Sunday travel in Greece? Nafplio vs Athens nights?
 

I probably know the safer answer, come to think of it. Our late February flight back to Gatwick leaves ATH at 2100 on a Sunday night. I'd planned to spend the first 5 nights in Athens, then the last three in Nafplio, thinking we'd jump on a bus or train back to ATH the Sunday morning, be back in plenty of theoretical time.

Then somewhere I read that public transport can be problematic on Sundays. I had hoped to avoid driving in Greece, but a rental car from Piraeus would be a possibility, then Metro to the airport.

So my questions: how crazy is driving likely to be between Piraeus and the Peloponnese? Compared to say Boston or NYC? How much will we wish we had car once in Nafplio? How would you split eight nights between Athens and Nafplio? Would three nights in Athens, then four in Nafplio and a last one in Athens make more sense? We'll want to visit ancient sites and museums in both places, put in some café and hiking time. I haven't nailed down our pension and hotel yet.

Opinions?

Another reason I'd hoped to avoid driving: any Greek language I can learn between now and then will be minimal and not good for split second decisions.

The highway from the airport to Nafplio is a modern several lane highway and very easy to navigate...although the Greeks drove faster than we were used to!

We spent 4 nights in Nafplio and 4 nights in Athens and loved it. I wouldnt have wanted less in either place, will you be landing with jetlag? You could pick up the car and drive first to Nafplio...or if you are tired could you take transit to Nafplio and pick the car up the next morning there? Then you could put the Athens time all together, which makes it more efficient.

I would definitely want a car in Nafplio, there are so many great things to see that a car would give you more flexibility. Dont miss Nemea, it was definitely worth the stop.

You can see our pics here:

Athens: https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Nafplio
https://flickr.com/photos/[email protected]

Enjoy your planning!

Not speaking Greek was not a problem for us. On that route all the signs had English on them (I believe). Also, they were not busy at all compared to freeways in North American cities.

Oh, that's great, Jamikins. Thanks so much. My daughter and I will be flying to ATH from Gatwick, so no jet lag concerns.

Here is the timetable for buses from Nafplio to Athens:
http://www.ktelargolida.gr/?module=d...s_id=9&lang=en

Our experience is essentially identical to jamikins.

Just a couple of extra thoughts. In Greece you are expected to drive way over on the right hand side of the road which allows faster vehicles to pass. When I say faster I mean 140 to 160km per hour approaching from the rear. Little rental cars simply can't go that fast.

Two pairs of eyes is wise, to watch traffic and for traffic signs. Everything is well marked. First signs will be in Greek and about 200 meters further down the road in English.

I know this may sound crazy but if you keep this stuff in mind the drive is not bad at all.

On the way to Nafplio stop at Corinth and visit ancient Corinth, ancient Nemia (great suggestion jamikins) This is a little know site which in antiquity had sister games to Olympia. It can be done in an hour and a half and is a hidden gem.

The order you see these two sites is really a matter of when you arrive. We flew transatlantic from the west coast about 24 hours of actual time but arrived Athens at 10:30 in the morning. We drank lots of coffee and headed straight out to Nafplio with a stop at Nemia on the way.

If you arrive Athens early in the day then I would definitely head to Nafplio for jet lag recovery. It is a far nicer place than hectic Athens for the decompression.

The bonus of this plan is you have maximum flexibility for day tours from Nafplio and while a car is not absolutely required it means you can visit multiple sites in a day.

You can also return the car to the airport and take the metro to the airport after your Athens portion.
If you do decide to do Athens first just find a car rental agency that will allow you to rent the car in Athens and return it to the airport. Most will do this with no extra charges. So on your last day enjoy Nafplio and then drive back to the airport which will give you plenty of time before that 2100 return flight.

At the risk of being repetitive here are our pictures of Nafplio and the surrounding sites.

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

A Car would be great in Naplio because you can drive to all the places mentioned above. Also Nemea is known for its dark, full-bodied red wines and you could probably visit some vineyards as well as the ancient ruins. Epidaurus, Mycenae, Tiryns, Ancient Corinth are all worth a visit. You could also drive to Sparta and see Mystras, a Byzantine site a few miles away.

The driving from Athens to Napflion is nothing like NYC or even Boston. Good highway. I don't recall traffic on it in fact, movied along nicely.mOnce in Napflion, you'll want a car to explore the surrounding anitquities.

Ah, good counsel. Greece just seems so, well, foreign, that I've been reluctant to think of myself behind the wheel. But that sounds like the way to go.

I love the photos, jamikins and stanbr.

Thank you, Heimdall. With my alert young daughter navigating, and the encouragement above, I think we'll get a car for the Peloponnese. But I'll keep that link handy just in case.

Excellent help, stanbr. 160 km/h is plenty fast. If we stay to the right presumably they'll go around us. Glad for that warning. Corinth and Nemea it is, then.

Thank you for those additional suggestions, mes. I'm switching to four days in Nafplio so we'll have time to get out and about. Our Pension is right in the middle of things. I assume the proprietor will have parking suggestions. We like to walk.

Very good to hear, HappyTrvlr. I'm starting to get psyched.

They don't all go past at 160. Just the BMW, Audis and Mercedes. No worries as long as you stay right they will just pass you in a flash. Since the economic problems there are far fewer vehicles on the road. The average Greek isn't spending money on gas so the traffic is not heavy at all.

What is your pension name. I can probably tell you where the closest parking is. There is lots of free parking the trick is just finding a spot.

Ha. Oh, I'll stay right all right.

I have to see whether I can change our dates, but we were set to stay at the Pension Rigas, on Kapodistriou.

I'm assuming you've already read everything you need to know about the unpredictability of February weather in Greece, and I am wishing you sunny skies and many lunches outdoors. But in terms of planning a trip around the notion that you will drive yourselves from Napflio to the Athens airport on the same day of your flight, you might want to sketch out a back up plan in case you discover when there that the weather is going south on you.

You will love driving in Greece.

We have driven the route from Athens to Nafplio and back in September. It is very quick and easy driving with few traffic on the roads. Driving time to the aiport is about 1:45. The rental car return is opposite the terminal building, you walk across the street to the terminal.

The Old Town of Nafplio is carfree. Your Pension Rigas is not accessible by car, so be prepared to schlepp your luggage and negotiate some stairs to reach the Pension. There are large car parks around the Old Town at the port. In February, there will be ample space for parking. I do not no know if they will charge a parking fee in February but anyway, it won't kill you.

Hi, Sandra. Thanks. This was scheduled around my daughter's spring break, and we know it won't be balmy. Based on words of experience above, we'll spend our first half in Nafplio and end a cab or Metro ride away from the airport. We live in the Land of Ice Storms, plus the odd tornado, so it takes quite a bit of weather to daunt us much. (knock wood) If something extreme happens when we land at ATH we'll play it by ear.


Good information, traveller. I like carfree. We'll be prepared to schlepp and pack light.

This is not needed now but in Heimdall's link there is a section at the bottom that says "Connection with Metro" which is what we did from Nafplio to the airport. For anyone else without a car.

Thanks for pointing that out, colduphere! The X93 connection at Kifissos Bus Station makes it easy to get from Nafplio to the airport by public transport. For those going from Kifissos Station to a hotel in central Athens, a taxi ride is convenient and cheap.

Actually, coming by KTEL bus from Nafplio, there is an even faster way to get to the airport. Once I took the Athens-bound bus in thru city traffic to Kifissos Station then took the X93 to airport. But the next time, the bus stat. in Nafplio told me I could avoid the traffic & save travel time by getting OFF the KTEL bus early, at "Leonas" or "Eleonas" stop, just inside the city line.

I had thought that the bus was totally express to the terminal, but that is not the case. On the previous trip, I had noticed MANY people got off there, and the driver helped them get their luggage from the storage compartment. The reason? it is at the start of the "Blue" line Metro which goes to the airport. Here's a Metro map: http://www.ametro.gr/files/images/At..._eng_LG.jpgSSo, that's what I did, and saved almost an hour of tedium in traffic and waiting for 2nd bus. Only thing to note is: on the Metro platform, wait for the train with the plane symbol on it; a few Blue Line trains terminate short of the airport.

Great information, all.

Bookmarking; great info. We just added Nafplion to our brief Greece trip in March (also planned around Spring Break).