MariaLAX

Questions

1. As you can see from the itinerary on the bottom of page, we are trying to do too many things to do for the number of days in Greece we have (24):
see Athens, visit Delphi and Meteora, and possibly Sounion;
see islands of Hydra, Paros, Naxos, Mykonos, and Santorini.
Do you have any suggestions for shortening this?

2. Choice of Places to visit:

- We would like to fly in to or out of Santorini, taking the ferry in the other
direction. Do you think it makes any difference which way?

- How much in advance should we make our
ferry,
Athens-island airline reservation,
and island hotel reservations?

- Regarding Hydra: Robert wants to stay overnight. He thinks it will
be more enjoyable and prettier at night, but he thinks one night
is enough. What do you think? Can you recommend places to stay
and eat?

- Do you recommend staying in Paros so we can do day trips to
Naoussa and Anitparos?

- Is Meteora worth the long trip? Should we go on tour bus? Are
there restrictions on women visitors so that the trip wouldn’t be as
nice for Maria? Which is more interesting Meteora or Delphi?

- How long do you need to spend at Delphi to really appreciate it?
One overnight bus trip to Meteora only stops at Delphi for about
an hour or an hour and a half.

- How do you rate going to Sounion for a half day?


Thanks Robert and Maria








Itinerary:

Athens (3 days + 1 day travel)” visit Parthenon, museums, etc.
Hydra (2-day trip) returning to Athens
Delphi & Meteora returning to Athens (2-day trip)
Islands:
Naxos (1 day + 1 day travel)
Paros (2 days including day trips to Naousa and Antipaso + 1 day travel)
Mykonos (1 day + 1 day travel)
Santorini (4 days + 1 day travel)
Athens 2 days + 1 day travel with ½ day trip to Sounion
Airport ½ day
2 day pad

Total of 25 ½ days.

Weadles

I'm sure the Greek experts will soon appear, but in the meantime I'll make some comments.
I don't think you need two days for Hydra. It's a very tiny island. The hydrofoil from the port in Piraeus will get you there in about 1.5 hours, so it's an easy day trip. When we visited, we spent most of the day walking around the island, then took an early evening boat back to Athens.

My husband took a day trip to Delphi from Athens, leaving early in the morning, returning in the evening. Again, I don't think you need to split up your time by staying overnight there.

I would cut at least one island from this itinerary, and spend more time in the islands that most appeal to you. I think one day trips ( Naxos, Mykonos) are more trouble than they're worth. We absolutely loved Naxos and Paros, and you could easily spend a few days in each place without even scratching the surface of all there is to do and see.

My last suggestion ( should've been my first, I guess) is that I would save Athens for the end of your trip and try to go directly to one of your island destinations first. That way, if you run into any weather delays/cancellations from the islands, you don't have to worry. And it's less backtracking.

Sounion is a little over an hour from Athens, and again if you spent enough time in Athens, you could make that one of your day trips. Or, you could spend the night at The Aegeon Beach Hotel, which is the hotel closest to the Temple of Poseidon. How do I know this? We're going there next month!

Anyway, have a wonderful time in Greece!

Heimdall

Do you really mean 2012, or will you be travelling in 2013? If your trip is only two weeks away, you need to get busy booking flights and a hotel in Athens. Hotels on the islands will have vacancies during that period, and ferries won't be busy, except for the three-day Pentecost weekend on June 1-4, so you have more time to plan.

It's good that you have left a 2 day pad at the end of the trip, but if you save Athens for last that would act as your pad, and give you extra time for other places. You are lucky that you have 24 days for the trip, which is more than most travellers have.

I visited Delphi on a day trip, but would have liked more time there. Find a tour that stops overnight at both Delphi and Meteora. Females have no problems visiting Meteora as long as they observe the rules of dress.

One day on Naxos and one day on Mykonos (even with your + day of travel) isn't enough time. If you are interested in ancient sites, allow an extra day to visit Delos, reached easiest from Mykonos. There are also day trips to Delos/Mykonos from both Naxos and Paros. Recommend you choose between Naxos and Paros, and not try to see both, unless you can squeeze at least three days into each.

Heimdall

...or skip the stay on Mykonos and do a day trip there from Naxos or Paros. That would give you enough time for both Naxos and Paros. Antiparos is my favourite island, so recommend going there for a day. It's quicker to get there from Parikia, but Naoussa is only about 30 minutes further away.

There are also round-island boat trips from Antiparos, which are great fun. They stop at uninhabited islands for swims, and include BBQ lunches with wine and ouzo. Allow a full day for the round-island trip.

clausar

During your stay in Athens, you can easily visit Sounion,you can book a tour through your hotel or in one of the numerous travel agencies at Syntagma Square.
They usually offer afternoon tours, but if you would manage to have a rental car, you could enjoy one of the nicest sunsets, equal to the famous Santorini sunset.

Hydra is one of my favorite islands and i think it is worth an overnight.. When all the 1 day cruise visitors are gone it becomes quiet and more beautiful, there are plenty of good small hotels there.
Have a look at the following : Mistral Hotel, Orloff Hotel, Hydra Hotel,Leto hotel.
Hydra becomes more busy during the week ends, when Athenians spend a romantic break ( it is a very popular destinations for couples celebrating...), hotel prices are usually lower during the week ( Mon - Thu)

Since you will have more than enough time, you could also do the Delphi-Meteora tour by your self with a rental car.
This way you could overnight in Delphi, drive with no rush to meteora, and even add a day in Pilion, one of Greece's nicest mountains with 24 very beautiful villages.
Pilion has not only beautiful mountain villages ( have a look at Makrinitsa, Portaria, Tsangarada, Milies) but also villages on the sea and many small beaches.
In May Pilion will be full of flowers, all houses have amazing gardens!! This will give you the opportunity to see something different from all the touristy sites.
The Pilion area and the nice city of Volos are famous in Greece for good food.

MariaLAX

Hi All,
I am sorry I didn't make it clear. Yes the trip is for 2012. We are flying to London tomorrow for a week, then train to Bath & then we fly to Athens from Gatwick Airport on May 18th.
We have to do Athens first because we have a home exchange that is available until May 31 only. We won't stay in Athens that long.
The replies you have given us are really good. We also e-mailed our home exchangers and just got some good comments. I will post some of them later.

wug

I agree with everyone. I'd say take out an island or take out some time at the end in Athens. Personally, I prefer Naxos over Paros but not all would agree. Naxos is a large island and has some gorgeous beaches. What I really like about it though, is that it's not as dependent on tourism as other island. I feel like you can get a feel for island living a bit more here. Driving all over the island is a treat as the landscape is so rugged and the mountain villages are so quaint.

I also would highly recommend a trip to Delos, easiest from Mykonos. Delos a highlight of Greece, to me. Mykonos is Mykonos. Some people love it, some people hate it. You'll be there during the slower season so I say, spend a few days there, maybe cut out Paros? I absolutely love the Chora with all the winding streets. It's fun to get lost among the quieter residential areas just to suddenly turn a corner and end up among the shops and restaurants.

That being said though, I do love Antiparos, and a trip around the island would be awesome. We did that in kayaks one time and had the time of our lives! We did this as a day trip from Naxos. It was a long day but definitely doable.

Meteora is also a great option. LOVED it and hope to go back. The scenery is something you'll never see again and the monasteries are interesting. Not a problem for women visiting. Just have her shoulders covered and they have skirts hanging for women to grab and put on if they need one.

This time of year you can do all the locations, besides Athens, without reservations, if you choose to do so. There will be people standing at the ferry dock holding signs for their hotels, guestrooms. They will take you to see it and if you don't like what you see, you have the option of refusing and asking them to take you back to the ferry dock.

Heimdall

With a home exchange in Athens you have that part already sorted. I would recommend flying from there to Santorini, then making your way by ferry to Naxos/Paros, then Mykonos, and finally back to Athens by flight or ferry. It would also work with the same itinerary in reverse. Check the Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air websites for seat availability.

While in Athens you could arrange your trip to Delphi and Meteora, either by booking a rental car or a tour offered by Key, Chat, or another company. If you save that portion of your trip until last, it would still offer the pad on the mainland we all recommend in case of weather or strike delays.

mariha2912

Most organized tours to Delphi/Meteora are very rushed and they skip parts of the sites! Delphi ruins are spread all over a hill side, and seems like tours commonly skip lower site (Athena Pronaea Temple/Gymnasium) and the ancient stadium on the further uphill point. Most visitors need at least 2 and a half hours for Delphi sites, plus about 45 minutes to one hour for the museum that holds some very interesting exhibits. Landscape is very scenic too, and been able to be around on early morning or late evening gives a completely different experience due to less crowds and sun light giving a different angle-and great photo ops.
Ditto for Meteora on morning and evening. Note that there are 6 monasteries accessible to public, and although I understand that some one would get monastery overload if visiting them all, it would be nice to be able and pick a couple of monasteries that YOU like rather than which is convenient to tour company, and it is importnat to been able to walk around a bit and soak in the ambience/scenery. Getting from Kalambaka or Kastraki to the monasteries plus walking/climbing among the monasteries is time consuming, but quite an experience its self. Each monastery has different timetables and different off days
http://www.kalampaka.com/en/meteora/monasteries.asp
I think hiring a car and spend one night to Delphi and at least one night in Meteora is a good idea. If car hire is not an option, and you feel like you can not spare more than a day, I would consider to visit only Delphi or only Meteora and make my way there on public transport rather than a bus tour.

I think you got good advice about the islands, but I am a bit confused about you mentioning Naoussa as a day trip from Paros... Naoussa is a town ON Paros island, maybe I didn't get what you mean?
I think that on fast paced trips that try to take a lot in, it is important to prioritize what you'd like to see/do on each location rather than list locations only... For example "I want to go on Santorini to take a caldera boat trip/visit a winery" or "I want to visit Naxos for its great beaches/To explore the mountain villages and visit the ancient sites" or similar.
If you mention your specific interests and why you decided on those locations, you may get some more specific advice too : )

Heimdall

Mariha, I think Maria meant "staying in Parikia and visiting Naoussa and Antiparos as day trips" from there. As you know, the port town on Paros is referred to in the ferry booking websites simply as "Paros" rather than Parikia or Paroikia, so the confusion is understandable. Indeed, Parikia would be the most convenient base for day trips to both.

Maria, if you decide to skip staying on Mykonos and doing a day trip to Delos/Mykonos instead, recommend you stay in Naoussa and make the trip from there. The same excursion boats that go from Naxos stop at Naoussa on Paros as well. They pick up passengers at Naoussa <i>after</i> leaving Naxos, and drop them off there before returning to Naxos. That means passengers boarding at Naoussa spend about two hours less on the boat. ;-)

Amy_J

If you look on viator.com you can get an idea of the types of tours and costs that are available... although we booked ours at the hotel after we got there. I think they have a combination Delphi/Meteora trip which might be what you are looking for. I have tried traveling to delphi on my own and stayed there overnight, aside from the ruins and views of the valley there really isnt anything else to see... Delphi is two streets with hotels and shops on them.

Also, I think you can make less days for Santorini, because while it is very gorgeous to take a walk along the cliffs in the evening and the food is pretty good but the swimming is much worse then on other islands... and if you are going in cruise ship season then it will be very packed by the horrid cruise people. and it is better to ferry into Santorini and fly back out... but it may depend on pricing too I would go with which flight is cheaper.

Amy_J

OH I forgot to mention incase you have lots of strikes like taxi and public transport strikes in Athens you can still get around if you buy a ticket with a doubledecker tour bus... hopefully your hotel will be near a stop on its route it goes all the way to the port.

clausar

Amy

In Delphi there is a lot to see, especially if you have a rental car.
Amfissa is a beautiful town,at a stones throw from Delphi, and in about 35 km you can reach the very quaint town of Galaxidi, and also Itea, which is between Amfissa and Galaxidi.

Of course one can also overnight in neighbouring Arahova instead of Delphi, which is a very nice mountain village with shops, bars, restaurants etc.

mariha2912

...Plus in Delphi its self there is Agelos&Eva Sikelianos museum to be visited, local municipality building holds interesting exhibitions from time to time, and E4 European hiking path pass from there and there are plenty of hiking opportunities in the area ; )