MRS

Need advice, will be cruising Greek islands in few weeks.
This was a last-minute booking for me and my husband. We are seniors with some health issues, strenuous hiking is out of the question, but walking 5-6 miles is ok. We will participate in small group excursions for some ports we visit, but I can’t figure out the few below.

03OCT23 Nafplion, Greece, Tender, 7:00am 5:00pm

I am debating if I should just spend the day exploring Nafplio and visiting Palamadi castle using taxi or hire a taxi for a day and venture outside Nafplio? What site to visit: Mycenae or Epidarius? I like theater.

WED 04OCT23 Mykonos, Greece, Tender, 7:00am 8:00pm

Was planning to explore the old town and if the weather permits hire a taxi to visit a nice beach for a swim?

THU 05OCT23 Iraklion (Crete), Greece, 7:00am 11:00pm

We are thinking of getting a private guide with a car for a day, will go first east Crete, drive along the coast and visit Agios Nikolaos, Eloundas, Plaka and if weather cooperates we will be able to have 1 hour beach /lunch stop.
Then come to Heraklion to visit Knossos Palace and Heraklion city sites.
As for being in Crete until late, we can make the most of our day.

WED 11OCT23 Rhodes, Greece 9:00am 5:00pm

Was planning to have leisurely day as in Mykonos.

SUN 15OCT23 Debark Ship Piraeus (Athens), Greece 7:00am, we will stay in Athens after the voyage and leave morning of WED 18OCT23.

I have read Karen Woo trip report and picked up restaurant recommendations in Nafplio, would appreciate if anyone can share their info in other stops. I hope guides will direct us to nice places, we are fish lovers.

TIA for your help.

geetika

There’s no doubt you can easily spend the whole day at Nafplion and find more than enough to do. Suggest you get a taxi to take you up to the Palamadi fortress, you can walk, but it’s a bit of a hike up there.

That said both Mycenae and Epidaurus are fabulous sights, the ancient theater is an especially incredible feat of engineering and acoustics. Not sure how this would work time-wise, if at all you’ll be able to visit only one site. Check with your fellow cruisers if they’re planning a shore excursion. You could also check with a tour operator or taxi service. You’ll need to get off the ship as soon as it docks, around 7.30, and then spend early afternoon on Nafplion.

You have a much longer window in Mykonos and I highly recommend visiting Delos, birthplace of Apollo and Artemis. It’s a short ferry ride away and you can spend a couple of hours exploring the island and museum. Come back to Mykonos for lunch and then go to relax on a beach.

I haven’t been to either Crete or Rhodes, so can’t help you there.

Heimdall

I agree with geetika, unless you have no interest in ancient sites. Some of the best archeological sites in Greece are in the area around Nafplio, so well worth venturing outside the city.

As for Mykonos, the archeological site on the island of Delos is amazing, with almost intact mosaics in the district around the ancient theatre, and ruins over a large area. You have 11 hours on Mykonos, so have plenty of time for a visit to Delos in the morning and a return to Mykonos Town for lunch and a walk around.

There are several good beaches within a 15 minute bus ride from Fabrika Square, but the cost of sunbed rental is very expensive. Above all, if you go to the beach at Platis Gialos avoid the sunbeds and restaurant of the notorious DK Oyster. If you want to know why, do a Google search on that restaurant.

MRS

Hello gettika, thank you very much for your suggetions, i will look up Mykonos option, I think we have enouph time for a boat ride.

MRS

Thank you Heimdall,

Nafplio is a tough decision because of the little time we have there, I think we will have time to visit only one of the sites, but it will not leave us time for exploring the city. Plus, I do want to have lunch in one of the restaurants to try their amazing fish dishes. I’ve written to one of the taxi companies and they offered us a car for a day, do you think I need a private tour guide at the site? If I don’t commit to the guide, I can make my choice on the spot, Mycenae or Epidaurus.

If the weather permits in Mykonos we would love to get to the beach, I will research your recommendation. Could you name few and you mentioned high price for sunbeds, can you recall how much?
TIA again.

geetika

With a good guidebook I don’t think you need a guide for either Mycenae or Epidaurus. A car for the day would be a good idea. If you get off the ship asap and head straight to one of the archeological sites you should be back in Nafplion by midday. Go up to the fortress and then come down for lunch, followed by a leisurely stroll through town. Stop for a gelato before going back on the ship. It was on my to-do
list but I forgot all about it, so missed out on some delicious gelato!

You should definitely have time for Delos, it’s another extraordinary archeological site, we enjoyed the museum too. I’m not a beach person and don’t know about sunbed prices, but remember Mykonos is probably one of the most expensive places in Greece.

MRS

Hello geetika, I take your advise and cancel guide. Just found and ordered a book on Amazon. Thank you very much

geetika

MRS, I like the Rough Guide, but there are many others. Several people I know swear by Rick Steeve, he has one for Med cruises. Fodors is good too, my husband and I almost exclusively used Michellin Green Guide when we lived in Paris. You may want to check at your local library and see which ones covers the ports you’ll be visiting.

MRS

geetika, i bought Rick Steeve's European ports, did not find it useful. I will try Rough Guide. thank you for your help and attention.

HappyTrvlr

MRS, on Crete, first you should visit Knossos near Iraklion . Find a guide at the entrance. Then head west to beautiful Chania and spend the day exploring Old Town. Have a wonderful lunch and make plans to return there in the future! There is also a beach nearby.
For Mykonos, take a ferry from there to ancient Delos.

Green83

Watch the BBC travel series My Greek Odyssey with Bettany Hughes. You can purchase it on Amazon Prime. She visits all the major stops on your cruise. You will enjoy it. In fact, all her Greek documentaries are fantastic.

In Crete, look at Rethymno, an hour west of Heraklion as another option. The old town is very cute, with a fortress, cute alleyways full of flowers, and Turkish minarets Stop at Margarites the pottery village, Arkadi Monastery and the Eleutherna museum (see BBC series mentioned above). Visit Elounda and Agios Nikolaos if you prefer tourist resorts, beaches and Spinalonga Island. Don’t miss the archeological museum in Heraklion, walking distance from the port.

Heimdall

Regarding sunbeds on Mykonos, it depends upon the venue and whether or not you order food & drinks. From what I’ve been hearing this year, €30 for two sunbeds with umbrella would be considered cheap. DK Oyster, the restaurant I warned about, will give you free sunbeds if you order food, but not show you prices on the menu, then sting you with a three-figure bill. There have been articles in British and US newspapers about it. I just bring a towel or beach mat to spread on the sand, but lately more of the beaches are taken up by the sunbeds leaving less room for towels.

For beaches, there are a string of nice ones including Platys Gialos, Paradise Beach and Agios Ioannis Beach, ones I have been to. Paradise has a couple of beach clubs, and Agios Ioannis is a little quieter. October is outside high season, so the beaches should be getting quiet.

jmgorga

We ate very well in Crete two years ago and would recommend the following in Heraklion, in the small village of Skalani outside the city 10 minutes from Knossos and in Malia on the way back from East Crete. Also recommend the Archeological Museum in Heraklion and the small museum in Napflio. MERASTRI, Heraklion - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor, OLIVE MINT, Skalani - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor,AVLI IN MALIA - Menu, Prices & Restaurant Reviews - Tripadvisor