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Help with my 20 days Greece Itinerary :) already have most of it planned out

Posted by on

Hi everyone, its my first trip to Greece and I would like to know whether my trip is feasible. I'm a 21 year old male solo traveller and I like beaches, exploring islands and a little bit of ruins here and there, but not so keen on putting many museums into my itinerary, (more a scenery guy than a history one). Im travelling from 24 June to 13 July. A big issue for me is whether to prebook my ferry tickets.

24 June Saturday: Arrive at Athens at 9am. Explore Athens.
25 June Sunday: Take a morning train to Meteora (If theres time, do the Eastern route (St stephens etc.)
26 June Monday: Meteora (probably do the Western route)
27 June Tuesday: Take buses to Delphi (around 7-8 hours so reaching around 2pm). Sleep in Delphi.
28 June Wed: Explore Delphi ruins in the morning and take early evening train back to Athens. (Reach around 8pm if I take the 5.30 train). Sleep in Athens.
29 June Thurs: Flight to Mykonos (reach at 3pm)
30 June Friday: Mykonos
1 July Saturday: Day Trip to Delos. Spend night at Mykonos.
2 July Sunday: Take a morning ferry to Naxos (reach at 1pm)
3 July Monday: Naxos
4 July Tuesday: Naxos
5 July Wed: Take a ferry and reach Santorini in early afternoon (reach at 3pm)
6 July Thurs: Santorini
7 July Friday: Take a morning ferry and reach Milos. (Reach at 10.30am)
8 July Saturday: Milos
9 July Sunday: Milos
10 July Monday: Take a morning ferry and reach Pireaus (Athens) at 3.30pm. Go to Kissosus Bus Station to take a bus to Nafplio. Spend night in Nafplio.
11 July Tuesday: Nafplio (if possible, i'd like to cover the Theatre @ Epidarus & Mycenae on this day. Is it possible? )
12 July Wed: If I cannot cover Mycenae on 11 July, go to Mycenae today. If I have covered it, go to Tiryns Ruins. Take an evening train back to Athens (possibly reach at 9pm if I take the 6.30 one). Spend night in Athens.
13 July Thurs: Flight at 11.30am back home.

1) Is this feasible?
2) Any tips (what to do etc.) on each island? I was considering between Naxos/Ios but chose Naxos because the partying would already be on Mykonos, although Ios is, I heard, a place for young backpackers to party as well. But im open to suggestions. One thing is that the flight to Mykonos is very affordable as of now, so I would want to start from Mykonos.
3) Any suggestions on accomodation? Preferably affordable places (£20/night?)
4) Do I need to prebook the ferry tickets? If so, where do I collect them?

Essentially, 1 night in Athens, 2 in Meteroa, 1 in Delphi, 1 in Athens, 3 in Mykonos, 3 in Naxos, 2 in Santorini, 3 in Milos, 2 in Nafplio, 1 in Athens.

Thanks
Jared

Posted by
8 posts

I would suggest spending more time in Athens and cutting to 2 days in Mykonos. There is more to see and do in Athens.

Posted by
1222 posts

That's a very ambitious schedule. Since you are young man and a solo traveller it's quite possible but one thing I have learned in my travels is to slow down and appreciate what you are experiencing. Quality is more important than quantity. Since Santorini & Mykonos are two of the most popular and over-the-top tourists destinations I would eliminate one, probably Mykonos. You are hop scotching Athens quite a bit. A lot of people saved Athens for the last part of their trip.

I haven't been to Meteroa or Delphi so can't comment on time and effort getting to and from both. 3 in Naxos is good, 3 in Milos is good but Nafplio and surrounding areas need more time, especially if you are interested in archeological sites such as Epidavrous, Mycenea and several other world-class sites. If you cut out Mykonos you could add more time to Nafplio and try to save Athens for last.

Athens needs at least 3 days to really experience the city including the tourists and non-tourists sites but by going back and forth to it for 1 day at a time really misses out on the city.

I'm sure other forum members can give you more advice and options.

I really admire your chutzpah in trying to see as much as possible and the time involved in getting from Point A to Point B but you don't want to waste too much time getting from there to here.

Posted by
4535 posts

You may want to carefully check your transit options. Greece does not have a very good public transit system for the country. I believe there still is a train from Athens to Meteora, but double check that and the schedules. There may be a bus between Meteora and Delphi, but be sure of that and the schedule. There is no train from Delphi to Athens but there are fairly frequent buses. There is no train between Nafplio and Athens but there are buses.

Once in Nafplio, the sites of Myceanae and Epidavros are quite out of town (each about 40 minutes or so). And in opposite directions. So you wouldn't be able to see both in the same day. There is a public local bus to Myceanae, be sure to double check schedules so you have plenty of time for the site and small museum (plan 1-2 hours total). I'm not sure there is a bus option to Epidavros. That site is smaller and can be done in about an hour. You could also arrange a taxi for those sites - negotiate a rate ahead of time and be sure it's a round-trip deal. Or see if there is an day excursion group from Nafplio that would cover both sites.

Posted by
7 posts

Hi! Thanks for your replies!
I really would like to go to Mykonos and check out the partying scene, since it seems like the best place to party in the Islands at the moment. There is also an affordable flight to Mykonos so it would be good to stay there for a few nights.

One major question, would I need to prebook my ferries from Mykonos to Naxos, from Naxos to Santorini and from Santorini to Milos, and from Milos to Pireaus? This would mostly be in the first 2 weeks of July.

Jared

Posted by
1406 posts

You should plan for more time in Athens. I'd do it at the start of your trip and then spend the last night there to access the airport.

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