Trip report: Athens, Chios, Samos, Ephesus, Santorini, and the Pelopponese
Oct 13th, 2009, 08:12 AM
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Trip report: Athens, Chios, Samos, Ephesus, Santorini, and the Pelopponese
Recently returned from a 16 day trip to Greece. My husband—a Latin and ancient Greek teacher—had spent the prior 6 weeks there with the American School for Classical Studies at Athens touring ancient sites all over the mainland and on Crete. Together, we did the following:
- Arrive in Athens. 3 nights, 2 full days.
- Depart early morning for Chios. 3 nights and full days.
- Depart early morning for Samos. 2 nights Samos. 1 full day on Samos island, day trip to Ephesus in Turkey. Half day prior to flight back to Athens.
- Fly to Athens, drive to Arachova. Night there.
- See ancient site of Delphi, drive to Meteora. Night in Kastraki.
- See the monasteries of Meterora, drive back down to Athens (a trip to Sounian at sunset as an aside). Night in Pireaus.
- Early morning ferry to Santorini. 3 nights and 2 full days on Santorini.
- Early morning flight to Athens. Drive to Nafplio. 3 nights in Nafplio, 3 days in the area.
A few generalized comments:
- Greece is a cash based society. The only places we were able to use credit cards were: SOME (not all!) hotels, some restaurants on Santorini, and car rental agencies. Be prepared to pay for your entire trip in cash. Take out 400 euros at a time from ATMs. You’ll go through them in a hurry.
- Visit ancient sites LATE in the day whenever possible. Crowds clear out after 3 pm. A MUCH better bet than going early, when, even if you show up at the gates open, the crowds will only intensify throughout your visit.
- Dinner is late: 9 or 10. So is lunch (1-2). Plan your day accordingly.
- Be prepared for the plumbing. All TP goes in the trash, not down the drain. Greek toilets can’t handle anything except for bodily waste (and sometimes even that may not go down on the first flush or two…)
- I know a lot of Americans are loathe to check baggage on flights. Olympic and Aegean both have weight limits for carry-ons, so we checked on every domestic flight we took (a total of 4 flights). We had no issues whatsoever and the slight delay at the airport didn’t bother us.
- We loved the sheer variety of things we were able to see on this trip: prehistoric sites, Roman sites, Hellenistic sites, Byzantine monasteries, and scenery on the islands! If you don’t have the interest in all of these things, plan your trip accordingly!
ATHENS
We spent 2 full days, which, frankly, is not enough. Lots of folks here will tell you it is. It’s not. There’s a ton to see in Athens and we only did the tip of the iceberg. And I was hitting the highlights that my husband had really come to know after spending 3 full weeks in Athens over the course of the summer. If you can swing it, aim for at least 3, better 4 days.
Day 0: I arrived around 4pm and my husband was waiting at the airport. We took the X95 bus to Syntagma Square. The bus runs 24 hours a day, but does take about 40 minutes. Then to our hotel, the Athens Gate, near Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Highly recommended. We got a great deal (check otel.com) at 96 euros a night for an inside room (read: view only a back alley, but blessedly quiet as the Athens Gate is on a major road which is busy at all hours of night or day). After a brief nap, we went up to the hotel’s best asset: their rooftop garden where I got my first view of the Parthenon—a great place for that to happen! One side of the garden overlooks the Parthenon and the other the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Parthenon views are premium, so you’re allowed to enjoy them only if you order food. We sat with some wine and a shared appetizer as the sun set and the Parthenon lights came on. Really fantastic. A long night stroll up past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dinner, then bed.
Day 1: The following morning, after breakfast, we headed to the National Archeologic Museum. We walked from the Omonia subway stop. Not the nicest area of town, but a quick walk. We spent 5 hours there hitting highlights (and, again, my husband had probably spent a total of about 30 hours in the museum during the course of the summer earlier). We skipped the pottery (their collection is mediocre per my classicist husband). The museum is best enjoyed by going around the outside circuit in a clockwise direction beginning with the Archaic, then up the center through the Mycenean treasures, popping into the special exhibit (the current exhibit on women in the ancient world is really interesting and well curated), and Eleni and Antonios Stathatos Collection and Near East/Egyptian collection. Make sure to go to the basement café to see the statues in the garden then and read about the shipwreck where they came from. Then upstairs to the Thira frescos and other finds from Thira. If you save Athens for last, the museum will really resonate after you see all the sites from whence these objects were recovered. Phenomenal.
From there, we enjoyed a late lunch (3 pm or so, still Greek lunchtime), then headed to the Roman Agora where we roamed and saw the main attraction there—the Tower of the Winds. Not a whole lot in the Roman Agora itself, but the booklet of tickets that you can buy for the ancient sites included it and we did enjoy traipsing up close to the Tower. We then wandered the Plaka and found ourselves near Hadrian’s library. Also a relatively unimpressive site that I would skip. After this long day, we headed back to the hotel for a nap before venturing out for dinner.
It was night of the August Full Moon, so the Acropolis and Parthenon were both open. We tried, unsuccessfully, to find a vantage point that would afford a photo of the Parthenon and moon. We climbed up Filopappou Hill, then wandered in search of dinner. By the time we had eaten and were heading up to the Acropolis, it was 1 or 2 am and—alas!—we had missed the actual festival.
Day 2: After breakfast, we began by wondering to the Ancient Agora the long way, passing by the impressive Monument of Lysikrates along the way. The Agora is a must-see, impressive not only for the phenomenonal Hephaestion, which is astonishingly well preserved—one of the few ancient temples that survives with its roof intact—but also just the air of the ancient world that the entire site is rich with. The signage leaves something to be desire, so make sure that you’re equipped with a guidebook that will lead you to the best of the ruins. We loved The Blue Guides for their focused and rich looks at sites throughout Greece. Very academic compared with all the other guide books out there. Don’t miss the excellent museum in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos II. You’ll be glad to enjoy the shade there as well!
After lunch in the Plaka, we trotted up to the Benaki Museum. It’s a shame that it’s off the well trod tourist path. Relatively small, it’s an excellent collection arranged chronically from prehistory to the modern Greek state. The Byzantium collection and re-creations of Macedonian living rooms were highlights.
Our next stop was another little visited museum—the Numismatic Museum just steps away from Syntagma Square. We have no interest in coins, though several of the cases were quite interesting, but the setting itself was breathtaking. The museum is set in a mansion that was the home of Heinrich Schliemann and is interesting in its melding of different architectural styles. Schleimann incorporated the colors of Pompeii, mosaics inspired by Myceanae, and other neat classical references.
Then to the Acropolis! Again, we went at around 4 pm and it was nearly empty. Must better than the morning crowds we observed while eating breakfast on the hotel’s roof garden. Make sure to progress slowly to the top, taking frequent looks around. Don’t run right to the Parthenon—in my opinion, it’s not even the most impressive thing at the top! You’ll come first to the Propylaea, which was the gateway to the temple. Just to the right is the small Temple of Athena Nike, its restoration nearly complete following a complete dismantling and reconstruction. Upon heading through the Propylaea, the Parthenon itself will be revealed, impressive even surrounded by much scaffolding. Do a complete counter-clockwise circuit, observing the friezes along the top. You’ll make your way to the Erechthion, which I think is even more amazing than the Parthenon. And, for the ancients, this was the real sacred site and was Athena’s most important shrine, where Athena won the contest for the city by creating an olive tree. One still stands nearby. This is the location of the Caryatid Porch.
From there, we went down the Acropolis by way of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theatre of Dionysis, both easily done as an aside.
The new Parthenon Museum is best visited immediately after a trip to the summit. You’ll appreciate the design all the more. This museum is astonishingly well done. From the moment that you approach, the meld of ancient and modern is apparent, especially in the ongoing excavations of the ancient ruins that were discovered when the foundation was dug. The museum design replicates the walk up to the top of the Acropolis both in physical design and chronologically. There is first a ramp with prehistorical relics leading to an Archaic temple relief and other amazing sculptures such as the famous calf-bearer. Next come the reliefs from the Temple of Athena Nike, the Caryatids, and an elevator up to the top floor, which is rotated to perfectly align with the dimensions and footprint of the layout of the Parthenon with excellent views up to it. There is a complete replication of the friezes and sculptures of the temple. Many are the original, but too many, alas, are plaster casts with the originals listed as being in the “BM.”
After a busy day, we enjoyed a drink on the hotel’s roof garden and contemplated what we were not able to see: I would have loved to have walked amid the huge columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and we never made it up to the top of Mount Lycabettus. I would have loved to have spent a few more hours in the Parthenon museum as well—we were probably only there for about 1-1.5 hours.
- Arrive in Athens. 3 nights, 2 full days.
- Depart early morning for Chios. 3 nights and full days.
- Depart early morning for Samos. 2 nights Samos. 1 full day on Samos island, day trip to Ephesus in Turkey. Half day prior to flight back to Athens.
- Fly to Athens, drive to Arachova. Night there.
- See ancient site of Delphi, drive to Meteora. Night in Kastraki.
- See the monasteries of Meterora, drive back down to Athens (a trip to Sounian at sunset as an aside). Night in Pireaus.
- Early morning ferry to Santorini. 3 nights and 2 full days on Santorini.
- Early morning flight to Athens. Drive to Nafplio. 3 nights in Nafplio, 3 days in the area.
A few generalized comments:
- Greece is a cash based society. The only places we were able to use credit cards were: SOME (not all!) hotels, some restaurants on Santorini, and car rental agencies. Be prepared to pay for your entire trip in cash. Take out 400 euros at a time from ATMs. You’ll go through them in a hurry.
- Visit ancient sites LATE in the day whenever possible. Crowds clear out after 3 pm. A MUCH better bet than going early, when, even if you show up at the gates open, the crowds will only intensify throughout your visit.
- Dinner is late: 9 or 10. So is lunch (1-2). Plan your day accordingly.
- Be prepared for the plumbing. All TP goes in the trash, not down the drain. Greek toilets can’t handle anything except for bodily waste (and sometimes even that may not go down on the first flush or two…)
- I know a lot of Americans are loathe to check baggage on flights. Olympic and Aegean both have weight limits for carry-ons, so we checked on every domestic flight we took (a total of 4 flights). We had no issues whatsoever and the slight delay at the airport didn’t bother us.
- We loved the sheer variety of things we were able to see on this trip: prehistoric sites, Roman sites, Hellenistic sites, Byzantine monasteries, and scenery on the islands! If you don’t have the interest in all of these things, plan your trip accordingly!
ATHENS
We spent 2 full days, which, frankly, is not enough. Lots of folks here will tell you it is. It’s not. There’s a ton to see in Athens and we only did the tip of the iceberg. And I was hitting the highlights that my husband had really come to know after spending 3 full weeks in Athens over the course of the summer. If you can swing it, aim for at least 3, better 4 days.
Day 0: I arrived around 4pm and my husband was waiting at the airport. We took the X95 bus to Syntagma Square. The bus runs 24 hours a day, but does take about 40 minutes. Then to our hotel, the Athens Gate, near Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Highly recommended. We got a great deal (check otel.com) at 96 euros a night for an inside room (read: view only a back alley, but blessedly quiet as the Athens Gate is on a major road which is busy at all hours of night or day). After a brief nap, we went up to the hotel’s best asset: their rooftop garden where I got my first view of the Parthenon—a great place for that to happen! One side of the garden overlooks the Parthenon and the other the Temple of Olympian Zeus. Parthenon views are premium, so you’re allowed to enjoy them only if you order food. We sat with some wine and a shared appetizer as the sun set and the Parthenon lights came on. Really fantastic. A long night stroll up past the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, dinner, then bed.
Day 1: The following morning, after breakfast, we headed to the National Archeologic Museum. We walked from the Omonia subway stop. Not the nicest area of town, but a quick walk. We spent 5 hours there hitting highlights (and, again, my husband had probably spent a total of about 30 hours in the museum during the course of the summer earlier). We skipped the pottery (their collection is mediocre per my classicist husband). The museum is best enjoyed by going around the outside circuit in a clockwise direction beginning with the Archaic, then up the center through the Mycenean treasures, popping into the special exhibit (the current exhibit on women in the ancient world is really interesting and well curated), and Eleni and Antonios Stathatos Collection and Near East/Egyptian collection. Make sure to go to the basement café to see the statues in the garden then and read about the shipwreck where they came from. Then upstairs to the Thira frescos and other finds from Thira. If you save Athens for last, the museum will really resonate after you see all the sites from whence these objects were recovered. Phenomenal.
From there, we enjoyed a late lunch (3 pm or so, still Greek lunchtime), then headed to the Roman Agora where we roamed and saw the main attraction there—the Tower of the Winds. Not a whole lot in the Roman Agora itself, but the booklet of tickets that you can buy for the ancient sites included it and we did enjoy traipsing up close to the Tower. We then wandered the Plaka and found ourselves near Hadrian’s library. Also a relatively unimpressive site that I would skip. After this long day, we headed back to the hotel for a nap before venturing out for dinner.
It was night of the August Full Moon, so the Acropolis and Parthenon were both open. We tried, unsuccessfully, to find a vantage point that would afford a photo of the Parthenon and moon. We climbed up Filopappou Hill, then wandered in search of dinner. By the time we had eaten and were heading up to the Acropolis, it was 1 or 2 am and—alas!—we had missed the actual festival.
Day 2: After breakfast, we began by wondering to the Ancient Agora the long way, passing by the impressive Monument of Lysikrates along the way. The Agora is a must-see, impressive not only for the phenomenonal Hephaestion, which is astonishingly well preserved—one of the few ancient temples that survives with its roof intact—but also just the air of the ancient world that the entire site is rich with. The signage leaves something to be desire, so make sure that you’re equipped with a guidebook that will lead you to the best of the ruins. We loved The Blue Guides for their focused and rich looks at sites throughout Greece. Very academic compared with all the other guide books out there. Don’t miss the excellent museum in the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos II. You’ll be glad to enjoy the shade there as well!
After lunch in the Plaka, we trotted up to the Benaki Museum. It’s a shame that it’s off the well trod tourist path. Relatively small, it’s an excellent collection arranged chronically from prehistory to the modern Greek state. The Byzantium collection and re-creations of Macedonian living rooms were highlights.
Our next stop was another little visited museum—the Numismatic Museum just steps away from Syntagma Square. We have no interest in coins, though several of the cases were quite interesting, but the setting itself was breathtaking. The museum is set in a mansion that was the home of Heinrich Schliemann and is interesting in its melding of different architectural styles. Schleimann incorporated the colors of Pompeii, mosaics inspired by Myceanae, and other neat classical references.
Then to the Acropolis! Again, we went at around 4 pm and it was nearly empty. Must better than the morning crowds we observed while eating breakfast on the hotel’s roof garden. Make sure to progress slowly to the top, taking frequent looks around. Don’t run right to the Parthenon—in my opinion, it’s not even the most impressive thing at the top! You’ll come first to the Propylaea, which was the gateway to the temple. Just to the right is the small Temple of Athena Nike, its restoration nearly complete following a complete dismantling and reconstruction. Upon heading through the Propylaea, the Parthenon itself will be revealed, impressive even surrounded by much scaffolding. Do a complete counter-clockwise circuit, observing the friezes along the top. You’ll make your way to the Erechthion, which I think is even more amazing than the Parthenon. And, for the ancients, this was the real sacred site and was Athena’s most important shrine, where Athena won the contest for the city by creating an olive tree. One still stands nearby. This is the location of the Caryatid Porch.
From there, we went down the Acropolis by way of the Odeon of Herodes Atticus and the Theatre of Dionysis, both easily done as an aside.
The new Parthenon Museum is best visited immediately after a trip to the summit. You’ll appreciate the design all the more. This museum is astonishingly well done. From the moment that you approach, the meld of ancient and modern is apparent, especially in the ongoing excavations of the ancient ruins that were discovered when the foundation was dug. The museum design replicates the walk up to the top of the Acropolis both in physical design and chronologically. There is first a ramp with prehistorical relics leading to an Archaic temple relief and other amazing sculptures such as the famous calf-bearer. Next come the reliefs from the Temple of Athena Nike, the Caryatids, and an elevator up to the top floor, which is rotated to perfectly align with the dimensions and footprint of the layout of the Parthenon with excellent views up to it. There is a complete replication of the friezes and sculptures of the temple. Many are the original, but too many, alas, are plaster casts with the originals listed as being in the “BM.”
After a busy day, we enjoyed a drink on the hotel’s roof garden and contemplated what we were not able to see: I would have loved to have walked amid the huge columns of the Temple of Olympian Zeus and we never made it up to the top of Mount Lycabettus. I would have loved to have spent a few more hours in the Parthenon museum as well—we were probably only there for about 1-1.5 hours.
Oct 13th, 2009, 08:12 AM
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Day 3: We woke while it was still dark to make it to the airport for our flight to Chios. The great thing about the X95 is that it does run all the time! After the quick flight, we were in for a surprise. No rental cars were available at the airport. We didn’t get the chance to pre-book one, and never thought that it would be an issue. We were wrong. We took a taxi to Chios Town, thinking we would have better luck there and, eventually, found that one agency would have a car for us—about 12 hours later at 8 that evening. This was an island where we needed a car. Plan ahead. Needing to come up with an alternate plan, we had some breakfast, and decided to ditch our belongings with the renal agency and take a bus to one of the nearby beaches because, having been sleep deprived the night before, I wasn’t really interested in poking around a town that all of the guidebooks suggested lacked charm. We went to Karfas beach, which was about a 30 minute bus ride. It was a fine white sandy beach with the classic blue Aegean waters. We paid for two lounge chairs, set them up in the shade under our umbrella, and napped and swam for the rest of the day, picking up a few gyros for lunch. Our day had certainly been rescued. We went back to Chios Town in time to grab a few snacks for dinner at a great restaurant overlooking the port. This was the ONLY place in our travels where English (and even my husband’s pidgin Greek) wasn’t understood. Most shocking, especially because the waiter was young, probably in his mid-late 20s. We picked up the car and drove to the mastic village of Mesta.
Mastic is what makes Chios special. A type of pine resin, the trees only grow on the southern part of Chios. In ancient times, it as used as a breath freshener, in chewing gum, in cosmetics, and all kinds of other things. The production center were the mastic villages. They were designed to keep invaders out. Thick stone walls, winding narrow roads, a central square with the church, and roofs all at the same level to facilitate escape. When we finally arrived, we found that Mesta is haunting at night. We also discovered what should have been obvious: don’t even try to drive anywhere beyond the walls. We stayed at Anna Floradi Apartments, self catering apartments (50 euros per night). Anna herself was helpful and friendly, but we would have like to have breakfast, the beds were shockingly hard, and the linens cheap and scratchy. The rooms were cheap, but I think we could have found a better deal elsewhere. We had a quick drink in the hopping central square, then to well deserved sleep.
Day 4: A late breakfast in Mesta, then we hopped in our rental car to explore the island. We drove along the western shore and stopped at a lovely beach for a swim. We enjoyed seeing the towers that spotted the island. From there, we went to the island’s main attraction, Nea Moni monastery, with its 11th century Byzantine mosaics. Also interesting was the chapel on the grounds with victims’ bones from the Turkish massacre here in 1822. Many of the skulls are scarred with ax marks. We drove east toward Vrontados village, mostly because my husband wanted to see the Daskalopetra (or “teaching rock” reputed to be a site of Homer’s teaching) there. Not easy to find and not too exciting for those of us who are not hard-core classicists. Then back to Mesta for dinner. All of this made for a very long day of driving!
Day 5: This was a relaxing day—we planned on checking out some of the other mastic villages and beach hopping. Our first stop was Olympi, which didn’t have much to set it apart from the others. We then went to Pyrgi, where we enjoyed a great lunch. Pyrgi is a must-see. The walls of the town, including all the balconies are covered by black and white geometric “xysta” created by scraping away plaster to reveal the black sand underneath. From Pyrgi, we went to Mavra Volia, the black pebble beach in Emporios. Thoughts are that this may have been the referenced by Homer’s “wine dark sea”. A must see, but really crowded. We had better luck heading a bit north and driving down a long winding unpaved road, at the end of which was a nearly deserted beach in a secluded cove. We stayed there for a fantastic sunset, which we were the only ones to enjoy.
In the end, Chios was quiet and well off the beaten path, which was what we were looking for on this portion of our trip. Ultimately, though we were initially looking at Lesvos, we picked Chios based on flight schedules as we had wanted the next stop to be Samos (from which to take a day trip to Turkey). I don’t think we’d go back. We enjoyed the really fantastic beaches and the mastic villages, but we tend to like a bit more sightseeing on our trips. I think if we had been able to take a masticulture tour, we would have enjoyed the experience a bit more and gotten more of the real character of the island.
Mastic is what makes Chios special. A type of pine resin, the trees only grow on the southern part of Chios. In ancient times, it as used as a breath freshener, in chewing gum, in cosmetics, and all kinds of other things. The production center were the mastic villages. They were designed to keep invaders out. Thick stone walls, winding narrow roads, a central square with the church, and roofs all at the same level to facilitate escape. When we finally arrived, we found that Mesta is haunting at night. We also discovered what should have been obvious: don’t even try to drive anywhere beyond the walls. We stayed at Anna Floradi Apartments, self catering apartments (50 euros per night). Anna herself was helpful and friendly, but we would have like to have breakfast, the beds were shockingly hard, and the linens cheap and scratchy. The rooms were cheap, but I think we could have found a better deal elsewhere. We had a quick drink in the hopping central square, then to well deserved sleep.
Day 4: A late breakfast in Mesta, then we hopped in our rental car to explore the island. We drove along the western shore and stopped at a lovely beach for a swim. We enjoyed seeing the towers that spotted the island. From there, we went to the island’s main attraction, Nea Moni monastery, with its 11th century Byzantine mosaics. Also interesting was the chapel on the grounds with victims’ bones from the Turkish massacre here in 1822. Many of the skulls are scarred with ax marks. We drove east toward Vrontados village, mostly because my husband wanted to see the Daskalopetra (or “teaching rock” reputed to be a site of Homer’s teaching) there. Not easy to find and not too exciting for those of us who are not hard-core classicists. Then back to Mesta for dinner. All of this made for a very long day of driving!
Day 5: This was a relaxing day—we planned on checking out some of the other mastic villages and beach hopping. Our first stop was Olympi, which didn’t have much to set it apart from the others. We then went to Pyrgi, where we enjoyed a great lunch. Pyrgi is a must-see. The walls of the town, including all the balconies are covered by black and white geometric “xysta” created by scraping away plaster to reveal the black sand underneath. From Pyrgi, we went to Mavra Volia, the black pebble beach in Emporios. Thoughts are that this may have been the referenced by Homer’s “wine dark sea”. A must see, but really crowded. We had better luck heading a bit north and driving down a long winding unpaved road, at the end of which was a nearly deserted beach in a secluded cove. We stayed there for a fantastic sunset, which we were the only ones to enjoy.
In the end, Chios was quiet and well off the beaten path, which was what we were looking for on this portion of our trip. Ultimately, though we were initially looking at Lesvos, we picked Chios based on flight schedules as we had wanted the next stop to be Samos (from which to take a day trip to Turkey). I don’t think we’d go back. We enjoyed the really fantastic beaches and the mastic villages, but we tend to like a bit more sightseeing on our trips. I think if we had been able to take a masticulture tour, we would have enjoyed the experience a bit more and gotten more of the real character of the island.
Oct 13th, 2009, 08:14 AM
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Day 6: Another early morning flight (our specialty on the trip!) to the island of Samos. We stayed in Ireon, which I would highly recommend. It’s a small town, but bus service is available and reliable several times daily to and from Samos town as well as the airport and Pythagorio. And the town itself is simply lovely with a small and delightful beach, some wonderful beachfront restaurants, and lots of character. It’s also within (longish) walking distance to Herion, the major archeologic site of the island. We stayed at Pension Galini (50 euros per night, plus 1.50 per person per breakfast), which is highly recommended. Small immaculate rooms with nice balconies with sidelong views of the sea. The family that runs is helpful and pleasant. Because our flight was so early, we arrived at 8:30 am, the worst possible time as it was right in the middle of breakfast, but were welcomed with coffee and tea on the veranda. They did request a money transfer to their bank account in order to reserve the room.
From there, we walked to Herion, where we spent several hours exploring the ruins. The labeling is fairly good and the site is actually a really nice one if you take the time to explore it. The temple here was gigantic, far larger than the Parthenon and the crumbling (and one still standing) column is impressive. Don’t miss the nice little museum/display with some great aerial shots and models—you need to walk through the “spare parts” museum to the little building beyond right on the sea.
We spent the rest of our day lounging Ireon and taking a nice swim on the beach. We had a fabulous and cheap seafood feast for dinner overlooking the water. We splurged on a bottle of Golden Samian white wine, which we would highly recommend.
Day 7: Time for a day trip to the ancient Roman town of Ephesus in Turkey! We had pre-purchased a day ferry excursion ticket, which we picked up at the port of Samos town/Vathi. The ferry leaves at 8:30 and returns at 4:30 from Ephesus. We were able to get to the port and pick them up without any trouble, and did it cheaply, taking the first public bus from Ireon to Vathi. The ferry crossing can be a bit dicey (this is a SMALL boat) so if you’re prone to seasickness, I strongly recommend taking the appropriate precautions. We arrived at Kudasi in Turkey, paid our port fees, and—gulp!—left our passports with the port agent. Though this made us nervous, we wouldn’t have been allowed into Turkey if we hadn’t.
There are several options for getting to Ephesus. We like to save money, so we took a public bus. Taxis are available, but the prices are exorbitant, even bargaining and avoiding the taxis right at the port. Ask for the bus “station,” a short walk through the bazaar, but bear in mind that there’s no real station, just an area near the bazaar where the mini-buses (vans, really) pick up and drop off. They’re well labeled. You pay the driver, so just hop on and be on your way. The bus drops off at the bottom of the road leaving to Ephesus, but it’s a short walk up the hill. You can pay with credit card to avoid the euro/Turkish lira exchange. We had no problem paying the bus driver in euros.
Ephesus is amazing. Crowded and amazing. Doing it on a single day trip like this, we didn’t have the option to going later in the day to avoid the crowds, but it was still well worth the trip. I’d recommend walking from the lower gate where you enter to the upper gate, trying not to stop too long to marvel at the Library of Celsus or theatre along the way. You’ll get a nice overview of the site and it’ll be easier to follow your tour book. (Plus, the real walking will be downhill!) We just photocopied the relevant section from a Turkey tour book from the library and printed out some stuff from the internet and found that quite helpful. Hiring a tour guide was not necessary. The whole site is amazing, but the absolutely most incredible do-not-miss part was the Terrace Houses. This is an ongoing excavation and requires a separate entrance fee, but PAY IT. Several reasons: first, it’s covered and out of the heat. Second, you get away from the crowds as the tour groups don’t go in. Third, it’s absolutely incredible. These are several phases of houses built on top of one another and into a hill. There are incredibly well preserved mosaics and frescos everywhere and all in-situ which is just so rare. There are glass walkways to allow you to see the mosaics underfoot. Words simply can’t do the site justice. The rest of Ephesus was great (especially the theatres and library of Celsus) but the Terrace Houses are really special.
Unfortunately, a day excursion is not long enough to also get to the archeological museum in Selçuk and we were disappointed about that. By the time our ferry retuned to Vathi, the last bus had departed for the day and we took a taxi back to Ireon. Taxis fees are clearly marked at the port and it wasn’t an unreasonable fee.
Day 8: We had a flight to Athens in the early afternoon and were hoping to get some time to visit Pythagorio, but slothfulness won out and we just hung out and wrote some postcards. Overall, Samos was wonderful and we wish that we had more time on the island. We wanted to get the museum in Vathi and spend time poking around Pythagorio, which looked like a really great town from the windows of the bus! We would go back in a heartbeat to explore the island even more. There are some tourists, but very few are American. Lots of German and Dutch.
We flew to Athens, picked up our rental car, and headed up towards Delphi. We stopped along the way at Livadia. This is a really pleasant place for a break, coffee, drink, or dinner. The outskirts are not pretty, but there’s an area in the town with a walking path along the Erkyna River and waterfalls leading to the Trophonius Oracle lined with sculptures, water wheels, and several restaurants.
Our destination for the night was Arachova. Also, very highly recommended as a place to stay near Delphi. It’s 15 minutes up the mountain at the base of Mount Parnassus and, in winter, is a fashionable ski town. Modern Delphi is a tourist trap. Arachova isn’t. It’s gorgeous and has some great shops. We stayed at the Guesthouse Gereralis, which was wonderful, but hard to find. Call them when you’re in town and they’ll lug your baggage down to the guesthouse and direct you to the right place! Beautiful and huge themed rooms and great views. In the winter, there’s a spa and lots of fireplaces and wood stoves. It really reminded us of an American B&B with the typical basic Greek breakfast. We paid 60 euros. After settling in, we headed up to the hopping main outdoor square lined with cafes and bars and enjoyed the night lounging on a couch with a few drinks. It was really a great spot.
From there, we walked to Herion, where we spent several hours exploring the ruins. The labeling is fairly good and the site is actually a really nice one if you take the time to explore it. The temple here was gigantic, far larger than the Parthenon and the crumbling (and one still standing) column is impressive. Don’t miss the nice little museum/display with some great aerial shots and models—you need to walk through the “spare parts” museum to the little building beyond right on the sea.
We spent the rest of our day lounging Ireon and taking a nice swim on the beach. We had a fabulous and cheap seafood feast for dinner overlooking the water. We splurged on a bottle of Golden Samian white wine, which we would highly recommend.
Day 7: Time for a day trip to the ancient Roman town of Ephesus in Turkey! We had pre-purchased a day ferry excursion ticket, which we picked up at the port of Samos town/Vathi. The ferry leaves at 8:30 and returns at 4:30 from Ephesus. We were able to get to the port and pick them up without any trouble, and did it cheaply, taking the first public bus from Ireon to Vathi. The ferry crossing can be a bit dicey (this is a SMALL boat) so if you’re prone to seasickness, I strongly recommend taking the appropriate precautions. We arrived at Kudasi in Turkey, paid our port fees, and—gulp!—left our passports with the port agent. Though this made us nervous, we wouldn’t have been allowed into Turkey if we hadn’t.
There are several options for getting to Ephesus. We like to save money, so we took a public bus. Taxis are available, but the prices are exorbitant, even bargaining and avoiding the taxis right at the port. Ask for the bus “station,” a short walk through the bazaar, but bear in mind that there’s no real station, just an area near the bazaar where the mini-buses (vans, really) pick up and drop off. They’re well labeled. You pay the driver, so just hop on and be on your way. The bus drops off at the bottom of the road leaving to Ephesus, but it’s a short walk up the hill. You can pay with credit card to avoid the euro/Turkish lira exchange. We had no problem paying the bus driver in euros.
Ephesus is amazing. Crowded and amazing. Doing it on a single day trip like this, we didn’t have the option to going later in the day to avoid the crowds, but it was still well worth the trip. I’d recommend walking from the lower gate where you enter to the upper gate, trying not to stop too long to marvel at the Library of Celsus or theatre along the way. You’ll get a nice overview of the site and it’ll be easier to follow your tour book. (Plus, the real walking will be downhill!) We just photocopied the relevant section from a Turkey tour book from the library and printed out some stuff from the internet and found that quite helpful. Hiring a tour guide was not necessary. The whole site is amazing, but the absolutely most incredible do-not-miss part was the Terrace Houses. This is an ongoing excavation and requires a separate entrance fee, but PAY IT. Several reasons: first, it’s covered and out of the heat. Second, you get away from the crowds as the tour groups don’t go in. Third, it’s absolutely incredible. These are several phases of houses built on top of one another and into a hill. There are incredibly well preserved mosaics and frescos everywhere and all in-situ which is just so rare. There are glass walkways to allow you to see the mosaics underfoot. Words simply can’t do the site justice. The rest of Ephesus was great (especially the theatres and library of Celsus) but the Terrace Houses are really special.
Unfortunately, a day excursion is not long enough to also get to the archeological museum in Selçuk and we were disappointed about that. By the time our ferry retuned to Vathi, the last bus had departed for the day and we took a taxi back to Ireon. Taxis fees are clearly marked at the port and it wasn’t an unreasonable fee.
Day 8: We had a flight to Athens in the early afternoon and were hoping to get some time to visit Pythagorio, but slothfulness won out and we just hung out and wrote some postcards. Overall, Samos was wonderful and we wish that we had more time on the island. We wanted to get the museum in Vathi and spend time poking around Pythagorio, which looked like a really great town from the windows of the bus! We would go back in a heartbeat to explore the island even more. There are some tourists, but very few are American. Lots of German and Dutch.
We flew to Athens, picked up our rental car, and headed up towards Delphi. We stopped along the way at Livadia. This is a really pleasant place for a break, coffee, drink, or dinner. The outskirts are not pretty, but there’s an area in the town with a walking path along the Erkyna River and waterfalls leading to the Trophonius Oracle lined with sculptures, water wheels, and several restaurants.
Our destination for the night was Arachova. Also, very highly recommended as a place to stay near Delphi. It’s 15 minutes up the mountain at the base of Mount Parnassus and, in winter, is a fashionable ski town. Modern Delphi is a tourist trap. Arachova isn’t. It’s gorgeous and has some great shops. We stayed at the Guesthouse Gereralis, which was wonderful, but hard to find. Call them when you’re in town and they’ll lug your baggage down to the guesthouse and direct you to the right place! Beautiful and huge themed rooms and great views. In the winter, there’s a spa and lots of fireplaces and wood stoves. It really reminded us of an American B&B with the typical basic Greek breakfast. We paid 60 euros. After settling in, we headed up to the hopping main outdoor square lined with cafes and bars and enjoyed the night lounging on a couch with a few drinks. It was really a great spot.
Oct 13th, 2009, 08:14 AM
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Day 9: We started our day at Ancient Delphi, which was my favorite spot of our entire trip. The site is amazing, the museum is amazing, and the setting is amazing. Be prepared to walk uphill, though! I would start with the sanctuary of Athena Pronaia and the Tholos which is below the main site and a short drive away. It’s neat, but less impressive than the main site. Make sure that you take in the treasuries before getting to Apollo’s temple and the Oracle. Enjoy the views to the valley. Climb all the way up, past the theatre and to the stadium at the very top of the hill. The site labels are horrible, so make sure that you have a good tour book. (Again, the Blue Guide was our go-to.) The Delphi Archeological Museum is phenomenal. Make sure to spend enough time. Labels are great here. The charioteer, ompholos, relief pediments from the Temple of Apollo and the treasuries, and the Naxos Sphinx are just a few of the highlights.
We drove from Delphi up to Meteora. We went through the mountains, which was nice for the views and really made the plains of Thessaly remarkable. It took us about 3-4 hours. At Meteora, we stayed in Kastraki (much nicer than Kalambaka, but hit up the ATM and gas stations in Kalambaka first) at the Doupani House. The room was nice but what really made this hotel was the view. I can’t imagine any better of the Meteroa rocks. I sat on the balcony of our room and read while my husband napped and the chanting of the monks wafted down from the monasteries as the sun was setting. It was haunting. We paid 60 euros. Breakfast was 7 euros extra per person and, from what we saw, didn’t look worth the price.
Day 10: We visited 5 of the 6 monasteries and really enjoyed the Byzantine flavor here. But it was too much for one day. We should have stopped at four. If you want to do them all, take two days. Ultimately, they’re very similar, so you don’t need to do them all. We didn’t go to Megalo Meteroa. We preferred the quieter ones. In fact, my favorite was Agios Nikolaos, the first one that you come to. I felt like I was doing my penance by needing to walk up all of those stairs. Each had great frescos in the chapels. Next along the road is Roussanou, also well worth a visit. Doing it again, I’d skip Agia Triada, the James Bond one. We really enjoyed the convent of Agios Stefanos, which is easily accessed. It had some great gardens and really nice courtyard areas as well as a nice little museum. By the time we got to Varlaam, we were wiped. Take the time along the way to wonder at the rock formations and take lots of photos! Pack a lunch to enjoy as well because there’s no place to stop once you’re up in the Meteora.
We drove back to the Athens area to spend the night in Pireaus. This was a long drive, but we took the more direct route along the national road, which was flat ad relatively quick. 4-5 hours or so. My husband really wanted to take me to Sounion, so we drove to the tip of Attica to the Temple of Poseidon and happened to arrive shortly before sunset. I’m glad that he drove the extra way! There’s nothing really at Sounion other than the temple, but it’s a gorgeous place to watch the sunset. We enjoyed some of that great dusk light at the Temple itself, then snuck to the land formation just to the west, where we could see the sun set behind the Temple and avoided the crowds.
We dropped off our rental car and then took the X96 to Pireaus. We stayed for the night at the Hotel Ideal which was a great place for a bed for one night. A little bit of a sketchy location given that it’s opposite a strip club, but this is a port town after all. It was not an unsafe location. The hotel itself was clean and the bed actually one of the most comfortable we had on our stay. 65-70 euros or so. Quick ~10 minute walk to the Cycladic ferries.
Day 11: We spend half of the day on the ferry to Santorini, which was a pleasant way to travel. We enjoyed the views of the caldara upon our approach. Once you arrive, it’s not at Fira, which I expected, but a port of Athinios. You climb off the ferry and into a bus that will take you to Fira. From there, another bus to Oia or Imerovigli (where we stayed). I wasn’t expecting this much travel, so be forewarned! We stayed at the Helides Apartments (150 euros) which I would highly recommend. Traditional cave architecture, easily accessible, great views, and reasonable prices for Santorini. We liked that we had a small stove and enough cookware to make our own breakfast and enjoy cocktail hour on our balcony. Two wine glasses, two water glasses, and two ouzo glasses. We grabbed lunch at Blue Note (much better at lunch than dinner—they were super crowded and had one overwhelmed waitress and the service was simply abysmal), then a nap and just down the street for groceries, where we pick up some wine, ouzo, hors d’oevres, and some eggs and bacon for a real American breakfast the following morning. We were fortunate that, on the night of our arrival, there was a “celebration in honor of the volcano” and fireworks were set off from one of the volcano islands along with some on the ground that simulated lava. We had a great view of it and it was a wonderful introduction to the island. The owner of the hotel, Olympia, offered all of her guests wine as we sat and watched the display.
Day 12: We took the bus to Oia and explored for a bit. It was crowded in the middle of the day—and this was a day where there were no major cruse ships on the island. I might have liked to explore some more later in the day, but in most of the areas, it felt simply too touristy for us. We were glad that we chose to stay in Imerovigli instead. We hiked back to Imerovigli along the caldara, which was really nice. But be warned, in the afternoon heat, it is a hike, not just a gentle walk. This would be superb to do first thing in the morning before the heat of the day. Even still, I was comfortable wearing a skirt and good closed toe shoes without heels. We really enjoyed this views and the small monasteries and churches that we passed along the way. We found that the posted signs overestimated the time that it would take to do the hike. We made it back well in time for the nightly ritual—sunset on our balcony. Again, I had no desire to see the sunset at Oia. I much preferred hanging out with only my husband with a glass of wine in hand. Plus, I really enjoyed the Imerovigli sunsets over the rest of the islands, which I don’t think you can get from Oia.
Day 13: We rented a car just for the day, because we wanted to see the famous black and red sand beaches as well as visit Ancient Thira. A small car cost the same as a ATV would have, and I felt MUCH safer in it. We also considered seeing a winery, but never quite got around to it.
Our first stop was the Museum of Prehistora Thira, which was small, but really excellent. Most of the “best” stuff from Akroiri is in Athens, but there’s still some amazing stuff here. There are frescos, a really amazing pottery collection, and a super cool golden ibex statue. I would not miss this museum. We then wandered around Fira, checking out the cathedral of Panayia Ypapantis. We could have skipped the wandering—we weren’t able to find anything except for touristy restaurants, postcard shops, and souvenir shops.
We drop of ancient Thira, the site of Roman development on the island. Akroiri, the prehistoric site, is still closed and looks to be for a while. Be warned, this site closes early (3 pm or so) and it takes a long time to get up the switchbacks from Kamari beach. The signage is okay, but the site is spread out a bit on the mountaintop. The views from the top of the mountain are fabulous.
We then checked out the black sand beach of Kamari (crowded, but a nice place for a quick swim) and the much more impressive red sand beach. The red sand beach takes a bit of hiking to get to (5-10 minutes) so is less crowded. Also, no facilities or shade. This would be a nice place to bring a picnic. Overall, though, the Santorini beaches are only okay. Nice to see or stop at briefly, but the highlight of this island is the caldara side, not this side.
We drove from Delphi up to Meteora. We went through the mountains, which was nice for the views and really made the plains of Thessaly remarkable. It took us about 3-4 hours. At Meteora, we stayed in Kastraki (much nicer than Kalambaka, but hit up the ATM and gas stations in Kalambaka first) at the Doupani House. The room was nice but what really made this hotel was the view. I can’t imagine any better of the Meteroa rocks. I sat on the balcony of our room and read while my husband napped and the chanting of the monks wafted down from the monasteries as the sun was setting. It was haunting. We paid 60 euros. Breakfast was 7 euros extra per person and, from what we saw, didn’t look worth the price.
Day 10: We visited 5 of the 6 monasteries and really enjoyed the Byzantine flavor here. But it was too much for one day. We should have stopped at four. If you want to do them all, take two days. Ultimately, they’re very similar, so you don’t need to do them all. We didn’t go to Megalo Meteroa. We preferred the quieter ones. In fact, my favorite was Agios Nikolaos, the first one that you come to. I felt like I was doing my penance by needing to walk up all of those stairs. Each had great frescos in the chapels. Next along the road is Roussanou, also well worth a visit. Doing it again, I’d skip Agia Triada, the James Bond one. We really enjoyed the convent of Agios Stefanos, which is easily accessed. It had some great gardens and really nice courtyard areas as well as a nice little museum. By the time we got to Varlaam, we were wiped. Take the time along the way to wonder at the rock formations and take lots of photos! Pack a lunch to enjoy as well because there’s no place to stop once you’re up in the Meteora.
We drove back to the Athens area to spend the night in Pireaus. This was a long drive, but we took the more direct route along the national road, which was flat ad relatively quick. 4-5 hours or so. My husband really wanted to take me to Sounion, so we drove to the tip of Attica to the Temple of Poseidon and happened to arrive shortly before sunset. I’m glad that he drove the extra way! There’s nothing really at Sounion other than the temple, but it’s a gorgeous place to watch the sunset. We enjoyed some of that great dusk light at the Temple itself, then snuck to the land formation just to the west, where we could see the sun set behind the Temple and avoided the crowds.
We dropped off our rental car and then took the X96 to Pireaus. We stayed for the night at the Hotel Ideal which was a great place for a bed for one night. A little bit of a sketchy location given that it’s opposite a strip club, but this is a port town after all. It was not an unsafe location. The hotel itself was clean and the bed actually one of the most comfortable we had on our stay. 65-70 euros or so. Quick ~10 minute walk to the Cycladic ferries.
Day 11: We spend half of the day on the ferry to Santorini, which was a pleasant way to travel. We enjoyed the views of the caldara upon our approach. Once you arrive, it’s not at Fira, which I expected, but a port of Athinios. You climb off the ferry and into a bus that will take you to Fira. From there, another bus to Oia or Imerovigli (where we stayed). I wasn’t expecting this much travel, so be forewarned! We stayed at the Helides Apartments (150 euros) which I would highly recommend. Traditional cave architecture, easily accessible, great views, and reasonable prices for Santorini. We liked that we had a small stove and enough cookware to make our own breakfast and enjoy cocktail hour on our balcony. Two wine glasses, two water glasses, and two ouzo glasses. We grabbed lunch at Blue Note (much better at lunch than dinner—they were super crowded and had one overwhelmed waitress and the service was simply abysmal), then a nap and just down the street for groceries, where we pick up some wine, ouzo, hors d’oevres, and some eggs and bacon for a real American breakfast the following morning. We were fortunate that, on the night of our arrival, there was a “celebration in honor of the volcano” and fireworks were set off from one of the volcano islands along with some on the ground that simulated lava. We had a great view of it and it was a wonderful introduction to the island. The owner of the hotel, Olympia, offered all of her guests wine as we sat and watched the display.
Day 12: We took the bus to Oia and explored for a bit. It was crowded in the middle of the day—and this was a day where there were no major cruse ships on the island. I might have liked to explore some more later in the day, but in most of the areas, it felt simply too touristy for us. We were glad that we chose to stay in Imerovigli instead. We hiked back to Imerovigli along the caldara, which was really nice. But be warned, in the afternoon heat, it is a hike, not just a gentle walk. This would be superb to do first thing in the morning before the heat of the day. Even still, I was comfortable wearing a skirt and good closed toe shoes without heels. We really enjoyed this views and the small monasteries and churches that we passed along the way. We found that the posted signs overestimated the time that it would take to do the hike. We made it back well in time for the nightly ritual—sunset on our balcony. Again, I had no desire to see the sunset at Oia. I much preferred hanging out with only my husband with a glass of wine in hand. Plus, I really enjoyed the Imerovigli sunsets over the rest of the islands, which I don’t think you can get from Oia.
Day 13: We rented a car just for the day, because we wanted to see the famous black and red sand beaches as well as visit Ancient Thira. A small car cost the same as a ATV would have, and I felt MUCH safer in it. We also considered seeing a winery, but never quite got around to it.
Our first stop was the Museum of Prehistora Thira, which was small, but really excellent. Most of the “best” stuff from Akroiri is in Athens, but there’s still some amazing stuff here. There are frescos, a really amazing pottery collection, and a super cool golden ibex statue. I would not miss this museum. We then wandered around Fira, checking out the cathedral of Panayia Ypapantis. We could have skipped the wandering—we weren’t able to find anything except for touristy restaurants, postcard shops, and souvenir shops.
We drop of ancient Thira, the site of Roman development on the island. Akroiri, the prehistoric site, is still closed and looks to be for a while. Be warned, this site closes early (3 pm or so) and it takes a long time to get up the switchbacks from Kamari beach. The signage is okay, but the site is spread out a bit on the mountaintop. The views from the top of the mountain are fabulous.
We then checked out the black sand beach of Kamari (crowded, but a nice place for a quick swim) and the much more impressive red sand beach. The red sand beach takes a bit of hiking to get to (5-10 minutes) so is less crowded. Also, no facilities or shade. This would be a nice place to bring a picnic. Overall, though, the Santorini beaches are only okay. Nice to see or stop at briefly, but the highlight of this island is the caldara side, not this side.
Oct 13th, 2009, 08:15 AM
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Day 14: An early morning flight back to Athens—we were shocked to see folks still not in bed in Fira at 6am—where we picked up our rental car. We were spending the night in Nafplion and our first stop was at the Corinth canal, which really is incredible. There’s a relatively new monument there with some data on that canal and it’s pretty awesome. Stop, get out of your car, and walk to the midpoint of the bridge. It’s a little scary, but well worth it! Our next stop was at ancient Corinth. The site here is spread out and not well labeled. Most ruins date from the Roman era. I wasn’t terribly impressed by the site itself, though there are some neat ruins of fountains and a few columns still standing from the Temple of Apollo. The museum is a nice one, which some great mosaics and interesting votive healing offerings. The Odeon and Asklepieion (sanctuary of the god of healing) are closed but can be glimpsed through a fence. We chose not to drive up to the Acrocorinth. Great views, per my husband, but not much else worthwhile up there.
We continued our drive to Nafplion, where we stayed at the Pensione Marianne. This place gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but I think it’s overated. We paid 75 euros for a relatively small room without a view. The hotel is built on 3 levels and each room is sized and shaped quite differently. We wandered around the city and harbor, passing through Syntagma Square, getting a gelato, and wandering along the quay to the promontory and little local beach, then up to Acronafplia. We ended up going into the Nafplia Palace Hotel for sunset drinks, where I got a stellar glass of Nemean red wine. This was a really great—and quiet—place to watch the sun set over the harbor and I would highly recommend it.
Day 15: We started out the day by going to ancient Tiryns, the Mycenaean era citadel closest to Nafplion. I highly recommend that people stop here before heading on to Mycenae. You get a MUCH better sense of the palace layout and the cyclopean walls here are frankly more impressive than those at Mycenae. We were the only ones at the entire site for the length of our visit. The galleries here are amazing, even if their purpose remains elusive. Continuing upward, you’re able to explore the palace and megaron. The city was set on a small hill, but even today, the views toward the sea are really amazing.
From there, we headed to Mycenae. This is a do-not-miss site. Most of the treasures from the site at in the National Archeological Museum in Athens but the site is fantastic. And, because of that, frequented by tour groups. Luckily, it’s large enough that the tour groups don’t take it over as they can at other places. The museum at the site isn’t very impressive. Before heading up to the Lion gate and palce itself, take some time to wander amid the tholos tombs outside the gates. The whole plain below is the site of active archeological excavations, where they’re discovering much of the infrastructure and common dwellings that made this such a great city. The tomb of Clymtemnestra was a highlight of the site for me. It’s similar to the Treasury of Atreus/Tomb of Agamemnon further down the road (don’t miss it as you depart Mycenae) but somehow resonated a bit more. From there, begin your climb up to the palace, beginning with the (headless) lioness gate and passing by the famous grave circles, which interestingly lie within the cyclopean city walls. At the top of the site is the palace—the rooms of which you’re unable to wander around, which is why a trip to Triyns makes the layout clearer. You can then head down to the artisan quarter and the House of the Columns. Don’t miss the subterranean cistern which was also a secret passage under the walls. You can explore inside with a flashlight if it’s open.
We returned to Nafplion, and headed to Karathona beach just south of town. This was my favorite beach of the trip. Sandy beach with nice warm water, shallow far out, not too crowded, and close to town. After our swim, we returned to town and, this time had our sunset drinks at one of the many cafes along the promenade. We enjoyed getting the sunset view from both the Acronafplia and right along the water’s edge.
Day 16: Our last full day in Greece! We took the day to explore Napflion. We started at the Archeological Museum, which has a small but excellent collection. The introductory video is excellent. Highly recommended. We then took a boat out to the Bourtzi in the middle of the harbor. For about 5 euros, they ferry you out there and let you wander around (sadly, not inside) for about 30 minutes or so. The Bourtzi itself isn’t anything special, but it’s neat to see the town from this angle and to think about the fortifications of this town. From there, we drove up to the Palamidi, the series of fortresses set high above town. There are about 900 steps to climb to get up here from the city. Lots to explore up here. Make sure to see all the Venetian lions on the walls. Astonishingly, this fortress took only 8 days to fall to the Turks in 1715.
We had tickets for A Winter’s Tale at the ancient theatre of Epidauros, so, after a swim, headed there with enough time to see the site before the performance. If you’re able, I would highly recommend catching a performance there. A few tricks: It’s not very comfortable to spend 3 hours sitting on stone. Bring pillows from your hotel to sit on. Plan something for dinner—either bring a picnic or make reservations at the restaurant on site well before performance time. We didn’t have anything and getting a table and the attention of our harried waitress was not easy. Arrive early. General areas are ticketed, but seats are on a first come-first served basis within each section. Some people may not be willing to move to allow you to squeeze in.
The only impressive thing about the site of Epidauros is its theatre. I’m a physician and was really curious about this site of ancient healing. Unfortunately, the ruins are unimpressive, spread out, and really not worthwhile in their present form. Many are in the stage of being restored. Most of the restoration is made of stone that is not original. The small museum doesn’t have much of interest either.
Day 17: I had an early afternoon flight, so we were able to confidently make the drive from Nafplion back to Athens airport without too much trouble. If you don’t have this luxury, make sure your last days are spent in Athens!
We continued our drive to Nafplion, where we stayed at the Pensione Marianne. This place gets great reviews on TripAdvisor, but I think it’s overated. We paid 75 euros for a relatively small room without a view. The hotel is built on 3 levels and each room is sized and shaped quite differently. We wandered around the city and harbor, passing through Syntagma Square, getting a gelato, and wandering along the quay to the promontory and little local beach, then up to Acronafplia. We ended up going into the Nafplia Palace Hotel for sunset drinks, where I got a stellar glass of Nemean red wine. This was a really great—and quiet—place to watch the sun set over the harbor and I would highly recommend it.
Day 15: We started out the day by going to ancient Tiryns, the Mycenaean era citadel closest to Nafplion. I highly recommend that people stop here before heading on to Mycenae. You get a MUCH better sense of the palace layout and the cyclopean walls here are frankly more impressive than those at Mycenae. We were the only ones at the entire site for the length of our visit. The galleries here are amazing, even if their purpose remains elusive. Continuing upward, you’re able to explore the palace and megaron. The city was set on a small hill, but even today, the views toward the sea are really amazing.
From there, we headed to Mycenae. This is a do-not-miss site. Most of the treasures from the site at in the National Archeological Museum in Athens but the site is fantastic. And, because of that, frequented by tour groups. Luckily, it’s large enough that the tour groups don’t take it over as they can at other places. The museum at the site isn’t very impressive. Before heading up to the Lion gate and palce itself, take some time to wander amid the tholos tombs outside the gates. The whole plain below is the site of active archeological excavations, where they’re discovering much of the infrastructure and common dwellings that made this such a great city. The tomb of Clymtemnestra was a highlight of the site for me. It’s similar to the Treasury of Atreus/Tomb of Agamemnon further down the road (don’t miss it as you depart Mycenae) but somehow resonated a bit more. From there, begin your climb up to the palace, beginning with the (headless) lioness gate and passing by the famous grave circles, which interestingly lie within the cyclopean city walls. At the top of the site is the palace—the rooms of which you’re unable to wander around, which is why a trip to Triyns makes the layout clearer. You can then head down to the artisan quarter and the House of the Columns. Don’t miss the subterranean cistern which was also a secret passage under the walls. You can explore inside with a flashlight if it’s open.
We returned to Nafplion, and headed to Karathona beach just south of town. This was my favorite beach of the trip. Sandy beach with nice warm water, shallow far out, not too crowded, and close to town. After our swim, we returned to town and, this time had our sunset drinks at one of the many cafes along the promenade. We enjoyed getting the sunset view from both the Acronafplia and right along the water’s edge.
Day 16: Our last full day in Greece! We took the day to explore Napflion. We started at the Archeological Museum, which has a small but excellent collection. The introductory video is excellent. Highly recommended. We then took a boat out to the Bourtzi in the middle of the harbor. For about 5 euros, they ferry you out there and let you wander around (sadly, not inside) for about 30 minutes or so. The Bourtzi itself isn’t anything special, but it’s neat to see the town from this angle and to think about the fortifications of this town. From there, we drove up to the Palamidi, the series of fortresses set high above town. There are about 900 steps to climb to get up here from the city. Lots to explore up here. Make sure to see all the Venetian lions on the walls. Astonishingly, this fortress took only 8 days to fall to the Turks in 1715.
We had tickets for A Winter’s Tale at the ancient theatre of Epidauros, so, after a swim, headed there with enough time to see the site before the performance. If you’re able, I would highly recommend catching a performance there. A few tricks: It’s not very comfortable to spend 3 hours sitting on stone. Bring pillows from your hotel to sit on. Plan something for dinner—either bring a picnic or make reservations at the restaurant on site well before performance time. We didn’t have anything and getting a table and the attention of our harried waitress was not easy. Arrive early. General areas are ticketed, but seats are on a first come-first served basis within each section. Some people may not be willing to move to allow you to squeeze in.
The only impressive thing about the site of Epidauros is its theatre. I’m a physician and was really curious about this site of ancient healing. Unfortunately, the ruins are unimpressive, spread out, and really not worthwhile in their present form. Many are in the stage of being restored. Most of the restoration is made of stone that is not original. The small museum doesn’t have much of interest either.
Day 17: I had an early afternoon flight, so we were able to confidently make the drive from Nafplion back to Athens airport without too much trouble. If you don’t have this luxury, make sure your last days are spent in Athens!
Oct 13th, 2009, 09:44 AM
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Great report and wonderful detail. You really brought back some great memories. Our daughter spent last fall semester ('08) studying in Athens[getting double major in biology and Greek], so your husband's background of ancient Greece and Latin hit home.
We visited for 15 days in Athens, Santorini and Napflio area. We also stayed at Athens Gate and really liked it [Don't know if you saw my trip report, but one of the things I mentioned was to get a room on the backside due to street noise!!]. The views from the restaurant were amazing.
Also totally agree that 2 days just isn't enough in Athens. We spent much more time there due to daughter of course, but we had lots of time when she was in class and NEVER got bored. In fact we didn't do/see everything we wanted to. There is just too much culture, atmosphere, neighborhoods to enjoy - much more than just the ruins.
Naphlio was a real pleasant surprise. Such a great display of Greek, Turkish and Venetian cultures. It was one of our daughter's favorite places and she and friends would often make a weekend of it.
Thanks very much.
We visited for 15 days in Athens, Santorini and Napflio area. We also stayed at Athens Gate and really liked it [Don't know if you saw my trip report, but one of the things I mentioned was to get a room on the backside due to street noise!!]. The views from the restaurant were amazing.
Also totally agree that 2 days just isn't enough in Athens. We spent much more time there due to daughter of course, but we had lots of time when she was in class and NEVER got bored. In fact we didn't do/see everything we wanted to. There is just too much culture, atmosphere, neighborhoods to enjoy - much more than just the ruins.
Naphlio was a real pleasant surprise. Such a great display of Greek, Turkish and Venetian cultures. It was one of our daughter's favorite places and she and friends would often make a weekend of it.
Thanks very much.
Oct 13th, 2009, 12:46 PM
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Got back two days ago after spending two weeks on Samos.
We enjoyed the Museum at Vathi w/the amazing kouros; and
Pythagorio is a charming little town. We stayed at the far
western part of the island so both Vathi and Pythagorio were
a long (albeit scenic drive).
We didn't run into any American tourists - English, German
and Dutch were in evidence and it was obvious the island's
tourism is based on their patronage.
Unless you like broiling on beaches, two weeks is one week
too long on this island which differs from the more popular
Cycladic ones.
Great trip report!
We enjoyed the Museum at Vathi w/the amazing kouros; and
Pythagorio is a charming little town. We stayed at the far
western part of the island so both Vathi and Pythagorio were
a long (albeit scenic drive).
We didn't run into any American tourists - English, German
and Dutch were in evidence and it was obvious the island's
tourism is based on their patronage.
Unless you like broiling on beaches, two weeks is one week
too long on this island which differs from the more popular
Cycladic ones.
Great trip report!
Oct 13th, 2009, 02:33 PM
#9
Fabulous trip report. I especially appreciated the detail about Athens, not often regarded so well as you and your husband have. And I will definitely refer to your report when finalizing my upcoming trip.
Paule
Paule
Oct 13th, 2009, 06:08 PM
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Dr. Alisa, Diagnosis = Superb! I thought you were bang on about so many things, includign the sites around Nafpio, and so wise about keeping a balance; first a ruin, then a beach is always my motto and I see it's yours as well.
The insight about Ephesus is exactly right, and wish I'd done it that way... Another person makes the same point about Epidaurus, that it should be approached from the sea, not the current place, to replicate the experience of the ancients.
When I was in Epidaurus in 2005, we spent time watching young archeology students make painstaking measurements of stones at its Tholos, to replicate... when I was back there in 07, the duplicated marble was in place... in Mycenae, we spent 20 minutes watching 2 more specialists preserving a wall drawing with infinite care. In 2006, I had the pleasure at Tiryns of watching replacements of wall stones -- it took a crane operator, a construction chief, AND an archeologist nearly 30 minutes to place a boulder the size of a Volkswagen. Sometimes these modern restoration attempts add to our fascination with the sites. I agree with you that Tiryns makes the Mycenaean palace much more understandable.
The insight about Ephesus is exactly right, and wish I'd done it that way... Another person makes the same point about Epidaurus, that it should be approached from the sea, not the current place, to replicate the experience of the ancients.
When I was in Epidaurus in 2005, we spent time watching young archeology students make painstaking measurements of stones at its Tholos, to replicate... when I was back there in 07, the duplicated marble was in place... in Mycenae, we spent 20 minutes watching 2 more specialists preserving a wall drawing with infinite care. In 2006, I had the pleasure at Tiryns of watching replacements of wall stones -- it took a crane operator, a construction chief, AND an archeologist nearly 30 minutes to place a boulder the size of a Volkswagen. Sometimes these modern restoration attempts add to our fascination with the sites. I agree with you that Tiryns makes the Mycenaean palace much more understandable.
Oct 14th, 2009, 02:42 PM
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Hi,
We were in Greece this summer. Somewhere on Fodors there is buried a trip report. We did go to Nemea to wine taste. Delicious. There are 35 wineries in that area and it is on the way to Napflion. There are also ruins in this area. So if you go again, don't forget the wineries.
Great report, Yipper
We were in Greece this summer. Somewhere on Fodors there is buried a trip report. We did go to Nemea to wine taste. Delicious. There are 35 wineries in that area and it is on the way to Napflion. There are also ruins in this area. So if you go again, don't forget the wineries.
Great report, Yipper
Jan 11th, 2010, 11:24 AM
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Hello,
Thank you so much for the detailed trip report! We are planning a May trip to the Greek Islands and are hoping to do a day trip to Ephesus on our own from Samos. Was it fairly easy for you to find the bus stop to catch a bus to Ephesus? Was it easy to find one from Ephesus back to the port? Do you remember about how much time for sightseeing at Ephesus you ended up with? Again, I appreciate your detailed trip report so much!
Thank you so much for the detailed trip report! We are planning a May trip to the Greek Islands and are hoping to do a day trip to Ephesus on our own from Samos. Was it fairly easy for you to find the bus stop to catch a bus to Ephesus? Was it easy to find one from Ephesus back to the port? Do you remember about how much time for sightseeing at Ephesus you ended up with? Again, I appreciate your detailed trip report so much!
Feb 10th, 2010, 11:26 AM
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TexasAggie,
Enjoy your trip in May--wish we could get back! It wasn't that hard to find the bus stop to Ephesus. We did ask at the tourist area right near the port and they helped us out. We walked up some major streets and needed to take only one turn. The biggest thing was that it wasn't a bus station, like I think of here in the States, but more of an unmarked bus stop. And, since the buses look more like vans, you need to know what you're looking for! You just hop on and pay the driver, so no need to purchase tickets in advance in either direction.
It was not an issue to find a bus back from Ephesus at all. We had several other folks waiting with us on the side of the road and we waited for no more than 30 minutes.
I think we ended up having about 4 or 5 hours in Ephesus. It was a perfect amount of time for us to linger there, see everything, and not feel rushed.
Enjoy your trip in May--wish we could get back! It wasn't that hard to find the bus stop to Ephesus. We did ask at the tourist area right near the port and they helped us out. We walked up some major streets and needed to take only one turn. The biggest thing was that it wasn't a bus station, like I think of here in the States, but more of an unmarked bus stop. And, since the buses look more like vans, you need to know what you're looking for! You just hop on and pay the driver, so no need to purchase tickets in advance in either direction.
It was not an issue to find a bus back from Ephesus at all. We had several other folks waiting with us on the side of the road and we waited for no more than 30 minutes.
I think we ended up having about 4 or 5 hours in Ephesus. It was a perfect amount of time for us to linger there, see everything, and not feel rushed.
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