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first timer for Greece

^Hello, I am looking to take a vacation to Greece next summer in June . Would you be able to advise which way to go. take land only tour with group, or by sea agean islands.? looking to go for about 11 days . Do I need to make 14 days? I find that either tours are land or by sea. not much in a combo package of boh unless you go for 16 days . W6hat are most imporant cities to see, explore etc. ?

Posted by
236 posts

My advice would be to fly to Athens, get a car and tour the mainland to the west. You could go months, but to hit the major historic and scenic heights you could do it in 14.

Peloponnese as priority, then north to Delphi, Meteora, Epirus.

Posted by
1039 posts

Which guide books have you looked at?

I went to Greece just once so far. It was a solo trip, as a responsible adult, I planned it all myself, without a whole-trip guided tour, in October 2018. I spent 14 nights, 13 nights on the ground, one night on the plane on the way there.

My trip was:

3 nights in Nafplio. Its a good place. You can take day trips from there, you can hike up about a thousand steps to the top of the Palamidi Venetian fortress, see the Dendra Paloply, the small museums, and so on.

2 nights and most of 3 days on Crete. I would have been as happier or more if I had seen Olympia in Western Greece and saved Crete for another time, when I could have spend 5 to 7 nights on Crete.

A night in Delphi.

I arrived in Athens near the evening; i had 5 nights/4 whole days in Athens.

Most first timers to Greece see Athens, and in addition either they focus on Islands or the mainland. Islands are 18% of the land area of Greece. You are better off skipping Islands for your first time. Seeing the Mediterranean from the coast on the mainland is as good as an island. Rhodes and Santorini are other appealing islands; I didn't make time for them.

Posted by
3 posts

i have 2 options of tours. can someone tell me which one I should go on ? part land, part cruise on the Agean. BOTH 12 days tour

Athens
CORINTH C
MYCENAE Fr
EPIDAURUS
OLYMPIA
OLYMPIA
METEORA
THERMOPYLAE
Greek Islands Mykopns, Santroni,Turkish Treasures
KUSADASI Visit the excavations of Ephesus.
PATMOS
Athens free day before leaving to go home.

or this 12 day trip:

A guided tour of The Acropolis Museum, The Parthenon, and the Erectheion Caryatids brings Athens' great architectural history to life!

Athens first day
DELPHI Guided visit to the excavations and Archaeological Museum.
ITEA
GALAXIDI O
VOLOS
THERMOPYLAE Visit the battle site.
MYKONOS agean cruse for 3
days to KUSADASI ,PATMOS HERAKLION Visi SANTORINI
free last day in Athens.