Where are Itea and Katakolon and . . .
 

We're stopping at these islands on an October cruise (plus Taormina which is in Sicily??). I'd appreciate any information on them.

These are not islands ... they're ports which I suspect your cruise is going to stop for visits, respectively, to Delphi and Olympia. The brochures of your cruise should have info to straighten this out. <BR> <BR>Haven't visited either. Itea can be seen from Delphi, accross the Pleistos valley covered with olive tree groves. Katakolo is a small port some 12km from Pirgos (appart from being the port from which bus excursions leave to Olympia, the little port is supposed to be quite attractive itself, with a very long beach, several taverns and hotels). <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

Thanks very much, Paulo. We haven't received any information from our cruise line yet, but I'm a little concerned that the tours they offer may be quite expensive. Does anyone know if it's easy to arrange your own tours from these ports - - that is, can you find tour buses after you arrive and without making reservations ahead of time? Has anyone had first hand experience with the tours?

I stopped briefly in Itea last month (while driving Delfi to Olympia). The town itself is an unremarkable, working port city, and didn't look like it had a huge amount of tourist oriented services. <BR> <BR>I don't know for certain whether there are, or are not, many tour bus services in Itea, but pickings could be much slimmer than in Athens. In Athens you could easily arrange tour buses with minimal advance notice, but in Itea I'd be wary. <BR> <BR>BTW, the approach from Itea to Delfi, thru rural olive groves & then into the mountains near Delfi, is quite scenic & lovely. It's a 45-60 minute drive.

Wow, Tom ... looking down from the top it looks so close. My time estimate was something around 15km/15 minutes ... (glad I didn't venture in estimating driving times in my first intervention :-) <BR> <BR>From Katakolo to Olympia I estimate 30km/30min, Joe, but no complaints if it doesn't turn out this way :-) Though I have no idea how long your cruiser is stopping in both ports, I'm afraid you won't have options ... either you stay aboard, or at the port or take the "oficial" tour. <BR> <BR>Anyway, IMO you should visit both sites. If you decide for skipping one, I would choose Olympia (it's less impressive and Kataloko seems much nicer than Itea). <BR> <BR>You could ask your tour company what's the going price for such tours. If you find the price excessive, once on board you may check if there isn't another couple to share expenses. Chances are that 4 people sharing a taxi + entry fees to the sites/museums end up cheaper than taking a tour (taxis in Greece are relatively cheap). Maybe Tom has the figures for the entry fees readily available ... I would have to surch in my stuff. <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

surch = search ...

Paulo, you're right, Delfi - Itea is a short distance, maybe at most 25 km from my map. <BR> <BR>I should have mentioned that I stopped 2 - 3 times on this scenic drive to look around, take photos, etc. <BR> <BR>If you drove straight thru, and drove like a reckless Greek :) it's only about a 20-25 minute drive, tops. <BR> <BR>Entry fees on all museums & sites throughout Greece were cheap, typically 500-1000 drachma ($1.50 - $3). <BR> <BR>With taxis being so cheap as well, Paulo's suggestion makes a lot of sense. A Michelin Green guide book (or equivalent) could nicely provide all the info a tour guide would normally present.

Paulo and Tom, many thanks. This is the information that I was looking for. Joe