First time to greece
 

Would like to visit Greece in April. I would like to stay about 8-10 days. Any ideas on itineraries would be appreciated. Would like to see the ancient ruins and any other ideas.
Thanks

ttt

topping

What I've found works well is to read as many of the posts here on Greece as possible and get a feel for what's manageable in the time you have. We've had about 5 trips to Greece, mainly to the islands and it's a wonderful country. Everyone likes different things, some like a fast pace, others slow so if you read other travellers ideas and trip reports, you'll get a feel for what would suit you.

One idea is to fly into Athens and straight out again to Mykonos. You can do a day trip by ferry to Delos which is really interesting. Then catch a ferry to Santorini which is spectacular. If you catch a slower ferry (much cheaper than the fast boats) to Santorini you get wonderful views of the island as you approach. If you're inside a catamaran you don't see much. Three nights on each island is about the minimum I'd spend, that only gives you two full days. From Santorini, either ferry, fast boat or fly back to Athens. Have a few days in Athens and fly home.

This is just one simple idea, here are some websites that may help you plan:
http://www.goferry.de/
http://www.greektravel.com/

Kay

Greece is much more than Mykonos and Santorini. There are many beautiful islands, and so many wonderful villages in mainland Greece, that one would need months to see all.
If you spend 8-10 days in Athens, i would recommend the following :

3 days Athens, 2 days Nafplion( a very nice old city 150 km south of Athens) and then go back to Athens and visit some of the less known islands such as Sifnos or Serifos......

Hi M,

>Any ideas on itineraries would be appreciated.<

Look up Greece under "Destinations".

If you are interested primarily in ruins, then I would suggest you might want to spend at least part of your time on the mainland. Places such as Epidavros, Mycenae, Corinth, and Nemea are reasonably close together-- you might be able to visit several as day trips from Napflio (or on your way to or from Napflio). Then you could visit Olympia and across to Delphi. Add in a couple days in Athens and that could be your entire trip. There are ancient sites on the islands as well, if you decide you want to add an island such as Crete or Santorini.

Thanks for all the help. Alot of choices to make!

why would we go to the "less known islands such as Sifnos or Serifos" rather than the more popular islands such as Crete or Santorini on a first trip to Greece?

Thank you,

Some people I think have a 'thing' against the more touristy islands, such as Mykonos and Santorini, because they ARE very touristy. Personally I think they are touristy for a reason - because there is something there that people want to see. No doubt you would have a good time on any of the Greek islands, we have enjoyed all the ones we have visited and they are all different. If you want to avoid crowds, then pick a quieter island without an airport and with fewer ferry connections. Everyone has their own opinion and that's the beauty of this forum, just sift through the threads and make your own decision based on what you think you would like.

Kay

hi Kay

I agree completely with what you say. Every word.

Sometimes an island finds YOU and won't let go. That could easily be Sifnos, Naxos, Santorini or Mykonos.

For almost 50 years now I've travelled to the Greek islands, small and large but only Mykonos pulls me back year after year. I'm not an aging hippy but just someone who has made friends there, been invited to their weddings, christenings and sadly funerals too. Similarly I know folks who experience the same on their small quiet island.

Thank goodness we are all different.

Bill

No one save Doh has mentioned the mainland, i.e., day trips out of Athens. I was much taken with Delphi and studied more about the mysteries. Corinth is a must see and also Mycenae, Epadaurus. And then there is Athens itself. It is a noisy and crowded city but of course with the Acropolis and National Museum and other sites. Be warned, we had our wallets lifted on a crowded bus (being careless as we'd just returned from villages in Crete).

Many islands to be sure might be destinations with beauty and charm. We did get to ancient Crete and Rhodes. A shorter day ferry from Athens to Aegina, Poros.

I am wondering about exchange rate in Greece. Do they have the euro?

Bill in Boston

Ozarksbill,

I'm with you and Doh on the mainland!

And yes, Greece is on the euro. No more dealing with
huge numbers of drachmas! When I was first there in the
early 1970s I think it was 600 drachs to the dollar!

The Pelion area of Greece mainland is suposedly a beautiful beach area - I dont know if this would combine with some of the more ancient sites. Although I havent been to a lot of mainland Greece, I can 'sing the praises' of Corfu, Crete, Rhodes, Santorini, and Zante in my order of preference. Interesting about Mykonos having such a pull on people, a travel agent friend who has done most of Greece keeps going back to Samos and that rarely gets a mention on this site.

I visited Greece in 2009 and didn't visit any of the islands (next Greece trip). I started north in Thessaloniki and worked my way down. Highlights of the mainland included Vergina (burial site of Philip of Macedon), the monasteries of Meteora, Delphi Nafpaktos and Athens. I crossed over onto the Peloponnese to visit Olympia, Nafplion, Epidaurus, Tiryns, Mycenae and Ancient Corinth. It made for a nice mix of ancient sites and more recent history.

While you don't need to speak Greek, I would recommend at least memorizing the Greek alphabet. That way you can read signs (often in Greek alphabet)and find yourself on a map.