Jago

Hello,
We (family of four) will be in Greece for 17 full (non-travel) days in July. We won't be renting a car; we're sticking with public transportation. I'm having trouble figuring out how we can move around the country without having to go back and forth to Athens several times. I'd like to figure out a loop, if possible. We'll be starting and ending in Athens. Other than that, we'd like to go to Delphi, Nafplio (and surrounding area), Olympia, and two islands (probably Folegandros and Sifnos). Is there a way of getting from Delphi to Nafplio (by bus? train?) without returning to Athens in between and/or a way to get from Piraeus to Nafplio without going through Athens?
Thanks for your help. I've planned many trips using help from Fodor's and anticipate doing the same this time.

dutyfree

Having just got back from Greece a few days ago after spending 8 days with my daughter I personally would advise getting a rental car for part of it. I, too was somewhat leery about the driving part(especially since my husband wasn't going with us) but to tell you the truth-it was a great way to see Greece.If you rented a car at the Athens airport and did the loop over to Corinth, Nafplio, Olympia and then across up to Delphi, I think that you would see and experience the real Greece. The major expressways are easy to drive and even the smaller roads are fine-just pull over to the right when they want to pass! The expense of bus and train travel along with trying to coordinate 4 people would seem difficult to me. I would rent the car and do the loop from Athens and then return back to Athens to continue on your island hopping.

GeoffHamer

I'd suggest studying a good practical guide book, such as the Rough Guide or Lonely Planet.
I went to Nafplio once by getting a boat to Spetses, then the local ferry to Kosta and a bus via Kranidi. There should also be connections from Methana to Nafplio, and from Galatas (opposite Poros) to Nafplio.

magbee1

Hi dutyfree, i'll be going to Greece in 3 weeks and i'm also planning to drive to Napflio, then accross the Peloponnese, cross the gulf of Corinth at Patria and drive towards Delphi. Can you tell me how did you like this part of mainland? Would you recommend it to others? I'm asking because i'm still trying to decide on where to go and what to see...

Thanks!

dutyfree

Hi Magbee 1-Because of the big storm that happened at JFK two weeks ago,our trip lost two days as we could not get out of the US for that period.Therefore,I only drove from Athens to Nafplio using that as our base everyday to see the other sites around that area like Mycenae,Epidaurus,etc.
I had planned on doing a circle loop around Greece going from Athens to Nafplio then up to Patra and then onto Delphi and then back to Athens.I actually bought several maps of Greece but the two that really helped were the big FROMMERS spiral mapbook of Europe(about $24 at Barnes and Noble) and a Michelin map of Greece(around $10). These were very helpful in helping my daughter read the smaller road signs and turnoffs especially when cars were whizzing by so fast.
My daughter and I really enjoyed this trip as it was an opportunity to see a part of Greece that alot of other travelers don't always include in their intinerary-the Greek Isles seem to be number 1.Because of the time of the year with iffy weather, some posters on here had suggested doing this as it would be more doable for this time of the year and I agree.With a car you have the opportunity to stop and see ruins,orange groves and interesting little villages.

magbee1

Thanks much, dutyfree! I'm also going to Crete and Santorini, so i figured since i will visit some islands, it would also be nice to see some of the mainland.