lauramsgarden

Now that we have been back a week a few final observations/insights and I hope photo albums.
1. The Greek people (at least the ones we met with the exception of a grumpy taxi driver or two) really are as friendly as they are reputed to be
2. If you visit the acropolis in the summer do it at night (we didn't!) - all that white marble reflecting the sun is blindingly hot
3. Museums in Athens are well worth the time - very well laid out and every time we tried the lunch places at the museums the food was great.
4. Get out of Athens - visit Meteora and Delphi if you possibly can
5. Ferries really are easy to get around in (except of course when they are cancelled lol)
6. Enjoy the Tavernas but try other restaurants as well - and don't miss trying Dakos.
7. We loved Crete and Naxos - so many more islands to visit

And that is all my brilliant advice. What an awesome trip - thank you all for your help and guidance.
pix.sfly.com/39M0zFOi (Athens)
pix.sfly.com/84VEgkmD (Meteora, Delphi, etc.)
pix.sfly.com/0NSCd-Js (Crete)
pix.sfly.com/doQG_xp5 (Naxos)

travelerjan

Great photos ... I bookmarked your Naxos album. I know what you mean about Dakos. Sometimes I wake up at night wanting a plate of it. And I notice some pictures in several albums just of the sea .... who knew how blue it could be??? And so many shades of it??? No wonder the flag is Blue!!

lauramsgarden

yes, I made that my new screensaver (pictures of the incredibly blue sea) probably a big mistake as it will bring on unrequited love....

HappyTrvlr

Your photos make me want to return to Crete sooner than I had planned. Thanks!

mes2525

Glad you liked the museums and their restaurants. Thanks for your report.

lauramsgarden

you are most welcome

kja

Thanks so much! Great tips and photos.

I'd love to know more about your experiences with museums in Athens: Can you estimate how much time you spent in those you visited? Any information you can provide to help me plan will be appreciated!

vasiapapadopoulou

You just traveled me back in time .

nickjonases

It will be very useful for our coming trip. Many thanks!

crazyh

Great photos. Reminds me of my many trips to Athens, Crete & Naxos. Some of the photos were taken in places I have been to also. I haven't made it to Delphi or Meteora.

Too bad there isn't a way to put captions on the photos to let people know what they are seeing.

As far as time for musueums: it could be quick or it could take time. All depends on your knowledge and interest in what you are seeing.

sarahcinderwood

Lucky the ones that have visited these places.

HappyTrvlr

kja- We spent at least a half a day, maybe more, in the National Archeological Museum in Athens. It was very helpful to see the treasures before visiting the antiquities where they were found.
The Acropolis Museum, about three hours. They did an amazing job with this building. It is a joy to see the collections there.
We really enjoyed the Cycladic Museum and The Benaki Museum and since they were so much smaller, we spent around 2 hours in each on different days.If you only have time for one of them, see The Cycladic Museum as it is specific to these ancient art forms. After the Cycladic Museum we walked up and into the upscale Kolonaki neighborhood for lunch. At the Benaki we ate in their very nice restaurant, seated outside.These two places are near each other in"Embassy Row."
Each of the antiquities sites around Greece will also have a museum.

kja

@ HappyTrvlr: Thanks so much! I know that people differ in how much time they spend at museums, but I've learned enough about some Fodorites over the years to have a sense of how my times might compare, and I do want at least a rough sense before finalizing my plans so I can be reasonably confident of having sufficient time in Athens for my interests. That makes it is very helpful to get this kind of detail, particularly from another "recognized" Fodorite.

I find the question of whether to visit the museum before or after the actual sites, and difference between travelers in their answers, intriguing! I generally prefer seeing the sites first -- I think I have a better memory for the on-site spaces (into which I can then "place" the artifacts when I see them) than for the artifacts themselves, and so trying to visualize already-seen artifacts in the spaces is harder for me; I suspect people differ in things like that. Is seeing the treasures first your usual preference, or were these treasures and sites different in some way?

lauramsgarden

oh gosh KJA - trying to remember - in general it often took us too much time to find the actual museum that we didn't have enough time to visit - the Acropolis museum is huge, but after a while we found it redundant, plus we were exhausted from the hot sun on the acropolis itself (oh why didn't we follow advice and get there super early - oh yeah, we were jet lagged lol)
All of the smaller museums on Embassy row are easy to walk from one to the other - maybe two hours each - great lunch at the cycladic museum, and really enjoyed the military museum as well. Next time would visit the other Benaki sites if time permits.

Have a wonderful time - do try to get to Delphi and Meteora - if I had my druthers I'd skip Athens if it meant getting to see them.

kja

@ lauramsgarden: Thanks so much for getting back to me! I'm glad for the recommendation to see the military museum in Athens. Delphi, Meteora, and Athens are, for me, all non-negotiable parts of my trip. But OMG, so many other options! Thanks for helping me make my choices with both your trip report and your response to my question.

crazyh

Trying to determine how much time to spend anywhere in Athens or Greece in general whether it's a museum, village, archeological/historic site can throw your whole schedule off.

My advice is to just go with it . . . you'll be amazed how much you'll be seeing and experiencing once you get to where you are going. Your schedule will be blown up because you'll be thrilled by seeing what museums, archeological and historic sites have to offer.

My advice is to always slow down and take in what you are experiencing. Quality is more important than quantity.

Greece offers world-class archeological sites and museums. Not to mention villages, side trips, the numerous streets, alleys and out-of-the-way areas not mention in guide books. To rush threw any of them will lesson what you are experiencing.

The good thing about travel is if you don't see everything the first time there's always the next time.

We have been going to Greece every October since 2010 and we can't get enough of the Greek Experience.

Granted there are many other Old World countries that offer a lot to experience but for us Greece is one of the best of the European countries with lower costs, courteous people, great food and Old World charm that is hard to beat.

kja

@ crazyh: If your comment is to me, I thank you, but note that I am an experienced traveler with a very good sense of my interests and a decidedly strong preference for planning. My itineraries are never writ-in-stone; in fact, I always have back-up plans for what I will do if I choose to take more or less time in any location. But there is a big difference between thinking that 2 days might work for Athens and thinking that I should give it 6 days. I am seeking sufficient information to decide on a plan that I think will likely prove reasonably well-matched to my experiences once there because it is my preference to plan my itineraries to match my interests insofar as possible. To each his/her own! I promise you that I won't forego any one of those treasured, unexpected moments just because of a time frame I had in mind. I don't even wear a watch!

aliced

kja, I am on your wavelength about this; we are going to Greece in October and will end with a 7-day island cruise. Undecided at this point as to how long we should spend in Athens beforehand. We definitely want to have a day trip to Delphi and another to Mycenae, Napflio, and Epidaurus via private driver with our friends. Thinking 4-5 nights overall with first full day in Athens, next day out, third day more Athens, fourth day out, and fifth day would probably be half as we will leave for cruise.

laurasmgarden, thank you for your beautiful pictures and details about the museums. What hotel did you stay at in Athens? Am bookmarking for future reference as we make more reservations in a couple months.

kja

@ aliced: Such a great example of differences between travelers! I'm definitely planning on an overnight in Delphi, I suspect at least 3 nights in Napflio (and possibly more), probably at least 4 days for Athens itself.... Good luck with your planning!

And thank you, laurasmgarden, for a trip report that triggered all these thoughts!

lauramsgarden

We stayed at the Electra Palace hotel in Athens (here's the link to the review I think: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUser...ECK_RATES_CONT

It was a good base for the Plaka, Symtagna square, museums, etc. good service, comfortable rooms, nice breakfast (although the dinner was nothing special).

If you are looking for a guide for your day trips Aliced check out PK travel and ask for Dmitri - he was wonderful. They also arranged a private guide for Delphi (Penny) who was amazing - really knowledgable which greatly enhanced the experience.
Here is the trip report from that part of the trip:
http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ney-begins.cfm

and you are welcome