My inefficient plans for Greece
 

We are a couple in our late 60s who have never made it to Greece! We have some specific destinations we want to see (no beach time). My husband says no driving this trip so it is inefficient relying on public transport, but I don't want to think in terms of "we'll see that on another trip" when it has taken us so long to get there the first time. We still travel fast but do less in a single day than we used to. My husband never wants a totally down day and we both enjoy the outdoors, so I am always on the lookout for enjoyable walks of up to 6 miles or so.

What I have so far:
Two weeks between April 26 and May 15. Easter is April 20 and May 1 is holiday. I've checked the website for cruise ships in port days to avoid.
Day 1-2 US to ATH-JTR Santorini one ticket (Sky Express)
Day 3 Oia, maybe Emporio, or I think I saw some walk on a previous trip report. Walks on Santorini?
Day 4 Fira, Blue Star ferry at 15:30 2hrs to Naxos
Day 5 Haiki and/or Apeiranthos? Walks on Naxos? Hoping for wildflowers.
Day 6 Blue Star Ferry to Piraeus to Athens. 9:30-15:00 or fly to ATH 11:15-11:55
Day 7-9 Athens--Acropolis & Acropolis museum, Agora & national archeological museum, other museums, neighborhoods, laundry
Day 10 3 hr afternoon bus to Delphi, museum Delphi
Day 11 early visit Delphi site, arrange to join a tour group from Athens to Delphi & Meteora for bus transport to Kalabaka
Day 12 visit monasteries and Meteora area Walks? Kalabaka
Day 13 2 hr bus then 3 hr train to Athens or 3 hr bus to Thessaloniki and fly to ATH (too tight connection leave SKG next morning)
Day 14 Direct flight home

Only 1 night stays Delphi and before flight home.
I also considered long day trip or just overnight to Delphi and back to Athens, but day trip seems long and if we can pick up transport from Delphi to Kalabaka, it prevents making a separate start from Athens. We did something similar in Spain--started the day with a day tour from Seville, but got dropped off in Ronda.
I looked at flying from Naxos to Thessaloniki via ATH and then bus/train to Athens but still then long day or overnight out/back to Delphi.
If we were staying longer I would add Mycenaean or Minoan sites on the Peloponnese, but these were not at the top of the list for either of us.

Especially interested if you have experience with traveling to Delphi and Meteora without a car. Also any walk recommendations.

Thanks

If I’m following (I so wish you’d laid your plans out by NIGHTS, not DAYS!), you are really rushing through these places. Maybe that’s what you want, but your time in Naxos seems particularly limited (no time to visit spectacular Delos?) and you have basically no time in fascinating Thessaloniki, so why you are going there isn’t clear to me unless it’s just to get to the airport. And 3 days isn’t much for Athens, but maybe you can squeeze in the things you most want to see.

If you haven’t already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report: https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...reece-1460735/

My trip was in May; there were wildflowers galore. :)

BTW, I just looked up my notes on Halki. Unless you are seriously interested in citron, I'm not sure it would be worth your time, at least in comparison to other ways you could spend your limited tine on that island. JMO.

Were I not interested in beaches, what I would do is fly to/from Santorini and skip Naxos. From Athens take the express bus to Nafplio (there is far more to see in that area, both historic and scenic, than any Cycladic island). The X93 bus will take you directly from Athens Airport to Kifisou bus station where the buses leave to Nafplio.

http://www.athensairportbus.com/en/t...tokifisos.html

Nafplio is a beautiful small city, and being on the coast has an island feel. There is much to see in the Nafplio area, best described in this non-commercial website.

http://www.visitnafplio.com/

From Nafplio return to Athens and resume your plans for Delphi and Meteora. I agree with kja that it would be a shame to miss Delos, but the tour boats to there from Naxos don’t start their seasons early enough for your April-May trip anyway. To take a day trip to Delos that early would require you to stay a couple of nights on Mykonos.

Further to my last post, the bus journey from Athens Kifisou station is just over two hours, and costs about €14.

https://www.rome2rio.com/Bus/Athens-...afplio-Station

The once daily Delphi - Trikala (Meteora) bus leaves Delphi actually at 6.30am.
Only 1 day is by far not enough for Naxos.

I would go directly from Naxos to Trikala:
Naxos dp 9.30- Bluestar - Piraeus port ar 15.15, Piraeus railway station (terminal of the free port shuttle) dp 17.14 - Athens ar 17.34, change train, dp 17.58 - Paleopharsalos ar 20.45, change from train to railway company bus, dp 21.00 - Trikala ar 22.19

There is actually a bus Trikala dp10.00 - Delphi ar 12.00. Otherwise take a bus to Lamia plus a taxi to Delphi, unless you find one of the few Amfissia, Itea or Delphi bound buses.

Heimdall made a great catch about Delos -- thank you! His suggestion about Nafplio is well worth considering, though if you do skip Naxos, it might also make sense to spread that little bit of time over some of your other destinations.

It's very rushed but you already know that. I love Greece and think it's best enjoyed at a leisurely pace but your plan is possible if you want to pack things in.

We were on Naxos around the same time and used the buses to visit Chalki and Apeiranthos but on separate days. If I remember correctly, at that time of year there was pretty much one bus leaving Chora and one bus back but could be wrong because we weren't doing that anyway. Both are lovely villages and the hiking is great (there are websites about hiking on Naxos). There were also island tours on offer but we didn't take one. I would take the ferry back to Athens rather than fly.

We took the early bus mentioned by neckervd from Delphi to Kalambaka. There were multiple changes but it was all straightforward. Takes time but it's fairly scenic. If you want to join a Delphi/Meteora tour in Delphi, why not just join it in Athens? Travelling via Thessaloniki would not fit within your plans at all well I think. Even if you fly from Naxos to Thessaloniki, you still have quite a journey to Kalambaka (or to Athens). Reversing the order of Meteora and Delphi is worth investigating and Neckervd's suggestion of travelling from Naxos to Kalambaka is worth thinking about because it clusters your time in Athens to the end but it's a killer day especially if you muck up one leg. btw, I recommend figuring out how to get to the relevant Athens bus station before you travel., if you're travelling by bus from/to Athens It's not a difficult journey but can involve multiple steps unless you take a taxi.

With your itinerary it isn't essential but this is the sort of trip where having small, light luggage will definitely make life a little easier. My personal preference for a trip like this is a small rolling case and a day pack.

Lastly, Greek bus schedules typically only show the current timetable, not what it will be at a future date. While many are fairly fixed, they do change and often without much warning. This may not impact you much with your plans but something to watch out for.

Whatever you decide, have a lovely time in this beautiful country.

If you do go to Naxos, consider doing a hike with Stella Korre of naxoshiking.com. It was wonderful.

Wonderful advice, everyone.

Yes, ferry day trip Naxos Delos Mykonos starts May 5 Mon, Wed, Thu, Sun. Might be an interesting day if could end in Mykonos and go on to Athens rather than sailing back to Naxos. Kja trip report says otherwise long day sailing. Some risk not enough people so cancel so early in season.

On Naxos I found hiking route 4 at Chalki. I will see what I can find about buses. Understand that it's difficult to find schedules in advance and may be limited. Originally thought to go straight to Naxos and just day trip to Santorini on non-cruise so day but only one connecting flight Ath-Naxos after 5 hr layover so no backup. May still consider and increase nights on Naxos.

Will check options to, from Delphi. I saw the long multiple bus leg option and thought it looked exhausting. Nice to hear from someone who has done it. The reason I mentioned joining a tour is to avoid the multiple buses while also visiting Delphi independently.

I thought going to Thessaloniki was a bad option if just returning to ATH. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing a good alternative route. Not really looking for another city stay.

No worries about luggage. Always travel carryon wheeled plus pack. Will plan to do laundry.

Yes, we tend to travel fast. Maybe not pack in as much as Kja but my husband always wants to be seeing or experiencing. That includes visits to local grocery stores and hikes, not just tourist sites. He says he can relax at home. When I travel solo, I spend more time wandering and don't mind some down time. But I'm glad he is starting to travel with me more and for more than one week at a time, so I can accommodate his style.

I'm going to pull up calendars for possible flight dates, bus (train) and ferry schedules, and see how the puzzle fits between April 26 and May 15. It may end up at 15-17 days to add some padding for strikes, cancelled ferries, etc. I also want to check for any events to schedule or avoid besides considering the May 1 holiday.

Sounds like your husband and I have some commonalities when it comes to travel! :)

Re: the day trip to Delos -- note that I enjoy some time on the water ... maybe an hour or so. Which means that yes, I found that a long time on the water, and maybe your husband would, too. That said, I would gladly put up with that time onboard for the time in Delos! If you can work it into your schedule, it might be worth considering.

Good luck with your planning!

Revised itinerary
 

I think we have a revised plan. I was able to add a day for padding in case of strikes or bad weather. I chose the later start to avoid May 1, fewer Sundays with limited public transportation, and possibly Delos trip. Split time in Athens to minimize 1 night stays and keep that padding between the long transfers when most likely to suffer complications, tho not optimal.

So plan to fly US-ATH-Santorini. Stay in Firostefani 2 nights. Choose from Oia-Fira hike, walk up/down/around Oia, bus to Emporio.

Ferry to Naxos for 2 nights.probably bus to Apeiranthos and Chalkio (same route), maybe hike around Chalkio.

If available, take day trip to Delos and Mykonos with drop off in Mykonos and ferry to Athens else just ferry from Naxos to Athens for 3 nights in Kolonaki neighborhood. Visit Acropolis & museum, agora, national archeological museum.
Question--conventional wisdom is buy Acropolis tickets for opening to beat crowds and heat but I read everyone tries to do it so all time tickets sell and it's crowded early. Also read sunset crowded. If not to hot, might late afternoon be good idea?

Bus to Kalabaka for 2 nights. Visit monasteries on Sunday.
KTEL has several buses from Athens. One KTEL ad says 6:30 direct bus picks up at Metro in addition to bus station but I think we might take taxi to bus station anyway. Tho it says direct, I think regular route, just maybe same bus at Trikala. Visitmeterora ad an express bus, so I will ask about that.

Bus to Delphi for 1 night. KTEL has connection. Visitmeterora offers direct faster shared shuttle, but pricey. Will consider. Lodging cheaper than I expected so may spend on transfers.

Bus to Athens for 2 nights. Choose from museums, see neighborhoods.

Direct flight home.

Now to book some cancelable accommodations. Find calendars of events, etc.

Thanks, everyone.

You may find yourself arriving in Delphi later in the day, which may mean visiting the archeological site and museum on the day you head for Athens. That’s not a problem but cuts your time in Athens.

I think the problem of heat when visiting the acropolis should be less of an issue in early May, although it will almost certainly be warm.

btw I recommend the National Art Gallery in Athens, which features Greek artists and we thought well curated.

You'll see some wonderful things, if at a pace that I would find challenging, particularly given that you are relying on some unorthodox routes. But kudos for identifying those unorthodox options!

In Meteora, Make visiting Varlaam the top priority. That is the one you have to see. No question in my mind. It is closed on Fridays. All monasteries are open on Saturdays and Sundays, but they close once a week on different weekdays. Definitely keep in mind weekly closings:
https://meteora.com/meteora-monasteries-opening-hours/


Without a car, I would get a taxi to take me to the monasteries. If you see a great view along the way (and you will), have the taxi pull over for you. Some folks were walking between monasteries, something I would consider, where applicable, if you have some extra stamina in reserve.

When we visited Meteora we used the local public bus which does a circuit of the monasteries a few times a day. It's very affordable and there was also a daily ticket. We also chose to do some walking, both between the monasteries and between them and Kalambaka and Kastraki. Using the bus allowed us to not feel time pressured so much, compared with a tour. We were told by others that the weekends are the busiest times of the week (heaps of students when we visited) so queues were sometimes long. We wished we'd know that beforehand as on at least one occasion we eyed the queue and walked away. We didn't see the need to visit all the monasteries but we'd been there before, albeit decades ago. I'm pretty confident a monk from the 1980's would have difficulty recognising what they see today!

Be aware that the tour boats from Naxos aren’t licensed to act as ferries (one way trips), so if you turn up for the Delos trip with all your luggage you may have a problem. I’ve heard of people trying to do it before, so you might be okay, but get clarification when you book the excursion.

The OP should know that the bus (it really is just one bus making the rounds) begins its route only after the monasteries have opened. If you want to avoid lines, it's best to get to your first monastery before it opens. We got to monasteries before the buses came and it made a difference.

I didn’t have time to check it earlier, but you might try to get from Naxos to Mykonos by scheduled ferry. Without knowing your intended day of travel, right now on the timetables the earliest ferry between the two islands leaves Naxos at 11:10 and arrives on Mykonos at 12:20. You will then have to find somewhere to leave your luggage before getting on the shuttle boat from the old port to Delos.

It might be possible to do all that in one day, but it would make life easier if you stayed overnight on Mykonos. Of course you could also leave Naxos a day earlier and stay overnight on Mykonos before the excursion to Delos on one of several daily sailings from the old port.

This is why I love this board. I wouldn't have thought of tour boat not being licensed to act as ferry. I was planning to contact them to ask--I wouldn't just show up--but I will not expect it to work.

Thanks for the intel about Sunday being busy at the monasteries. I was trying to avoid long distance bus travel on Sunday when fewer/none available, so one Sunday on Santorini and one Sunday in Meteora. Also all monasteries open on Sunday (closures on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday). But we could slow our trip to Kalambaka to Sunday and monasteries on Monday--I will check if bus easily available on Sunday. We probably will prioritize 2-3 monasteries. I will check for taxi versus bus versus feet. My husband did ask if we had to climb up to the monasteries.

Based on posted schedules, I was looking at Kalambaka--Delphi buses 8:45am-2:15pm. If Visitmeteora offers its shared shuttle, it runs 9:00-12:00. I know bus schedules can change with season and I see that some online are dated from 2023. I will check closer to date of travel. I am feeling more confident about using the long distance buses. Dreamon has done it and when looking at hotel reviews in Delphi, I find many people referring to leaving early to catch their bus--probably the 6:30am to Lamia.