brook33003

Hi all,

My husband has a conference in Athens, and my two kids and I are going to tag along. We would like to make a short trip out of it and need help conceptualizing the itinerary. Our girls are 10 and 7, and we'd be flying from NYC. We would be going in mid-May. Our interests are archeological sites and ruins, ancient cities, and natural beauty.

We could either:

1) Stay in Athens for three days. Explore the Acropolis and other ancient sites. Maybe do a day trip to Sounion or to another site or two.

or

2) Spend a day in Athens and then head out to one of the islands by ferry and spend a few days there.

Should we explore Athens or venture out to the islands? If so, which one would be suitable for a family with kids, not too far from Athens because of our limited time frame? We could possibly stretch this vacation out to five days, tops. And yes, I know it would be better to spend two weeks in Greece. But for this trip, five days or so is all we have.

Thanks in advance for your guidance!

neckervd

If you are really interested in archeology, Athens will keep you busy during at least 2 full days. You could then check Mycenae - Argos - Nauplia - Epidauros

stanbr

In such a short time Athens will meet all your needs. If you must go to an island, take a ferry to one of the islands close to Athens on a day trip.

You will probably be able to do the Athens sites in this album in 5 days.
Athens http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632121475515/

travelerjan

There are lots of things to do with kids in Athens -- Here's a llist of museums & landmarks with info like admissions (kids are always free), hours etc. http://www.athensinfoguide.com/open.htm print & take.

And in midmay you can easily do a very enjoyable 1-day trip to a nearby island, see a temple, have a swim, AND have a fab ferry ride.

The island is AEGINA. Just take GREEN LINE Metro to Pireaus (30 mins); fast & good but WATCH your pockets & daybag (pickpockets target newbies). At any agent window get tickets for CONVENTIONAL ferry (NOT a hydrofoil... the latter are enclosed, no view). Ferries go almost every hour, take 55-60 minutes. Sit on deck, enjoy terrific view of the bay, all water craft, from cruise liners to luxury yachts to small sailboats (maybe even a dolphin?).

Aegina has an interesting port town... you can rent a car for 6 hrs or so. Mid-island is THE most beautiful temple ruin u ever will send, then move on to a nice beach like Ag. Marina, swim, sunbathe, have lunch, explore other parts of isle, just relax, no agenda ... back to port for late-day ice cream sundaes (or wine) ... and sail home as sun sets. NOTE: Athenians flock her on weekends so a weekday in May will be uncrowded; I found it so. Here's a terric photo album Spring delights of a day-trip https://www.flickr.com/photos/362647...646139/detail/

This will give u a relaxed day on the water and island, without tiring logistics of intercity bus or car hire.

brook33003

Thanks, everyone. Much appreciated! What other day trips should we consider from Athens?

travelerjan

It's not totally clear, but I think y ou only have 3 days, right? So have 1 day for the Acropolis, one day for Aegina, and one day for whatever occurs to you when you are on the spot. Don't overplan yourself ... with kids, you have to stop and smell the roses. The national Garden has playgrounds in it ... there are things for children ... Talk to your hotel they will know what's going on that week for kids in Athens.

Whathello

We did basically the same with kids the same age.

We spent two days in Athens and rented a car for a daytrip to Mycenae, Delphi, canal of Corinth and ... (forgot) was a full day but not that rushed.

I like getting lost in Athens itself - there is so much more than just the Parthenon and even without ruins, Athens is a great city imho.

Heimdall

If you are interested in something different, http://www.athens-walks.com has some private tours that will take you to parts of Athens that most tourists miss. Kostas Chatzivasilou, the owner, is an ex-Evzone, one of the guards you see in front of the parliament building at Syntagma Square.

One of his popular tours is the 4-hour Food Tour, which your girls might enjoy. Click on "Food tour" in the menu bar of his website, and scroll through the description of the tour. Athens-Walks has received many awards, and gets the highest ratings in travel websites.

traveller1959

One of the most fascinating archeological sites in Greece is Delphi. It is some two hours driving time from Athens, so an easy daytrip from Athens. If you have a rental car, you can easily make a stop at the Byzantine monastery Hosios Loukas, which overlooks a beautiful valley (UNESCO World Heritage).

Another option is a daytrip from Athens to the Peloponnese. Corinth is in easy reach, also Mycenae, Epidaurus and Nafplio.

For these daytrips I strongly suggest to rent a car.

These two daytrips are certainly much more spectacular than driving to Cape Sounio.

And no island is worth the hassle of transport if you are so short of time.

brook33003

Thanks everyone for such good advice! We like the idea of doing a day trip tour from Athens, using a reputable tour company, so we can outsource the hassle. (Also, I don't like driving.) Have any of you taken a day trip tour that was particularly well organized, enjoyable, and interesting?

stanbr

We did the bus tour to Nafplio. It included stops at Mycenae and Epidvaros. I would recommend this one.

Nafplio and Peloponnese http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094108982/

The other recommended day trip would be to Delphi
Olympia Delphi Meteora https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645469717811/