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Initial April 2020 agenda

Posted by (Fort Myers, FL) on

I have read through most of the RS book on Greece and come up with the following.
It is not terribly detailed, leaving room for suggestions by those who have been there.
Thank you all in advance for you input.

Sunday April 5 – Fly
Monday April 6 – arrive Athens 4:00pm
• Check-in and head for a place to eat and drink and hit the sack.
• Maybe a walk around the Plaka or the pedestrian circle of Acropolis.
Tuesday April 7 - Night in Athens
• RS city walk p64, map on p66. Then start here for the…
• RS Psyrri walk and Central Market p159, map on 161.
Wednesday April 8 - Night in Athens
• RS Acropolis walk p109, 2hrs.
• RS Ancient Agora walk p89, 1hr.
• Walk the Plaka and at the top of, the village of Anafiotika
Thursday April 9 - Night in Athens
• RS National Archaeological Museum tour p104.
• Fill in with Plaka, Pyssi, Anafiotika, or market strolls.
• Stroll National Garden with Temple of Zeus.
Friday April 10 - Night in Hydra
• Ride to Piraeus and boat to Hydra..
• RS Hydra town walk p381.
• Or walk it and continue to Vlychos beach and walk back, p391-392.
Saturday April 11 - Night in Hydra
• Veg out and wander.
• Shuttle boat (not water taxi) to Kaminia beach and Kofylenias taverna.
Sunday (Easter) April 12 - Night in Delphi
• Boat to Piraeus, ride to ATH and get car and drive to Delphi.
• Sanctuary of Apollo and museum, p350-361. About 2-3h.
• Stoll town but eat at Taverna Dion nearly next door to Leto.
Monday April 13 - Night in Olympia
• Leave for Diakopto, 100m/2:21h
• 9:05a train to Kalavryta, about an hour. Return on the 10:17a, 12:43p, or 3:28p.
• Diakopto to Olympia 90m/2:06h.
Tuesday April 14 - Night in Kardanyli
• Sanctuary of Olympia (site 1.5h/museum 1h).
• Site self tour p272. Museum self tour p285.
• Drive to Kardanyli
Wednesday April 15 - Night in Kardanyli
• RS Kardanyli walk p301, 1h. Look for little shop and open pit restaurant from video.
• RS hike p309.
Thursday April 16 - Night in Monemvasia
• Mani Peninsula drive p314, most of day, on way to Monemvasia.
• Pyrgos Caves p322, 1h.
Friday April 17- Night in Monemvasia
• RS Monemvasia walk p329.
Saturday April 18 - Night in Nafplio
• RS Nafplio walk p221, 1.5h.
• Walk the waterfront, p235 recommended seafood restaurants.
Sunday April 19- Night in Nafplio
• Drive to Mycenea, p253, 1.5-2h, 15m/0:26h from Nafplio. Then off to Epidavros, p245, 1h, 29m/0:43 from Mycenea. Then back to Naplio 16m/0:30h.
Monday April 20 - Night in Santorini
• Drive to ATH and return car, flight to Santorini arriving 4:15p.
• Settle in and walk to recommended Ouzerie or other p457-458.
Tuesday April 21 - Night in Santorini
• Day trip to Oia by bus.
Wednesday April 22 - Night in Santorini
• RS Fira walk p 443, 1h.
Thursday April 23 - Night in Santorini
• Check in for boat.
• RS wine, brewery, and RS recommended Metaxi Mas restaurant, p469-471.
• Need car for above.
Friday April 24 - Night in Naxos
• Boat to Naxos arriving 1:20p
• Town walk? Naxos not in RS book so need help.
Saturday April 25 - Night in Naxos
• Possible Philema wine and food tour.
• Look for “Kitron” a liquor distinct to Naxos. Kitron comes in three varieties. The green variety is sweeter and contains less alcohol. The yellow variety is the strongest and has the least sugar. Clear Kitron is somewhere in between.
Sunday April 26 - Night in Naxos
• Small village tour? Would need car.
Monday April 27 – Fly
Fly - 11:05a – 11:45a JNX (Naxos) to ATH
Fly - Emirates EK209 5:35p – 9:20p ATH to ERW

Posted by
3148 posts

Planning your return to Athens for the same day you are returning home is leaving yourselves open to missing your flight due to mechanical issues or something else going wrong like extremely bad weather. Conventional wisdom suggests you leave all your time on the mainland for the end of your trip so you aren't stressing about making that flight.

Posted by
7937 posts

We visited Greece at Eastertime, April 2018. Landed in Athens at night, spent first night having dinner and going right to bed. Next morning, hotel shuttled us to Piraeus harbor, from where we’d planned to take ferry to Hydra. Rough seas postponed the ferry, so we waited another hour, and that next one was cancelled, too. So we took a taxi to another port on the Peloponnese, where a shorter, calmer crossing allowed us to reach Hydra, but later than planned. So a careful, preplanned itinerary might get changed when unexpected conditions change.

Orthodox Good Friday was a good day to be driving, without plans to see museums or archaeological sites. We spent Orthodox Easter Sunday driving from Kalamata to Olympia, stopping for a big lunch at a taverna we encountered that was open that day, then a walk to a small monastery that was receiving visitors, before continuing by car to our hotel that night.

Just a reminder: Greek Orthodox Easter is a week later, on April 19, and their Good Friday will be April 17, 2020.

Posted by
28065 posts

Looks like you've done some good research, and this sounds like a great trip.

My experience in Greece is stale at this point, but it's my impression that a night or two on Hydra (though a perfectly nice experience) is primarily recommended for people who don't really have time for a real island visit. That is not your situation. I think those nights might be better used elsewhere--perhaps a visit to an additional Cycladic island or something else on the mainland.

Naxos is a lot larger than Santorini (5x the size) and much less expensive. I'd be inclined to peel a night off Santorini, but I'm a frugal traveler who doesn't like to take my go-slow/relaxation breaks at costly destinations.

I completely agree that the night before your flight home needs to be spent on the mainland, not too far from the Athens airport. Ferries and flights can get canceled.

Posted by
3561 posts

FYI, those RS audio tours are great, but WILL take you longer than the stated time. You get hungry, take pictures, need to use the toilet etc. we did the Athens City Walk, which is 90 min or audio, but took us 5 hrs! We made a couple of wrong turns!
We loved Hydra. Nice promenade walk along the water to a pebbly, uncrowded beach.

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