What do you all think is a good travel book for Greece? I would like info on hotels in Athens, Athens sights, day trips from Athens, and info on islands we will be cruising to - Mykonos, Santorini, Patmos and Kythera. Information on history is good too. Actually along the history line, good books about Greece in preparation for a trip would also be appreciated. Thanks.

I always use the Lonely Planet Guides, I think they're the best overall of all the publications out there.

hi yclarke

For me the Blue Guide to Greece plus the guide to Athens from the same series were fantastic.

In both there was a large amount of historical information, more than I'd ever seen in any other guide.

milley

I'd go with Lonley Planet too. That's what I used for my trip there last fall. We did the walking tour of Athens that was written in the book and thought it was a great way to see the sights.

Also, a greek friend of mine gave me the following website to check out... I used it to help plan my itinerary.

http://www.greektravel.com/

I like Rough Guides, they're right on the mark for the islands. Their specific books (e.g., Cyclades, Dodecanese) have more details.

Why not buy them then donate them to your public library once you're finished? My local library is happy to get my cast-offs .. . .
Have a great trip!

I'll go along with Milley regarding the 'Blue Guide', it's the best for the historical sites and museums.
The 'Oxford Archaeological Guides-Greece' has more detailed info with more diagrams and photos but is limited on the number of sites it lists compared to the 'Blue Guide'.
Do a Search at the top of the page for socrates, I've posted a trip report on the location of his prison and cell in the Agora that might interest you. Regards, Walter

Also to plan site and museum visits http://www.culture.gr/2/21/toc/index.html
Alot of good links and photos/diagrams for Athens sites
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~bruceh/VR/athens/acro.html
Regards, Walter

I'll add my vote for the Blue Guide. I would use another guide for hotels and things of that nature, but most of the arcaeologists and historians in Athens (of which there are many!) make it required reading before seeing any of the sites.

i took a school group in the spring to athens, delphi, olympia, mycenea - no islands though- and although i used other books (the lonely planet has some good history), i really liked using the eyewitness book because it had drawings of what the current ruins looked like in ancient times and it really captured the magnificence of the early greeks.