Athens for Spring Break 2023

Excluding arrival and departure days you will have 7 full days in Athens.

For a first visit to Athens and its major sites, it is reasonable to plan 3 days if you don't want your stay to turn into a marathon, especially with young children.

In this case you will have 3 or 4 days to plan day trips.

To be realistic I would not plan more than two day trips in advance, keeping a possibility for a third.

An excursion to a nearby island is easier to plan and organize on your own at the last minute if you think you have the time to do it.
The islands accessible from the port of Piraeus with a catamaran crossing of 1 hour or less:

Aegina (with archaeological and historical interest)

Agistri: The typical Greek island in miniature version

Hydra is a little further (2 hours crossing) but is also a good destination

On the way to Hydra, Poros can also be an island to see..

For Delphi and Nafplio you can rent a car or book day trips with a tour operator either as a private trip or in a group.

Members of this forum will surely be able to give you their experiences and advice on planning a week in Athens with young kids.

Just to have examples of organized day trips:

https://www.alternativeathens.com/

I would drop the day-trip idea... exhausting & too much time back/forth.

DAY ONE - Since u r from Vancouver, you will be tired on arrival ... exhausting trip. What time of day, exactly -- this is VERY Important when yr trip so cruelly short.. every minute matters. I would suggest if you come in in afternoon, stay near airport in place with free shuttle to/from (Either Hotel Avra or budget hotel PEris). Either one near to pizza place and beach, & u can conk out early to recover).

DAY TWO thru ? FIVE? Next AM, pick up car Rental at airport and head for 3 days in NAFPLIO -- and a Great Adventure for active teens w. interest in Ancient history/mythology! FAb Map shows all from Airport to Peloponnese - https://tinyurl.com/zekuft9 - (click & it gets huuuge, navigate w side-slides)
- ARGOLID/NAFPLIO Siteseeing options:
• CORINTH CANAL - jump off big road @ Isthmus, walk over Old Bridge, take pix, back on highway (30 mins)
• ANCIENT NEMEA - "Olympic Runner-Up" Sacred Games Site, just 5 mi to yr right off highway -- temple ruins, FAB stadium, kids can race from starting-blocks 2,500 years old (!!) ... NO crowds.
• NAFPLIO -- The BEST website = http://www.visitnafplio.com/ -- read EVERY link (FOod, hikes, beaches, ruins etc)
Considered THE most beautiful Old TOwn in All of Greece... but also super-fun time for Kids (castles, forts, adventure). Since u are planning faar ahead, u can book THE best-located place in town, HOTEL AGAMEMMNON...triple room w sea-front balcony, lovely buffet breakfast, AND Moderate price. A few of your adventures -
(1) Acronafplia & Park peak, (2) Bourtzoi Castle (3) sealevel walk around Point (4) PALAMIDI !! (tip: dont walk up; taxi up back way & walk DOWN 999 steps) (4) TIRYNS fortress (just outside town - NO crowds, more fun for kids than mycenae)
(5) EPIDAURUS -- after Breakfast on Day 4? - drive EAST (see map) to ANCIENT EPIDAURUS... mainly the Amazing Theatre, have kids climb to top, YOU whisper from stage... then drive to seafront & up the shoreline to Isthmus & re-join Big Road back to AIrport.

ATHENS - 2? Days -- Acropolis & Acropolis Museum -- USe R Steves FREE download podcasts on phones foro D-I-Y walk on Acropoolis... Acropolis museum also has audio guides. If u try Nat. Archeology Museum, R Steves again has FREE Audioo-guide of "10 Top Must-Sees" .. u can download, review in advance, decide if your 2 would like that.

ONE DAY LEFT??-- Then I do allow One DAY TRIP ... to AEGINA -- http://www.greekisland.co.uk/aegina/aegina.htm ,,, this gives you a genuine ferry experience (only take conventional open-deck ferry, NOT closed-cabin hydrofoil). Video shows possiblities... also Metro to/fromo Piraaus. Check weather forecast so you'll have a sunny island day as a finale!

DELPHI? - 3 to 3 1/2 hours drive each way, & hard to comprehend for that age, even mythology lovers... save it for future...

I like Janet's plan to split time between Nafplio, staying there vs. a day trip, and Athens (saving Delphi and certainly the island for a future trip--though you could probably squeeze in Delphi if it's a must for you). There is such a wealth of things to see near Nafplio, it will definitely be worth splitting the stay between two places.

Awesome thanks for the replies!

Apologies for one link mistake -- I gave u a general Aegina link, but THIS is a great photo-illustration of a day trip there - https://www.flickr.com/photos/36264706@N03/sets/72157621604646139/detail/ - it provides the authentic ferry experience that should be included in every first trip to Greece!

I would agree that Nafplio is a great place for a visit with your kids. We spent four nights there four years ago with our young adult children. It is a nice town to visit. One of the highlights of our two week trip was climbing the 999 stairs to the Palamidi and exploring the castle. So your crew may like that too.

They also loved Nemea. There is a lovely museum there too that we didn't have enough time for. My kids liked it better than Mycenae because it has been partially reconstructed and doesn't require as much imagination. There is a field where they held athletic events that they ran like they were in a race. They also liked Epidaurus, including the museum.

If you leave on March 31, you will arrive April 1. But with the time change going back, you can leave April 9, you will get home April 9. That would give you 8 nights. If you spend one near the airport after travel, you could spend 3 in Nafplio, 4 in Athens, with one of those as a day trip to an island. That would be a fun and reasonable trip.

We just went to Delphi. I agree with others that I would save it for another time. We spent the night there and I certainly would not want to do it as a day trip, especially with kids.