Leslie

My husband & I will be going to Athens for 6 nights the first week in Dec. My first question - is 6 nights too long? We would love to take day trips. Can anyone recommend any? I'm also worried about the language barrier. I'm having a hard time pronouncing Greek words. <BR>TIA, <BR>Leslie

Thyra

Leslie, my husband and I are going to Greece this year (October) and after researching forever these are my opinions, I think that most people will say 6 nights is too long a time to spend in Athens. You might consider going to one of the small islands in the Saronic Gulf (Hydra, Aegina etc.) They are a couple of hours ferry from Athens, or you could go to Delphi which is supposed to be spectacular with loads of interesting ancient sights it is a couple of hours drive from outside of Athens. Also the Epidarus (sp?)on the Pelop. Pennisula Has a wonderful amphitheatre and you could take a weekend trip there. Check out www.greektravel.com for tons of information as well as a nice alphabetical break down of all the islands. Also I have spoken on the phone to many people in Greece and have yet to encounter a language problem, however I just this week started my "Greek for Traveler's in 7 Days" tape that should clue me in on the basics, since you get better service if you can say please, thank you, hello and good bye in your host's native toungue. Have a great trip regardless!!!

Diane

Six days is a long time for Athens. It's not the most beautiful city in Europe. It is, however, interesting. I took a day trip to Hydra and found it pleasant. You should encounter few problems with the Greek language. Most signs are in English and many people speak English, especially in the tourist areas. In all the countries I have visited, Greece was the most English-friendly.

carol

Leslie, <BR>Two years ago I spent 10 days in Athens and that wasn't enough. I guess it depends on what one likes to do. We took 2 of the one day cruises to the islands of Hydra, Poros and Aegina. We liked the first one so much that we decided to do it again. Took day trips to Delphi and to Epidaurus and the Corinth Canal and took an evening trip to Cape Sounion. We walked around the Acropolis several times and enjoyed walking around the numerous parks there and just sitting and resting and watching people. We enjoyed the Plaka so much and kept going back there and enjoying the Greek salad at a cafe there. Everyone speaks enough English to get along. You just need to know how to say "Thank you" in Greek. We felt like we should have stayed 2 weeks. I don't understand why people don't like Athens. We just loved walking around the city and seeing all the excavations they have now that they are building a subway and the shopping was fun, people were friendly. Traffic is another story, you have to be very careful crossing the street because they don't know how to drive there. <BR>Carol

Paulo

Having only 6 nights in Greece, I would plan to spend 2 in Athens, rent a car, and spend 3 nights elswhere. If your flight back is in the morning, I would spend the last night in Athens. Otherwise I would stretch one night more elswhere and drive directly to the airport. <BR> <BR>Two full days and nights in Athens is quite enough to sightsee the Acropolis, Archaeological museum, Ancient Agora, the little Mitropolis, Monasteriki and Plaka and go out for dinner in Plaka a couple of times. Of course, if one stays over more nights there are quite a few other sites to be visite (Anafiotika, the suburb of Kifissia, the Byzantine Museum and a tour of Mikrolimano in the port of Piraeus, to name a few). <BR> <BR>I would drive to Delphi in the early morning and spend the night. The next day I would visit Osios Loukas and take a ferry over the Antirio-Rio crossing and head to Olympia. After a night, I would head to Nafplio to visit the wquaint port city and Mycenae. On the way back to Athens, I would stop a couple of hours in Epidavros. <BR> <BR>Now, if you're actually getting a hotel & flight package, there's not much you can do about it. There should be one day bus tours to both, Delphi and Mycenae/Epidavros. But the reports I've seen on these tours are not appealing. My mother took one to Delphi and considered it dreadful (a very long day with not more than 2 hours at the site!). <BR> <BR>Touring one of the Saronic Gulf islands may be an option, though I can't see much to it in the cold of December. One other option would be Cape Sounion. There were reports here in the Forum that doing it by public transportation is a waste of time. Hiring a taxi for the day may be a better way to go. In principle, besides Cape Sounion, one could sightsee other sites in Attica (Kaisariani, Marathon, Daphni and Eleusis, for instance). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

lisa

Ugh. I would not spend more than 2 nights in Athens. Crowded, polluted, expensive, etc. See the Acropolis & the Plaka & other highlights & get out. Outside of Athens, I found the Greek people, food, etc. to be delightful.

Debi

I agree with Paulo and some of the other posters - 6 nights in Athens is too long. We were there in May for 2 nights - more than enough. Athens is a huge city, more smog than NYC or LA - and while I love greek salad, too (in fact it's what I lived on in Athens) - I'd rather eat it somewhere other than Athens. I understand that the Greek countryside is beautiful. We also went to Santorini and Mykonos which were wonderful if that is an option for you. But worse case - I'd find some other town in Greece to stay in for the other 4 nights... But - the sights Paolo mentioned were great. Be aware that they are doing major renovations on the Acropolis preparing for the 2004 Olympics. I was a bit disappointed to see huge cranes inside the Parthenon.... The museums were GREAT, though. The one right at the Acropolis and the big archeological museum across town.

Robin

Just passing along an interesting note from another post (re Amorgos and Santorini): <BR> <BR>"...Incidentally, if you want to cut short your stay in Athens on your return journey, we would recommend Agistri, a mere 2 hours (1 hour by catamaran) from Piraeus. Stay at the Agistri Club (website: www.AgistriClub.com) or the Alkyoni Hotel...." <BR> <BR>

Leslie

Thank you all so much for your replies. I now am armed with some great information. Our hotel is free ( we will be staying at the Grande Bretagne - read it's supposed to be nice) so we will stay in Athens the whole time. It looks like we can find some interesting day trips from Athens though. Thanks again! <BR>Leslie

carol

Leslie, <BR>Just a little thought, if you are going to take day trips from Athens and going to take the guided tours, the CHAT tour company was the best. We used the other one once and didn't like it nearly as well. The tour guides with CHAT were great. We learned so much and it didn't seem like such a rush like some of those day tours can be. The Greek countryside is beautiful. Day trips were around $60 each and included lunches. <BR>

April

Wow, you get to stay at the Grande Bretagne for free? We didn't stay there but I can tell you that the lobby is very nice. You'll be able to watch the Evzones (assuming that goes on in Dec.), and visit the odd little park a hop, skip and a jump away. From the hotel, turn right and you'll be right in the thick of things at Syntagma Square with its McDonalds, and people trying to lure you into travel agencies. Keep going and you'll be in the Plaka. You can, if you're up for it, walk to the top of the Acropolis. It's a great area to explore, day and night. By the way, we never felt unsafe in Athens.

bryan robinson

Dear Leslie, don't worry about the language, English is widely spoken, and in six days you can visit the archaeological sites in Athens, Delphi and the Argolis peninsular. However for summer visitors I would suggest they stay on a nearby Saronic island - all the above sites can be seen on day trips from Agistri which is just one hour from Athens.

Joanne

I just wanted to mention as a first <BR>generation Greek American, that much <BR>vocabulary of English is Greek, check <BR>out Websters, it is all Greek to you.

rebecca

Just got back from a 16 day trip which included 4 days in Athens. We didn't want to do the standard 3 island tour, as we wanted to actually enjoy one small island. Through a travel agent, we booked a return ticket on a "Flying Dolphin" from the port of Pireaus to the island of Hydra. You can take the metro from Syntagma square to the port, and the ticket cost only about $25.00 Canadian return. We really enjoyed our day on this little island. <BR> <BR>Delphi is lovely, but get there early, as there are hordes of people there. We were there at 8:00 a.m. and really had time to enjoy it without having to share. <BR> <BR>You can spend hours in the archeological museum, and for dinner, I too, loved the Plaka. Athens was not as dirty as I thought it would be, it is just old, and I found it quite interesting. The Greek people were some of the friendliest I have encountered. Bon voyage

dee

6 nights definitely too long!! I was there this summer and the pollution was too much after just a few hours! My contacts were bothering me and i felt like I couldn't breathe! I saw the acropolis and a few other things then I got to a travel agent and caught the first flight to the Isles I could find! That was the best choice I made!! My flight to Santorini was 1st class at 2nd class price!! Only $100 roundtrip for the 45min flight! And Santorini was one ot the most beautiful and romantic places I've ever been!!

littlear

I am trying to find Paul Therault's web site. I want to book a cruise with him, and I know he responds to emails about Greece. Please, if you all know his email address let me know. Arlene [email protected]