Greek trip and driving advice, please.
 

Hi Fodorites

We've put off Greece because planning seems so overwhelming, with all the island and mainland options, but I think the time is right to settle down to really looking at dipping our toes into it.

I have some library books, but hope you folks can short circuit my research with actual experience.

We'll be travelling in September/October, and have up to 20 nights, we're in our early 60s.

Motion sicknes is a problem, especially on the sea, so island hopping is out. Two of the guidebooks I have specifically caution about that, so I'm not keen to tempt fate. Maybe one island near the mainland, or fly if that works.

Second and most major consideration is driving. We've driven in Provence, Dordogne, Ireland, Scotland so we have experience, but we cannot do narrow cliff edge roads, you know, where the road disappears into air, that's not even an option for either driver or navigator. Will this eliminate Greece for us?

With that in mind, fly into Athens, drive to nafplio via Corinth, and stay a few days. Day trips to Mycenae, epidaurus, Tiryns. Other day trips? Are these sites doable without cliff edge drives? I can't get a sense by reading up. Switchbacks are ok, as long as there's room on the road.

I read recently that the idea of "bases" from which to explore doesn't really work in the Peloponnesus, best to move around, except for Nafplio, so I'm looking for suggestions on where to head to next, maybe mystras? Or head up to Delphi?

We love scenery, poking around the villages, relaxing drives, not into nightlife or crowd scenes.

Clearly we're at the beginning of this Greek adventure, but there's no point in getting further into it if we can't get to the sites because of the mountain roads.

Sorry for the length of this post, and thanks for any help and advice!

It is very hard to say that a given road might not have one bend where you seem to be peering out into the great void. Most other drivers wouldn't have even noticed it whereas for you it appears to be a real issue. I don't think you can count on others to assure you that will not happen in any particular area.

I would not rule out islands because of motion sickness. Inter-island flights are quite easy to use. For me, Greece is as much about the islands if not more, than the mainland.

Don't write off island hopping just yet. Many islands are served by very large ferries that are more like cruise ships in design. The most modern of these have side-thrusting stabilizing engines that make the trip even smoother. Blue Star Ferries' ships are reliable, safe and as stable as can be. Also, the largest of the monohull highspeed ferries from Hellenic Seaways and Sea Jets (but not the Flying Cats, SuperJet or SeaJet2) are also very comfortable and stable. Take a look at these ships on the company websites. Look for "fleet".

Visiting the antiquities surrounding Napflion will not have switchbacks. However, if you decide to drive down to Kalamata you will encounter them.
Fly to islands out of Athens. Santorini has some twisting roads so don't drive yourselves there. it is not a place for those with fear of heights either.
Paros was fine. Crete has some mountain roads that clung to cliff edges. Otherwise, after traveling all over Greece, you will be fine. Beautiful country in every way.

Drive from ATH to Nafplio via Corinth, then to Epidaurus, Tyrins, and Mycenae, are a piece of cake. I did it last year after eye surgery with new onset double vision, and did just fine.

Those roads are excellent.

One thing that helped me envision driving there, and also reassured me, was maps.google.com, then use the streetview function along the way to see what it looks like. Especially at junctions closer to Nafplio where the signage starts getting more problematic.

"Sugarmaple" suggests you live in No. America. If this is true, be sure to go to your local AAA/CAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required.

Brotherleelove, thanks so much for the info on the ferries. We'll definitely look into Blue Star and the other lines as well. I really didn't want to leave out the islands, now maybe we won't have to! You're right, and we have an IDP, thanks for the reminder. We've never had to produce it yet, but it comes with us just in case.

Happy Trvlr and stokebailey thank you for the information on the driving. It all sounds quite doable.

What is a good amount of nights in Nafplio? Is five enough? Six? We have up to 20 nights altogether. One night in Athens on arrival, two at the end, if we spend five in Nafplio, that leaves about 10-12.

Does Delphi make sense for a couple of days, then an island for a few days? Or stay in Peloponnesus? There just seems so many options, I'm having trouble.

On second thought, perhaps begin in Delphi after Athens for a couple of nights, then down to Nafplio for a few nights, then ...?

<i>"On second thought, perhaps begin in Delphi after Athens for a couple of nights, then down to Nafplio for a few nights, then ...?"</i>

I would head down to the southern Peloponnese coast, which has many beautiful seaside villages (and great beaches) that could fool you into thinking you are on an island. There is a recently completed divided highway down to Kalamata, not much different from a tollway in the US.

While in that area visit the huge and little visited Ancient Messene archaeological site, and the nearby monastery. Also, the seaside villages of Pylos, Methoni, and Koroni. An island-like experience without the need to go on a ferry!

A few photos of that region of the Peloponnese:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/heimda...57627739427148