4 questions about my first trip to Greece. HELP!
 

Hello all,<BR><BR>I'm starting to plan my first trip to Greece this August (yeah, I know...the heat, the tourists...but it's the only month I can get away). I'm pretty settled on 18-20 days, and have been spending the last month reading anything and everything I can get my hands on to narrow down my destinations. (and this board has been EXTREMELY helpful).<BR><BR>I'm settled.<BR><BR>-Athens (arrive and depart)<BR>-Peloponnes for 9 days (stationing myself in Nafplio and doing day trips to as many ruins as I can)<BR>-Naxos for 4 days (incl. day trips to neighbouring islands)<BR>-Santorini for 5 days <BR><BR>Here I my questions, and if any of you can answer even one from the list, I'd be totally thankful):<BR><BR>1) I don't drive, so I'm confined to boats, buses and trains. If I were to divide my Peloponnes journey into two, where would you suggest making my second destination?<BR><BR>2) If I were to do 7 days in the Peloponnes and 3 days in Meteora and Delphi, how long would it take, and by what means, do I get to those regions? <BR><BR>3) Recommended day trips from Naxos?<BR><BR>4) Is there such a thing as a hotel in Santorini with a Caldera view AND air conditioning that goes for under 80 euros a night for a single room in August, or am I delusional in even suggesting such a thing?<BR><BR>Any help with any of the above would be thoroughly appreciated.<BR><BR>Thanks in advance,<BR>tania

Tania, We signed on with a great tour of Delphi and Meteora. You can arrange it though any travel agency in Athens. It was a 2 night trip and one of the highlights of our Greece trip. Check out www.greecetravel.com for a site with loads of info about Greece.

I travelled to the Peloponesse by bus from Nafplio as a base to Epidauros, Tiryns, Argos and Mycenae. Tiryns and Mycenae can be done in a day, and Epidauros in half a day. So you can get to enjoy Nafplio with those day trips in 3 or 4 days. I then went to Patras from Nafplio via a transfer at Corinth. It was fairly easy by bus. I used Patras as my base for Olympia but you can also use it to go to Delphi. I am not sure if the ruins at Olympia will be open. I think the museum there is under renovations for the Olympics but you should probably check that out. But you may want to head down to Mystras or Monemvasia. With 9 days in the Peloponesse why not?

<BR>Tania, <BR>my main comment is, you may be shortchanging yourself by essentially skipping Athens.<BR><BR>Many have complained about the urban-ness of Athens, but it does possess a vitality that should not be missed. <BR><BR>Naflio is a great &quot;home base&quot; , but there are some very picturesque small villages (eg, Dimitsena, Langadia, Andritsena) on the &quot;mountain road&quot; between Olympia and Nauflio , that might be out of range of you restricted yourself to only a Nauflio based Hotel.<BR><BR>There are almost certainly busses on the mountain route between Olympia and Nauflio, but I don't have any details. sorry!

I agree with Tom -at least give yourself a full day in Athens. We have been to Athens on 3 trips but only spent a day each time at the end of the trip. There are so many &quot;must sees&quot; there! We spent 3 weeks in Tolon, close to Nafplio and used organised day tours- they are easy to arrange once you are there. Have you thought of visiting any islands while you are there? Poros is the most beautiful island I have seen. We went on a day trip.

Grasshopper,<BR>I'm a little hesitant about signing on for a tour, as I'll be in Greece for almost three weeks, so my budget will be fairly tight. By any chance, do you remember roughly what you paid for it? <BR> <BR>Theodora,<BR>Thanks for the info. I've heard great things about Monemvasia. I'll start looking into Patras and whether or not the Olympia ruins will be open. <BR><BR>Tom and Fiona,<BR>I'd consider staying for a full day in Athens (it had been a consideration, probably upon arriving in Greece, rather than departing; I really like the idea of ending the trip in Santorini.) A couple of Greek colleagues at work have been suggesting the same thing, telling me I'd be a fool to bypass it. It's certainly do-able, though my focus would be on the antiquity. Fiona--Have got a few bookmarks set for Poros, as well as Hydra as possibilities. I agree, Poros does look lovely.

Tania<BR>I can't believe that I wrote Poros as the island we took the day trip to! I meant to write Hydra!!!!! I have however spent a holiday based on Poros as well and it is beautiful. Because of this it is where the yachting crowd go and and food and drink prices are expensive.

We came back from two weeks in Greece this past September. You need to spend 2 days in Athens. One to see the sights in Athens, the second to take a bus trip to Sounio. Beautiful spot. We spent a day in Nafplio (we had a car and saw all the sights around it before and after). We stayed at the Ilion in Nafplio and it was great. We recommend Taverna Vasilis for lunch or dinner. Great food at reasonable prices. Don't short change yourself. Do go by bus to Delphi and Meteora. If you can't do both, do at least Meteora. It is something totally different than the rest of Greece. We actually spent 4 days in Santorini on th caldera but we paid a lot for our villa. It was the end of our trip (great idea to relax and end it that way). But don't expect to do much if you stay that long. 4 days was alot so 5 might be a bit long. Good luck and you will truly enjoy yourself.

Byron,<BR><BR>I just discovered that there is a daily afternoon train that leaves from Athens to Kalambaka/Meteora. Might take that route. I could do two days in Athens, hop the train to Kalambaka, stay overnight, see Meteora, then take a bus to Delphi, stay overnight there, and from Delphi head down to Nafplio for the remainder of the Peloponnes leg of the trip. I could do Hydra for a day or two, and then head off to Naxos and Santorini. I could also cut Santorini down to four days, and possibly shell out a couple of more bucks for a better hotel.<BR><BR>Now it's starting to sound like a plan. :-)

Tania, sounds like things are coming together. When you go to Nafplio, make sure to see Mycenea, Epidavrous, Olympia and Palamidi Castle. Athens -even though busy - requires a must see for the Acropolis, Lycabbitus Hill, Syntagma Square and the Museum (if open). Also go to the modern Olympic stadium. If you get lucky, you may want to consider a concert at the Heradis Atticus Theatre at the Acropolis. We were lucky to see the Maria Callas tribute in September and it was great.

Tania:<BR>I have to agree with other posters: you have to spend time in Athens. It's a fun place, it's really easy to get around, and there is so much to see and do there. As to Nafplio, it's a great choice. It was one of my very favorite places in Greece. I had a rental car so traveling between cities and sites was pretty easy. Since you're not, getting around will be a little tougher. If you are able to figure out the logistics of the trip I would recommend taking the time to visit Monemvasia, although it might not be do-able via public transport. Regarding Santorini, I stayed at a hotel with a caldera view in Fira called Tzekos Villas for about 74 Euro a night. It is a very nice hotel with a really good breakfast, and a great view. It's located on the very edge of Fira so it is surprisingly quiet, and is still only a few minutes walk from the center of the action, bus station... They also have a small swimming pool with lounge chairs. Nothing really spectacular, but very clean and a little posh. Money was definitely an issue for me so I stayed at cheaper hotels for most of my trip and then would splurge for 1 night every once in a while at a more expensive hotel. My other hotels in Santorini were only 15 - 20 US a night. One of them was fine, the other was the most uncomfortable bed of the trip.You should keep in mind that a lot of places are already closing down for renovation because of the upcoming Olympics. If there's something you have your heart set on seeing make sure it will be open. Have a great trip! Marian

Here is my suggestion for an itinerary:<BR><BR>2 days in Athens at beginning of trip. You can take a bus to Napflio<BR><BR>3-4 days in Nafplio (9 days is far too long in my humble opinion. I spent 4 days there last time I went to Greece and it was plenty). In Greece, time slows waaay down <BR><BR>Take a bus to Delphi. 3 days Delphi - Metoera.<BR><BR>If you want to go to Olympia, and the site is open, the best route would be Athens-Napflio-Olympia-Delphi-Meteora-back to Athens. Meteora is north of Delphi, so you can go there first, then to Delphi, then back to Athens. I then suggest spending another night in Athens before commencing the 'island tour' part of your trip. <BR><BR>5 days on Santorini gets long. May I suggest a few days on another island, then ferry to Santorini and staying there for a few days? Then take the ferry back to Athens (a great ride), spend the final night in Athens before leaving for home. <BR><BR>20 days is a great amount of time. Again, time really slows down in Greece, and what may sound like a short amount of time to stay in one place really seems longer once you are there. <BR><BR><BR>

Mia, I agree with you. Good suggestions. We stayed at very top hotels so we cannot recommend much with the exception of the Ilion in Nafplio as being quite nice for the price. <BR><BR>Staying in Athens before going to Santorini is a good idea. Also, we had a scare in that the baggage handlers went on strike the day we were travelling back from Santorini and then overseas. Make sure that you give yourself around 3 hours turnover time in Athens if you do not plan on staying in Athens that final night, Tania. <BR><BR>Do check out about the sites being closed for renovations. That includes watching out for hotels that have renovations and therefore jack hammers going.<BR><BR>

Thank you ALL for your suggestions. They've been totally helpful. I've cut and paste the thread into word processing and printed it out, so that I can bring it with me when I make my first visit to my travel agent. I live in a Greek neighbourhood in Toronto, so there are lots of travel agencies in the area that specialize in Greece. So between their knowledge of the country, and your experiences travelling there, I'll be well-armed in making a decision with regard to a logistically feasible (and rewarding!)trip. Hopefully, they'll also be able to tell me what will be closed or going through renovations in August.

Tania, we're three hours from Toronto. You are right. You have alot of choice in the Danforth area.

Hi,<BR>I agree that you should spend some time in Athens. The Plaka area is particularly convenient as it is easy to walk around from there. I would reccommend the Athens Gate Hotel as this is about a 10 min walk from the centre and has a lovely rooftop bar. Also, small, Plaka hotels are generally reasonable, and fairly cheap.<BR>You mention staying for 9 days in Nafplion. I have stayed in this area a couple of times but was based in Tolo, about 7 km outside Nafplio. If you are there for any length of time I would reccommend this. Accommodation is cheaper in Tolo, and although Nafplio is nicer at night, it is great to have a beach and hotels with pools etc. after sight seeing. We have stayed twice at the Paradise Lost Hotel / Apartments (they are on the web). The accomodation was really nice and reasonable. From Tolo, you can take taxis into Nafplio (and buses) because the accomodation, food etc. is much cheaper in Tolo.<BR>From there, we visited Epidauros, Mycenae, Tyrins, Nemea, Corinth, the island of Poros and many more places.<BR>There are loads of day trips that you can take from Tolo if you want to. There are trips and hydrofoils to several islands, mainly Poros, Hyrdra, Spetses. If you move around too much, you can find that you spend all your time packing, unpacking and checking in and out of hotels.<BR>Delphi is certainly worth a visit, but in my opinion, there is only so much you can do in one trip.<BR>Good luck,<BR>Carolina

Carolina,<BR><BR>After reading your post about Tolo, I started looking into it on the net. The fact that it's equally as accessible to so many sites, and much less expensive than Nafplio is certainly totally appealing. Tough call, though, as the beach probably won't be that important to me for that leg of the trip--(saving that atmosphere for the Cyclades.) But the savings in Tolo would make a huge difference. It's just that Nafplio is so pretty.........<BR><BR>It's a good thing I'm starting the planning of this August trip NOW. This is to cover me for my own indecisiveness! <BR><BR>tania<BR><BR>ps- BYRON: You guessed it, I AM on the Danforth in Toronto. Though the problem with that is that there are too many Greek travel agents to choose from! More decisions.......

Tania, consider Arion Travel, 437 Danforth Avenue, Toronto (416-466-2169) and ask for Eleni. They have a lot of clout with Olympic Airways. They're friendly to deal with and my experience is that they will give you the best available price.

If your not into the beach Tania, then I vote on staying in Old Nafplio since it is more convenient. I remember that before it even got dark out I had to make sure to catch the last bus from Tolo back to Nafplio at around 7 or 8 pm. Coordinating going to the sites by bus is also difficult because you have to worry about 2 bus schedules. I do think that you should go and visit Tolo and have a drink on one of the beach restaurants. It really is a nice beach. Here is the KTEL website which is important for planning. The bus times were exactly right on when I went last year.

Posted too fast. http://www.ktel.org<BR><BR>Ps. One of the best meals at a restaurant I had in Greece was in Nafplio at a place called Ta Fanaria.