Athens Day Trip Tour Operators

If you want the best advice, you need to provide more info -- don't worry about a long message, Give Details. How LONG is your stay in Greece. If it's under 10 days, then not only every day but every HOUR matters in efficient logistics -- so you spend minimum time travelling, maximum time enjoying. Do you already have a flight booked? If so please give DATE and TIME of Day you land in Athens and DATE/TIME of Day of homebound flight. (why? because some bus tours only go certain days of the week). Also, are you OK with staying 1 night outside of Athens? (NOTE: if u are a newbie, you should know that hotels are accustomed to guests who leave for a tour & return -- they don't charge for the days you are away, they just put your big luggage in a storage area by desk).

I would be staying about a week in Greece. I haven't booked my flight yet, before heading to Greece I would be visiting family in Serbia, so I may just end up taking the bus from there. It would probably be in early July.

I recently took a day trip from Athens to Hydra Island. It is a traffic free island with only donkeys, no cars. Its incredible. Its about a 1 1/2 ferry ride from Piraeus (Athens port). Great places to dive into the Aegean for a swim. Not too far from Athens, but you will feel a world away.

Now that we know more ... I do have a tour that I could recommend to you. There are tours that cover all 4 of your wish-list, but I do not like them so much, because they cram too much in, with no free time, to really appreciate things. Here are thoughts:

MYCENAE-EPIDAURUS - Only ONE company offers this, CHAT TOURS #6, a 2-day tour, starting TUES or WED or THURS or SAT, from April http://www.chatours.gr/tours.php?exc=5&exccat=1 I like it because NOT rushed; Day 1 you stop at corinth canal & tourMycenae, then arrive stunning Town of Nafplio on a peninsula, considered most beautiful Old Town in all of Greece. Whole afternoon, sunset evening to explore & enjoy, plus all next AM. After lunch off to Epidaurus en route back to ATHENS. Nafplio has superb small museum, great videos & artifacts of Mycenaean Greece pLUS folk art museum ... Castles in Harbor & above town, and amazing Palamidi fortress. PS: also a great town beach... SO much to see! This website http://www.visitnafplio.com tells all about town PLUS ancient sites. Click on ALL links! NOTE: tour has budget AND "first class" hotels. Choose budget; its just off the town square, great for evening mingling, passing parade. The 1st class is outside town, needs taxis to/from. NOTE: a special treat is the vista from Palamidi! But u don't have to climb UP the 999 steps; u & fellow tourers can taxi (€10) up the BACK way, then if you wish, take the steps DOWN.

DELPHI - I don't like the package day tours because they waste a whole hour picking up bus passengers before even leaving ATHENS!! Then 4-5 busses arrive at the ruins at once, about 10:45, then all at once go & cram the museum wall-to-wall, then folks are snatched away for an unwanted taverna meal that YOU pay for (kickback to tour?) and unwanted souvenir stops (kickback #2?). You'll do better with a "D-I-Y"... Take the 7:30 AM intercity KTEL bus up there, arrive 10:30 with stop right at the Ancient site. First see Museum (30-45 mns), which will be fairly empty while bus groups flock into ruins, then when they invade museum YOU go to ruins. Take a picnic, and you can lunch up on high, sitting in ancient theatre or on a toppled column. Walk downhill from site to the famous "tholos" round temple. Then back to town. DIY TIPS: for Intercity (KTEL) bus, taxi (€12 from central athens hotel) to Liossion St. KTEL Terminal; http://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/busschedulesB.htm Be there by 6:30 or so because in high season 7:30 bus sometimes sells out to Day-trippers. Tickets €15 1-way; you may want to buy return ticket then, because last bus COULD sell out. ALL tickets are reserved. Return tims are 15:30 (3:30) and 18:30 (6:30pm). If u choose 18:30 & find u are ready to leave earlier, go to the TOWN ticket counter of KTEL (inside a souvenir store; ask), and change for 3:30 bus. You will not have a guide escort, but you can do homework online, carry maps & print-outs ... and your trip will cost 1/3 of bus-tour price.

CORINTH - Ancient Corinth hard to reach solo, w.o. car OR tour group... involves busses & taxis. Can u say which part or why? Or do you even know? Lower part is the Hellenic part, hard to interpret w.o. guide; people who call this a "must-see" are often evangelical Christians who want to see the rock Paul preached from. "High" Corinth is a seriously steep climb (or drive) the ruins are chiefly Byzantine fortifications, reportedly the view is terrific, I have not done this.

Add-on: If you choose the 2-day tour, don't worry that your hotel will fuss; all Athens hotels are used to visitors going way for 1-3 nights on bus tours... they'll keep your big suitcase in locked storage, you just take a shoulder bag for an overnighter. If on return they don't have same room as before, they'll provide equivalent one.