Is August Really That Awful?
 

Hello-

Bunch of law students planning a post bar trip. Because of our schedules (bar ends July 31, work starts Sept 15) we are planning a trip to Greece in mid-August.

I have heard this is bad timing, but how bad? Will things just cost more or is it not even worth going at this time of year? Any suggestions on how to stay sane and visit at this time of year? We are planning:

3 days in Athens
2 days in Mykonos
1 day in Naxos
1 day in Santorini

It will be hot - very, very hot. And very, very crowded. And everything will cost ore in tourist areas.

If you don;t mind that it will be OK. (But I would never go to Athens past May.(

First week of September would be better... less crowded, a little cheaper or at least more availability. There are lots of kids on summer vacation in August. It's peak family vacation time in Europe.

It will be hot; the Meltemi wind may rise in the Aegean; it will be crowded in some places...<b>BUT&lt;/&gt;...it will be GREECE!!!!!!</b>

I agree with the other posters. Greece is not at at its best in August. Also many hotels get booked a year ahead, so you may have trouble with reservations. Is there any way you can go first week in September instead?

It'll be hot, but then you'll be by lots of nice beaches!

I would trade extra crowds for warm water when in a &quot;beachy&quot; place. Stake out a spot and enjoy.

By the by....I would cut one of your islands personally - that is a lot of moving around. Also, if taking the ferry, I would leave
Athens for the end - just on the off chance that you have high winds or some unexpected such thing that might cause a ferry to be late or cancelled. I would also only spend 2 nights in Athens - the Acropolis is amazing, but the city will be very hot and smoggy in August.

Perhaps:

3 nights Mykonos (nice beaches and a great day trip to nearby Delos)
2 nights in Santorini or Naxos
2 nights in Athens

Just my two cents,

Have fun in lovely Greece!

Naxos

DD was there in August and could give you LOTS of tips, but she's a lst year law student, so you know what THAT'S LIKE, but she loved it despite the heat. Where are you in law school--if it's the same place as she is, I could put you in touch and she'd probably able to talk for at least 10 minutes, huh?


Good luck on the boards. (I'm already fantasizing a celebration trip for her when she's finished...you all deserve it).

Thanks! I know what 1L year can be like, glad that is behind me. But let her know there is light at the end of the tunnel (and a fun trip as well!) I go to school in Chicago, so if she has time, I would love to chat with her.

As for moving the trip to the first week of September, it is possible, but not probable. We are trying to do a week in Greece and a week in Egypt. However hot Greece will be in August, I'm guessing Egypt will be even hotter!

If people think 2 nights in Athens are enough, we could also do that. I just assumed the first night would be of the day we flew in. That day would be a wash due to the time zone change, etc.

Thanks for all of your help and please keep the advice coming :)

Wait until the end of August or beginning of September. One day on Naxos and one day on Santorini makes no sense - you will spend most of those days traveling, and have little time for anything else.

After your bar exams don't you want to relax and have some fun? A mad dash around the islands isn't the way to do it. Pick Athens and one island, then you will have more time for beach, partying, sightseeing, or whatever you want to do.

Drop Athens just go to the Islands

It will be hot, it will be crowded but you're young and you'll love it!!! For one week i would skip Athens and Naxos. Nothing special to see in Naxos for one day in my opinion.. also more family oriented. Go to mykonos and santorini and you'll have a great time!
Why don't you go the last week of August in Greece and first week of September in Egypt?

Thanks for all of the advice.

We feel as though we &quot;have&quot; to go to Athens. Not knowing when (if ever) we will get to go to Greece again, we wanted to try and get a mix of locations. We just had Naxos in there because I heard it wasn't as touristy and wouldn't be as crazed in August?

Per your suggestions, I think we might:

Arrive in Athens Aug. 22
Ferry to Mykonos
3 nights in Mykonos (w/a day trip to nearby Delos)
3 nights in Santorini
2 nights in Athens
Off to Cairo Aug. 30
5 nights in Egypt

Now that the itinerary seems sort of set, next step will be to get the flights, hotels and ferry stuff all purchased. The purchases seem pretty straightforward, so hopefully we will be able to do it all ourselves, without a travel agent or a guide.

I will start searching the discussion board, but any suggestions on cheap nice hotels in great locations (ha! isn't that what everyone wants), high speed vs. normal speed ferry, etc.

On the 22nd what time do you arrive in Athens?

We haven't bought the tickets yet. I am looking into that now, but it seems that we should get in around 10:30am-ish

Definitely don't skip Athens.

I don't know how much it might affect your trip but the last week in August is a popular time in Greece for UK families. Monday 25th is a holiday in the UK and this is the last week of vacation for schools. I know of 4 families that go this time every year.
I guess you've pushed back your itinerary as much as you can but arriving a few days later might mean fewer crowds.

Aug 22nd is a little better, as Greeks will be starting to return to the mainland after their Aug 15th Assumption Day holiday - a few days later (the following Monday) would be even better.

Limiting yourself to two islands is also a good idea. Whether to choose Mykonos or Naxos along with Santorini is a matter of opinion. Mykonos has the best clubbing, Naxos the best beaches. Both will be crowded, but Mykonos more so. Naxos has day excursions to Delos/Mykonos on Tue, Thu, &amp; Sun.

If we were able to add another day, should we add a visit to Naxos as well? Or even with 9 days, is 3 islands and Athens too much? We are pretty fast paced, but I guess the point is to relax, not to run ourselves ragged!

No, I think you should stick to two islands max. That extra day would only be wasted traveling if you added Naxos.

What hit me in an unexpected way in Athens is the high level of Air Pollution.

And the pollution is at its worse in July and August. That alone would keep me out of Athens then.

I spent two weeks in Greece, and only two of those days in Athens.

Ahtens is a big stinky city. Go to the Acropolis, then get the heck out of there.

The islands, while hot and crowded are still wonderful, I would do Mykonos and Naxos. I would LOVE to include Santorini, but it is a heck of a ferry ride there and that uses too much of your short time up.
I have been to Mykonos and loved it, yes it is a busy party town, but there are many beaches , take a bus and you will be able to find a quieter one,, and Naxos , while I have not been there, sounds like Mykonos 25 yrs ago.. wonderful.

Athens is a smoggy hole .

Travelnewbie, as you can see, opinions are divided on this board. We all have our favorites, and good thing too! Have a great trip! :-)

Athens is indeed very hot in August...however many Greeks are gone, so you will find it quieter and less hecti than at other times of the summer.

I would not skip it --- if only for the Acropolis/

Find a few recent Greek immigrants and quiz them. Find out what the Greek residents do to combat difficult weather conditions. I expect they will tell you to rest during the heat of the day and play in the evening. As possible lawyers you need to get experience for working in hot, humid and crowded courtrooms.

No advice on Greece, but good luck on the bar exam. As a fellow attorney, I remember that time like it was yesterday (Class of 2000) and it's one of the most stressful things you'll go through.

I was going to suggest that you choose between Naxos and Mykonos and it looks like you did.

Even though all islands will be busy then, it depends on what you're looking for. If it's less crowded beaches, then Naxos, if it's packed, crazed fun (A nice antidote for the bar), then.

The thing about August in Greece is that the crush of tourists mutes a lot of the differences -- subtle and otherwise -- between the islands.

RE: Athens -- It's not nearly as bad as many say. I spent nearly the entire month of August there a few years and enjoyed it immensely despite being an extreme northerner.

I am in Greece every summer from mid June to late August. August is crowded, ferries are full and hotels at their most expensive. It is still wonderful!
I would cut down on the number of islands you visit to cut down on travelling time. Also, make sure you have all your hotels and travel booked in advance.
Athens in August - I actually like it because with so many residents away, there is a lot less traffic.
You know what you want to see etc. but I would have 2 nights in Athens and split the other days between 2 islands (or even just choose one). If you are flying back to the US or Canada, I would spend your last night in Athens to save stressing about whether you will get back to the mainland in time.
You could possibly connect straight to an island at the beginning and save Athens for the end.
If you have the choice, Greece gets a lot quieter after about 21st August when most of the Greeks and Italians have finished their holidays.

I found Greece and Egypt fascinating, but didn't go then (in October, when Egypt was just tolerable) -- but are you aware of how hot it is in Egypt in first week of September? In Cairo, it probably will be tolerable (around 90-95 F perhaps in the afternoon), but I hope you aren't going south of that in Egypt, like Aswan or anywhere like that, as it will probably be 100 or more there.

Thanks for all of your advice!

I wish we could go later in the season. We could just go somewhere else for our bar trip, but it feels as though we will never be free again (or at least not for 3 weeks straight) after our jobs start, and this is the place that everyone really wants to go. The combination of great beaches, partying and (some) history seems like a great way to take our minds off of bar results.

Travelnewbie, have a great trip! If you are still planning to arrive in Greece around Aug 22nd, that, IMO, is just about the perfect time for a group of young people wanting to mix beaches with a little partying. The worst of high season crowds will be gone, but there will still be a high season vibe. After the middle of September things start to get very quiet. :-)

Thanks for everyone's replies! After much back and forth, we finally decided to scrap our Spain-Greece-Egypt trip plan and replace it with Spain-Croatia-Greece. So, we won't be in Greece until Sept. 3.

VERRRY smart decision. One of the lessons of legal studies, I gather, is to solicit the opinions of those with experience, sift and consolidate them, and then to make decisions based upon realities, not wishes.

I think you will TOTALLY enjoy your greece time now. The weather will be delightfully warm (80=85) the water will be sublime the over-crowding will be gone, yet things will still be very lively.

Also, Croatia, while chilly at other times, will be &quot;just right&quot; in August.

OK - so now we all get to warn you about how HOT (!!) Spain is in August :)