Greece in early April
 

I am planning a trip to Greece (Athens) and another island in early April (after Easter) for my family (2 adults and 2 children 8 & 10). I know this is not the best time of year to go but it is our only chance and we would like to go before our ex-pat arrangement in England ends.

I am in the early stages of planning and wanted some initial information on what other island you would suggest to go to during this time. Also, how long would you stay in Athens and on the other island? We will be traveling during our school holiday and would probably leave around April 5 and could stay as long as 2 weeks.

Anything to consider while traveling that time of year. I was hoping that the Easter festivaties would be over and things back to "normal" at that time.

Thanks

Do you mean Athens and 2 islands... Athens itself is not an island. Here is a map of Greece.
(Click, and it enlarges)
http://www.travelswise.com/Map/Greece-Map-large.jpg
I would suggest 2 places to go besides Athens where there's lots for the kiddies to do even if it's too cold to swim, or if there's a rainy day....

(1) Rhodes: I would suggest to FLY there immediately o arriving Ath. airport... you can get an Aegean ticket for about 75€ total adult. Rhodes is a "sun-trap" the warmest isle at that time, best weather for April... Rhodes Old Town is a Medieval delight ... there's a walk you can take on the top of the huge city walls that your kids will love (daily in AM; check at the Grandmaster's palace for time) ... At Llindos beach, an hour south, you could at least sunbathe, facing south-eastm and climb to Classical ruins atop the high bluff. Rent a car and go around island, castle ruins etc.

(2) NAfplio -- not an island, but an old town on a peninsula surrounded by water, on the bay of Argos just 2.5 hours drive from Airport on modern highway. Has THREE castles... one in the bay, one on top of town, one, Palamidi, on huge Gibraltar-like rock behind the town. Considered the loveliest town in GReece, it's a World Heritage Site for its complete preservation .. so much to explore... wondrful sunsets... harbor cafes have glassine roll-down walls so u can enjoy sunsets even if chilly. Its main square is totally paved in Marble. Also it's a quickie drive to "fun" ruins like Epidaurus (dig that theatre) and Nemea (it's a Sacred Games Site second to Olympia... has a stadium, temple, arena, etc... and Tiryns -- an Iliad-era fort right outside town that you can explore ALONE.. no tour busses. Here's slideshow of some of nafplio's delight http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/551991579dJbWvh

Both of Jan's suggestions are ideal. I would add one comment though, wherever you decide to be for your 1st week make sure you get accommodation booked as the Greeks will still be on holiday until the weekend after Easter, both Rhodes & Nafplion will be popular at that time.

Stay in Athens at least 4-5 days in order to have enough time to see many monuments and avoid children’s getting tired in a rush sightseeing. There are a lot of interesting places to visit and it would be a pity not to see them, taking into account that you have a lot of time to spend in Greece. I would also suggest you to look for a guided tour in Peloponnese. As it has already been mentioned, Nafplion is a beautiful place to visit and there are some bus tours going there (check here http://www.athens-greece.us/tours/ar...aurus-tour.asp and http://www.athens-greece.us/tours/ar...o-day-tour.asp ). Rhodes or Crete are two big islands and you can choose one of them for the next 10 days of your trip. Otherwise, you can think of a Greek island cruise.

The weather is iffy in April for a cruise, and besides, don't do a cruise unless you like shipboard life mainly, and don't care about the stops. Cruises lure you in with a big list of islands (5 islands in 4 days!!), failing to say that stops are as brief as 4 hours, barely time to get off, have lunch take a snapshot & get back on board.

April can be windy and chilly and damp at night. I would pick an island as south as possible to get warmer weather. Crete would be a good choice as it is big so things will be open that early in the season especially in big cities like Chania. The south coast of Crete may have more pleasant weather than islands in the cylades group. Karpathos is also south but quieter so much will be closed in early April. Rhodes is another option as traveljan suggests. It is also southerly and it is quite touristy so some things may be open year round.

We skipped the islands altogether when we went in late March a couple of years ago, and focused entirely on Athens and the Peloponnese. The weather in the early spring didn't really seem conducive to an island-hopping sea voyage.

Our trip went like this (location, duration, hotel)...
- Nafplio, 3 nights; Pension Amfitriti
- Mani Peninsula, 2 nights; Limeni Village
- Monemvasia, 1 night; New Malvasia Hotel
- Athens, 3 nights; Electra Palace

If you'd like to read our full report and see some pictures, click here: http://www.onelittleworld.com/greece_1.html

You can have a wonderful holiday in Greece without even going to an island! Heed Yiassas' warning about the week after Easter. If you must go to an island, though, Rhodes or Crete will be a bit warmer than the more northerly islands, and large enough to absorb the Easter holiday traffic.

Thank you all for the ideas. I feel more comfortable about planning the trip with the great information you all have provided. I will now start doing more detailed research and put my itinerary together. I am sure I will be back with more questions as I do this.