xyz99

This will be our first trip to Greece, and we've decided to skip the islands and focus on the mainland. 2 adults in our late 50s, interested in culture, relaxation, good photography opportunities, good food. Not interested in beaches, but love the coast for the views. We'll go mid-Sept to mid-Oct. Here is a first itinerary draft (coming from the East Cost US):
- day 1-3 in Athens; we'll have a couple more days at the end of the trip, but we want a couple of days to adjust to the new time zone, before getting the car
- day 4 - get the car, drive to Delphi via Hosios Loukas Monastery
- day 5 - 6 - stay in Delphi, one fro Delphi, one for a day trip to Galaxidi
- day 7 - 9 - Meteora
- day 10 - 12 - Zagori
- day 13 - drive to Nafpaktos, overnight there to break up the longer drive
- day 14 - 16 - Dimitsana, One day is the drive to get there there, one day for the hanging monasteries, one for a day trip to Olympia
- day 17 - 19 - Mystras. Again, one day to get there, one Mystras proper, one explore the surrounding area
- day 20, 21 - Monemvasia
- day 22 - 25 - Nafplio with day trips to Epidaurus, Mycenae, Nemea
- day 26 - drive back to Athens via the Ancient Corinth, drop off car
- day 27, 28 - Athens
- day 29 - flight back home

How does this look? Too rushed? What would you change? Is Sept-Oct a good time for this itinerary, or should we move it either earlier or later? Thank you.

yestravel

This is very similar to our last trip to Greece. My TR has where we stayed and mentions some restaurants. Are you planning to hike to several monasteries at Meteora or do hiking in the area? We spent 1 full day and 2 half days and that worked for us, so 1 night.
if I redid our trip I would have just done Monemvasio as a day trip.
29 Days in Glorious Greece

xyz99

Yes, we're planning some hiking to some Meteora monasteries, hopefully the stairs will not kill us. Plus some drives to some view points. We'll have 2 full days, I think it will work for us, as I'm trying to avoid 1 night stops and long drives in between.
OMG, I just opened your TR...we have reservations at Delphi Nidimos Hotel, Meteroa Hotel Doupiani House and Zagori Suites. What are the odds??? I haven't made any other reservations, I decided to check here if the itinerary sounds good first. Going back to do some real reading now, thanks!

yestravel

That's funny! I esp loved the area around Zagori Suites which was really interesting.

xyz99

Good to hear, we'll have 2 full days there, too. To see the stone bridges, the gorge overlooks, do some hiking, seems like a wonderful area.
I don't think the Zagori Suites have a restaurant, but I guess there are some in the area, right? We prefer them within walking distance, but a short drive is fine. We're trying to avoid longer drives at night.

yestravel

Zagori Suites just served breakfast when we were there. I dont recall any restaurants within walking distance, but there are some just a short drive.

xyz99

Perfect, we can do short drives 🤣

FTOttawa

Ancient Messene and the drive over the Langada Pass from there to Mystras were highlights of our all too short time in the Peloponnese. Not sure how you would fit this in, but you might consider driving from Dimitsana to Messene via Olympia, with an overnight in Messene, then to Mystras the next day.

It may be helpful to calculate by number of nights in each place rather than days. Two nights in X followed by two nights in Y can actually work out to only one day of sightseeing in each, depending on your distances.

dreamon

I think your plans sound great. You may find that you want more time around Dimitsana, especially if you enjoy hiking. Hiking to the monasteries and back will take most of the day, especially if you take it slowly as we did. You could decide whether to visit Olympia when you get there. And if you don't plan to hike around Meteora, then you could probably get away with 2 nights instead of 3. We found that we didn't want to see every monastery but we did enjoy some hiking. Ioannina is worth some time if you find yourself with an extra day. It's all beautiful - enjoy!

xyz99

FTOttawa,
While in Dimitsana we'll have a full day for a day trip to Olympia. Then on the day we're driving to Mystras, we could go via Messene and the Langada Pass, I think it would work. Thanks for suggesting it.
Here is a break-down of the itinerary in nights (I don't see a way to edit my initial post):
3 nights Athens
3 n Delhi
3 n Meteora
3 n Zagori
1 n Nafpaktos
3 n Dimitsana
3 n Mystras
2 n Monemvasia
4 n Nafplio
3 n Athens

xyz99

dreamon,
Thanks - that's exactly what I was hoping to hear. I'm not a big fan of short stays, even 3 nights is short for us, so I'll keep the 3 nights at Meteora. We'll do some hiking and just enjoy the area, even if we only visit a couple of monasteries. But the views look amazing, and I'll all about views.
Ioannina - do you mean the town, or the area? We might stop in the town for lunch and a stretch on our way down to Nafpaktos. It's a longer drive than what we normally do, but we'll live.
Also, if we get to Dimitsana via Olympia, we will have 2 full days in the area. One for the monasteries, one to hike/explore the area. I think that would be a better idea, right?

neckervd

Why not visit Olympia on the way from Missolonghi/Nafpaktos/Rion to Dimitsana?

xyz99

That's exactly what I meant when I said "if we get to Dimitsana via Olympia". Sounds like a good idea...I was afraid we'd not have enough time, but maybe I was wrong.

dreamon

We didn't stay in Vitsa so don't know what tavernas are available in the evenings but we did have afternoon coffee and cake at a place in town which was very welcoming. There are places to eat in the evening in Monodendri, which is a few kilometres up the road, but in early June not very many. Enough though - you only need one really. We're returning to the area and are curious to know what dining options there are in Vitsa.

xyz99

dreamon,
We'll be there in late Sept, when will you go back?