Greece Itinerary with layovers - Need some expert advice

Pretty tight itinerary. If Corinth is non-optional, go for it. It's not far from Athens. You can take a bus. Buses in Greece are timely, safe, clean, and inexpensive. You don't say what you will do there. I would suppose you can get around on a cab, but I only traveled through Corinth on the way to Nafplio. Since your interest is (likely) religious history, it might be sensible to hire a guide.

To find out how to get around Athens, why not try Google maps? The historic part of Athens is not large. The city itself is pretty big. Since I have no idea where your hotel is, I can't say. But google your hotel, and I would bet there's a map. You can also simply enter the street address into google maps, click "directions", enter "acropolis", click the "walk" symbol, and you'll get some assistance.

We went to Greece and did not go to an island, which worked for us, since we have no interest in islands or swimming or anything like that. Why do you feel obligated to go to an island? There's a ton of stuff to do in Athens. There are also temples by the sea near Athens.

There is the Acropolis (get the 30 E ticket for also Old Agora, Temple of Jupiter, Roman Agora), National Archeology Museum, Byzantine and Christian Museum (as your husband is a religious man, this might be of real interest to him; we are Unitarians, but found the museum to be fascinating with a lot of historical details about Byzantium). There is a pleasant walking tour in the RS Greece book. There are lots of churches both Orthodox and non-Orthodox to look at. Athens is a happenin' place.

As to the time on the final day, you have plenty of time to do something in town. There's probably a museum you have not gone to, or maybe a church. At 3 PM when you head to the airport, consider the Metro. It's less likely to be slowed by traffic, which will be getting more difficult at that time of the day.

Don't let your guard down on the Metro. Wear a neck wallet or money belt.

Both the hotels you mention are about 40 km from Athens and, if you are talking about a downgrade you might want to push for something closer.

There are buses to the centre from that area but they aren’t that regular and take around an hour. Also, they take you to the bus station at Aeros Park which is about half an hour from the main sites like the Acropolis: you need to walk to Victoria Square (5 minutes or so) and then get a metro to Monastiraki.

You don’t mention the possibility of driving so I’m assuming you don’t want to hire a car? That would be the best solution to get to Corinth. Otherwise you’d need a bus to Aeros Park as above, a taxi across town to terminal A at Kifissou and a bus to Corinth. Bus times are here (under Korinth)

https://www.athensguide.com/practicalinfo/busschedulesA.htm

At Corinth the site is about 30 minutes outside the main town and there is a local bus from the centre. My guess is that you are talking about at least three hours each way. I wouldn’t think you need a guide at the site but, assuming money allows, I’d probably get Welcome to drive me there and back.

Sorry that’s all a bit complicated but essentially you are staying somewhere pretty inconvenient for what you want to do. If you can change I would!

Alan

If I were going on this trip, I would immediately find a hotel in Athens. Alan's point above is excellent, and it's great that he found that out. There are plenty of hotels where you can stay for 60-70 €/night. We stayed in Hotel Victory Inn, which included a decent breakfast at about 75€/night, was close to a metro, and was very pleasant. Staying so far away (40 KM) means that every trip in or out would require some transit. As he says, a car rental would be a necessity, not an option.

We actually have been wondering about the car hire, but so many have said NOT to try and drive in Athens on the forums! Perhaps we need to look into renting just for the day into Ancient Corinth?

We wanted to stay on the sea. It's important to us. We aren't keen on staying in the city. We live in a landlocked state in the US and long for water views! Thanks for saying we won't feel like we missed out on anything by NOT going to an island. That was helpful.

BTW, we are going to be using RS Athens guide for our time in the city, so thankfully, our time there is thoughtfully prepared for us.

Thank you all...this is really helpful!

Another option of where you could stay if you want to be "by the sea" is the port of Piraeus. Some people think it's not very nice but if you do your research you'll find it to be quite pleasant and not as crowded or overly touristy as Athens. I spent several hours there and found it to be much more than just a place to get a ferry. There is a nice museum, shops, markets and tavernas plus it has it's own version of Athens Central Markets, just not as large. The waterfront away from the ferry docks is quite nice In addition it's a quick Metro ride to Athens.

Check out this website for Piraeus: http://www.destinationpiraeus.com/index.php

If you want to do a day trip to an island from Piraeus it would be very convenient, especially to an island like Aegina which has most everything one wants for a Greek Island. Great website for Aegina: https://www.aeginagreece.com/aegina-island/

I would never drive in Athens, it's not even worth considering.

There are tours to Corinth which you may be able to get out of Piraeus but certainly Athens.

Athens deserves a minimum of two days with 3 being better. There is a lot more to the city than just tourist sites. You could your remaining time for a day trips to Corinth and Aegina.

I didn't really say you would miss out (by not visiting islands). I just believe that there are no "obligatory" sights or stops, and it really depends on your interests. The only exception is the Acropolis. It's the most important sight in Greece, and shouldn't be missed.

As to driving in Athens, traffic can be very heavy, as bad as Manhattan. We took the bus to the airport. The trip should take 1 hour, but it took 1:45 due to traffic in the afternoon. So, I'd find a way to avoid driving in Athens, yes.

If being near the sea is crucial I would look at the west coast of Attica rather than the west.

There’s an efficient tram system running all the way down the coast to Glyfada. One line comes out of Syntagma, the main square in Athens, and the other from just before Piraeus.

Flisvos Marina has recently been redeveloped and the Stavros Niarchos Cultural Centre is worth a visit. Somewhere around there or just south would be better, imho, that over near Vavrona. Having said that, there is a major road running behind the coast here so if you want to be right by the sea it may not work for you.

I wouldn’t recommend driving in Athens but driving to Corinth from somewhere outside would be fine.

Alan

I love Greek islands — not so much for swimming and beaches as for the ability to wander around small villages, surrounded by gorgeous views and wonderful people.

So I wonder if you would consider a different option? The night you arrive in Athens, fly directly to an island. Allow about 2 hours between flight arrival & departure. Arrange a taxi to pick you up on the island and take you to your hotel.

I know it makes a super long day & you’ll be exhausted, but you’ll wake up on a Greek island the next day, instead of a
Hotel in Athens. Spend 3 nights there. Which island? Go to the AEGEAN Airlines website & check availability. My guess is Santorini & Crete will be available — maybe others as well.

After 3 nights, fly back to Athens. Now you have your seaside fix, so you could stay in the city & take your day trip to Corinth. With all of your Athens days together you’ll waste less time on logistics. And you’ll be sure to be in reach of the airport for your flight home.

I did a half day tour of Corinth through Fantasy Travel. Interesting site, not overly crowded, and a good guide. Fantasy also arrange tours and holidays for individuals so you might want to contact them and see what they could do for you in setting up a private tour of the site. The staff were most helpful when I dealt with them.

We used Fantasy Travel in 2008 to arrange a trip to Nauplio and Mycenae and they were perfect. I also suggest that you bite the bullet and stay in Athens-we stayed at the Attalos which is in a convenient location. However, if your timeshare is near a subway stop, you should be ok. RS has a useful guidebook to Athens. With so much to see in Athens, I wouldn't try to go to an island.