Greece 18 nights in July

My suggestion is to quickly go to your nearest public library and look at 2-3 guidebooks. If you can find one, probably GREEK ISLAND HOPPING is the best/easiest one to orient you. It shows how many places you realistically can go to within your time frame, and shows the ferry routes to get there. This guide also is geared to High Season, when things will be crowded (July-Aug), and oriented to a young crowd. The next-best guide for same demographic is Let's Go Greece.

Before you do this slight bit of homework, there is no point in beginning to advise you ... we can give tips about places you have chosen, but a Forum is not designed to take the place of either homework on your part, or a travel agent to do the research for you.

Do you have the RS Guide Book on Greece? If so, great. If not, they are on sale today elsewhere on this web site. It sure was handy when we researched out trip to Greece last summer. I hope you have seen that the average temperature in Greece in July is 88*F. Happy travels.

I am still of the age that prefers guidebooks to the Internet, so I always start with the RS guidebooks. You can get them from the library or used book stores ( do not go more then a year or two old unless you verify info.). Other options are looking at tour group itineraries if you truly do not have an idea of where you want to go. From what you mention, I am guessing you want to see Athens and some islands. Delphi? Olympia? Mycene? Epidavros? To say you want to see history is kind of an understatement for Greece, so maybe you'd like to be more specific.

What kind of transportation are you planning to use?

Charlie, the rick steve guide is great for Athens, the Peloponnese Main sights (not the smaller ones), and a couple of mainland sights like Delphi ... but the only Island it covers is Hydra. IF John & Doc want islands, they'll have to consult some other sources.

Greece in July - take lots of mosquito repellant and sunscreen would be my advice. It will be roasting hot.

Avoid islands such as Santorini as they will be too over-run at that time of year. The Ionian islands get a bit more of a breeze and will make the temperature a little bit more bearable for July.

July as you know is peak season and many people will already have booked their accommodation, so no delay.

We have been looking at rick Steves guidebook.
This is our calendar. How does this sound?
July 3 fly into athens
3-5 spend night in athens
Rent car in 5th (it's a Sunday, should that be a hindrance?) and drive to delphi
Spend 5th in delphi
6th drive to olympia and spend night
7 th drive to nafplio abd spend 7th and 8th(see Mycenae and epidavros in those days)
On 9th drive to athens and drop off car.
Fly to Samos on 9th. Spend 9 th, 10th snd 11th.
On 12th ferry to Mykonos abd spend 12th-15th.
On 15th ferry to santorini. Spend 15th to 20th.
Return to athens on 20th and spend noght
Fly home on 21st.
Thx for comments

I can't speak to the island part, but it looks like you have appropriate time alloted for the mainland portion. You are going to have such a great trip!

I would suggest you save Athens for the end of your trip. You have to return there to catch your plane so your last day is wasted. If you spend your last 3-4 nights in Athens you will have more time to see the sights, or you can spend only 3 total nights in Athens and add 1 night to another location. We learned this through experience. Also, don't know your age but we're seniors and preferred Naxos to Mykonos. Though we only spent a few hours on Mykonos, we chose Naxos because we felt there was more to do there. But we were there in September and don't know how hot it would be in July.