Help in planning a trip to Greece in September
 

Hello,

With not much time to plan a trip to Greece in September, I'm excited to explore this area. My tentative plans are to travel from LAX on September 10 to Athens and return on September 26 (17 days). I just decided last week to take a vacation due to work demands and I'm trying to learn as much as I can in the next week. I'm an athletic, adventureous woman and I plan on traveling solo. I've traveled all over the world and last year I went to China on my own for 17 days and had an amazing trip. I'm very intrigued by the history, culture and beauty of Greece. I'd like to get ideas for a trip where I can visit the ruins, art museums, a few islands (Santorini looks beautiful) and have some fun. Would appreciate hearing about the must see places. I know it's more expensive to travel solo because of room rates and would appreciate any good hotel recommendations in the $100 USD per night range. (Are decent hotels/B&Bs in the $100 per night range possible in Greece?)

I appreciate your comments!

You'll love Santorini. Check the Aegean Airlines website to see if there are any saver fares available on your travel dates from Athens to Santorini or any other island.

Good rooms with the requisite view for $100/night are scarce. Check Stelios Rooms, Thea Studios, Casa Sofia, Villa Kallisti, Hotel Mylos, Villa Maria Damigou and Blue Dolphins Apartments. Cheaper rooms without the view are easier to find. Check Musses Studios, Anemomilos Hotel, Anemomilos Suites and Villas, Summertime Pension, Kiklamino, Koronios Villa, Hotel Galini, Villa Popi for starters.

Santorini and Mykonos are more expensive than other islands in the Cyclades. In mid-September you can easily find a room on Naxos or Paros for €30/night (add €5 for breakfast). That's about $50/night, half your budget.

I paid €45/night at Stelios Rooms in Oia this June, but was disappointed in the state of the room. When I arrived, the toilet was broken and the a/c didn't cool the room. It does have a great view, though.

I appreciate the information. Does anyone recommend visting Crete and any suggestions on highlights?

Don't get hung up on too many islands... 3 or 4 days in Athens is worthwhile as it's a vibrant city with amazing ancient sites. Close by are Marathon and Cape Sounion. Most people recommend ending your holiday here as you'll be close to the airport.

To the north there are Delphi and Meteora.

In the Peloponnese, not far away, you'll find Corinth and Nafplion and between them ancient Tiryns and Mycenae. Last spring I walked through the Lion Gate at Mycenae and still can't believe I walked through the same gate as Agamemnon on his way to Troy! Amazing.

A hotel I can recommend in Athens is the Amazon.
Close to Syntagma Square (from where you'll arrive and depart on the airport bus), steps from the Plaka, and a few minutes walk to the Acropolis. Ask for an Acropolis view room. The place is a bit plain but clean comfortable well located and in the ballpark of your budget.

Have fun!

Rob

Rob

Aquawink - congrats on planning a long enough trip that you won't be rushed, yet can have a diverse Greece experience! I've taken travel companions on a 16-18 day trip several times that included 3 islands, Nafplio and Athens .. click my name for my webpage to get an idea of how it has worked. I do it either in late may or Early Sept -- your timing is terrific. Crowds will be gone, weather still fine, the sea will be divine.

I've also traveled solo, and yes, you CAN find affordable lodging... like Heimdall I have found places for 30€ or less in Crete or Naxos, and even in Athens and Nafplio, places for 65€ that have GREAT locations. This year I travelled in late May-early June for under $100 per day for EVERYTHING.... and i didn't skimp on food or fun.

Crete is a bit of a challenge solo, if u don't rent a car, but you can do it fine, with planning. Fly in to Chania, do some day-tripping, intercity bus to Heraklion to do Knossos if u wish, & ferry off to Santorini, then to Naxos. No need for cars either place. In Nafplio, a 1-day car rental is worthwhile for seeing 2-3 ancient sites.

Thanks for all the great tips. I hope to book my flight this week, which will mean I'm really going to Greece! Any other comments from others are very much appreciated.

Travelerjan - Nice website and what a great idea to share your adventure with others. Do you book your flight from the US into Crete, or do you stay a night in Athens?

Thanx aqua -- and as for Crete, in the past we have flown directly to Crete... it avoids backtracking (going into athens, then out). However, to do this without stress, it requires taking a plane from east coast that arrives in the AM ... nonstops by Delta, Olympic or USAir. You are coming from west & may be much more tired ... Then an idea is to stay 1 night, then either go to the Nafplio area for a few days, OR go to Crete. You might consider taking an overnight ferry (you can book a single berth in a 4-berth all-Female cabin w ensuite bathroom).

PS: I would suggest doing carry-on, one less hassle. This year I did 29 days with a 20" rollaboard, plus a chunky "personal" tote which contained my day-bag plus a lot of other stuff. Had plenty of things to wear ... and if I tired of the stuff, I realized I was always on the move so nobody else was tired of them!

You should definitely visit the ancient theatre of Epidaurus and Nafplio, the old capital of Greece , which is really beautiful. If you are interested in Ancient Greece, you can also visit Delphi and Mycenae. I think that 3-4 days are enough for Athens , you can check this travel guide to find info for museums, sightseeing and nightlife http://www.athens-greece.us/acropoli...-nightlife.asp

The flights from the west coast involve more stops. The ones with less stops are more expensive. I'll be looking into finding a comfortable flight with one stop that doesn't leave at 5:00 AM where I have to be at the airport at 3:00 AM or something crazy like that. I may be really tired after the long flight into Athens even after a sleeping pill. I'll check on the flights to Crete because I'm not sure about an overnight ferry. It may be too long of a trip for what my body can handle after the initial flight from LAX.

I've a very active person and I have to remind myself that I need to rest and relax on vacation. I've taken vacations before where I was having so much fun running around that I came home and needed a rest from the vacation. I like to stay a little longer in places to get more of an experience and sense for the area. I've looked into a few cruise itineraries and many of them visit two islands in one day, which is too much for me.

In terms of luggage, I couldn't survive with a carry on only. I've read about the 20 kilo/1 bag limit without extra fees and this is really going to be a challenge for me. When I went to China last year, I took two large suitcases and a carry on with wheels plus my daypack. I took three flights in China and it wasn't a problem for me to handle the luggage. In China I needed a lot of stuff for all the various activities and because they don't sell many Western brands of toiletries, etc. I used everything. I've also traveled in Europe before with the big backpack because I was traveling by trains to many countries. For Greece, I plan to take a 22" suitcase and a daypack, which is my idea of traveling very light! :)

Travelerjan - I noticed that you didn't list a description of Mykonos on your website. Did you enjoy it? I'm not much of a party girl with staying out all night these days because I like to get up early to hit the sights.

Thanks again.

I would definately visit Crete. I flew into Iraklion (spelled various ways--as most names in Greek) from Athens. Then boarded a bus to Chania and based from there for 4 days. Also an athletic adventurous female who travels alone I would highly recommend doing the Samaria Gorge hike on Crete. I caught a bus from Chania, did the Gorge hike, stayed at the town at the end of the hike (very inexpensive as not many people stay), and took a boat out in the morning. You have to be careful with boat schedules as I went in early October when I traveled and they were hit and miss--they start to run when they want to run. Worst case the boat leaves at the end of the day when all the hikers finish up the route. Well worth the trip into Crete by itself.

Many other web sites but here is a taste...

http://www.explorecrete.com/hiking/samaria.html

I also visited Santorini and Mykonos. Santorini has beautiful sunsets but I was able to track through everything I wanted to see in a couple of days. Mykonos was a beautiful beach and nice to scroll through the town but got what I wanted out of there in 3 days. I am however an active traveler so I get through areas a bit faster than most--others may think you need more time in these locations.

Happy Travels--you'll love the trip! :-)

Check Oia Lava Traditional House in Santorini. http://www.greekhotel.com/cyclades/s.../lava/home.htm

The owner is an architech from Athens and the rooms are simple but charming. My sister and I stayed in the yellow house (on website) and the view from our terrace is just as pictured; in fact, the terrace with the little blue table was our terrace.

Ms. Petridou is an added bonus. She goes the extra mile to make sure that you are happy. Her apartment is above the yellow house and one of my fondest memories is of our first morning when Ms. Petridou opened her window to tell us that she was bringing breakfast to us. We sat in our pjs eating that oh so wonderful Greek yogourt with honey, gazing at the incredibly blue caldara.

I don't know the exact price because we booked through a travel agent but we tried to keep within our budget of $100/nt. for lodging.

I've been to Mykonos 2x, stayed with an artist friend (Mykonos became an artist colony way back when because it was cheap & had no historic/ancient site attractions). Jackie O & her crowd made it famous/trendy ... then they made it a deep-water port for huge cruise ships and the rest is history. Now it's famous for being famous, and the beautiful winding mazey agora is filled with stores like Hermes, DKNY, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Cartier, Comme Les Garcons, etc etc . I tell people, if that's what you're after, go to East Hampton in August and save the airfare. I also find the beaches too windy (the sunbrellas are set in concrete that should tell u something), and since I don't do clubs until 3 am any more, what is left. So, no, I don't leave a description of Mykonos any more. I tell people if they want a "taste" of it and also see Delos, from Naxos + Paros there is a GOOD day trip, the boat gives you 3 hours on Delos, then takes you to Mykonos until about 5 pm, and back to Naxos by 7-7:30. Cost about 54€. But then, no midnight drinking/dancing.

I booked my flight last night to Greece and now I feel like I'm really going!!! The more I research the various places and look at photos, I'm so thankful that I get to visit such a beautiful place. The flights take longer from the west coast and I was able to find a decent fare with only one stop and about a 1 1/2 hour layover for a total of 16 1/2 hours of travel. My dates are September 10 - 26 (17 days). I'm now working on the itinerary of where I want to go and what I want to see, and then will work on hotels. I have less than a month to put it together, but I'd like to find decent hotels soon so I don't want to wait until the last minute. So far I have in this order: Athens, Crete, Santorini, Naxos (?), Paros, back to Athens. I'm not sure about Naxos. Any suggestions? I hope to have the number of days in each place worked out soon, i.e., I may do a few day trips from Athens to other areas.

You should definitely visit Santorini, it is amazingly beautiful. And the time you will be traveling is perfect. Anyway, I advise you to stay at Fira, which is central, with more bars, restaurants and shops. It is very lively and it still will be the period you will be there. You can take the bus and have day trips in the rest of the island. You can check this map http://www.santorini-hotels.info/san...i-fira-map.htm for hotels’ locations - try to find one with caldera view. If you want something calmer but still close to the centre, you can also check Firostefani, which is at walking distance of Fira.

Aqua, you are certainly doing this trip in a logical order and are taking enough time in each location to enjoy it. I am assuming that you will wither fly to Crete to start teh island hopping or will fly back from Crete at the end of the trip. Aegean airlines has had good fares.
One thing you should realize is you will lose at least a minimum of a half day for every island hop you make. This really sank in for me when we went from Paros to Naxos. By the time we checked out of our hotel and got to the port waited for the ferry, took the one hour ferry ride, arrived in Naxos and found our hotel it was 3 in the afternoon.
Since then we have minimized our ferry time on island hops to allow us to maximize our time on the islands we have decided to visit.

I think Crete is a good choice and as tsto indicated Chania is a great place to make your base. Crete is so large you could actually spend the whole time there and still not cover just the western half of the island.
I have some pictures of Chania.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/571195659jPcKjK


You asked if Naxos is worth while to visit. It has a lovely old town with its Venetian kastro area and old market. Lots of dining, shopping and exploring to be done in Naxos town. Naxos has really good beaches and a smattering of antiquities and wonderful mountain villages to visit on a day trip.
If you are considering Naxos here are some pictures to tempt you.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552001505EYxVYT
have fun planning.

Would anyone recommend going to Rhodes versus Naxos?

You would have to do Rhodes vs. Crete, not Rhodes Vs Naxos -- it is waaay out of the ferry routes. Look at a map.

You could do Rhodes only if you flew there INSTEAD of Crete, then took a (loooong) ferry to Santorini, then Paros etc. You could make the Rhodes-Santorini linki without wasting a day if
(1) you flew via Sky Express -- but BEWARE! u can only take 22 lbs of baggage or you pay huge $$$$ or
(2) you timed it right to get a midnight ferry out of Rhodes that reaches Santorini at dawn. This o'nite ferry was 5 x a week in high season; I'm not sure of its schedule for september.

I just came back from a 15 day trip to Greece. I'm working on the trip report and photos. We did: Santorini 2 nights, Naxos 2 nights, Paros 2 nights, Athens 5 nights (day trip to Aegina), Delphi 1 night, Nauplion 2 nights, Cape Sounio 1 night. I would certainly repeat the trip, I felt it was a good amount of time in each place. Two nights on each island wasn't enough - but I don't know if you can ever get enough. I'm still glad we did all three through, rather than skipping one in favor of more time. I also felt five days in Athens wasn't too much. We did one full day to Aegina and planned on another to Hydra but that one didn't work out. So maybe we had one more day in Athens than was "necessary". We also loved Delphi and Nauplio and I wouldn't have traded our last night at the Temple of Poseidon on Cape Sounio for anything.

We found Greece to be very inexpensive compared to other parts of Europe. We stayed at San Georgio Villas in Santorini for 50€, Anixis Hotel in Naxos for 45€ and Dina's Hotel in Paros for 50€. They were all wonderful. In Athens we stayed at Hotel Metropolis for 75€ (not wonderful, but fabulous location and "OK" for the price).

Isabel - I look forward to your trip report. Did you rent a car to go to Delphi and the other places or did you take a tour?

I've really appreciated everyone's suggestions for my upcoming trip to Greece. After reading many travel books, threads on this site and talking to people, I've tried to put together an itinerary that gives me a good taste of Greece. I think there's a few areas that I'm a little unsure about like renting a car and driving to Nafplio, but I don't want to miss out on some really great places in the short amount of time that I have on my vacation.

I'd appreciate any comments that anyone could give me on the following itinerary. I'm also trying to decide on Paros or Naxos.

Since my last comment, Isabel has posted a trip report and a link to view her amazing photos.

Here's the initial plan in September:

Date, Location

9/10, Depart LAX
9/11, Arrive Athens 4:50 PM
9/12, Fly to Crete (or eve before?)
9/13, Crete
9/14, Crete
9/15, Crete
9/16, Ferry to Santorini
9/17, Santorini
9/18, Santorini
9/19, Ferry to Paros or Naxos?
9/20, Paros
9/21, Paros
9/22, Ferry to Athens (rent car-Nafplio?)
9/23, Nafplio
9/24, Epidaurus
9/25, Athens
9/26 Depart ATH 12:35 PM

Thank you!

Aquawink,
Can't wait to hear about your trip! I'm already planning my next trip with a similar itinerary somewhere in the (hopefully) not too distant future. Have a wonderful time - and take lots of notes!
Paule

Haven't checked in for a few days (hard drive died-- pause for shock & sympathy), and in the interim I see u have firmed up your plans, and very do-able they seem. (I do wish you'd chosen Naxos over Paros, just because it's a lot easier to get around without renting a car to reach good beaches).

About your trepidation regarding car rental to go to Nafplio -- that's easy! DON'T. If it's just YOU, then take the bus... grab a taxi to the KTEL Kifissou St. Bus Station (about 8€ from Plaka dist), go to the Argolid window, and buy a ticket on the next KTEL bus ... goes every hr on half-hour, costs 11.5€, takes only 2.5 hours. A/C, comfy reserved seats, ask for seat on LH side (on the sea side), no worrying aout where to get off, it's the last stop.. Dont get RT, no savings. Buy your return ticket just before u leave. You don't need a car in Nafplio... you can swim right at the cute pebbly town beach (Arvanita), and get a LOCAL bus to Epidaurus. Hotel? I love Hotel Leto, small budget hotel, all rooms have view down over the town & bay, ask for a balcony, tell them Janet from Philly sent u. Some people say that the town is re-opening that waterside Kiosk with an Audio guide of town landmarks... I'll believe it when I see it. But just go to Bookstore in Main Square, excellent blue-cover guide to Nafplio & area, with a map with numbered sights. Don't miss the renovated Archeology Musuem right on the square... the Folk Museum is also a prize winner. The shops are BRILLIANT. I never shop in Athens, only here, for little bibelots.

Have a stunning time.

Hi Travelerjan,

Sorry to hear about your major computer issues and I'm glad that you are back online.

After reading about Naxos a little more in the past few days, I've switched my plans to going there instead of Paros (on this trip). Thanks for all your encouragement and ideas on Naxos and the bus to Nafplio. I appreciate the Nafplio hotel recommendation and will mention your name.

I'm in the process of trying to book a hotel for Naxos. Any hotel suggestions for 50 to 70 euro near the beach/town?

aquawink - I recommend the Hotel Anixis in Naxos. It was 45 euro in July. It was a great hotel except for the difficulty in initially finding it. I reviewed it and give directions to find it in my trip report.

I used to stay way up in Old Town too ... but you know, I got tired of going up and down all the time -- and if you forgot something, whew!... now I stay in St. George Beach, in the area nearest to Naxos Town ... madly convenient (5-10 minute walk along the seafront) to the cafes, shops, tavernas of Naxos Town harborside but very quiet at night. St. George beach is shallow, but NOT crowded at the time you will be there... if u want to try another beach, it's easy to hop a bus (every 30 mins, takes only 15 minutes) to Ag. Prokopios... but best to stay at St. George in Sept, as the other beach areas begin to close down...

In that area you would like hotel Galini/Sophia L (2 bldgs together)... just 50 feet from the beach, no car traffic down the lanes beside it -- ask for room with a sea view. Has the BEST buffet breakfast in Naxos! (and I've tried a few). Free internet in lobby, very helpful owners. Hotel Glaros around the corner is much praised here but since it got mentioned in Michelin it's packed most of the time has raised its prices, and no better value. If Galini is full, Hotel St. George is very nice as well, very close by.

About Nafplio -- over on the TA forum, we finally untangled the mystery of the missing Audio Guide kiosk! These devices are now available NOT at a free-standing "kiosk but instead at the the culture office of Nafplion,opposite to the ote building (that's the phone company),next to the Nafplion fire station,tel number: +30 2752024444. You can get the free audioguide from them from 9.00a.m to 1.00 p.m and from 4.00p.m to 8.00p.m 7 days a week. The only thing they ask as security is your passport or an identity card (drivers license), which they store safely to assure you will return the equipment. Available in English and in French.