For Christmas this year, I originally intended to visit Istanbul and Athens http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...bul-athens.cfm, but I had a change of plan because I found out that with the short traveling time that I have, skiing in Turkey would be troublesome.

Because I would like half of my trip to be reserved for skiing, I decided to stay within 1 country instead. I will be staying in Greece for a total of 8 days & 7 nights; the trip will be evenly split between Athens and Peloponnese/Delphi.

Here are a few questions that I have:

1. How do I go between Athens and Delphi? I will be traveling with my senior parents who are unfortunately heavy travelers and can't walk long distances.
(a) Are there shuttle buses that go directly to Delphi from Athens?;
(b) Is renting a car recommended to go between Athens & Delphi (one of my friends who was in Greece this summer suggests that driving a car will be confusing for foreigners)?; or
(c) Is there a chauffeured service available that can transport me between Athens & Delphi if I opt not to drive myself?

2. Where can I find a list of authorized tour guides for Athens AND Delphi?
(a) Do tour guides provide transportation, too? I'm thinking about either using George the Famous Taxi Driver or his son, but then again I'm not so sure about their knowledge of the historical sites (doesn't state on his website whether him or his son is a certified tour guide).

3. How can I get around within Peloponnese/Delphi? I obviously will be skiing in the Peloponnese mountain, but will be staying in Delphi; I was wondering whether there will be ski shuttle buses that can transport you between Delphi and the mountain.

4. How well developed is the ski resort in Peloponnese/Delphi?

Thank you in advance for your answers.

I'd book a car, for the last day in Athens, immediately before deprating to Delphi/Arachova.

Car provides maximum convenience & flexibility for you and parents.

Your friend's advice "driving a car will be confusing for foreigners", is inaccurate, IMO.

Signs are not up to USA or Canadian standards, so it helps to have one of the parents as navigators, although IIRC the road to Delphi is not difficult.

Although rental agency could provide you with adequate maps, the most accurate & detailed maps are published by Road Editions
http://www.road.gr/road_en/index/default.htm

For even less hassle, rent the car at Athens airport, and you can totally avoid the congested, potentially confusing surface streets of central Athens. However, there may be extra airport surcharges if renting at airport.

Don't forget an International Driver permit -- many agencies won't rent unless you have one, and you could land in trouble if involved in a fender-bender, even if not your fault.

You don't even need to leave Delphi for good skiing - further up Mt Parnassos is a ski area. This snowcam isn't very interesting in summer, but check out http://www.snowreport.gr/snowcam/parnassos/kelaria.html.

Christmas is one of the periods that are worth it to visit Athens , as it is all decorated and very beautiful, really in the spirit of Christmas. Almost everyone loves it that period. And since you want to combine it with a skiing resort, Mt Parnassus is 2.5 hours drive from Athens and near Delphi , where you want to stay. It will be better to rent a car, do not worry, as long as you avoid Athens centre, driving in Greece is safe. Anyway, you can find a list of the ski centres in Greece at http://www.greek-islands.us/greece/skiing-greece/

I made a mistake in my post. I meant to say that I am planning to ski in Parnassos. I read somewhere that Parnassos does not have hotels and the closest hotels are in Delphi.

If I resort to renting a car, I will obtain an International Driver Permit. I also have a GPS, which I can download a Greece map on it, so I hope that'll work. If I were to rent a car, I don't think I'll be renting from the airport. I also don't think I'll need a car for the entire trip, perhaps for when I need to drive between Athens and Parnassos/Delphi.