Greece Itinerary

I stayed in Greece Oct/Nov/18 (I am 70). I am returning at Greek Easter to visit one of my students.

I must say, i was astonished by your whirlwind 'tour' plans.

I'd like to point out the jet-lag of such a trip from S.F. to Greece - even tho' i travel business class. It makes me wonder if you have travelled such a long way, at 'our' age? I would wish you would stay at your first stop for at least a week just to acclimatize. It takes me at least a week to actually FEEL that i am in Greece. Greece is a place where you "ease into", to start to know, in a deep sense, ......unless this is just a 'check a box' type of trip.

Do you really want to rush around? if so, you will miss the incredible, legendary Greek Light and soul?

Every island has its own character.

Anywhere in Greece is time well spent, hanging about, wandering, getting lost, discovering, looking, experiencing, talking to the locals. It is definitely NOT a tourist locale, at least not for me.

Even in Athens, my favourite city, if you spent a month there is more experience, more delights, more discoveries than you would ever have in N Am or anywhere else. Not only is there an authenticity there, there is a...how can i put in...a Soul you will never experience anywhere else!

My down-to-earth question would be: What are you looking for?

Given your/my age, i would wish you to experience an odyssey of the Soul. It's like nothing you have ever known.

good luck!

I can only speak on my experiences in Greece.

I feel you are trying to see to much in the time you have which is understandable.

As stated above it's a long flight from SF to Greece with at least one layover. Do you have your flight booked yet with times to ensure you can make connections to Mykonos? Is the flight to Mykonos all on the same ticket as your flight to Athens?

Two nights in Mykonos especially arriving late afternoon will basically mean you are losing your first day to travel. Going to Delos which is outstanding means taking a boat to the island either on a tour or on your own, then returning to Mykonos meaning even less time on Mykonos.

Then you have to take into account the ferry to Naxos which means losing part of the first day to travel there. Naxos is the Cyclades largest island and deserves several days to fully experience one of Greece's nicest islands.

Ferry to Santorini means losing part of the first day to travel to the island, meaning 1 1/2 days on the island.

You may want to eliminate one of the islands, possibly Mykonos and split the extra days on Naxos & Santorini.

Every time you go from Point A to Point B means loses time in the process and time is valuable on holiday!

Re: On Your Own:

Most people leave Athens for the end of the trip and continue straight to your destination. You want to get back to Athens at least one day before your flight in case there are any types of delays due to weather, strike, cancellations, etc.

Three nights in Nafplio would be good and give you time to see all the world-class archeological & historic sites in and around the town.

What time of year will you be traveling?

My first thought was that the opening two nights on Mykonos with a side-trip to Delos may well leave you wiped out and starting off exhausted, which would not be a good thing. Then I, too, wondered whether that entire trip SF-Mykonos would be on the same ticket.

I'm unclear of the timing of the Santorini-Vienna-Zagreb flights (on a single ticket?) vs. the time at which you need to meet up with your tour. Zagreb is a very nice city, worth more than a full day if you have any interest in art, so you could build in at least one recovery day there. It could help you out physically, or it might save your bacon if the flight from Santorini gets canceled or delayed.

I'm 67 and take trips substantially longer than this every summer, but they don't include a tour that hits 9 places within 16 days. There are major organizational advantages from having pre-arranged lodging, sightseeing and some meals, but it's still a lot of unpacking and repacking, and quite possibly waking up early in the morning after a somewhat physically tiring day.

I try very hard not to have any 1- or 2-night stops, though I often end up with one or two of them over the course of a month. I try to find enough of interest at each stop, or enough day-trips, that I can spend at least four nights at each hotel. That allows me to relax a bit. I can't help feeling rushed if I arrive at a hotel knowing that I have to move on only one or two days later.