Itinerary in late September

You’ll save time by visiting Athens at the very end of your trip.

Nafplio is 1:45 from Athens. Olympia is 2:30 further on. That makes the return to Athens a 4+hour drive but driving in urban Greece is something of an extreme sport and you don’t want to drive anywhere near Athens.

I would suggest after the island visit, picking up your car in Piraeus. You can reserve a car in Piraeus through www.AutoEurope.com You also can pick one up in Piraeus and drop it off in Nafplio or Corinth at the end of the trip through AutoEurope. Corinth has great ruins from Ancient Greece making it worth overnighting in Corinth. Return to Athens from Nafplio by bus or Corinth by train. Nafplio has about 15K residents and Corinth 15K so driving into these cities is much easier than Athens.

Have a great trip!

If possible head straight to an island upon arrival.

The Metro goes from the airport to Piraeus port then go to Gate 8 for a ferry to one of the Saronic Islands.

I've been to Hydra, Aegina and Poros and all would be good for 2 nights.

Aegina is the largest with more to do and both Hydra & Poros have nice waterfronts and more Greek character if you go way uphill away from all the tourists.

You can rent a car in Piraeus upon your return from an island and head for Nafplio as a base to explore the region which is filled with everything one would want.

Many people also recommend saving Athens for the end of your trip if possible and stay in Athens central then get either the bus, metro or private transfer to the airport.

FYI: There are no ferries from Piraeus to Nafplio.

Check out the best website for Nafplio and you'll find more than enough to keep you occupied:
https://www.visitnafplio.com/

@tommyk5, Which island do you think is best for two nights- Hydra, Aegina or Poros?
I edited my post since there are no ferries now from Piraeus to Nafplio.
-Ken

Kenko:

All three would work.

Aegina is the largest of the islands with far more to do, see and experience. Plus is the closest of the Saronic Islands.

It has one of the best preserved temples in Greece, an abandoned Byzantine Village in the hills (The Mystras of the Aegean), is the Pistachio Capital of Greeece, more villages including seaside, mountains and lots of options for services.

Hydra has one of the prettiest harbors in Greece with the village cascading down to the harbor. It is very upscale and high priced and very popular with jet setters and wealthy folks. To get away from all the tourists in and near the waterfront head up hill which is steep but worth the effort as it's much more traditional and quieter.

Lovely walk along the coast to a couple of small villages, quieter, pretty and more enjoyable.

Poros is similar in a way to Hydra as the waterfront is very well developed, touristy but still fine. Again walk up hill to a lovely area of white washed houses, colorful trim, narrow lanes and views. Further north of the island are the beaches and less built up.

It's a matter of picking one but I don't think either would be a disappointment.

Thank you for that write-up. It’s making me wanna go now to check them out in person.
Cheers!

Aegina, sounds like the best option for me. I'm trying to figure out if I should rent a car or take the bus from Piraeus. Also, best route to maximize my time and avoid backtracking.

Aegina, Athens, Nafpilo, Athens airport/final night

Or, Athens, Aegina, Nafpilo, Athens airport/final night

My only concern is that the end of any vacation, toured out. Less interested in sightseeing.
Athens at the beginning of the trip may make more sense.

If you decide on one of the Saronic Islands it may be best to avoid weekends as they can get very crowded with locals heading there.

Aegina Town was jam packed on the weekend when I was there.

It was crowded, hectic and the traffic was terrible.

However, if you like a "lively" scene it may work out.

Same goes for both Hydra and Poros but at least on those islands you can head uphill away from all the crowds along and near the waterfront.

Poros is close to Athens, and MUCH too close to the coast, ensuring a slightly drained suburby atmosphere. The experience was underwhelming. I felt I had been had and for the first, and only, time regretted travelling solo. The Thomas Cook guide Greek Island Hopping concurs; "The island 'sensation' is strangely thin, with an atmosphere more reminiscent of a large coastal town", "it's difficult to imagine anyone coming to Poros for the architecture" (page 554), "poor beaches" (page 555). If I had only known.

cherryplanter:

I have to disagree about Poros.

While the waterfront is filled with numerous tourist shops there are also a very good number of more traditional shops and restaurants.

Did you venture uphill away from the waterfront where it's classic Cyclades Architecture. White washed houses, colorful trim, narrow lanes and a very nice Greek Vibe.

Lots of non-touristy shops, markets and tavernas and the best area to stay if you want a more Greek atmosphere than along the touristy waterfront.

I felt the beaches were fine with the northern part of the island less developed with some historic and archeological interests.

The "Cook" guide is geared solely to tourism and hyped the more Big Name Islands than many others.

I've often disagreed about many of it's opinions about Greek Islands that I've gone to that it has criticized.

I think the island is worth a visit even for a day trip but everyone has their own opinion about what they like..

Would second tommyk but we stayed two nights in Athens first just to acclimatize and get reacquainted with Athens after a long long long hiatus from travels
Our kids had never been to Greece so we thought Athens would be a good introduction
Then we went to Hydra and I’m glad we did
Place was not expensive - 15€ for souvlaki plate in one place, but it depends on where you go, of course
The only noteworthy expense was the beach boats - 17€/person to Bisti beach and back (and 20€ for two chairs and an umbrella - or skip this and park yourself under the pine trees)

Been to Delphi, but that was a while ago…

The "Cook" guide is geared solely to tourism and hyped the more Big
Name Islands than many others.

I've often disagreed about many of it's opinions about Greek Islands
that I've gone to that it has criticized.

Tommyk5, Let's take a good long look at the Thomas Cook Island Hopping Guide (18th edition) and compare it to Bradt Guide Northern Greece (2020), my current favourite, where you really do get it all...
HOURS LATER...
Both guide books cover Thessalonica and the island of Thassos, which means that a comparison is meaningful. The Bradt guide has more extensive coverage as it is dedicated solely to Northern Greece and is, somewhat undeservedly, kinder to Greece's second city. The Cook guide describes the Thessalonica I remember, a Miami on the Mediterranean, with a shortage of Greek ruins from antiquity and no easy access beach. Thassos is described accurately, as far as I can tell, as both books seem to be describing the same island.

The Cook guide is excellent, and is one of the most comprehensive, detailed and thorough guidebooks I have ever seen, and is very accurate in it's descriptions of Poros (don't you just hate an island that isn't even really an island) and other places such as Crete. There are maps showing high season ferry routes, low season ferry routes, trunk ferry routes, domestic rail network, domestic flights, ferry routes for every island group including required travel time between the individual islands comprising that particular group, international ferry routes to/from Italy, a description and evaluation of every ferry operating in Greek waters (!), mentioning them all by name, descriptions of islands, ports and towns, a comparison of over 70 islands according to 10 criteria, and there is even an honourable mention of the island of Imbros.

Want details? This is as good as it gets!