please help with our Greece itinerary !
 

We are a couple touring different countries every summer.We are planning to see mainland Greece this year.We were in Greece twice-2005 Rhodes and 2007 Samos-Paros-Mykonos and Santorini.We enjoyed every minute of our holiday in Greece during both visits.
We use only public transport and we like picturesque towns,small villages,festivals,beach,and of course food and wine.
For August 2013 we started working on our itinerary of 5 weeks and we appreciate recommendations and/or suggestions.
Day 1 arrival in Chania via Athens
Days 2,3,4 Chania
Days 5,6,7 Rethymnon
Days 8,9 Heraklion
night flight to Thessaloniki
Days 10,11,12 Thessaloniki+day trip to Kavala
Day 13 transport to Kalambaka by KTEL bus
Days 14,15 Meteora monastries
Day 16 transport to Corfu via Igoumenitsa (bus+ferry)
Days 17,18,19,20,21 Corfu
flight to Athens
Day 22 Athens
Day 23 transport to Monemvasia by KTEL bus
Days 24,25 Monemvasia
Days 26,27 Nafplion + day trip to Epidaurus
Days 28......33 Athens + some day trips depending on your suggestions
Aegina?Hydra?Spetses?Poros?Cape Saunion?
Day 34 departure from Athens
Day 35 onwards.... working hard for 11 months looking forward to our next summer holiday :))

how do you find it?
any changes/better ideas/suggestions or a totally different itinerary?
thnx for all your contribution

Sounds like a great plan, and you include two areas of Greece (Macedonia and Peloponnese) that I would like to see more of. You write: "We are planning to see mainland Greece this year", yet nearly half of your itinerary is on the islands. Personally I would drop Corfu and include Vergina while in Macedonia, and Delphi as you travel further south. Without a car you will need to depend upon local bus services to some extent.

You plan to vist Monemvasia, and while you are there you could see more of Lakonia and Messenia. That area of the southern Peloponnese has a mixture of beautiful beaches and port towns (you could be fooled into thinking you are on the islands). There are some important archaeological sites in that area, but they receive few visitors compared with the sites around Nafplio. :-)

yes,you are right Heimdall.As we haven't seen Athens and Thessaloniki yet,my brain automatically calls it 'mainland'.
The other reason is may be --when we started planning,we first included Athens,Meteora and Thessaloniki(my grand grandparents' hometown) and then we included Crete(my husband's grand grandparents' hometown) and when we thought we still would have extra days,we started adding the other places.
We will consider your precious thoughts depending on your experience --if they are possible by public transport.
Which port towns do you suggest in the Southern Peloponnese?-I mean the ones we could be fooled into thinking we are on the islands and the archaeological sites in that area which receive few visitors compared with the sites around Nafplio.
thanks a lot for your help :)

As I wrote, I would like to see more of the Peloponnese, and am certainly no expert on this region. Last year in September I went by express bus from Athens to Kalamata, and visited Petalidi, Koroni, Methoni, and Pilos. Matt Barrett describes these coastal towns in http://www.greecetravel.com/peloponessos/messinia.htm. You might also browse the Messenia official website at http://www.messinia-guide.gr/?lang=en& and the Lakonia website at http://www.lakonia.org.

One of the ancient sites I was thinking of was Ancient Messene, which is simply spectacular: http://www.messinia-guide.gr/?id=176&lang=en. Another, which I didn't get a chance to see on this trip was Mystras: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/511. You would probably have to arrange your own transport to Ancient Messene. There were only six other visitors to the site while I was there. A few of my photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/heimdal...7627739427148/ :-)

It is very kind of you to give such helpful details.I haven't heard of these towns before.
I first had a glance at your flickr photos-they are really great!I wish it were summer and we were there now:)
Now I will read all these websites one by one and add some/all of them to our itinerary.
Thanks again for your contribution to our itinerary:)

I would add a few more places that you could visit with the public bus from Kalamata.
They are located in the Messinian Mani : Stoupa and Kardamyli, both located on the sea and very beautiful.

Further East begins the Laconian part of the Mani Peninsula,
you could visit with the public bus Gythio and continue from there to Monemvasia.

Your itinerary takes you to Corfu as i see, if you are doing the trip from Kalambaka, you will travel on the Egnatia Odos, through one of the most beautiful and unspoiled regions of Greece : Epirus ( hm... checked the website of KTEL and atm there is a bus from Trikala to Corfu twice per week - http://ktel-trikala.gr/?module=defau..._id=16&lang=en)

Ioannina the capital of Epirus is on your way, it is a beautiful city located on Pamvotis lake.... I would strongly recommend an overnight there. The archaeological site of Dodoni is also near Ioannina..... ( one of the most importants of Greece)

The whole area south of Igoumenitsa is absolutely gorgeous..

Sivota, Parga, Preveza... many different sandy beaches, many things to do and see, great food and beautiful towns/villages.

In Northern Greece an interesting day trip would be to Edessa, from Thessaloniki.
Have a look at : http://www.edessacity.gr/ :)

thanks a lot clausar,all the great information you gave to me is very much appreciated:)
Yes,we are planning to take the Kalambaka-Trikala bus first and then Trikala-Corfu Sunday 14.45 bus which you also very kindly had checked for us :) however KTEL doesn't seem to sell online tickets.Do you know any other website selling online bus tickets throughout Greece?If we are not able to buy a ticket for Sunday,the next bus to Corfu is on Wednesday:( Anyway,I'm glad to hear that it will be a nice journey going through Epirus.We will consider your strong recommendation of Ioannina for an overnight but let me first check the options of transportation to Corfu.
As to Edessa,as it is only 89 km from Thessaloniki,a day trip is possible and thanks to the link you sent I see that there is the Kerasiotika Event on 11-12 August--just the days we will be in Thessaloniki:)
We will also consider Stoupa,Kardamyli and Gythio from Kalamata before going to Monemvasia however I think we will consider the South of Igoumenitsa--Sivota,Parga and Preveza for our next trip to Greece.
thanks again for your detailed info and invaluable suggestions.

I'm another one that's going to say leave Corfu out of the itinerary. With the irregular bus service it means you have to work everything else in the north around those days & I think you would find more to see staying on the mainland.
Some KTEL sites do have online ticketing, right to the other extreme of some without online schedules! Each prefecture has it's own KTEL service & the variation of how available their information & services are online is strange:)
As far as the Peloponnese is concerned you could spend as much time as you like there & never run out of things to see & do. I have lived here just over 6 years & still exploring! It was me that Heimdall came down to visit & we sure packed a lot into the days he had, but I know he'll be back one day as the more he saw, the more he realised there was to see.
As further tempters & ideas for the Peloponnese here are my photos,
Peloponnese,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yiassas...7625881425523/
Local area (Messina, SW Peloponnese)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yiassas...7624647870023/
Lakonian road trip (including Monemvasia)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yiassas...7626514959190/
If you do stay on the mainland & work your way down to Delphi,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yiassas...7631319776140/
There are further photos that I haven't got organised & added to the collections yet, but I think that's enough for now!
Please ask about any of the places if you are not sure of the location, as Heimdall said, there are so many that don't feature in guide books or other itineraries.

We visited Spetses as a day trip from Napflion, drove down there and took the little ferry across. Beautiful island,lots of green vegetation unlike the arid Cyclades.

Thanks a lot yiassas for the photos and your sincere help for our itinerary.It is very much appreciated:)
34 days in Greece looks too long but(by public transport)it will not be sufficient so for this summer we will include the main and most popular cities/towns and we will keep 'the less known but must see' sights for the next.

Yiassas and her husband opened my eyes on how much there is to see on the mainland, and I certainly will be back to the Peloponnese again (hint, hint ;-) ). I now know that you don't have to go to the islands to find the perfect beach. My main regret is that I didn't have more time there, and that I didn't make it to Lakonia on that trip.

The main reason I suggested dropping Corfu is that your planned itinerary allows only days 10-15 for northern Greece, and days 23-27 for the Peloponnese. That's scarcely enough to scratch the surface, and you wouldn't have time to see all the wonderful places suggested by clausar and yiassas. Another reason is that August on Corfu is very crowded, with package holidaymakers descending from all over Europe. :-)