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AjGupta Nov 25th, 2007 03:21 PM

7 Days Itinerary for Greece - Recommendations wanted
 
We are a family of 4(including 2 children 10 and 17). We are planning a 7 days trip to Greece. Could someone recommend an itinerary ? We would be coming to Greece from Italy - is ferry or Air a better alternative?

boinky Nov 25th, 2007 03:27 PM

Seven days isn't much. You should definitely fly. The trip overland and by boat from Italy is time consuming and not particularly interesting, though it might be a reasonable option if you were interested in visiting western Greece.

What to do depends heavily on how interested you and your family are in ancient Greece. If classical antiquity is your primary interest, you could easily spend the whole trip in Athens and Attica with side trips to Delphi and Olympia.

If you want more of a beach vacation, the islands will provide it. Mykonos and Santorini are the ones everyone goes to -- crowded and expensive. For a more relaxing family vacation, you could try Spetses, Naxos, Sifnos, or maybe Skiathos or Skopelos (little to do on this last except go to the beach, but very beautiful and relatively uncrowded.)

AjGupta Nov 25th, 2007 03:50 PM

Thx boinky. Our intention is to see the Greek Antiquity and also get a feel of the greek culture.

travelerjan Nov 26th, 2007 06:50 AM

A J, I agree with Boinky ... if you want to see antiquity and "get a feel for the Greek culture", don't attempt to do the islands -- at least not any except the closest. You simply do not have the time!

You fail to say what time of year -- I'm hoping it will be May or June, not August. Is the "7 days" mean 7 full days, or just 7 nights??? What time of day do you expect to arrive at Athens airport from Italy? Also, do you go on from Greece to another european country, or do you plan to fly back home from Athens. And if so, what time of day is your home-bound flight?? With such a cruelly short time-frame, even a few hours matter.

Supposing 7 full days (arrive evening before and stay at a Plaka Hotel) I suggest:
DAY 1 -- Take GOOD walking tour available 9am-1300 daily @ 19E each (athenswalkingtour.com) (Acropolis etc)... walk thru Anc. agora as well & go to Temple of Olympian Zeus on same ticket. All-day "total immersion" but worth it. Dinner in plaka.

DAY 2 -- take KTEL bus to Nafplio (2.5 hrs, 11E each). Stay at Hotel Leto, my fave, or Pension Eleni next door -- great view from heights down on the town & bay. Google Nafplio to see its beauty. Your boys will love the ancient forts! One in bay, one atop town, 3rd is Palamidi on huge rock that overlooks town...999 steps up (but you can taxi up the back & walk down...a great foto view). Super town for history, shopping, food, sunsets. Not mobbed with package tourism, either.

DAY 3 -- rent car for 1 day, and go see ancient sites of Mycenae and Epidaurus... and then cool off with a swim in Nafplio's tiny rocky beach (take water shoes), or else nearby sandy Tolo or Asine beach (see maps).

DAY 4 -- Spend your morning exploring Nafplio more, return in afternoon to Athens & hotel.

DAY 5 -- Get a ferry experience. Some say take the 3-island tour to Aegina-Hydra-Poros, but I say no. U would be in a herd of tourists on-off-on-off, with only an hour in each port. Instead, take 45 min ferry to Aegina, rent car in port, drive to GORGEOUS temple on hilltop (best-preserved temple in Greece) then to a beach for a couple hours, back to port for leisurely dinner & sunset, ferry back to Athens. This island is a favored 'getaway' for Athenians, so you will get a flavor of modern Greeks lifestyle here.

DAY 6 -- If you are still hipped on ruins, you could take 1-day CHAT tour to Delphi, but it's a loooong drive for that 10-yr-old ... I'd be more inclined to stay one more day in Nafplio area w. car, drive out in the countryside, lunch in small villages etc.

DAY 7 -- Final day in Athens. Fun museum is Mus. of Traditional Instruments (free)... also a MUST-SEE is National Archeological Museum -- and you'll appreciate it much better than if you go there on Day #1. Near entrance is a desk with volunteer "docents" (guides) who can walk you through the highlights; however, you should ALSO prep yourself with a guidebook or internet print-out of highlights as well. That evening, pick up your souvenir trinkets in Plaka.

-- That's my take on 7 days. But to make it work, you have to do your part as well, and research in guidebooks & internet.


travelerjan Nov 26th, 2007 06:53 AM

The Fodor site mistakenly "hotlinked" the reference to Athens walking tour -- and that link isn't correct. The actual link is:
http://www.athenswalkingtours.gr

AjGupta Nov 26th, 2007 04:02 PM

TJ, thank you very much, the itinerary sounds good. I am planning on being there in Jul. I will try and keep enough time so as to get 7 full days. I have not yet booked flights from Italy. Any recommendations of economical airlines?

travelerjan Nov 26th, 2007 08:52 PM

Nope... time for YOU to do some of the work.

A good site to find/compare best prices on Europe budget airlines is
http://www.skyscanner.net/

Just the other day I used it and found a flight on JetBlue for someone from Athens to Paris for 38 Euros.

Nikki Nov 27th, 2007 02:23 AM

I strongly recommend going to Delphi. It was the highlight of my trip to Greece. Stunning mountain scenery and a visit to the most evocative ruins imaginable.


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