Mainland Greece help please?
 

I need some opinions of the best schedule on the mainland of Greece.
I have 5 full days and 6 nights to work with but wanted to stay in Athens 2-3 days.
I have viewed all the possible organized tours, those that take you to the classical ruins sights such as Olympia, Dephi, Kalambaka, Meteora, etc. However, I don't think I wanted a tour with 40+ people.
I will probably try to book our own with our group of 8, but was wondering if this would be enough excitement for my teenagers.
They are great troopers and like museums and history, but I didn't know if 2 or 3 total days on the road would be too much without a little variety thrown in. Does anyone know if these towns have interesting shops, restaurants etc for breaks?
I also will have a family member who is interested in buying jewelry and other items for resale in her shop so she'll be on the lookout for that.
(I'll have some grandmothers with us also).
Delphi and Meteroa are the two places that sound most interesting to me, but I know the driving distance is great between them. As we are going in March, I am aware many museums are still closed, so didn't want to travel a great distance for not much to see.
Just wondered if anyone who has been has an opinion before I set this up.
We are already planning on spending 3 nights on Santorini after the mainland stay.
Thanks so much!

Any opnions out there? Thanks!

I am not really sure how to keep teenagers interested, but if I had to try, I would say Delphi and Meteora. Both of them are stunning without a huge social studies program attached. I have driven from Meteora to Delphi, and it took, I think, four hours directly through the mountains. Drive during the day only. Or, you could drive from Delfi back towards Athens and then toward Meteora.
I also found Thessalonica to be a particularly cool place. Plenty to see, but just hanging out is fun. Its not really a tourist town.
Towards the south, Nauplion is within a drive of Athens--or a ferry ride.
I think two days in Athens is plenty. Unlike Thessalonica, Athens is a polluted, crowed place. Parthenon, national museum, and out as far as I am concerned.

Went to Delpy and Meteora in March... we thought most things were open. There is a town just past Delpi - I forget the name. But it looked very nice for shopping. We wished we had stayed there. My 2 kids loved Greece - esp. Meteora and Delphi...

Thanks for the info! Much appreciated from you both. To Julie_Colorado: I was wondering how you found the weather in March? Also, what was the rest of your stay in Greece like? Any islands? Also, was the town past Delphi you were mentioning Arakhova? Just curious and still planning!

Weather was fine... sunny and 60s. We loved mainland Greece. If we went again, we would skip the islands (we did Santorini). And yes, I believe Arakhova is the town. We stayed at a Pension on the way up the hill to the monasteries in Meteora. If I did it again, I'd do 2 nights in Arakhova with a full day to Meteora. We also liked Athens and the Plaka area (though many don't - I loved it)... we also did a long day trip (which could have easily been several) to the Pelopenese...

Thanks Julie, every tidbit helps!Jane

HI,
I loved Delphi and Metero was OK. But I also think the area aroung Naphlia is wonderful. It has a lot of acient Greek ruins and the town is wonderful. It is a very pretty town and has shopping. Also high above this town is a Vientian fortress protecting it. That is a wonderful contrast to the Greek ruins and it seems relatively young, in relation to the other sites you see. March is not beach weather. It should be sunny, but the water is too cold for swimming. You will have a great time where ever you go.

Enjoy

Thessaloniki worth a visit; Meteora great; Metsovo is brilliant - it's a crafts village on the way between Meteora and Dodoni...I am sitting on a rug I bought in Metsovo whilst I type this! Dodoni is worth a stop if you have time - it contains a very ancient site - the Whispering Oak at the Temple of Zeus...a very famous oracle lived here who used to interpret the Oak tree for the greek rulers...You must go to Cape Sounion whilst in Athens - visit at Sunset for best effects with the Temple of Poseidon...you really can see why people would have been in awe when they sailed into the harbour as this temple can be seen about 1 1/2 hours away from Athens! Your kids will love it...

We were in Greece (mainland and Crete) in early September--Delphi and Naphlio were terrific but be aware that there is hardly a museum open right now "because of the Olympics") Like all the artifacts in the entire country need dusting or something.

Julie_Colorada - What age are your kids and where did you go? We're planning on taking our (by then) 17, 14, and 11 year old boys next year and I need advice.