olympic headaches
 

Question for traveling in Greece in Summer of 04-Are crowds and prices on the islands expected to swell due to the Olympics on the mainland? Perhaps travelers will make an Olympics trip an extended Greece trip? Any news on this?

The word is that there is going to be such a huge influx of tourists into Greece that cruise ships are being leased to provide more room for everyone wanting to stay in Athens during the games. Prices are going sky-high. Just try contacting hotels in Athens and see what they have to say. I think many places probably are already booked solid for the whole of next summer at outrageously inflated rates. Every household with extra space will no doubt start looking for a way to cash in on the demand for beds. There's a good chance that sometime soon the only way to book a room will be to find a travel agency that's offering Olympic packages, so if you're planning to go you'd better start figuring out your itinerary now and come up with a strategy to make it happen. Good Luck and Happy Travels!

Aren't you stating the obvious?

The way planning is going these may well turn out to be the 2005 Olympics.

Hello,
We plan on going to Crete after we spend a week in Athens for the olympics. I imagine that most people are going other places also. From what I have gathered, the week before and after the olympics will be crowded, but the rest of the summer is not. This is based on the prices of hotel rooms I have seen on the web.
TracyLynn

Prices for accomodation in Greece are always high in August (obviously!). Out of this month prices are subject to your bargaining prowess. Internet prices are perhaps twice what you will pay by the turn up at the door approach.