I'd love to beg the advice of you Greece-savvy travelers. I am going with a group of friends to Greece in July. We are arriving in Athens and have 4 full days before we get onto a boat for the rest of the trip. People keep telling us to leave Athens after just a day, especially since it will be so hot.

What would be a fun place we could get away to fairly easily for a couple of days? A lot of us have never been to Greece, and I know there are lots of places to see on the mainland, but a nearby island hop could be fun, too. Our cruise is taking us to Santorini, Mykonos, Rhodes and a few other Turkish spots. We'd have to be back in Piraeus on the 5th day to get on the boat.
Any thoughts? Thanks in advance...

The Saronic Islands are very convenient to Athens by short ferry rides. Check out Hydra, Aegina and Spetses. Hydra is especially quaint since autos aren't allowed.

Thanks very much! I will check those out. Any other thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

If I were you,I'd prefer to get a taste of the mainland,as the rest of the journey will be on the sea. I guess some culture is never a bad think, so if you are interested on archeological sites and such,either visit the Pelopponese (Mikynae,Olympia,Corynth,Nafplion etc),either move west to visit Delphi, and then maybe north to Meteora, if that's not too far away for you.

Thanks very much for that input..I will definitely look into that. I'm traveling with a group of 9 good friends and have been debating ways of getting out of Athens and then back again (to pick up a cruise) in a total of 4 days.

Someone suggested going to Sifnos - anyone familiar with that? I'm hoping to find a place where people can choose to either stay put and soak up the views or hop to nearby spots for short excursions. There are just too many incredible looking places to go!

I would suggest either the Saronic Islands (as already suggested), or the mainland. Tolo, or Nafplio would be a good place to visit historical sites and you also have good beaches, tavernas etc.

I second the vote for Tolo, 15 minutes outside of Nafplio... Small beach town but fun, and could bus into Nafplio for the CASTLES and SUNSETS and great restaurants etc.

U can go to KTEL bus station A, busses to Nafplio leave hourly on half-hour, A/C, trip takes 2.5 hrs, costs 11.5E 1-way. Good view of Saronic Bay & corinth canal, orange groves etc. Tolo may be on KTEL bus, just 15 mins further on (or by frequent local bus). Google Tolo beach hotels for rooms; in july best to reserve. From Tolo across the bay is a neat ruin, Asine, with an almost deserted beach!! Rent a scooter.

Good thing about staying on mainland is that busses aren't cancelled or delayed. From Bus station there's a direct bus to Piraeus for cruise.

I would visit Delphi on one day. It's a two hour or so ride from Athens and you can be back by early evening of the same day.

Then I would take two days and one night to visit Nafplio and the surrounding area.

Though Athens is hot in summer, perhaps one day is not enough. You will only fit in the Acropolis and surrounding area, while there are many excellent museums and so on - if that interests you.

Thanks so much to everyone for the input - I really appreciate it. TravelerJan makes a point I hadn't thought about...our fast-ferry trip could be delayed or canceled and that would be a disaster for our cruise.

I had also wanted to see Delphi if possible, so perhaps we should stay on the mainland. I will look into Tolo!
Thanks again for all the advice - I think it's great to able to trade all this great information. If anyone ever wants some good suggestions for Paris or the South of France, I have some wonderful experiences I'd be glad to share!
WAM

I stayed in very nice apartment at Tolo called "Paradise Lost" I think they have web site. Also, Tolo Hotel v nice. Prices v reasonable at Tolo. We stayed there a couple of times, once 4 2 weeks and loved it. It was nice 2 come back 2 a pool and beach after spending some time sight seeing. We visited Mycenae, Corinth, Tyrins, Epidaurus, the island of Poros and explored the countryside. Lots 2 do and no need 2 change hotels.