Hi All,

Heading to Greece in September for a short conference but I would like to extend into a vacation. Trip length is flexible, I'm thinking maybe 14 days but I also enjoy month long stays in places to wind down and get a nice feel. Can you give me some recommendations of what you would do? I really have no idea where to start so it would be nice to piggy back off of some seasoned travelers itineraries.

Thanks.

Where is your conference? Athens?
With 14 days, consider Crete, Napflio on the Peloponnesean peninsula, and a smaller island like Paris or Naxos.
We spent two weeks in Chania, Crete, had a car and explored western Crete. We spent two nights on the south coast in Loutro which was a total change from the other places we visited in Greece.It is a beautiful country to explore!

Could you give us an idea of your interests?
- hiking
- classical antiquity
- Byzantine architecture and churches
- medieval history
- recent history
- art
- islands and beaches
- mountains
​​​​​​- coasts, tame or wild
- lively night life

If it was me, I'd choose 2 or 3 islands to visit. 4 or 5 nights on each. There's a lot of history on Rhodes, Symi is close by (we did it as a day trip) you could pair that with Naxos. Or spend the whole time in Crete, we loved our stay in Chania. Our first trip we stayed on Naxos, Mykonos and Santorini, they are beautiful but more touristy now.

This website has been around forever, see what appeals to you. If you love history you could stay on Mykonos and to a day trip to Delos.
https://www.greecetravel.com/

Before you book anything, check how long it will take to get from one place to another. Sometimes to get from one island to another means a journey back to Piraeus and then back out.

I am a senior now (age 72, officially), and have travelled throughout Greece since 1970 (as my moniker would suggest), but the islands of Corfu and Kefalonia should be on your list, especially if you want uncrowded beaches, good restaurants, horse-back riding, grottos & caves to explore, and fantastic resorts. Just sayin'...

Thanks for the great ideas. The conference is in Costa Navarino. I like slow paced trips with history, nature and swimming, great food, farmers markets and cozy places to stay. Looking into some of the recommendations above I now realize that I can't just wing this one I'm going to have to do serious research. I like to go into google maps and do a virtual drive to get an idea of places.

There are nice places just south of Pilos (Methoni, Koroni, etc.).
Some people fall in love with the Mani, the coast bvetween Kalamata and Gythion.
You may also be interested in tiny Elafonissos Island or much bigger Kythira Island, both of easy reach by ferry from Neapolis.
There are also ferries from Gythion to Kythira - Kissamos (Western Crete).

If you head from Navrino to the North, you will reach the antique site of Olympia, followed by the port of Kyllini, with ferries to the Islands of Zakinthos and Kefalonia.