Greece in the 3rd week of October?

Posted by rebeccaman on 06/16/18 07:54 PM

First time post from a long-time reader...

My husband and I have been fortunate to see very Western Europe a number of times, and have been thinking about venturing to Greece. For now, vacations are limited, and we have time off the third week of October. If we go, we could land October 14 and would fly out October 22.

In our travels together, we enjoy seeing ancient sites (we definitely want to see the Acropolis), art museums (not necessarily a priority this trip), and exploring cities by foot. We love the water, but aren't big on lying on the beach.

Questions:
1. Given the season, is it worth thinking about seeing 1 or more of the islands? (I expect the answer is no, and this might be a future trip).
2. If it is not practical to see one of the further islands, would any of the islands closer to Athens be reasonable and pleasant during that time?
3. If we stay on the mainland, and plan for about 5 days out of Athens, what might be top recommendations to go? (I am eagerly awaiting the latest RS guide on Greece, but see that his itinerary is 14 days, which we don't have).

Posted by tommyk5

NH (USA)

06/16/18 08:11 PM

1157 posts

I go to Greece every October and have been there early-mid-late October. For the most part the weather is very comfortable, short sleeves during the day, even a few evenings, maybe a light jacket on occasion. Some rain but never any washouts. However, there is no guarantee on weather or I have just been very lucky. Check out weather sites for conditions for Greece during October for more info.

You can combine Athens with one island or possibly a stay on the mainland, Nafplio in the Peloponnese, one of Greece's loveliest towns. It will make an excellent base to explore the Argolis Peninsula and several world-class archeological sites. You can even do a day cruise to Hydra/Spetses.

There are numerous islands to combine with Athens like Naxos, Sifnos, Aegina, Tinos and many more.

We have swam in the Aegean just about all of October and the water is still warm from the summer heat.

We feel October is one of the better times for low or off-season travel to Greece, lower prices, less tourists and still good weather.

Check out this website for more help on Athens and other areas to combine it with:

http://www.athensguide.com/

The Islands:
http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/

Posted by rebeccaman OP

06/17/18 01:22 PM

15 posts

Thank you for your advice. I have looked at some of the pages on Matt Barrett's site--some of the islands close to the mainland look quite nice!

Posted by tommyk5

NH (USA)

06/17/18 06:23 PM

1157 posts

There are two nice islands close to the mainland: Aegina & Hydra if you don't want to spend hours on a ferry. Aegina is larger with a lot more to do, see and experience. Hydra has one of the most loveliest waterfronts/towns in Greece but is more of a day trip, people watch, eat/drink and hang out place. Maybe a couple days at most, but it all depends on what you are looking for.

If there is an airport at an island, especially the more distant ones then that would be your best option for a quick flight under 1 hour. Even the smaller islands like Astypalea (a favorite), Ikaria (I'll be there this Oct.), Lemnos, Skyros, and others will make it a lot more convenient getting to than a ferry.

I'll be going to Greece again this October, for 13 days (first half of the month) and I'm not worried about the weather.

Another good website for Greece and the Islands greeka.com