brotherleelove2004

I think there might be a departure for Delos from Parikia now along with Naoussa. And keep in mind that it takes less than an hour to reach Delos from Naoussa, so you aren't spending a lot of time at sea in transit.

chris45ny

I know a lot of people are cringing at the idea of a 19 day Athens area/island hopping tour but we've done these kind of 2 night stops before-Kenya and Tanzania, Costa Rica, China and we enjoyed everything we got to see and didn't feel "rushed." The 3 trips I mentioned were even longer than 19 days and after this tour is over we'd be meeting our friends for down time in Athens (3 nights) and then a relaxing week on Crete. We'd fly to Rhodes so that shouldn't take long and spending 2 nights there to take in the medieval town should be fine. Back to Crete for final farewells and back to Athens. This is certainly not set in stone. We can always make changes as won't book anything until after Xmas when flight schedules, etc. for June 2011 will be close to coming out. The possibility of the 19 day tour was my husband's idea as he didn't want our friends thinking they had to shuffle us to the islands that we'd like to see other than Crete. Their trip to Crete is to visit family -their youngest daughter and their mother/mother-in-law, cousins, etc. There are some family celebrations that we will attend-have been to Greek weddings, christenings here in US and looking forward to them in Crete. We are fortunate that we will stay with them in Chania and that they will be our "tour guides." They were both born in Crete, moving to US as young adults while still maintaining a home in Crete.

I really appreciate all the info/advice I have received from everyone. Thanks so much!! I can't wait to get to Greece and the islands.

KayF

I would say that 4 nights in Athens is one too many. Having visited Athens a couple of times, to me it's not a great city. Also regarding the idea of a tour, you have to decide what suits you best. We would much prefer to do our own thing and plan it all and have a more relaxed time. Years ago we did a couple of tours and we were up early, in bed late, no choice of where to eat, no downtime. Just not our thing. But you may enjoy it more than planning it all yourself.

Also, we stayed in Rhodes, in the centre of the Old Town and loved the location. I think most people tend to stay at the beach resorts but we really liked being central, there is loads of history in Rhodes. We did a day trip to Lindos by local bus which was easy.
Kay

Heimdall

Hi Chris,

I have "done these kind of 2 night stops" myself in Kenya, Tanzania, several other African countries, and India. With an overland tour there is always something to see, and I spend most of the time glued to the window with camera at the ready. Many transfers in Kenya and Tanzania are combined with a game drive, which, after all, is the whole point of a safari.

A trip in the Greek Islands is a little different -- most of the time on a ferry there is little to see except the water and distant islands on the horizon. You also spend an hour or so every day transiting to the port, and standing in line waiting for the ferry to depart. You won't be waiting in an air-conditioned departure lounge either. The first couple of ferry trips are exciting -- after that it is boring. To me the pleasure is being on an island -- not the getting there. ;-)

BeniciaChris

Once you visit Greece you'll want to go back. Make sure you see Delphi when you are in Athens. Our first trip to Greece included-Athens-Delphi-Rhodes & Corfu. Second trip was Paros-a whole week & loved it-Santorini & Crete. One week in Crete was not enough. I am already thinking of our 3rd trip. Chris

chris45ny

Our plans have changed. This is new proposed itinerary-arrive Athens from Egypt trip-Cairo, Nile cruise, and 4 nights for DH to dive in Sharm. In Athens we have option to spend 3 nights before heading out in rental car with GPS. This part of the trip will be 4 or 5 nights. From Athens we'll drive to Corinth Canal, Epidaurus, Nafplion, Mycenae. Overnight in Mycenae. Continue next day arrive Olympia. Or should we spend night in Nafplion and next day do Mycenae and Olympia?? Overnight in Olympia. Continue driving to Delphi. Overnight Delphi. Next am Delphi, then depart for Kalambaka Overnight Kalambaka. Next day Meteora Monasteries. Then we want to head back to Athens via Thermopyle. Could we do that in 1 day?? Drop off rental car. Fly Athens to Crete where we will stay with our friends in Chania for undetermined # days as of yet-probably around 10 or so. Just relaxing and regrouping. Then we will fly to Rhodes for 2 nights and back to Crete. Few more days Crete. From Crete will ferry to Santorini, then to Paros, then to Mykonos with day trip to Delos. Will spend 2 nights each island. From Mykonos will either fly or ferry to Athens for trip back to US. My only problem was trying to figure a way to include Istanbul and Kusadasi. If someone could come up with a way to include Turkey would love to hear ideas.

Does this sound doable to you??

travelerjan

Don't stay o'nite in Mycenae?? Why?? You cannot stay in the ruins & local town is Nada ... meanwhile Nafplio, named most beautiful Old Town in Greece lies unwanted. Day 1 Corinth Epidaurus then Nafplio, o'nite. All day Day 2 SPEND in NAFPLIO. (see Fodorite slideshow for why!) http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/551991579dJbWvh plus this excellent website http://www.visitnafplio.com/visitnafplio.com/Home.html Day 3 - early to Mycenae (by 9 am leave by 12, drive to Olympia (by 4). Day 4 Olympia by 8:30 leave by 11 or 12, drive to Delphi stay o'night Day 5 -- Delphi in AM, drive back to Athens, fly to Crete in evening. I am leaving out Meteora unless you are really byzantine buff. You are trying to do 1 too many things, and I would edit out either Meteora or Olympia.... unless you are just trying to "notch your belt" or check things off on your "seen-that" list. Problem with that approach, it's a drive-by experience.

And pleeeese, don't try to squeeze in another country.

chris45ny

travelerjan-Thanks. Really like the itinerary you came up with. We have 2 months or 8 weeks for this trip. Will spend 2 weeks in Egypt. End of that trip will be down time in Sharm-husband will be diving but I'll be regrouping by the pool/beach. Our batteries will be recharged for Greece. We thought to do the 7-8 nights Athens, etc. trip first as there's a lot to see and do plus the driving. We will do this with our friends who know their way around-they are Greek. George wants to go to Meteora as do I. I only asked because right now George is in Crete for 5 weeks. When that's done we go to Crete where they have a home. We will stay with them. All our time on Crete is unplanned except for 1 day to Knossos-that's for me. I am an ancient history fan. Today I got an e-mail from a rep of Blue Star Ferries. It appears there is a ferry from Santorini M, W, F at 00:20 arrive Rhodes 07:40. Price is 30.50 per adult, economy class. I'll compare that to Aegean Air. As far as my wish list for Turkey-may have to postpone that but figured 6 weeks gave us enough time to do the things I wanted. When I looked at tours, island cruises, etc. they alloted so much less time but I bow to those with more experience/knowledge than I. A 2 month trip is the max for our endurance level at this stage of our lives!! Egypt and Greece May-July 2011. Thanks again to all for the advice/help.

travelerjan

If you want Meteora, you will have to skip Olympia. Here's a substitute -- You can see a Sacred Games Site right near Mycenae & Nafplio: NEMEA. Check this online map (click and it gets huge: nemea is just off the road to the right about 10 KM So of Corinth. http://www.esperides.gr/images/pelop..._esperides.jpg Yes this is a compromise but you keep trying to pour a quart into a pint bottle and want us to say that it's do-able.

About Turkey: Well, you will have maybe 8 nights at the end of your Greece period -- but you may be tired out. Let's add it up Athens (3 days/nights) Peloponnese-Depphi-Meteora (OR Olympia not both) (5 nights) fly to Crete (10+ days/nights) Rhodes (2 - I doubt this) Crete "a few days" (4?) Santorini (3 nights) Paros or Naxos (2 nights) Mykonos (2) fly back to athens (1) ... that is 32 nights. Six weeks is 42 nights. Theoretically, Turkey is do-able.

However, I think the 2 nights in Paros or Naxos is way too short, and maybe mykonos too. And to/from Istanbul will take a minimum half-day each way. And Kusadasi ... have you looked at a map?? When I went there, I flew first to SAMOS, you can go to Kusadasi as a 1-day excursion from there, but you have to sign up the day before (to get your passport OKd). To go to Kusadasi from Istanbul is a Royal Pain in the behind. It's like saying I"m in Chicago, why not check out New Orleans as long as Im in the middle of the country. Or I'm in Manhattan, that's close to Martha's Vineyard, right?

The reason the tours seemed to take less time is they push people on and off a bus relentlessly, or a ferry, and (especially the cruises) make such brief stops you barely have time for a meal and a walk around the port. You will not understand until you are there how CRUCIAL the transport time & logistics are for the Greek Isles -- unless, you have a flying carpet or can walk on water ... and neither has been known to occur in the Eastern Med for at least several thousand years.

it is very easy to condense time in your mind when you don't write down on an actual calendar with a box for each day, allowing for flight times, ferry voyages, driving time etc. I always do this, for the nine trips (25-30 days)I have taken to Greece. Here is a website with excellent blank boxed-date calendar pages to print out: http://www.printfree.com/Calendar_fi.../052011rwb.htm http://www.printfree.com/Calendar_fi.../062011rwb.htm http://www.printfree.com/Calendar_fi.../072011rwb.htm
--- print out plenty of them... you'll be changing things over & over.

I'm envious of your 2-month dream trip, I'm senior to you, but would happily "endure" a 2nd month in the Aegean/Mediterranean if it were possible. Have a super time, and come back and tell us about it.

HappyTrvlr

A suggested itinerary..Leaving Napflion after a few days there , we drove to Mystras( near Sparta), overnight, then up to Olympia, overnight. Everyone told us to skip it, but we really wanted to see it and are so glad we did. It was a memorable day seeing the actual ancient sites of the first games and the museum. We stopped in Galaxidi for lunch and drove on to Delphi, overnight there, toured the ancient site and then to Athens airport to fly to Crete. We had a month and these were our only one nighters. However it was so important for us to see these antiquities. We skipped Meteora instead of Olympia; perhaps we'll go there on our next trip to Greece.We also spent ten days in the islands and time in Athens.

travelerjan

OR ... you could add 1 or 2 days to your Peloponnese-Delphi-Meteora time and easily fit in Olympia without having to race around ... and you still would have Turkey time at the end.

chris45ny

Printed out the month calendars-great idea travelerjan!! It really puts things in perspective. I've done a tentative schedule. Our friend is currently in Crete so will go over this with him and his wife before it gets set in stone. Our trip is so far away, we can make any changes we want. DH and I are both retired-that's why we can do these lengthy trips now.

June 5, 2011 fly to Cairo
June 6- pick up for private tour, Nile cruise, 4 nights Sharm
June 19-fly Cairo to Athens
June 19-27 Athens, etc. whatever we can do in 8 nights
June 27-fly Athens to Crete
June 27-July 5 Crete with friends
July 5-fly to Rhodes
July 5, 6, 7 Rhodes
July 8-fly to Crete
July 8, 9-Crete
July 10-flying cat ferry to Santorini leaves Crete 9:45 am, arrives Santorini 11:50 am
July 10, 11, 12 Santorini
July 13-flying cat to Mykonos leaves Santorini 12:00 pm, arrives Mykonos 2:35 pm
July 13, 14, 15 Mykonos with day trip to Delos
July 16-sea jet ferry to Athens/Pireaus leaves Mykonos 2:15 pm, arrives Athens 7:45 pm, overnight hotel near airport
July 17-fly back to US

Total 43 days which is less than our proposed 2 month holiday. With 17 days to spare should we add Turkey or just go home??

travelerjan

YOur Greek tour now holds together well ... after all that, I think you'll be ready to return to the US --- it will be getting VERY hot in the Aegean, more so in Turkey. And 6 weeks you'll be longing for a few amenities of home (llike scrambled eggs & toast, the greeks have NO clue!) ... you'll be ready to come home & assimilate all your experiences. And the other parts of y our Wish List will give you an incentive to return... you could easily do something that involved Istanbul, to an Easten Aegean Island like Chios, then Samos, Then Kusadasi/Ephesus ... then take a Very relaxed "gulet" smallboat tour along the Turquoise coast, darling sandy coves, wonderful GREEK ruins (all the good stuff in Turkey was done by Greeks including Hagia Sofia).

BTW I am also retired, my inability to take 2 months is not shortage of time, but money. Here's how I manage to go to Greece every year ... I take 3-4 newcomers along: check out my website "Greek Island Hopping with Janet" - http://www.techforecast.com/janet.htm

chris45ny

travelerjan-read about your latest trip-very entertaining and informative. I see that you get to Naxos on all your trips-is that your favorite?? Clever idea to develop trips for a small group which allows you to continue to explore/visit Greece. If we weren't doing this with our Greek friends I would seriously consider one of your trips.

You are right about having to change things. Nile cruise boats start on certain days and some boats don't sail in June due to maintenance. Calendar may change depending on which cruise we pick. This DIY can be a challenge! You must put a LOT of time and effort into planning your Greece trips. Right now the ONLY sure thing is getting to Crete by June 27, 2011.

travelerjan

Yes, I do spend time & effort, but all I can say is, it really pays off! Every single one of my 9 trips has been wonderful, AND relaxing too -- when you do the homework & make the decisions ahead, (and have a Plan B up your sleeve) then it frees you from last minute anxieties, so you can hang loose, enjoy the serendipities. The people who go with me are busy, don't have time to plan, and want freedom... often, if there are 4 of us, we may be doing 3 different things on a given day, and just gather over a sundown drink to share what happened.

And yes, I do get to Naxos every time... I love it, myself, but also, I've found it has so much for newbies to do and discover... ancient ruins, museum, beaches, landscapes, hikes... plus it's one of the greener islands which also attracts me, and much more economical than the over-touristed spots like Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Kos ... its "saving grace" is that its harbor wont accommodate those huuuuge cruise ships, and its airport can only take a small 50-passenger plane 1 x a day. Also, drive or bus 3 or 4 miles inland from the beach, and you're in villages, mountain, farms, lots of goats, people playing dominos with the priest under a plane tree, all that good stuff. I remember 3 of us, one early May day, sitting for 30 minutes just watching a guy shear a sheep.... but you find that in Crete even more!

Crete is something special! If you want to see a wonderful website full of enthralling writings about crete-- go read Ray! http://crete.wordpress.com/about/ Of all things he's a retired UK engineer they're now living fulltime in Crete -- and he writes like an ANGEL, and is a fount of knowledge about Cretan history & life ancient, 19th Century, WW II and today. You will fall under his spell... and stay up far too late.