Athens & Peloponnese itinerary feedback?

I would not worry about splitting the time in Athens, you have to do what you feel is safe for you.

I read an article about Delphi a couple years ago that made Galixidi sound very appealing for a stay, but you'd be close by that point.

I would try to add one more night to Nafplio if anything, but looks pretty nice overall!

Sounds like a great trip.

You could stay in Nafpaktos en route to Delphi.

https://www.greeka.com/sterea/nafpaktos/

It has a nice central harbour with a cluster of restaurants roundabout and an impressive castle. I don’t particularly like Galaxidi personally - it seems a bit flat and strung out - but a lot of people do. A matter of taste.

Also on the Nafplio-Delphi route is Kalavryta and the wonderful annd scenic rack and pinion railway. It’s probably too far from Delphi for your purposes but I mention it in case any of your party is a railway nut!

https://www.visitgreece.gr/blog/visit-greece/1470/a-journey-on-the-odontotos-train-diakopto-kalavryta/

Alan

Yes, I do think it's a mistake to split your Athens stay -- why do 2 hour-long trafficky trips into middle of bustling city, and try to sightsee when groggy? I suggest room (and FREE shuttle) Hotel Avra in Rafina ... Landing at 1:30, you'll be checking in hotel at 3 -- time for nap!. Then 100 yards to sunset dinner in shady small town square. Next AM, refreshed, shuttle back for car at 8 or 9AM,
I suggest doing Delphi First, then Pelopponese - here's my fave online map showing ATH & Pelops & highway PLUS terrain. - https://tinyurl.com/zekuft9 (click & it gets huuuge; navigate w side-slides) shows all of Argolid plus part of drive to Dellphi

DELPHI (Day 2 - 1 night) - 3 hour drive from Airport if you stop for coffee, time it to avoid tour-bus mobs. Crowds arrive 10:30, scramble ruins, then flood the Museum 12-1. Then leaders drag them off for a self-pay lunch (kick-back?); Thus, if YOU go to Tholos downhill first, hit main ruins about 11:30, then move to Museum 1:15, throngs are gone. Of course, can stay overnight at Delphi, but also can easily go down mountainsides to Nafpaktos for a lovely shore sunset & be near to Rio Bridge for AM

NAFPLIO & ARGOLID (3 nights - 3.5 days?) Early Start - North Road to Modern Corinth (ancient Corinth can take most of a day so I don't recommend it for first greece trip with only 3 days/nights). Optional stops:
• CANAL - At the Isthmus, hop off the Big highway for a quick "photo stop" of the Corinth Canal (so deep! So Skinny!)... OR, you can do this on return trip. Good snack-break either way.
• NEMEA - 15 miles/ 24 K past Canal on Big Road, It's on RH side, just 5 miles in. FAB "sacred games site" (runnerup to Olympia) - authentically excavated, now used for a "Revived Nemean Games" -- wonderful stadium - http://nemeangames.org/ can be appreciated in less than an hour. ALso it's in midst of Greeces TOP red-wine country. In little village of Nemea, right on the main street there's a wine-bottling place + sampling room -- u can pick up Nemean Red for your Nafplio balcony. -- leaving, u just go UNDER big highway & 30 miins south to Nafplio... passing by Argos.

NAFPLIO - This fab noncommercial website - http://www.visitnafplio.com/ (by a Norwegian expat) is BEST guide on where stay - go- see etc. check Every link! And here are photos of city & nearby sites by a top RS photog & fellow Naflio-phile - https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982/with/8216074338 Where to stay? If you can possibly snag a balcony room, Hotel Agammemnon is absolute best location, right on seafront AND (at least 3 yrs ago) moderate rates. Another well-located small family-run hotell near seafront is Omorfo Poli. Recommended sights/sites • Old Town, worth a half-day, plus • Arch museum (closes at 3pm) • Mycenae is great, can be tiring, see museum 1st • a quicker option = Tiryns, v similar, NO crowds, just 10 mins out of town • Palamidi - DRIVE Up back way, take amazing pix ... this height outdoes ancient corinth vista! And DO take path around Peninsula Point at base (ignore signs about closure) . * SWIMS? In Oct, sea is warm! Arvanita "town beach" is fun -- or do the "town dip" by the point (see website) • EATS - can't go wrong in small tavernas - Aiolos is one of my Faves. And DO sit in town square after dinner, as children ride trikes on marble..

BACK to ATHENS - an efficient way/titme to visit EPIDAURUS. After breakfast drive EAST across the Pelopponese "thumb" to Ancient Epidaurus (en route keep eye peeled on left for bronze-age Bridge! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkadiko_Bridge At Epidaurus, u can skip ruins & Museum; theatre is Main thing; thrilling!!! then drive up SHORE road to Isthmus, see canal if you didn't stop on outbound drive. At Elefsina Turn LEFT for that beltway road back to airport; book flat-rate car service to Athens Hotel.

ATHENS - more specifics, but on another post; Steves limits post length!

Janet and all, Thank you so much for the detailed and helpful replies. I’ve begun to explore your suggestions and realize there’s still much more planning to do- stops along the way with a car. The Nemean Games are this weekend, wouldn’t that be great?

Would be happy to get further input about Athens.

Somehow, I am still resisting going east to Rafina despite how delightful it sounds. My US experience is that car rentals are more expensive at airports and it seems a lot of driving to return it there. But I don’t know the highway connections so maybe it is easier to and from the airport along the northern highway and won’t be going through central Athens…

I guess there’s no place west of Athens to taxi to where we could stay and rent a car to take a main road the next day whether to Delphi or Corinth…
Thanks!

THe car rental agency that is MOST recommended by longtime visitors to Greece is NOT expensive... its rates are excellent and it has a great fleet many models to choose from ...Athens Car Rental. Its rates are very competitive, better than any of the Big Names, because they do not maintain a costly desk in Airport. Instead, their rep meets you at luggage claim & takes you outside to their car for inspection and paperwork. At the end of your rental, you simply drive back into airport to appointed door & the rep is there to take the car. On a number of different trips, with different companions, we have used Athens Car Rental repeatedly with satisfaction and have noted their fair pricing. It is much more convenient to pick up a car at the airport and immediately be on your way with little traffic, and no confusing route to folllow... one time our newbie driver steered us in a rainstorm that lasted till the Corinth Canal, but no problem. Check the ratings online you'll see. You want to rent a car away from AIrport -- well, Athens Car Rental keeps its flleet a few miles away, that's why it's rates are better. ANd no, if you taxi'd to a small village, there would not be a full-service rental agency... just tthe local garage with somoene who doesn't speak much english. Stick with the pro's.

And believe me, driving IN Athens is a nightmare ... traffic is brutal, and remember, street signs are in a different Alphabet. No "GReece Vet" I know would think of it. And to reach your central Athens hotel, the Flat-rate for Taxis is I bellieve €43 which covers all fees for tolls & baggage. A few taxi drivers will try to scam, but the flat=rate is posted on the taxi line, and you can take a photo of it. Another option is to phone or go online and order a car service -- Either Welcome Pickups or City-Cab. Both also are flat-fee anywhere in central Athens Zone, maybe €1-2 more than on Taxi line. Drivers all fluent in English, you get a cold bottle of water too. If your Hotel is within a few blocks of Syntagma Square, you can take the X95 express Bus from Airport for €6 each for persons over 65; show proof of age. Goes every 20 - 25 minutes, upholstered seating, Baggage in a central "pen" right inside bus, no one can board bus after airport, no pickpocket problem. Takes same road as taxis & car service, Terminus is right at Curb in syntagma Square. When I'm on my own, I take this regularly.

I agree with Janet. You want to rent car at the airport. It is much easier to drive from the airport. Nice big toll roads.

We also have used the same rental company Janet recommends twice.

It is an hour into Athens each way from airport.

I think 5 nights in Athens might be too much. I would suggest 4 nights and add a night to Nafplio. There is a lot to see around Nafplio and it isn’t as hectic as Athens.

All,
I am blown away by the time you have taken to offer such helpful advice. Thank you so much!
I’ll be poring over maps and hotel options in the coming days!
Best, Bebe

Hi again,
Janet (or others), this may be a bit in the weeds but is there a reason you suggest Delphi first (after a night in Rafina) rather than going first to Nafplio? A thought from my partner is that going to Nafplio first allows us several days in one place to recover from trip and take it easy (or be energetic) rather than driving to Delphi on our first full day, seeing ruins, then either driving another couple of hours to spend the night (like in Nafpistos) or staying in Delphi and having a longer drive the following day to get to Nafplio...

And her reaction is also that this is too ambitious drive-wise and we should just go straight to Naplio (& surrounding area) then to Delphi and skip the Rio-A bridge loop. Then back to Athens for the consolidated, not split, time there before the cruise.

I don't feel strongly about skipping the loop after researching and deciding against the train to Kalavryta but I still would prefer to drive whereas she thinks we can do bus/train combos.
Our differences of opinion are not your problem though! (insert smile emoji...)

Thoughts? Thanks much!

No I don't mind your switch-around of Nafplio First .... as long as you are OK with skipping KalaVryta and the Rio bridge -- in a 9 day period, you have to edit. With Nafplio first, If you follow my original & have "recovery night" in Rafina, you'll be peppy for leisurely stop @ Nemea, early aft arrival Nafplio. And if you do delphi after Nafplio, you can time your drive to avoid tour-bus crowds (they are there between 10:30 - 12 in ruins, 12 - 130 in museum). For Delphi, you'd need to "backtrack" across corinth to Elefsina then turn N for about 90 mins to Delphi.

I know the plusses/minusses of drive vs public transport since now don't drive & have done both places both ways, using car when traveling w others.. Greece has modern Intercity busses (called KTEL busses) that are prompt, fast, comfortable reserved seats, reasonable price & used by all levels of society. Downside is timing, and less ability to see your "musts" in limited time.

NAFPLIO: Athens Kiffisou Terminal to Nafplio = 2.5 hours, about €16 1-way, runs every 2 hours. Great! But you must take KTEL bus (€6)from Airport - Terminal, 70 mins (more with delays). And you can't stop for Canal or Nemea. For 2 = €44 - near cost for small car. Once IN Nafplio you can explore town, but must take LOCAL busses to Mycenae, Tiryns, Epidaurus, Assine etc -- and their sked is such that you can only do 1 per day. You COULD bus to Nafplio then rent a car locally ... but still time-inefficient.

DELPHI: Athens Tour Bus Day-trip is Nightmare; trust me. KTEL Bus fare €19 plus - Taxi to Liosion Term = about €18; thus cost for 2 = nearly €60. Bus just 4 x day; 8:30 bus arrives height of tour-crowd. Last bus to ATH = 6pm. Must reserve; often fully booked.

Thanks again, Janet! So helpful.

We’ve compromised and will drive so we have the car in Napoli for the day trips and don’t have to go back to Athens to catch a bus to Delphi (which made little sense). But have shortened driving distances so we ended up with:
first night Hotel Avra, Rafina
5 nights Napflio
1 night Delphi
3 nights Athens
7 nights on the cruise
Just booked our hotels and it’s starting to seem real!
Thanks, all.