Looking to travel to Greece early Sept. Only have 5 days there - would you recommend Athens the entire time or something else? Is there a particular area of Athens to stay in - would like to avoid having a car. Want to see monuments, good restaurants, etc. Beach is not a requirement this trip - will hopefully do the islands/Turkey so other trip with more time.

Hi there,
I think Athens can be done in about 2 days. Definitely stay in the Plaka (the older part of Athens) - I've had tons of people tell me that we would hate Athens bec it's busy, dirty and lacked charm. This is true I think of much of Athens the city, but we absolutely loved the Plaka and found it quite the opposite. Also staying there will put you close to all the main site like the Acropolis, the Agora's, etc, and within walking distance or a short cab ride to the National Gardens, Nat'l Museum, Lycabettus Hill, etc.

I definitely enjoyed our day trip to Sounion to see the Temple of Poseidon. Also, the Delphi/Arachova area, though a bit further away, was one of our absolute favorite places in Greece.

We did have a car and drove ourselves, but I'm certain you will be able to find ample tours to take you to these places. I'm sure someone else will be able to comment on the availibility of public transport as well.

There are also one-day cruises to some of the Saronic Gulf islands that you can do in one day. I took one years ago that stopped in Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. Hydra (pronounced "ee-dra&quot is especially lovely.

sorry for the redundancy on the "one day" theme.
sorry for the redundancy on the "one
day" theme.

Hi EM11
I agree with the previous posters. I've been to Greece a few times and Athens only takes about two days. I hear Hydra is great. Maybe look into visiting there. Maybe Delphi? Have fun!