4 "seniors" on first trip to Greece
Mar 5th, 2023, 03:41 PM
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4 "seniors" on first trip to Greece
Hello every one. I have been elected to post and ask questions for a trip to Greece that 4 of us (active and healthy seniors) are planning in the fall, arriving mid September and returning mid October. We are in the PRELIMINARY stages of planning and I thought it might be a good idea to get some input sooner rather than later.
We are planning about 4 weeks (more or less) and are discussing visiting a number of islands along with the peninsula and leaving Athens for last.
Here is a wish list of islands we would like to go but are not sure of the logistics at this point. In no particular order:
Santorini, Naxos, Paros (day trip to Antiparos possible) Crete and Hydra. We are thinking of staying 3 nights at each. Maybe a fourth night in Crete. Generally speaking, are 3 nights enough time for each island?
We would like to spend 5-6 nights in Nafplion and 5-6 nights in Athens. We will get a car for the peninsula and return it to the Athens airport then take a taxi to the hotel/airbnb in Athens.
I know that 4 weeks gives us time to explore and travel at a slower pace and we want to be able to use that time wisely.
I know so much depends on what we want to see at each location but in general, is this itinerary too ambitious?
Thank you in advance
We are planning about 4 weeks (more or less) and are discussing visiting a number of islands along with the peninsula and leaving Athens for last.
Here is a wish list of islands we would like to go but are not sure of the logistics at this point. In no particular order:
Santorini, Naxos, Paros (day trip to Antiparos possible) Crete and Hydra. We are thinking of staying 3 nights at each. Maybe a fourth night in Crete. Generally speaking, are 3 nights enough time for each island?
We would like to spend 5-6 nights in Nafplion and 5-6 nights in Athens. We will get a car for the peninsula and return it to the Athens airport then take a taxi to the hotel/airbnb in Athens.
I know that 4 weeks gives us time to explore and travel at a slower pace and we want to be able to use that time wisely.
I know so much depends on what we want to see at each location but in general, is this itinerary too ambitious?
Thank you in advance
Mar 5th, 2023, 11:52 PM
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I think your plan sounds fine except for Crete. 3 or 4 nights on Crete is only enough to see a small area of the island. You could easily spend your 4 weeks just on Crete - it's a big island with a lot to see. As it's at some distance from your other choices, I suggest you skip Crete on this occasion and add those nights to your existing destinations (maybe more time to Naxos and Peloponnese).
Do you plan to spend your 5/6 nights in Nafplion (and nearby) or want to explore further afield? If the latter, then I'd add all your Crete time here. You could hire a car in Nafplio just for the days you need it (if any). It would again be very easy to spend your 4 weeks just in the Peloponnese.
If you haven't done so before, I suggest taking a ferry where you can sit out on the deck.
Do you plan to spend your 5/6 nights in Nafplion (and nearby) or want to explore further afield? If the latter, then I'd add all your Crete time here. You could hire a car in Nafplio just for the days you need it (if any). It would again be very easy to spend your 4 weeks just in the Peloponnese.
If you haven't done so before, I suggest taking a ferry where you can sit out on the deck.
Mar 6th, 2023, 01:08 AM
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I agree with dreamon that you don’t give enough time for Crete, but if you decide to include it start with Paros, then Naxos, and after that Santorini, where the ferries leave for Heraklion on Crete. This order of islands follow the main ferry route for Blue Star, the best ferry in the Cyclades. It doesn’t go to Crete after Santorini, though, so you would need a highspeed ferry for that last leg.
Do the islands first and save the mainland and Athens for last. Hydra is the outlier, because it’s a separate trip from Athens (Piraeus). There are a couple of small ports near Nafplio (Ermione and Porto Heli) that sometimes have ferries to Hydra if you want to do a day trip from there, and it’s a much shorter ferry trip than from Piraeus. For Nafplio, 5 or 6 nights would be enough for the UNESCO sights and the city itself, but that’s only a small part of the Peloponnese.
Have you thought about Delphi and Meteora in the other direction from Athens? Those would require a few extra nights.
Do the islands first and save the mainland and Athens for last. Hydra is the outlier, because it’s a separate trip from Athens (Piraeus). There are a couple of small ports near Nafplio (Ermione and Porto Heli) that sometimes have ferries to Hydra if you want to do a day trip from there, and it’s a much shorter ferry trip than from Piraeus. For Nafplio, 5 or 6 nights would be enough for the UNESCO sights and the city itself, but that’s only a small part of the Peloponnese.
Have you thought about Delphi and Meteora in the other direction from Athens? Those would require a few extra nights.
Last edited by Heimdall; Mar 6th, 2023 at 01:14 AM.
Mar 6th, 2023, 01:15 AM
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I agree with dreamon, keep Crete for a subsequent trip, 3-4 nights wouldn’t do it justice at all. There’s an incredible amount of world class sights in the Peloponnese and you could easily spend a week or ten days there. Nafplion itself is a lovely town, you could either stay there, or outside in one of the smaller villages. Last May our family spent 4 nights in Kiveri, a 20 minutes drive away. We had a beautiful Airbnb by the Nafplion bay, with several small tavernas nearby where we walked for delicious dinners every night.
3 nights on Santorini and 4 on Naxos would be ideal. Do make a trip to Delphi from Athens, it was the highlight of our vacation. The extra days I would add to the Peloponnese.
3 nights on Santorini and 4 on Naxos would be ideal. Do make a trip to Delphi from Athens, it was the highlight of our vacation. The extra days I would add to the Peloponnese.
Mar 6th, 2023, 01:26 AM
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You might also fly directly to Santorini (plane change at Athens, Milan, London or so) poceed from there by catamaran to Heraklion (Crete), rent a car and explore Crete during 1 week or so, leave Crete from Kissamos by ferry to Gythion (Wednesday and Sunday only) or Neapoli (Thursday only) rent there another car or proceed by bus to Sparta/Mistras - Nauplia.........
Mar 6th, 2023, 03:56 AM
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You might also fly directly to Santorini (plane change at Athens, Milan, London or so) poceed from there by catamaran to Heraklion (Crete), rent a car and explore Crete during 1 week or so, leave Crete from Kissamos by ferry to Gythion (Wednesday and Sunday only) or Neapoli (Thursday only) rent there another car or proceed by bus to Sparta/Mistras - Nauplia.........
Mar 6th, 2023, 02:10 PM
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WOW! Thank you everyone for your input. These suggestions will help us to focus on what we really want to do/see. I was just reading more on Crete today and a trip there does deserve more than a few nights.
I will report back to my travel partners and update as we get a more solid plan put together.
Thanks Again
Susan
I will report back to my travel partners and update as we get a more solid plan put together.
Thanks Again
Susan
Mar 6th, 2023, 04:12 PM
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You are so lucky to have a month in Greece! You will have a wonderful time. Based on our firsthand experience, I think 3 nights is perfect for Santorini. I would spend at least 4 nights on Naxos. I highly recommend renting a car for Naxos for at least one day to explore this beautiful and interesting island. We did not go to Paros but I did research it and Paros, too, looks fabulous. Perhaps spend 4 nights on Paros including the day trip to AntiParos.
We spent 5 nights in Nafplio and this is what we did (to give you an idea if this is enough time for you):
Mystras, Epidaurus, Mycenae, explored Nafplio including the Palamidi Fortress; and drove down the Argolid Peninsula to see Port Heli and Ermioni. We also spent an afternoon on Arvanita Beach in Nafplio.
If you want to explore more of the Peloponnese Peninsula, you could spend 4 nights in Nafplio and the rest somewhere else on the Peninsula. Perhaps the Mani Peninsula. You will have to omit Crete from your itinerary to do this, and it sounds like you are considering doing this.
While on the Peloponnese Peninsula, I highly recommend visiting the Byzantine ruins at Mystras. It was a highlight for me, and my favorite of all the ruins we visited. I would love to re-visit!
For transportation this is what we did:
Flew from Boston directly to Santorini with a layover in Zurich
Took the Blue Star Ferry from Santorini to Naxos. This ferry also goes from Naxos to Paros.
We flew from Naxos to Athens Airport where we picked up our rental car and drove 2 hours to Nafplio.
And to get to Athens, we did exactly what you are planning on doing: returned our rental car to the Athens airport, and then took a taxi directly to our hotel in Athens. Very easy.
If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report from last May.
Hope this helps.
We spent 5 nights in Nafplio and this is what we did (to give you an idea if this is enough time for you):
Mystras, Epidaurus, Mycenae, explored Nafplio including the Palamidi Fortress; and drove down the Argolid Peninsula to see Port Heli and Ermioni. We also spent an afternoon on Arvanita Beach in Nafplio.
If you want to explore more of the Peloponnese Peninsula, you could spend 4 nights in Nafplio and the rest somewhere else on the Peninsula. Perhaps the Mani Peninsula. You will have to omit Crete from your itinerary to do this, and it sounds like you are considering doing this.
While on the Peloponnese Peninsula, I highly recommend visiting the Byzantine ruins at Mystras. It was a highlight for me, and my favorite of all the ruins we visited. I would love to re-visit!
For transportation this is what we did:
Flew from Boston directly to Santorini with a layover in Zurich
Took the Blue Star Ferry from Santorini to Naxos. This ferry also goes from Naxos to Paros.
We flew from Naxos to Athens Airport where we picked up our rental car and drove 2 hours to Nafplio.
And to get to Athens, we did exactly what you are planning on doing: returned our rental car to the Athens airport, and then took a taxi directly to our hotel in Athens. Very easy.
If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report from last May.
Hope this helps.
Last edited by KarenWoo; Mar 6th, 2023 at 04:14 PM.
Mar 7th, 2023, 12:07 AM
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The advantage of choosing Paros is you have two islands only seven minutes apart by ferry — Paros and Antiparos (no upper case p in the middle). In Greek it’s spelled with one word: Αντίπαρος
If you wait until after the beginning of October most Antiparos residents will have closed their businesses and gone travelling or reverted to their winter occupations, farming, fishing, construction , etc. There are always a few tavernas and hotels open in the winter, and I have seen videos of the islanders getting together and letting their hair down. The ferry from Pounta runs at least every hour throughout the day, because many islanders commute between Paros and Antiparos, with many construction vehicles off-season.
Paros, like Naxos, has a large year round population, so more is open there.
If you wait until after the beginning of October most Antiparos residents will have closed their businesses and gone travelling or reverted to their winter occupations, farming, fishing, construction , etc. There are always a few tavernas and hotels open in the winter, and I have seen videos of the islanders getting together and letting their hair down. The ferry from Pounta runs at least every hour throughout the day, because many islanders commute between Paros and Antiparos, with many construction vehicles off-season.
Paros, like Naxos, has a large year round population, so more is open there.
Mar 7th, 2023, 03:29 AM
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Great to hear that you have a nice four weeks to enjoy and discover Greece. Paros (plus Antiparos), Naxos and Santorini are great choices. I would go with two days on Paros and Santorini, and three or even four on Naxos, which is a very large island with very many things to see and do and eat! Now for Crete, you would need a week, because again this is our largest island and even just to see the basics you need driving time. Now concerning Athens, yes, stay for about five nights and in that time plan a day trip to Nafplion and Mycenae (if you are interested in Ancient Greece), a day trip to Meteora (mainland Greece), and the rest enjoy Athens, the Athenian Riviera and perhaps hop over to Aegina and Agistri islands (which are near Athens). Do have in mind that traveling times depend on whether you decide to take the ferry to the islands or the plane. I do however stress that sometimes doing (and seeing) less is more. Naxos and Crete plus Athens and Nafplio, Meteora would be more than enough, but I understand everyone's dream to see Santorini. Have fun!
Mar 7th, 2023, 07:05 AM
#12
We were on Santorini for five nights, mid-September. Be aware that the weather starts changing, going into October.
We had mostly great weather, but also one day that was really windy and cold. The locals said winter is coming.
The good news is that the tourist hordes on Santorini were minimal.
We had mostly great weather, but also one day that was really windy and cold. The locals said winter is coming.
The good news is that the tourist hordes on Santorini were minimal.
May 2nd, 2023, 05:46 AM
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4 active seniors heading to Greece for 4 weeks
Hello again everyone. I have been planning with my travel partners and we have decided on Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros and the Peloponnese Penn.
We are traveling from California and were able to get RT tickets to Athens. I read that it is best to start in the islands and I have a few (probably a lot of) questions. We arrive at 6pm in Athens. Is it a good idea to get a flight to Santorini that same night or spend a night at an airport hotel? Or spend a few days in Athens then head to Santorini via ferry or flight?
We want t see 3 islands: Santorini, Naxos and Paros, thinking 4 night each. On the mainland we want to see Delphi and Meteora and then head to the Peloponnese for 8 nights, split between Nafplion and Mani area.
then back to Athens to drop off car and spend a few days depending on if we split our time in Athens or not.
Question
#1 is this too ambitious? we want to see a lot and also not be too rushed.
#2 Any input on the logistics for this trip are welcome! I am finding it a bit overwhelming.
#3 is there a better way to allot our time in the islands?
#4 is a day trip to Hydra from Ermioni a good idea?
Lastly, we have an 8 am flight the day we leave. Should we stay at the airport? How much time to we need to plan to arrive on time, etc. If we say at the airport, can anyone recommend a hotel?
Thank you in advance
We are traveling from California and were able to get RT tickets to Athens. I read that it is best to start in the islands and I have a few (probably a lot of) questions. We arrive at 6pm in Athens. Is it a good idea to get a flight to Santorini that same night or spend a night at an airport hotel? Or spend a few days in Athens then head to Santorini via ferry or flight?
We want t see 3 islands: Santorini, Naxos and Paros, thinking 4 night each. On the mainland we want to see Delphi and Meteora and then head to the Peloponnese for 8 nights, split between Nafplion and Mani area.
then back to Athens to drop off car and spend a few days depending on if we split our time in Athens or not.
Question
#1 is this too ambitious? we want to see a lot and also not be too rushed.
#2 Any input on the logistics for this trip are welcome! I am finding it a bit overwhelming.
#3 is there a better way to allot our time in the islands?
#4 is a day trip to Hydra from Ermioni a good idea?
Lastly, we have an 8 am flight the day we leave. Should we stay at the airport? How much time to we need to plan to arrive on time, etc. If we say at the airport, can anyone recommend a hotel?
Thank you in advance
May 2nd, 2023, 10:36 AM
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4 "seniors" on first trip to Greece
Hello all
A while ago I asked a few questions regarding a first trip to Greece and I have been talking to my travel partners and have some follow up questions.
We are 4 adults and will have 4 weeks in Greece. In our original plan, Crete was on on wish list but we have removed it till next time. We have decided on Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros and the Peloponnese Penn. We are traveling from California and were able to get RT tickets to Athens. I read that it is best to start in the islands and I have a few (probably a lot of) questions. We arrive at 6pm in Athens. Is it a good idea to get a flight to Santorini on a local airline that same night or spend a night at an airport hotel? Or spend a few days in Athens then head to Santorini via ferry or flight?
We want to see 3 islands: Santorini, Naxos and Paros, thinking 4 night each. On the mainland we want to see Delphi and Meteora and then head to the Peloponnese for 8 nights, split between Nafplion and Mani area.
then back to Athens to drop off car and spend a few days depending on if we split our time in Athens or not.
Questions
#1 is this too ambitious? we want to see a lot and also not be too rushed.
#2 Any input on the logistics for this trip are welcome! I am finding it a bit overwhelming.
#3 is there a better way to allot our time in the islands?
#4 is a day trip to Hydra from Ermioni a good idea? Or spend a night there?
#5 Has anyone done any day trips from say Naxos or Paros to Delos or Mykonos for example? There seems to be multiple tours available. We plan on getting a car for 1 day each island.
#6 Lastly, we have an 8 am flight the day we leave. Should we stay at the airport? How much time to we need to plan to arrive on time, etc. If we say at the airport, can anyone recommend a hotel?
Thank you in advance
A while ago I asked a few questions regarding a first trip to Greece and I have been talking to my travel partners and have some follow up questions.
We are 4 adults and will have 4 weeks in Greece. In our original plan, Crete was on on wish list but we have removed it till next time. We have decided on Athens, Santorini, Naxos, Paros and the Peloponnese Penn. We are traveling from California and were able to get RT tickets to Athens. I read that it is best to start in the islands and I have a few (probably a lot of) questions. We arrive at 6pm in Athens. Is it a good idea to get a flight to Santorini on a local airline that same night or spend a night at an airport hotel? Or spend a few days in Athens then head to Santorini via ferry or flight?
We want to see 3 islands: Santorini, Naxos and Paros, thinking 4 night each. On the mainland we want to see Delphi and Meteora and then head to the Peloponnese for 8 nights, split between Nafplion and Mani area.
then back to Athens to drop off car and spend a few days depending on if we split our time in Athens or not.
Questions
#1 is this too ambitious? we want to see a lot and also not be too rushed.
#2 Any input on the logistics for this trip are welcome! I am finding it a bit overwhelming.
#3 is there a better way to allot our time in the islands?
#4 is a day trip to Hydra from Ermioni a good idea? Or spend a night there?
#5 Has anyone done any day trips from say Naxos or Paros to Delos or Mykonos for example? There seems to be multiple tours available. We plan on getting a car for 1 day each island.
#6 Lastly, we have an 8 am flight the day we leave. Should we stay at the airport? How much time to we need to plan to arrive on time, etc. If we say at the airport, can anyone recommend a hotel?
Thank you in advance
May 2nd, 2023, 12:22 PM
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Hi 4-Seniors, glad to see you back (BTW when you have identical heading on 2 different "threads" you will confuse people! Maybe you could add "Part 2" to this newer thread-head. Also - its good to recap key facts from 1st thread, such as WHEN (midSept - Mid Oct). As for your questions --
(1) yes, itt may be too ambitious, one reality check is to use a (paper) boxed calendar. In each "transfer day"box do not just put, for instance "NAxos/Santorini" ... put something like "check out of hotel 11 am - Port noon - Board ferry 12:45... arrive Santo 3:10; taxi to hotel check in hotel 3:55" -- and you realiize almost a whole day is gone!" even going from Paros to Naxos (which is visible) will take 1/2 a day... unless you have a Magic Carpet, moving around in Greece takes up a LOT of daytime. Also, "2 nights" does not mean 2 DAYS - it really takes 3 nights to = 2 full days.
ARRIVAL QUESTION - arriving 6 pm via loooong journey from CA, yes good idea spend 1 night locally. Sofitel is only hotel on Airport Very $$$$ and besides u are on a stupid flat airport. Better choice (with free shuttle IF you book when u book room) is HOTEL AVRA in nearby Rafina, 25-min ride away. Its balcony rooms have sea view, a short walk to treelined village square for relaxed dinner, then Crash! on good beds to recover. U can have early shuttle to catch first domestic flight on either Aegean or Sky Express to Isle #1, at probably better price than later in day.
(2) LOGISTICS & SEQUENCE & (3) TIME ALLOTMENT -- Paros to NAxos to Santorini? or Reverse? • REASONS for P-N-S Mid-september, Paros-Naxos will be near end of their seasons, so maybe do first; Santorini "Stays open" much longer... Also, w this direction, on BLUE STAR open-deck ferry from Nax- San, you get the famous "View" of Santorini cliffs coming into the Caldera. Plus, doing Santo last, in Oct, room rates r a bit lower. You DO end at farthest isle, must fly back to ATH airport TIME -- Santorini is only 12 mi long... Naxos is Largest Isle in whole Cyclades. 3 days plenty in Santo, IMHO... u could spend 5-6 in Naxos & still only sample its diversity, landscape, history etc.
(4) HYDRA -- THIs island is (over)promoted IMHO, partly because of celebrities & some movies.. but also, it's tacked onto some 100% land tours just so people can say they were on an island -- but after visiting the above three, Hydra may disappoint. Few ancient/historic sites, no beaches near port, anything else also hard to reach except by hiking or donkey.
(5) DAY TRIPS -- these reallly require special Excursion vessels.. not possible w regular excursion ferries. If demand justifes, the excursion company that serves Paros-Naxos MAY continue its Mykonos runs into Sept. If so, avoid Naxos Star (too small, rocky when windy) and only book MV ALexander vessel. Also - decide if DELOS is important to u 4 & seeing Mykonos Port Town (basically Rodeo Drive - 100+ Hi-end Luxury boutiques), and Cruise ships docking M-F. Your choice.
MAINLAND - You don't have question re this long Wish List ... I would just say that Delphi - Meteora will take 3 full days, then much of a day getting to Nafplio.. and remember, many major sites such as Nemea en route may start early closing hours (3 pm) and it gets dark sooner. Thus ... Nafplio is ideal base foro minimum 3 days to visit the Landmarks of the Argolid ... days will be shorter, and you will have been traveling awhile, some road-fatigue don't lock yourself into a lengthy Mani plan, wait to see how you feel, off-season you can get reservations at last minute. Remember to save at least 4 FULL
days for Athens -- it is vibrant in Fall! ANd full of treasures! Don't cut it short!
(6) DEPARTURE - for 8 am dep, u must be in lline 6am (stupid I know), and taxi or car service from Central athens takes 45 mins so u will have to pay nighttime flat fee of €55 -- about 15 more than day, IF u can fit 4 adults + 4 major bags into standard 4-door vehicle (always mercedes). It's up to you... you could also go to Hotel Avra for last night... up to you where u want to have your celebratory Last Night in Greece dinner!
(1) yes, itt may be too ambitious, one reality check is to use a (paper) boxed calendar. In each "transfer day"box do not just put, for instance "NAxos/Santorini" ... put something like "check out of hotel 11 am - Port noon - Board ferry 12:45... arrive Santo 3:10; taxi to hotel check in hotel 3:55" -- and you realiize almost a whole day is gone!" even going from Paros to Naxos (which is visible) will take 1/2 a day... unless you have a Magic Carpet, moving around in Greece takes up a LOT of daytime. Also, "2 nights" does not mean 2 DAYS - it really takes 3 nights to = 2 full days.
ARRIVAL QUESTION - arriving 6 pm via loooong journey from CA, yes good idea spend 1 night locally. Sofitel is only hotel on Airport Very $$$$ and besides u are on a stupid flat airport. Better choice (with free shuttle IF you book when u book room) is HOTEL AVRA in nearby Rafina, 25-min ride away. Its balcony rooms have sea view, a short walk to treelined village square for relaxed dinner, then Crash! on good beds to recover. U can have early shuttle to catch first domestic flight on either Aegean or Sky Express to Isle #1, at probably better price than later in day.
(2) LOGISTICS & SEQUENCE & (3) TIME ALLOTMENT -- Paros to NAxos to Santorini? or Reverse? • REASONS for P-N-S Mid-september, Paros-Naxos will be near end of their seasons, so maybe do first; Santorini "Stays open" much longer... Also, w this direction, on BLUE STAR open-deck ferry from Nax- San, you get the famous "View" of Santorini cliffs coming into the Caldera. Plus, doing Santo last, in Oct, room rates r a bit lower. You DO end at farthest isle, must fly back to ATH airport TIME -- Santorini is only 12 mi long... Naxos is Largest Isle in whole Cyclades. 3 days plenty in Santo, IMHO... u could spend 5-6 in Naxos & still only sample its diversity, landscape, history etc.
(4) HYDRA -- THIs island is (over)promoted IMHO, partly because of celebrities & some movies.. but also, it's tacked onto some 100% land tours just so people can say they were on an island -- but after visiting the above three, Hydra may disappoint. Few ancient/historic sites, no beaches near port, anything else also hard to reach except by hiking or donkey.
(5) DAY TRIPS -- these reallly require special Excursion vessels.. not possible w regular excursion ferries. If demand justifes, the excursion company that serves Paros-Naxos MAY continue its Mykonos runs into Sept. If so, avoid Naxos Star (too small, rocky when windy) and only book MV ALexander vessel. Also - decide if DELOS is important to u 4 & seeing Mykonos Port Town (basically Rodeo Drive - 100+ Hi-end Luxury boutiques), and Cruise ships docking M-F. Your choice.
MAINLAND - You don't have question re this long Wish List ... I would just say that Delphi - Meteora will take 3 full days, then much of a day getting to Nafplio.. and remember, many major sites such as Nemea en route may start early closing hours (3 pm) and it gets dark sooner. Thus ... Nafplio is ideal base foro minimum 3 days to visit the Landmarks of the Argolid ... days will be shorter, and you will have been traveling awhile, some road-fatigue don't lock yourself into a lengthy Mani plan, wait to see how you feel, off-season you can get reservations at last minute. Remember to save at least 4 FULL
days for Athens -- it is vibrant in Fall! ANd full of treasures! Don't cut it short!
(6) DEPARTURE - for 8 am dep, u must be in lline 6am (stupid I know), and taxi or car service from Central athens takes 45 mins so u will have to pay nighttime flat fee of €55 -- about 15 more than day, IF u can fit 4 adults + 4 major bags into standard 4-door vehicle (always mercedes). It's up to you... you could also go to Hotel Avra for last night... up to you where u want to have your celebratory Last Night in Greece dinner!
Last edited by travelerjan; May 2nd, 2023 at 12:24 PM.
May 2nd, 2023, 01:20 PM
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I’ve stayed at both Hotel Avra in Rafina and the airport Sofitel a couple of times each. Avra is nice, and maybe a good idea for your arrival night in Greece if you plan a flight to the islands the next morning. The very early morning flights to Santorini are cheaper than the ones later in the day, but if you arrive too early you will have to wait to check into the Santorini hotel.
The airport Sofitel is more expensive, but for that 8 am flight home, the ability to check out of the hotel, walk across the street to the terminal, and be at the check-in counter 5 minutes later is worth the extra expense, IMO. I don’t mind paying a little more for the convenience.
The airport Sofitel is more expensive, but for that 8 am flight home, the ability to check out of the hotel, walk across the street to the terminal, and be at the check-in counter 5 minutes later is worth the extra expense, IMO. I don’t mind paying a little more for the convenience.
May 3rd, 2023, 04:06 PM
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Thank you so much everyone for the input. I will say that 4 weeks seemed like a long time until we started to look at all we wanted to do! My travel companions and I agree that we will have a "must see/do" list and a "nice to do" alternate list and that hopefully we will return again.
Travelerjan I love the idea of the paper boxed calendar with specific information. I m excited to share all this advice with my partners. When we decided to drop Crete because it was too much, I realized that we started adding other sites, lol!
And we will check out the airport hotel choices as well.
Your advise is really helping so much for all of us! Thank you again.
Since there are 4 of us we are looking to rent through aiabnb or vrbo, etc. instead of a hotel. Any feelings one way or another if one is preferable over the other?
(and for now) one more question:
How early do we need to book ferries and hotels?
Thank you again!
Travelerjan I love the idea of the paper boxed calendar with specific information. I m excited to share all this advice with my partners. When we decided to drop Crete because it was too much, I realized that we started adding other sites, lol!
And we will check out the airport hotel choices as well.
Your advise is really helping so much for all of us! Thank you again.
Since there are 4 of us we are looking to rent through aiabnb or vrbo, etc. instead of a hotel. Any feelings one way or another if one is preferable over the other?
(and for now) one more question:
How early do we need to book ferries and hotels?
Thank you again!
