Wow, this is a daunting trip! We are a family of 4, kids are 18 and 20. Going in early March so we can take the kids over their spring breaks. We would arrive March 6 and leave March 15, 9 nights. There are so many amazing things we want to see, but struggling to break it down to a manageable trip. We know we can't see everything. We've ruled out beaches and smaller islands, given the time of year. Though my daughter is a big fan of the beach! We are interested in history, museums, hiking and good food. Athens, Dephi, Nafplion, and Crete or a close-by island would be things we'd like to see.
I would love input on an itinerary. We have considered Athens for 3-4 nights, and then exploring the Peloponnese (as in Rick's video) with a car. The other trip is fly to Crete, 4 nights there, and then back to Athens for 5 nights. We'd likely have a car in both Crete and Athens to see Delphi, and maybe a bit of the Peloponnese.
We would appreciate any thoughts on an itinerary.
Posted by
France Southwest
3007 posts
You have too many places in mind. You'll have to forget a few otherwise you will never have a realistic itinerary
You are considering 3 or 4 nights in Athens, this is what you will need to see the basics. So you only have 4 or 5 days left for all the other places you mention.
In my opinion you can skip Crete if you want to visit other places in Greece. With your 8 days you would not have enough time to only visit Crete.
Going to an island, even a close one, takes time, and in early March it doesn't present much interest. You can also eliminate this option
Provided you optimize your time, just visiting Delphi, Nafplio, Epidaurus and Mycenae (with a car) will keep you busy for these remaining 4 or 5 days. It will be more of a rush from one 'must see' to another than visiting Greece, and of course not enough time for hiking.
It goes without saying that you can also skip all the other places in the Peloponnese mentioned by Rick Steves in his video: Monemvasía, Olympia, Mani Peninsula, Kardamily, etc.
Or plan 10 more nights.
Posted by
Citizen of the World
3274 posts
I would recommend that you look at a couple guidebooks to see what their 9-night itineraries consist of. It’s not a lot of time. And, certainly, March is not an optimal time for the islands.
Posted by
3154 posts
I agree with others that islands are not optimal in March.
The first time we were in Greece we were traveling with our young adult children. Nafplio on the Peloponnese was a favorite. We stayed 4 nights but did spend time at the beach (it was 97 every day). It is a good base to see Mycanae, Epidaurus, and Nemea. The castle there is amazing.
You could do something like the following:
3 nights in Athens
3 Nafplio
1 night Delphi
1 night near airport
This gives you one extra night that you add to either Nafplio or Athens or spend somewhere else. We found that with three nights in Athens we were able to see the highlights so I would be inclined to not use it there, considering how short your trip is. While you certainly can’t see all of the Peloponnese in the time you have, Mystras might be a possibility. It is about 3 hours from the airport. You could spend one night there and then go to Nafplio. I haven’t done it but I have read of people making a day trip from Nafplio to Mystras. If you wanted to that, then I would add night to Nafplio.
Posted by
OP
Northern Minnesota
27 posts
Thanks for the input. I think we will eliminate Crete for this trip. Focus on Athens and Peloponnese.