We are traveling to Greece with our 2 teenagers and would like to split our 8 days between Athens, Nafplio and Hydra. We will use public transportation. We fly in/out of Athens. We are debating if we start right away in Nafplio (get there by bus, stay a few nights), then bus back to Athens and ferry to Hydra on the same day, stay a few nights in Hydra, then ferry back to Athens and end our trip there OR if we start in Nafplio for a few days, bus to Ermioni to ferry to Hydra from there (stay a few days) - and then ferry back to Athens. It seems that the bus/ferry through Ermioni might be faster, though could be unreliable and/or confusing -- however I'm not sure I want to spend a whole day on the bus to Athens/ferry to Hydra if we don't need to go back to Athens to get to Hydra. Any suggestions would be appreciated!!
Posted by
Edmonds, WA 🌨 ☂
11872 posts
split our 8 days (among) Athens, Nafplio and Hydra
How many nights do you have?
What time would your flight arrive? Departure time?
Whatever you decide. I suggest making Athens the last stop to facilitate your departure to go home.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We would arrive late morning/early afternoon -- staying 8 nights total.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3397 posts
Whly Hydra?? -- Hydra is over-promoted (espcially by R Steves Tour) just because their tours don't cover islands, so they tack it on at the end... It has a lovoely harbour, but then what??? Not really an island for long walks, or quaint villages, or lovely accessible beaches ... and donkeys or hikes to get any where. It's become famous because celebrities have had homes there, behind high walls.
Why not stick to Nafplio, since you only have 8 days?? ..http://www.visitnafplio.com the peninsula is surrounded by the sea so you feel as if you're on an island ... and wonderful beaches around and IN Nafplio http://www.visitnafplio.com/beaches.html .... the Nafplio "Town beach" Arvanitia is loads of fun, lots of teens hanging out there .. I also love the hidden-gem "KAstraki" beach (also known as Asine) , get there in 20 mins on local bus, never crowded ... also "Baniere" - a deep swim-place right at the foot of clliffs ... even has tables & beverages. Furthermore, for teens, you've got a cliff-elevator to Acronafplia parapet, and the 999 steps UP to the Palamidi Fortress ... and 10 mins out of town on the local bus is an amazing Iliad-era run, TIRYNS -- giant rocks as big a cars. Ditch Hydra, and go straight from the airport viia xpress bus to Kifissou KTEL bus terminal... and a modern a/c bus (reserved seats) will get you to Nafplio in 2.5 hours --and lots of sscenery en route. (But I hope you get busy with reservations if you are going before Septemb er).
Posted by
412 posts
I concur with Janet. Hydra is a cool place but it's often promoted by reason of convenience
Posted by
NH (USA)
1222 posts
With such a short time in Greece I would split it between Athens and Nafplio.
Athens deserves a minimum of 2 days with three better.
Nafplio is one of Greece's loveliest towns and a great base to explore the area.
If you want to go to Hydra then Pegasus Travel offers day trips including Spetses.
Hydra is very nice but most people do it as a day trip. Not really much beyond a lovely waterfront with the village cascading down to the waterfront. Nice back streets are quieter with pretty white washed houses and narrow lanes.
The website site Janet provided is the best for Nafplio and filled with wonderful info.
Posted by
4956 posts
Ditto---Nafplio plus Athens. I get the desire for an island experience, but the Peloponnese is ringed by gorgeous beaches and coastline--no need to lose precious travel time just to be surrounded by water.
I would reconsider renting a car though.
Posted by
Massachusetts
32 posts
I get the appeal of an island! We were in Greece for 8 days in April and did the following - flew into Athens and immediately took the ferry to Aegina. This as a great recommendation from Janet - as we initially were planning on Hydra but the ferry ride was much longer and we worried about being exhausted after a red eye. Aegina is super fast from Athens - it’s a very beautiful island with lots of beaches … and frankly a great place to get over jet lag! Then we took the ferry back to Athens - and did short trips to both Nafplio and Meteora (we’d been to Athens before so needed fewer days there). It would be easy to do two nights Aegina, two nights Nafplio, and then three nights Athens.