Spring 2024 -Travels through the Pelopponese and Central Greece with a brief stop in Milan

Having returned from our Greece (and a stop in Milan) over 2 months ago, I thought I’d write up a brief trip report to share our experiences on our recent travels. I have no idea if I can really do “brief” but I’m going to try!

Thanks to everyone whose trip reports and comments helped me – with special thanks to @KarenWoo, whose recent trip really did inspire me to plan to go to the Pelopponese and stay in the simple but charming Pension Omorfi Poli.

We flew La Compagnie, a small French airline, all-business class seats, from Newark to Milan. We had flown them before and recommend them highly, though they have very limited routes. They fly out of Newark, which is our preferred airport.

We then flew from Milan to Athens round trip on Easy Jet. I’d originally booked Aegean but they changed the flight schedule and I found a better flight on Easy Jet.

My original plan had us flying into Athens and flying out of Thessaloniki but, thanks to the flight change, it just didn’t work out. So we ended up returning to Athens for our return flight to Milan.

I booked a car through Swift Car rentals, a family firm in Athens, and worked with Elias. The company was great and we got an excellent car. Elias was very flexible and easy to work with and was accommodating with our original plan to drop the car in Thessaloniki; not all rental agencies will do that. However, that was a moot issue once we changed the itinerary and returned to the Athens area. We were picked up at our apartment and driven out of town; then the car was picked up at our last hotel (we never even saw them). Recommend highly.

The itinerary (# nights), departing April 23 and returning May 24, 2024
Milan -(2) Hotel Gran Duca di York
Athens – (4) Airbnb
Nafplio – (6) Pension Omorfi Poli
Limeni area (4)– Akrolithi Boutique Hotel
Pylos- (4) Karalis Beach Hotel
Olympia – (1) Leonidaion Guesthouse
Nafpaktos - (2) Amaryllis Hotel
Delphi – (2) Nidimos Hotel
Kalabaka/Meteora (2)– Hotel Doupiani
Kamena Vourla (1) – Hotel Dellis
Rafina (1) – Avra Hotel (hotel provided shuttle to airport - good location about 20-25 minutes from the airport)
Milan airport area (1)– Cardana al Campo

Although I prefer at least 3 nights in locations, M, the driver, doesn’t like to drive more than 2 ½ -3 hours between locations so there are a few more stops than I would’ve liked. Olympia doesn’t warrant more than a 1-night stay (but I’m glad we stayed in town rather than visiting on the way to somewhere else). And I wasn’t thrilled with the 1-night stops on our return, but I knew M would find the drive from Meteora to Athens too long for a single drive. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked out. And, although I thought Nafpaktos was a pleasant stop, it was added to break up the trip from Olympia to Delphi. I’m sure others wouldn’t find it hard, but making the drive as manageable as possible was paramount.

And, we are traveling ever so slowly these days! Now that we’re in our 70s, it seems that the plans for what we want to do vs what we actually do keeps changing; so what we see and do in 6 days may be what many are able to do in 2 or 3!

General thoughts:
-Nafplio was wonderful, both the town and the surroundings. I could’ve stayed longer.
-Pylos was a surprise – loved the location and especially our hotel, Karalis Beach Hotel. I loved our stay here
-Mystras - fantastic site, great views. We had the best ever moussaka in town.
-Meteora is worth the trek! It’s amazing to see
-Athens was a lot more fun this time around
-Loved the many amazing forts and castles in the Pelopponese
-Though as lovely as the coastal areas are in the Pelopponese, they aren’t as spectacular as the Greek islands
-Glad I saw Olympia and Delphi but, surprisingly, they didn’t resonate as much as I had expected
-Yet Ancient Messene was far more impressive than I expected (even though we got drenched while we were there!)

I cannot wait to hear more!

Planning my own trip that covers much of your itinerary, including Olympia. Sad to hear it disappointed you so definitely anticipating for additional details.

Milan
It had been 25 years since we were in Milan and I hadn’t really thought of it as anything more than a brief stopover on our way to the main deal, but once we arrived, I was thrilled. We’ve always loved Italy and though Milan is not always visited since it isn’t quaint or especially charming, but it’s Italy (do you hear me sighing..). For a while, I wished our trip was solely in Italy but we were thrilled to have this brief taste.

We stayed at the Gran Duca di York, a truly charming hotel a short distance from the Duomo. We were there 25 years ago and I still had my brochure from our original stay. When I showed the hotel receptionist, she called over a few of the other staff as they were impressed that I had actually saved the brochures and were excited to see them. I love this hotel and the staff and would highly recommend them to anyone who is looking to stay in Milan.

After resting up, we took a quick tour through a few of Milan’s Big Sights: the Duomo di Milano, Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, and the Castelo Sforzesco. We rounded out the exploration by chancing upon the site of the ancient Imperial Palace from the end of the 3rd C - it took us by surprise since we think more of Milan as a “newer” city, but those ancient ruins are here, too.

Dinner was at the very lovely Trattoria Milanese dal 1933 just a few blocks from the hotel; we had delicious osso bucco Milanese and pasta carbonara. Great service and ambience.

The next day, April 25, was Liberation Day, the Festa della Liberazione, commemorating the end of the fascist regime and of the Nazi Occupation during WWII as well as honoring the Resistance movement which opposed the regime.

The day was filled with people out enjoying the city - some museums had free entry, the park was filled with people enjoying a cool but lovely day, and wreaths are laid at important city monuments, the day culminated with a parade and gathering near the Duomo, and included representatives from all groups fighting for liberation and feeedom. It was a festive sort of day.

M. was not feeling well so I used the day to simply wander, meeting up in the afternoon when he felt better. My first stop, Piazza dei Mercanti,was right around the corner from the hotel and is a historic site that was once the seat of public power, with its many porticoed buildings which contained legal and administrative offices of all those, and today, it held a small photo shoot and an intimate memorial honoring the Resistance movement of WWII.

I continued to walk, past the Galleria, the Piazza Della Scala, and on to Brera, an attractive neighborhood that includes the Pinoteca (the famed museum) and charming shops and cafes. It was a lovely day to just meander.

Progol, I am so excited to see this! I was wondering if you planned on writing a trip report. I know they are a lot of work. And I am so happy that you enjoyed your stay at Pension Omorfi Poli. The Pension is awesome, and Nafplio is so beautiful. I assume all the flowers were blooming when you were there in May, which is when we visited, too. And the most spectacular sunset that we saw on our trip was in Nafplio, even more stunning than sunset on Santorini.

I notice that you forgot to tag this as a trip report. Do you know how to notify the moderators so they can add that for you?

I am looking forward to more, and especially looking forward to your spectacular photos!

Were you happy with your hotel in Milan? We are spending a couple nights in Milan next May, and I am considering the Hotel Gran Duca di York.

Just saw your most recent post about Milan, and am happy to hear that you have stayed at the Gran Duca di York 25 years ago, and that you highly recommend this hotel. I will make my reservations there tonight!

KarenWoo, thank you! I've already written to the moderators to adjust my title -- it posted without my full title in it. So I've also asked them to add the Trip report tag.

I'll be honest, I hadn't actually intended to write another trip report! But after seeing so many people asking about the Peloponnese, I felt I had to write something! If only I could do a quickie (!) but it's not my style!

We really enjoyed our stay in Nafplio and were very happy with the Pension Omorfi Poli -- we stayed in one of the small "apartments" around the corner and not in the main building, but it was just perfect for our needs.

And yes, I HIGHLY recommend the Gran Duca di York and absolutely loved staying there. It's a lovely small hotel, wonderful staff, and perfectly located.

Quick response to this -- I'm glad we went to both. Delphi is a more spectacular site than Olympia; the difficulty with the latter is that the site isn't in great shape and it's very hard to just feel the site by walking around. A guide would probably help make it come alive. Also, a friend had recommended renting one of the audiovisual guides that actually display each structure as you walk through it. I, of course, had forgotten this advice until after we went. But I knew this ahead of time (I was there over 50 years ago!) and of all the major sites, it's the one that is hardest to visualize what it must've been like. Delphi is more beautifully sited, and, for the most part, we enjoyed seeing it, but if you can, see Ancient Messene. It's empty and in much, much better shape. The museums at both the major sites are fantastic and worth the time spent there, however.

Thread's title edited at OP's request

Milan 1

Duomo


Piazza del Duomo


Duomo interior








Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II


The SPQR mosaic


Tradition has it that if one spins around on the SPQR mosaic with the bull's testicles, they'll have good fortune!




Entering the Galleria

Milan pix 2



Castello Sforzesco


Castello Sforzesco


Between the hotel and the Duomo


3rd C Roman Palace


Trattori Milanese dal 1933


Piazza dei Mercanti - photo shoot


Piazza dei Mercanti


Liberation Day at the Piazza dei Mercanti


Brera neighborhood


church facade


It's Milan!


Piazza dei Mercanti


Piazza dei Mercanti


Liberation Day by Duomo


Gran Duca di York exterior


Gran Duca di York interior

Thank you for your impressions. I will note the guide suggestion accordingly. I actually have all three on my list, especially Mycenae! I am a bit of an Olympics junkie, although only in my dreams would I ever get to one myself - unless herding cats finally becomes an Olympic sport.

Wow, wow, wow. Can't argue with your choice of Milan. What a great start. Your pics are unreal! That statue in the Duomo looks like you don't want to mess with him.

I repeat what shelemm just said. Wow, wow, wow!!! The photos of Milan are gorgeous! And thanks for including the photos of the Hotel Gran Duca di York. I made our reservations yesterday based on your recommendation.

Did you go to the Milan Duomo rooftop? If not this trip, then 25 years ago? Are there elevators that bring you to the rooftop? Did you buy tickets in advance to enter?

We will be in Milan for 3 nights at the beginning of our trip, and then the last night of our trip. So we should be able to spend the last afternoon and evening in Milan. I am thinking of taking a daytrip to Bergamo when we first arrive. Based on your experience being in Milan twice, does that give us enough time there? Just curious what you think. We can always make our decision about Bergamo when we are there.

I notice that people are wearing long pants and jackets in Milan at the end of April. I guess I thought it would be warmer. We will be there from May 3 through May 5. Will make a note to pack the proper clothing. I had envisioned wearing capris and short sleeves every day but I guess not!

Travel_Nerd, if you haven't put Mystras on your itinerary yet, I highly recommend that you do so. Mystras is spectacular, and is my favorite of all the ruins that we saw. I could easily return. We were also very impressed with Mycenae and Epidaurus.

Stunning pictures progol, Milan has long been on our wishlist despite several trips to Italy. DH and I were last there as twenty somethings 40 years back! Hopefully we’ll get there one of these days.

We also didn’t make it to Meteora, though shelemm’s pictures and description brought it all alive for me. Delphi was another fav, Olympia was exciting, but I liked Ancient Nemea too, and the small museum at the site. And of course Mystras and Epidavros. What’s not to like about Greece?!

Thank you, all, for your generous words about my photos of Milan. We stopped there because we took La Compagnie, which I mentioned is an all-business class small airline. It goes to Paris and Milan (and Nice during the summer) and because their prices are so reasonable, we have flown them now twice. I don’t know that it was “worth” the financial savings, but it was nice to have the first stop in Milan. We both love Italy and it had been 25 years since we were in Milan.

KarenWoo, we had gone to the top of the Duomo 25 years earlier so didn’t feel compelled to do it this time. We did wait on an actual line (!) to buy our tickets to enter the cathedral but you can buy tickets online, which I’d recommend.

Yes, the weather was definitely cool - I’m not sure how warm it might be in early May, but I’d definitely have a light jacket for the evenings. And an umbrella.

geetika, we didn’t make it to Nemea (we’re definitely not rushing around anymore!) but glad we got to see Meteora. I was afraid my husband would find it too long a drive but,,as we arrived, he said, “You did good”. The pix will look a lot like shelemm’s, too, since we stayed at the same hotel!

Athens
The trip on Easy Jet was surprisingly easy and, happily, on time. We arrived in the late afternoon and since we do carry-on only, we had a quick exit from the airport. We're diehards for taking public transportation and we took the train to the city without any problems. We stayed in an AirBnb just below the Acropolis and, having stayed nearby in 2011, we had no problem getting oriented.

We arrived a few days after there was a Saharan dust storm which turned the skies an eerie red; fortunately, when we arrived, it had cleared up completely.

Airbnb: Live in Style Under the Acropolis Ruins
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1208210...uwt2zGDHKH6dYl
Our host, Magda, provided a really nice house manual with a lot of excellent recommendations, which we used throughout our stay.

After settling in, we took a quick walk to the Acropolis but didn't go up yet as we were planning to go the following day. We wandered along the street below the Acropolis which was filled with musicians and I loved the energy.


Arrival day walk up toward the Acropolis


Initial view


Initial view w/scaffolding

Enjoying your report, progol! Believe it or not, in a dozen trips to Italy, the closest we've been to Milan is the airport. We were supposed to fly home from Milan this fall and were going to spend the last day there, but we ultimately changed our return to Rome for a better flight schedule. Probably for the best that we save Milan for when we can give it the time it deserves. We're also thinking about a trip that covers the area between Athens and Thessaloniki, so looking forward to seeing your photos again.

Athens, continued
A fun day in Athens. We took a tour with Athens Free Tour and had a fantastic time touring some of the important sites in Athens. Our guide was funny and knowledgeable and the small group was congenial, so over the course of more than 3 hours, we saw and learned quite a bit - which, by now, I’ve forgotten! But it was a good orientation to a somewhat sprawling city and, though Athens hasn’t been my favorite city, I was liking it more and more.

There are several Athens Free Walking tours; this is the one that our host recommended:
https://www.athens-free-tour.com

Hi, ms_go! I can't believe you've never spent time in Milan!! It really was a wonderful stopover (and made me want to stay longer in Italy, too...). I'm sorry we never made it to Thessaloniki; it was one of the places I really wanted to see, but it got sacrificed in the rejigging of flights. Still, I'm glad we got back to Milan - it's worth the time.

Athens Tour


We met by the Church Beside the Bell Tower


The Zappeion Megaron, built in the late 19th century, was erected specifically for the revival of the modern Olympic Games


Interior of the Zappeion Megaron




The Panathenaic Stadium, constructed in the 4th C BC but underwent major changes in the late 19th century and was connected to the revival of the Olympic Games in 1896.


We went by the Presidential Mansion and observed the guards - this shot is taken from a video of the slow motion walk that is performed as part of their daily duties, including the Changing of the Guard. The walk is said to be replicating the sound of horses. Their shoes weigh over 3 kilos!


The National Garden, once the Royal Garden, was a lovely surprise. This section was once a place where ancient philosophers met - it belonged to one of Aristotle's successors and they would meet outside to discuss important ideas and thoughts! Something we could use now!!


National Garden


In the early 19th C, under the reign of Queen Amalia, the Royal Garden was planned to be a scientific and botanical garden and had plants from all over the world brought in. The Washingtonias, named for George Washington, are an impressive collection of palm trees in the park!


Of course, we stopped to play a traditional music box




The Plateia Mitropoleos, the cathedral of the Archbishopric of Athens


The Plateia Mitropoleos interior


The lovely 11th century Church of Kapnikarea, which sits beside the Mitropolis


We stopped at the Plateia Mitropoleos, where a lovely 11th C church, Church of Kapnikarea, sits beside the Metropolis, the cathedral of the Archbishopric of Athens


Another view


The lovely Plaka, the oldest section of Athens


Overview of the Roman Agora