James_P

Hi
We are going to arrive in Athens at 10:30AM on Thursday 9/19/13 and are renting a car and driving to Nafplio where we will be staying Thursday and Friday night. We also are going to fly to Santorini early on the following Thursday 9/26 and will stay there Thursday and Friday nights and fly to Athens early Saturday morning and spend Saturday and Sunday night in Athens and fly home on Monday morning, 9/30/13. We have the middle part of the trip unplanned from Saturday 9/21 to Wednesday 9/25/13. Any ideas on possible itineraries for the middle part of the trip. We like the beach and sightseeing but it is possibel that we might not be interested in non-stop ruins, but will want to see the major sights.
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks

HappyTrvlr

With your extra days, I would add at least a day to beautiful Napflion, and consider visiting both Mystras and Olympia on tne Peloponnesean Peninsula,;then drive north to Delphi where you should spend one night before returning to the Athens airport.

Heimdall

Good suggestion from HappyTrvlr, but if you want some time by the seaside instead of more ruins, consider Laconia or Messenia in the southern Peloponnese. Just a short drive west from Kalamata are Pilos, Methoni, and Koroni, to name a few interesting fishing ports, and to the east are several more. The beaches in the region are the equal of any on the islands, and certainly much better than those on Santorini. http://www.messinia-guide.gr/?lang=en

HappyTrvlr

We'll use Heimdall's suggestions on our next trip there! Santorini's beaxhes were disappointing.

Heimdall

Santorini is one of the most beautiful places on earth, and there are better things to do there than go to the beach. Like many other people I used to think you had to go to the islands to find good beaches, but places like this http://www.flickr.com/photos/heimdal...57627739427148 in the southern Peloponnese changed my mind. An added bonus is that it stays warm late in the season, and isn't as windy as on the islands.

clausar

In the Southern Peloponnese, close to Pylos there is this amazing beach : http://tinyurl.com/omkcdxd

The name of the beach is Voidokilia ( which sounds awful in Greek....)

James_P

Those sound like good alternatives. My wife usually wants to see everything in any country we visit. I will have to get a map out and plan my itinerary. The beach near Pylos looks awesome, as do the villages of Laconia or Messenia. Thanks for the suggestions. We are going to Delphi for sure.

Heimdall

Small correction: Laconia and Messenia are regions (a bit like counties), not villages. Kalamata is the largest city in the area, and Pylos, Methoni, and Koroni are a few of the villages. There is also an awesome archaeological site, Ancient Messeni, near Kalamata. Here are a few more photos of the area: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heimdal...7627739427148/

travelerjan

RE dreamy stops on the West coast of Peloponnese, my own secret Eden is Gialova, just about 7K north of Pilos (Pilos is lovely, but a port not a beach). Gialova is a tiny village just one street long, about 8-9 tavernas, only about 3-4 lodgings, and a HEAVENLY beach. Hotel Zoe (NOT a luxury "spa" place despite titling itself a Resort on its website) is a family-run place, NOT costly -- http://www.zoeresort.com/ -- with awning-balconies looking on the beach thru a shady stand of trees Owners are avid conservationists ... the area around is a protected nature site, the beach runs for MILES, with NO development, as far as Voidokilli, the lagoon mentioned above. This June, after an exhausting 18 days showing energetic "newbies" my favorite islands plus Nafplio & Athens, I went off on my own to recuperate at Zoe... it was totally restorative, and a treasured memory.

PS: You can drive down the coast from Olympia, or, if coming from West, I agree to check out Ancient Messine ... its "Great Wall" rivals china & is almost unknown. But Pilos/Pylos alas is closed for renovation for a couple of years, work being done by its site sponsor, U. of cincinnati.

James_P

That sounds like our stop for Saturday night. Thanks

Heimdall

If you do go to Ancient Messeni, there is the interesting little Monastery of Voulkano nearby, well worth a stop for a few minutes. I have some photos of the new monastery in my Flickr Peloponnese set (more photos added since yesterday's post).

James_P

That sounds good. I wish I had more time in Greece. Can you use your credir card to pay highway tolls in Greece?

mariha2912

AS far as I know no

clausar

No you can't.
You can either pay cash, or have an e - pass ( which is more for Greeks )
The amounts are rather small, between 1.40 and 2.90 Euros mostly. There are always manned booths though, accepting also banknotes.

travelerjan

James, tell them Janet from Philadelphia sent you! Zoe herself, a lovely mid-20s young woman, will look after you (when she was a baby, her grandfather named the hotel for her!). The parents are on the premises also ... and breakfast under the trees is sheer bliss; in 11 trips, the first place that knows how to make perfect eggs (soft-boiled or poached).

James_P

Hi
We have been very busy lately and probably are going to wing it for the middle 4 nights of our trip. We are leaving from the Athens airport very early on Thursday morning for Santorini. Any place pleasant in that area we could stay on Wednesday night. We are driving to the airport on early Thursday morning.
I think that we should also book a hotel/pension for Saturday and Sunday night in Athens prior to our Moday departure. Any recomendations for an Athens hotel. We probably are on the low end of the price range for hotels since we are usually out sightseeing most of the time.

travelerjan

If by "that area" you mean near the airport, there are exactly TWO places that are near and moderate/lower price. Best budget price is Peris Hotel http://www.perishotelapt.gr/ -- about 10 minutes away from airport, about €70-80. Continental breakfast but if you're getting that 5:30-6 AM plane, not relevant. Up a notch is St. Thomas B & B, in an olive grove, with a pool, about €100. http://www.stay-in-athens.com/ ... as for eating the night before, Peris is near a small beach with I hear a pizza-style taverna. St.T with advance notice, can order a meal for you to eat poolside.

Athens locations: You'll be flying in, so will either get the Metro or the x95 bus that terminates at Syntagma Square... So think about what's handy to that.

Athens Budget hotels -- when you say "low end of the price range" do u mean €110 or €75??
(1) for the latter, look at my favorite budget gem, Hotel Phaedra, http://www.hotelphaedra.com/ Ideal location, just 150 yards or so from Acropolis Museum, and the South entrance to Acropolis on the pedestrian promenade. Small (21 rooms) not fancy, but clean, balconies with view of Acropolis OR a lovely church, and canopied rooftop terrace for your breakfast or DIY sundowners. About 70-75€ double, % discount for online res. To get there from bus, 10-minute walk downhill on Amalias Avenue (the street at top of Syntagma Square), turn in on Lysikrates Street (across from Hadrians' Arch) 200 yards. For Metro, at Syntagma, change to RED line only ONE stop (Akropolis) it's about 200 yards.

(2) On other side of Acropolis, check Hotel Metropolis http://www.hotelmetropolis.gr/ ... it's on Busy Mitropoleos avenue just 2 corners down from Syntagma... but faces on the park of the Cathedral (Metropolis) so rooms are light; ask for front room balconies on upper floors ... about €80 double. Other budget hotels on same stretch but without view are Pan, Arethusa, have not stayed there, also Cypria (more €).

James_P

Thank you so much for the hotel suggestions. We have been so busy. One of my daughters had a daughter last week and another daughter is due 10/10/13. We are having a 60th birthday party for my wife with 55 guests at our house this Saturday. Our trips are not usually very relaxing, but I am looking forward to this trip to escape from our hectic life.

nanabee

We are currently in Nafpoli staying at Pesione Marianne. It is lovely - reasonably priced and very clean. It has sweeping views overlooking the city (ask for a view room though). The old town area has charming little shops - ask the owner for directions to walk down from the hotel.

James_P

We booked a room at Marianne for 2 days a couple of weeks ago for the first 2 nights in Greece. I think I booked it on Booking.com so I am not sure what kind of room I am going to get.