Hi. We're traveling in mid-April with 12 ovenights, so we don't QUITE have time to follow Rick's 2-week itinerary (which has 14 overnights). Other than staying in Athens for 2 nights instead of 3, which other overnight would you cut?
For reference, here's Rick's itinerary:
Athens -- 3 nights
Hydra -- 2 nights
Delphi -- 1 night
Olympia -- 1 night
Kardamylli - 2 nights
Monemvasia -- 2 nights
Nafpoli -- 2 nights
Athens -- 1 night
Will you be picking up a car after Hydra? or relying on public transport?
Sorry, this is Rick’s 2-weeks by car itinerary
experienced visitors to Greece suggest you leave Athens to the end of the trip. This plan has you in Athens twice so you have to make the trip into Athens and back out twice.
However since it appears you are driving you do need to get over jet lag before you drive. If it were me I would make an effort to get to Nafplio on day of arrival in Athens. Spend 2 or 3 nights in that delightful city, get over jet lag then pick up the car and drive to
Delphi and Olympia. You will have to find a car rental agency that allows you to pick up in Nafplio and return the car in Athens.
Here is why Nafplio is a better place to get over jet lag.
Nafplio https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982
I agree with leaving Athens for the end of your trip. If you’re concerned about jet lag, you might be able to start in Hydra since you can’t have a car there. Maybe take a taxi to the port at Pireaus and boat (hydrofoil, I can’t remember) to Hydra. It’s low key and a good place to get over your jet lag. Or you could cut Hydra completely and add nights to Nafplio as there are many sights you could see as day trips.
You can get your rental car in Pireaus when you return from Hydra and go to Nafplio and do your trip in reverse order. We spent one night in Kardamyili and thought that was enough but it depends on what time you arrive and what you want to do there.
Spending three nights in Athens and taking one from Kardamyili would give you twelve nights. Or as above, delete Hydra and add to Nafplio.
These are just two suggestions . Hopefully it others will have other options. Whatever you choose you will surely have a great time!
Do you have to follow Rick's itinerary? Personally, I don't like them because there are too many 1 and 2 night stays. And you are wasting time by staying in Athens at the beginning of your trip and the end of your trip. I was in Hydra many, many years ago, and it was not a highlight for me. We then visited Greece in May 2022 (planned it ourselves). Greece is easy to do yourself.
I would omit Hydra. Instead, spend 3 nights in Santorini or Naxos or Paros. First you should fly to whatever island you choose. Islands are so much more enjoyable to get over jet lag. Then fly to Athens airport, pick up a rental car, and drive to Nafplio where you should spend at least 3 nights. Nafplio is beautiful and will be overflowing with bougainvillea when you are there. Additionally, there are so many important archaeological sites you can visit from Nafplio. I would spend the last 4 nights in Athens. You have 2 nights in between Nafplio and Athens, so that could possibly be Delphi.
I think you will have a much more enjoyable trip if you delete the one-night stays and spend more time at each destination. With your current itinerary, you will be spending a lot of time in the car.
I will mix the previous messages and advice with my own:
I don't see why you want to go to Hydra, except because RS went there, but if you want to start your stay in Greece with Hydra you don't have to stay in Athens when you arrive.
From mid-April there are ferries to Hydra until around 6 p.m. / 7 p.m and it takes about 1 hour by metro or taxi to go to Piraeus port from the airport.
This way you spend your first night in Hydra and you can save your last days for Athens.
When leaving Hydra you can rent a car at the port of Piraeus. In this case I would go the other way and start with Nafplio instead of Delphi.
Why? Because Nafplio is closer, and going to Nafplio from Piraeus allows you to drive along the coast and avoid driving in Athens and its suburbs
Generally speaking, I find your itinerary a little too busy, there are days when you will spend a lot of time driving, and in all the one-night stops I don't see how you're going to have the time to enjoy places where you'll stay.
To optimize this route I will remove either Delphi or Hydra
JoLui makes good suggestions. Frankly if I were planning this trip I would get over jet lag in Nafplio and then do Delphi. Its a special place. I would drop Olympia and visit Ancient Nemia near Nafplio. It had sister games to Olympia, the stadium is still there and that adjustment will save you hours of driving,
We went to Nemea not Olympia and really enjoyed it. The games rotated among four sites and Nemea was one as was Olympia. We went to Nemea on a day trip from Nafplio. I would that night to Nafplio.
I too would save your Athen nights until the end. We did 3 nights which I think is good for first time visitor.
If you remove one night Athens and Delphi, then you would be down to this:
2 nights Hydra
3 nights Nafplio
2 nights kardamylli
2 nights Monemvasia
3 nights Athens
Or as some have suggested
Fly to Naxos or Paros or other island upon arrival
4 nights, rent car upon return
4 nights Nafplio,
1 night delphi
3 nights Athens
From Kardamyli you can also visit the archaeological site of Ancient Messene which is less than 2 hours away by car. It is better preserved than the archaeological site of Olympia and with much fewer coaches disembarking their crowds of tourists.
Which can save you the almost 4 hours of driving between Kardamyli and Olympia.
https://www.discovergreece.com/experiences/unearthing-ancient-messene-southwestern-peloponnese
It is a wonderful itinerary. And unlike some other other replies we ALWAYS stay in Athens when we arrive for 3 days to get over jet lag and explore the city. I have made dozens of trips to Greece over the last 60 years so I am not a novice. ( We also spend the last night in Athens usually at the Sofitel to catch early flight back to the States.)We like some of my parting memories to be the Greek countryside and not the chaos and horns of Athens. My only possible recommendation might be to spend 1 night in Monemvasia and 3 nights in Nafplion.
Drop Hydra. It isn’t in the same league as your other destinations.
Plot it all on a map and see where the outlier is. I suspect it's Delphi, which is too bad, but that's what I'd cut due to geography.
I was going to say Olympia because when given the choice between Delphi and there I always recommend Delphi. The sites are very similar but Delphi comes with a 10-out-of-10 view.
On the assumption that you are departing from the Athens airport, I would get your car upon arrival, drive to Nafplio, then to Monemvasia (stop at Mystras if you have time), to Kardamyli, Olympia.
To be honest, getting back to Athens and then to Hydra and back is logistically difficult. You could park your car for two nights at Piraeus and take the ferry from there. Or, you could choose a different island (Kythera or Poros work very well for your route).
Then, last two nights Athens, drive car to airport, drop off, walk into terminal.
If you do it the other way, counter-clockwise as it were, you'll have an unpleasant airport-to-ferry connection, followed by having to get a car in Piraeus (far fewer options than at the airport) and, presumably, returning it to the airport at possible added cost.
