First Family Trip Abroad-Greece
 

Hello Everyone!

I have just joined Fodor's to ask for y'all's help planning our family's first trip abroad. At this point our plan is to take the kids, all five of them (23, 21, 10, 7 & 4), to Greece for two weeks in May/June. We have never taken the family on a trip for this long and my husband is the only one of us to have been outside the US. So we need all the help we can get! Anything and everything y'all can tell me would be GREATLY appreciated! What to expect with customs at the airport, good islands to visit for the kids, packing tips, etc.

Thanks in advance!!!

Welcome to Fodors! Just a suggestion, but you will probably get more feedback if you "top" your thread in the morning when more regulars are online.

Where in Greece do you plan to visit? Athens I presume, but what else? Mainland, islands...?

For your younger children, the New Acropolis Museum has a special children's guide booklet (as of 2011; I presume they still have it). It's a world class museum and the children's features should help it come alive for your little ones. For your youngest, there is also a room on the 2nd floor with toys and books for very young children. We utilized the room to change and nurse our 7 month old, but saw several toddlers and preschoolers enjoying a break to play with the toys or hear a story read aloud.

Do include a night near Meteora in your plans!

Hello FamilyFlyers,

You'll also get better suggestions if you tell us a little bit more about yourself (and your family) in terms of your travel preferences. For example, are you thinking you'll stay in hotels, or would you consider two week-long self catering rentals? Are you city people who want to spend at least a few days in Athens, or would you want to escape as quickly as possible?

My initial suggestion would be to search for some trip reports to get started. See what appeals to you. Along with that suggestion I would add that your adult "kids" for sure, and to a lesser extent the younger ones, should get involved in the planning. For the 7- and 4-year old, the involvement can include letting them pick an activity or a destination after you give them some choices. There are lots of threads on traveling with kids; search for those as well.

Hello FamilyFlyers
Travelling with family in GREECE: 1.Like ancient Greece? if the answer is yes :Τhen include one or two DAYS in athens ,to explore a small part of the immense cultural heritage in Athens.
2. The children are very young;if the answer is yes: Τhen do not include in your plan small islands ,only the larger such as Rhodes, Crete, Mytilene, on the Aegean Sea, Corfu, Kefallonia, Zakynthos on the Ionian Sea.
Nothing Hard with the custom office; Packing : keep same rules for all long distance travel.

Thanks for the quick feedback!

Here is some more info about us and how we travel:
We are a family of 7 (Dad, Mom, son 23 and daughters 21, 10, 7 & 4).
We would like to rent a villa, we're not big on hotels.
Ruins and history for our son.
Small villages and scenic views for our 21yr old daughter.
A beach, close by, for our little girls.
Some place quiet, but not remote. Access to modern amenities.
Night life and fancy restaurants aren't important to us.
Budget is not a major issue. We won't have many more chances to take all the kids like this, so we might as well do it right.

From the little research I have done, I was thinking about staying on Rhodes, and not trying to island hop. I found an ocean front villa there.

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p489068#summary

Is this place good, or should I keep looking?

Also one of my little girls has a severe milk allergy. So a grocery store is important so we can make her meals at the villa, even if we are dining out.

Still not sure if we should try to drag everyone through Athens, or just head straight for the island. My little ones have NO experience in a big city (we live in a town with only 25,000 people).

Thanks again everyone! Anything else y'all have to share would be appreciated!

Hello again Family flyers
The place is good . All east coste in Rhodes is good . But you have to rent a car to explore all that nice beaches and to find some very nice restaurant . I recomend you to explore the region odds afantou to prasonisi .Your children love prasonisi but the car is very important!!Dont forget visit buterfly valey and if you finaly choose Rhodes choose the east coste ,not the west is very imporant.

Hi FF,

My infant son whom I was nursing has a dairy allergy, so I had to go dairy-free on our 2011 trip. Greek cuisine features many awesome dairy-free dishes, so you will likely be able to eat out at least some :-). Olive oil is used rather than butter in most dishes. I suggest having someone help you memorize a few explanatory phrases in Greek if you plan to leave heavily touristed areas.

Rhodes is a great island for both exploring ancient sights and the beach. You will need a car if you rent a villa there. Don't miss the Old Medieval Town and Lindos.

So it looks like Rhodes is for us! What about Athens? Is it worth a few days, at the expense of the littles. Like I said, they haven't been in big cities before, and I think leaving the country is enough culture shock without adding a city. Are there some "can't miss" things we could do in one day? The flights I was looking at have a 23 hour layover in Athens. Maybe I could take the littles to a hotel and let Hubby and the big kids explore. What are the top sites to see in Athens if you only have half a day?

My husband and I really like Athens, but not everyone does. With only half a day, try to see the Acropolis and New Acropolis Museum. With more time, see the Ancient Forum and Roman Forum and the National Archaeology Museum or Benaki Museum. With even more time, finish the sites included on your Acropolis ticket (Temple of Olympian Zeus, etc) and add the Goulandris Museum.

Houseaway.co.uk/p433007 Try this link to a lovely home owned buy John Humphrey. he rents it and the locations is wonderful for beach and fabulous antiquities.

Hello!
Where exactly you plan this trip for? Early May can be very quiet on remote beach resorts. Towards end of June things are livelier there.

Those are some more generic comments that might or might not appeal, but just my views...

The way I see it, the villa thing is sort of limiting your options. I would seriously think if this is a must or not. It is up to you how important accomodation is or not of course... But note that tourism demand decades ago was mostly for low budget spartan accomodation without requirement for swimming pools, luxurious rooms, many facilities or even large rooms. So best areas by beaches or on handy locations to visit sites or in general where most interest lies are dominated by simple clean, tidy but rather small and spartan accoodations. Demand for villas and more luxurious hotels came only a few years ago when best spots were taken. So villas are usually either on less nice, either on secluded either in general on not so handy locations.

I understand need for cooking facilities, but those can be found even in small appartments or rooms to let. The problem is those are usually capacity of 2, 3 or sometimes 4 pax. Your 24 and 21 y.o. are adults by Greek standards. I do not see why not to book two or three studios next to each other so older "kids" can have some independence while still having some babysitting duties for the younger ones at times. This perspective could offer you more island or mainland options or even options within the same island.

I am not a Rhodes expert but I think that a location near the beach, still with frequent bus service and proximity to Rhodes Town is handier for a first timer. Some decent town in easy walking distance too, in order to buy grosseries or find a tavern or a cafe without need to stray many kms away. Personaly I would look no southern than Lindos, actually I would maybe look on Kallithea or Haraki area.... Your son,your older daughter, you and your husband would not have to rely on rental car or having the whole family moving to visit sites or having a meal or for whatever points of interest. I underastand this is a family holiday, but some spare time for you and your older kids to go off exploring while other members care for the younger ones is important on my own point of view, especially as not all of you have same interests... I think your son will be very bored in areas such as Kiotari. Just my opinion of course....

Helo FF
Half day for a family in Athens.(If I understood correctly)
You need 60' from the Airport to the city center. Line bus E90.
Walk to Akropolis Museum and if you want to the Acropolis. Then From Plaka to monastiraki to find the most monyments , shopping souvenir etc . Then syntagma square to see the change of the guard .(every one hour) .More 60' back to the airport line bus E90 from syntagma square.

E90, Kostas? Are you sure you don't mean X95? ;-)

Yes heimdall this correct X95 .I am verry sorry !!

Just wanted to stop back by and say thank you to everyone that offered advice! We have decided to make our first venture out of the states less shocking by sticking to a country that speaks English. If our two weeks in London are a success we might venture to Greece next. Thank you again!

Hi FamilyFlyers,

The UK is is a good choice, but Greece is also an English-speaking country (as far as the tourist trade is concerned). ;-) Few foreigners are able to understand Greek, but most Germans, Dutch, Swedes, etc who visit Greece can speak some English, often fluently. Most Greeks involved in the tourist industry can speak at least a little English as well, so it's not uncommon to hear a conversation between a Greek and a Norwegian, for example, conducted in English. :-)

Thanks Heimdall! I understand your point, and will remember this when we make our plans for Greece. I was slightly concerned about the language barrier, but you have helped put those fears to rest. Thank you!