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Need final itinerary feedback

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We’re less than 6 weeks away and looking for any final feedback on the itinerary and answers to a few more questions-

June 2: Land in Athens 10 am —-> Aegina

-Should we schedule welcome pickups, uber or take the train to the ferry

-Is it necessary to buy ferry tickets ahead of time or buy them when we get there?

June 2-June 5: Aegina

-Visit Temple of Aphaia, Temple of Apollo, Agios Nektarios Monastery

-Should we rent a car for a day to sightsee or is public transportation reliable? Any suggestions for a rental company?

-Day trip to Agistri or relax on one of the beaches in Aegina

June 5 - June 8: Nafplio

-Rented a car at the port (booked Europcar) and drive to Nafplio

-Stop at Corinth Canal and Mycenae on the way

-Visit Palamidi Castle, Akronafplia Castle, Syntagma Square next day

-Last day- Day trip to Nemea with a stop in Tiryns on the way

-Visit Ancient Nemea and a winery (any recommendations on the main road that is kid friendly?)

July 8 - June 11th: Athens

-Drive back to Athens via Epidaurus, return rental car to the port

-Uber to the rental house?

-Visit Acropolis, Acropolis Museum, Athens National Garden, Mosastiraki Square, Syntagma Sq, Lycabettus Hill Funicular

-How should we split up the sights over 2 days?

-I don't think we'll make it for an 8 am entrance to the Acropolis. Thinking about going to the Acropolis museum around 2 pm and then entering the Acropolis at 4pm. Is that a good option to avoid most of the crowds?

We will be travelling with 2 kids (5 yo, 9yo). Appreciate any restaurant recommendations as well. Thanks in advance!

Posted by
1682 posts

You have a busy schedule so you may not have any extra time, but on your drive to Nafplio after you visit the canal you might want to drive to Acrocorinth. There is a massive ancient fortress there with 360 degree views over the countryside.
This is the album we made when we visited Acrocorinth.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/48895843442/in/album-72157711755443483/
The next 30 images are all of Acrocorinth. Just hit the arrow on the right side of each image.

Posted by
39 posts

Sounds like a nice trip you have planned. I can really only comment on the Athens and Peloponnese portion of your itinerary. I wanted to offer a couple things to consider. Athens will be mobbed with people, so doing things early or in the evening will make it more pleasant. We were there in late October and had 8:00 entrance to the Acropolis. We were among the first people in, but when we left a couple hours later we had to fight through throngs of people to get out. Maybe the later entrance will be better.

Driving in Greece was one of the highlights of our trip. The roads are fantastic and the natural beauty you will see through the windows is remarkable. Enjoy to drive!

Nafplio was a wonderful place to relax and wander the streets. It is very compact. The day trippers arrive pretty early, but they are generally gone by 5:00 and stores stay open late. We toured the town later in the evening and it was magical.

You have Mycenae and Corinth on the same day that I think you are driving from place to place. Both of these deserve time to really appreciate. They also both have a fair amount of climbing up hills, so it can be slow going. If you could do one on the way to Nafplio and a day trip to the other, you might not feel so rushed.

Here is a link to the trip report of my southern Greece vacation last year. It will give you an idea of the sites we were able to see in a day. With good planning it is possible to pack in quite a bit each day. But it is also easy to underestimate the amount of time required to do each place justice.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/southern-greece-and-peloponnese-in-october-2025

Posted by
5 posts

Thank you both for the responses! Glad to hear the driving won't be stressful! We're thinking about rearranging the sights on the way to Nafplio and the daytrips, any insight on the Kapsia Caves as a daytrip?

Posted by
3767 posts

June 2nd Airport to Aegina:

3 options:

  • Taxi: pre-booked or not. Uber-type drivers are prohibited in Greece. If you request a taxi via Welcome Pickups or Uber you will always get a professional official taxi using the app.
    The fare to the port of Piraeus is approximately €55 to €65 depending on traffic.
    Ferries to Aegina depart from gate E8 (specify this to the taxi driver as there are 12 gates and the port docks extend for 4 kilometers).

  • Bus X96: At arrivals level, exit 5. A bus approximately every 15 minutes. Ticket €5.50.
    In front of the bus stop, there is a booth to buy tickets as well as machines. You can also pay and validate your journey on the bus with a Visa or Mastercard credit card or with a smartphone payment app (Apple and Android). You cannot pay for multiple passengers' tickets on the same credit card or smartphone.

  • Metro Line 3 (blue)
    The metro station is at the end of an elevated pedestrian walkway accessible from the Departures level (above the Arrivals level). A metro train runs every 36 minutes, ticket price €9. Ticket booths and machines are located in the station. Payment is also possible with credit cards and payment apps.
    At Piraeus station, you will need to validate your exit from the metro using the same payment method as when you entered (tickets, credit card, or smartphone).

In Piraeus, the metro and the X96 bus stop are roughly in the same location. It's about a 10-minute walk to reach Gate E8.

Once you arrive at Gate E8, you will find ticket agents to purchase tickets for the next available ferry. Ferries to Aegina depart approximately every 30 minutes until 7:30 PM.

Street view of Gate E8. Rotate to the right to see ticket sales agents

https://maps.app.goo.gl/8xQPCt3xnD5gt6BV9

Posted by
5 posts

Thanks for the breakdown! Leaning towards the train right new but we will probably have to decide last minute based on how much luggage we have.

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