeable tour guide to tell us all the history about each location.

Sounds like it's almost impossible to not pack and repack while vacationing in Greece. Oh well...will have to save that for the Caribbean.

Thanks again!

Quick question....since Santorini and Mykonos are both tendered ports for all cruise ships, should we consider going to Mykonos on this trip since we will be on land the entire time. Not sure we would be able to enjoy Mykonos if we cruise there as they don't allow you much time on the island.

Thanks!

To recover from jet lag we often spend two days in Vouliagmeni ( Westin), then go on to Athens for another two or three. That would give you some time on a small beach to sleep in the Greek sun before going to Athens.

But... since it's your first visit to Athens, you might prefer spending all four nights in the center. As mentioned earlier, I love AVA Hotel, which is right in the Plaka, and has gorgeous rooms, some with terraces that look straight into the heart of the Acropolis one way, Hadrian's Arch the other. The location is unbeatable, with most major sites within walking distance.

If AVA is too pricey, look at ATHEN'S GATE, which is hugely popular for its great location and rooftop restaurant w/ Acropolis view.

Not sure I am understanding the question about Mykonos. It's only about 30 min by plane from Athens, so maybe you want to allocate a few days there? In October it should not be as crazy as it is in the summer months!

Santorini has it all over Mykonos. If drinking a lot, partying, etc. is your thing then do Mykonos, but if you want to see the kind of natural beauty few places can offer, do Santorini. There's also a lot more of cultural interest here as well.

One additional thing. You mentioned doing Crete on a separate trip and that's a great idea. Because Crete is pretty big, you could stay on the western side of the island for a week, and then do the eastern side for another week. So you'd only have to relocate one time in two weeks--not bad.

sagan55

Have been over 50 times to Mykonos and after a certain age i didn't party at all....
It is a party island if you want to party and dance all night, at the same time it can be very calm and quiet too, depending on your style.

Mykonos is still one of my favourite islands with one of the most beautiful towns