itinerary to see art and archeology

After spending several days in Athens ( must sees are Acropolis,Parthenon, Agora, Acropolis Museum, National Archeological Museum) rent a car(easiest from airport) and drive to Napflion which is near the Mycenae, Nemea, Tiryns, Epidavros. Stay in Napflio. Visit Byzantine Mystras. Drive to Olympia, Olympic sites, museum, stay and then north to Delphi, ancient sites, museum. Stay in Napflio, near Mystras, and in Olympia and Delphi. Delphi is in a beautiful mountain setting.
Fly to Heraklion, Crete visit Knossos, stay in Chania with it’s Turkish and Venetian influences.

Santorini has the new Minoan dig at Akrotiri. The Archeology Museum has wonderful finds. I visited this May expressly for that. It's only 3% excavated. Or maybe you want to wait another 40 years for the completed excavations. A good guess is this is the Lost City of Atlantis.

I strongly recommend supplementing Knossos with the Heraklion Archaeological Museum. I enjoyed it more than Knossos itself and it’s just a bus ride away (but I would go to Knossos first because I think that you can appreciate the museum more after you’ve been to the site). When in Mycenae, make sure that you see the Treasury of Atreus, which is a short walk away from the main site. And based on your interests, I really think that you would enjoy the Museum of Cycladic Art and the Byzantine & Christian Museum in Athens. Also, try to get to Olympia early in the morning if you can because there are lots of tour groups and getting there early will allow you to have the magic of the site practically all to yourself. If you’re Olympics enthusiasts like me then you may also enjoy the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens where the 1896 games were held, which I found delightful.

How many weeks do you have... and are you willing to rent a car for part of the time? It will be very helpful in Crete ... and also in exploring the Argolid in the Peloponnese, which is so Packed with fabulous archeological sites. You have selected the very best time of year to do this .... I've done 12 extended trips to greece, 11 of them in late may - Late June. Perfect weather, everything's open, nothing is crowded.

The first advice is to purchase & immerse yourself in ROUGH GUIDE to GREECE and BLUE GUIDE to CRETE. The R STEVES guide to ATHENS & PELOPONNESE is good straightforward mainstream D-I-Y advice; (and he has good free audio downloads); however the others give in-depth background &context not in Steves materials, which will enrich the experience immeasurably for travelers like you. You have the time, enjoy the planning. Many other resources to suggest

The most time-efficient way to see the most, without rushing or backtracking, would be roughly as follows:
• Arrival: fly in & immediately take domestic Flight to CHANIA, Crete
• CRETE - 1 week at least: CHANIA & surroundings (Byz & Minoan) - drive to PHAISTOS area, then to Heraklion/Knossos. BLUE Guide will help you choose priorities. Leave Knossos till end. Daily 9:45 ferry to Santorini.
• SANTORINI - 2-3 days, depending. Akrotiri is fascinating, needs prep to appreciate. Ferry to NAXOS
• NAXOS - 5 days? Ruins galore + Byzantine. BEST Museum in Cyclades; priceless Minoan-era statuettes. Day Excursion to DElos... OR ferry to Mykonos, do Visit to Delos from there. Ferry Mykonos to Rafina.... bus to Airport for rental car
• MAINLAND - PELOPS - 7-10 Days Counterclockwise Loop for Monasteries, Mycenae, Classical. Nafplio - Mycenae - Tiryns - Asine - Epidaurus. Mystras, Messine, Pylos, up West coast to Olympia, Rio Bridge to Mainland & Delphi etc.
• ATHENS as GRAND FINALE - 4 days minimum.

NOTE: Santorini doesn't need car, Naxos good bus network, rent car perhaps 1 days for efficiency, otherwise busses. I've done the Peloponnese several times via bus, but only a few sites per time ... if this is your One Shot, car is best plan.

I highly recom doing a portion of your trip by tour grp. U might review Gate One for their tours and some are smaller in size even. The mainland based for sure will simplfy alot for u.mThe islands you can do solo easily.
I have toured Greece solo and by tour, and I highly recom either Smartours or Gate One.

I highly recom doing a portion of your trip by tour grp. U might review Gate One for their tours and some are smaller in size even. The mainland based for sure will simplfy alot for u.mThe islands you can do solo easily.
I have toured Greece solo and by tour, and I highly recom either Smartours or Gate One.

I forgot to add Akrotiri on Santorini. On our first visit to Santorini the site was closed after the roof collapsed killing tourists. It is now reopened and we returned to Santorini only to visit this site. Some of it’s frescoes are in the National Archeological Museum in Athens too. It is very worthwhile to see the original site.

We also enjoyed the small museum of Ancient Eleutherna in Crete. It's located somewhat off the highway between Iraklio and Rethymno. It highlights the Mycenean era in Crete and therefore provides a slightly different perspective than the museums at Iraklio and Chania that we visited. It's probably not worth a trip on it's own but if you're driving through or visiting other sites in the area it's worthwhile. There is an archeological site there but it's still under development so not much to see yet of the actual ruins. The Eleutherna museum isn't far from Moni Arkadi, which is the monastery where hundreds of people blew themselves up in 1866 rather than be captured by the Turks. It is a national symbol of the Cretan resistance movement that eventually resulted in their freedom many years later.

BTW we purchased this guide to the Athenian Agora, "The Athenian Agora: Site Guide (5th ed.) ", on Amazon and happily wandered around the site identifying the foundations of the Bouleuterion and other structures. There are signs identifying the foundations but the guidebook provided just the right amount of background text for us. RS offers a free audio walking tour of the agora on this website for download but I wanted more detail as I'm a bit of a history geek. We really enjoyed the reconstructed Stoa of Attalos there and seeing actual ostraka used in the ostracism process in ancient times.

Thank you, everyone!
You have given me a lot to look up and study! I was able to locate the additional guides in my library, much to read...
And I did find some Gate one "tours" that are independent...
We will have at least 15 days, maybe more...this time we may not go to islands besides Crete.
On trips to other parts of Europe we have done very well with public transportation. But I can see how renting a car would give us the option to get to a location earlier in the day and avoid crowds. (Like Olympia)
Thank you for the tips on where to stay.
It is difficult to imagine the distances--even when I look at the scale on a map.
Again, I really appreciate your knowledgeable advice!

Hi again, cvanvoor -- Crete certainly can enthralll for weeks ... I have been there 5 x I think, for at least 5 days each time... and still have not gotten farther east than Malia. This map http://www.explorecrete.com/crete-maps/images/Crete-eot.png Is SUPERB for planning (click & it gets huuuuuge)... it illustrates the terrain so well, making very clear what routes one must take, which roads are big (mainly the Big Green One across the North coast), and which are not (most of the rest). Also useful is this little table of distances (remember to convert from km to miles) http://www.explorecrete.com/travel/crete-road-distances.html ... also realize that except on the large north highway, 30mph is a good estimate... so many curves & hills, and stuff to see.

PS: The current state of affairs (in our country not Greece) upsets my sleep patterns, so lately I've placed Blue Guide to Crete back on my bedside table. So soothing to reread about discoveries of minoan settlements along a country road, or ancient chapels with faded 14th C murals of St. George.

Thank you, janet!
I am very glad to know about the Crete website; the maps are very helpful!
I know what you mean about soothing reading, as I have my guides to Greece right on my bedside table....

If you go to Nayplio you can visit Mycenae
Home of Agememnon, the ancient king who united and commanded the Greeks during the Trojan war, the ruins of Mycenae were thought to be a myth until Heinrich Schliemann proved otherwise. At one time the city overlooked a large bay which is now the plain of Argos. The site is impressive and features the Palace of Agamemnon, the Treasury of Atreaus, and the tomb of Clytaemenestra, the wife of the great king who stabbed him to death in his bath for either being unfaithful, sacrificing their daughter to get favorable winds for the journey to Troy, or both. The famous Lion's Gate is the oldest monumental sculpture in Europe and is said to be the coat of arms of Atreus, mythical king of Mycenae. The ancient site is best visited in the winter and spring when it is covered in green grass and colorful wildflowers. But even in the summer it is an essential stop and the views are spectacular. The newly opened museum on the site is well worth going to. There is a small very touristy town nearby with restaurants and souvenir shops. Myceneae is about a half hour from Nafplion. It is an important stop in any tours of the Argolis and the Peloponessos

I noticed Janet has suggested you go into central Crete to visit the Minoen site at Phastos. If you rent a car that day you can also visit nearby Agia Triada the summer palace of Phastos and then continue on to find the hidden gem of Girtyz. There is a tidy small gated site there however as you leave the site start to walk along the road you will begin to see Roman Columns lying among the olive trees. There is a whole buried Roman city in those olive groves. It like you just discovered it yourself. You can wander around for hours. There is a temple, an amphitheater, streets and the Governors Praetorium and the forum central area. Bring water there are no services.
Gortyz https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157666456665788
Crete Archeological sites https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/sets/72157645085297380/

I have been reading the guides and making lists of info and sites to see. Also learned the Greek alphabet on Duolingo--but I got overwhelmed when starting to learn basic Greek language, that is on pause for now. (So many declinations, whew!)
Just wanted to check to see if this makes sense, nights to stay in each place, with distances to drive and leisurely pace to see historical sites and museums. (If we have more time, will go to another island.)
ATHENS-take domestic flight to Crete
CRETE-4 nights-then fly back to Athens
ATHENS-rent car
NAFPLIO-3 nights
MYSTRAS-1 night
OLYMPIA-1 night
DELPHI-2 nights
DAPHNI –Monastery
ATHENS-4 nights (return car) Your comments are most welcome!

I have been looking at flights, reading tips on this forum. Some advice is to buy as early as possible, as prices will not get any lower.
I am seeing prices around $1200 -1400+ for one stop in Europe. Is that about as good as I am going to find? I am focusing on flights that get us to Athens in the morning, early as possible. Is 1 hour 20 min. layover enough at Charles de Gaulle airport? Is it true that it is best to fly on a Tuesday? Does the return day also make a difference? We are very flexible on dates...
Thank you so much!

If you expect authenticity you might be disappointed with Knossos on Crete. Acquired by Sir Arthur Evans in the late 19th Century, who was not an archaeologist, he proceeded to "rebuild" it. To many modern scholars what he did is commonly thought of as an archaeological sacrilege. He even went so far as to paint the structures he rebuilt.

For the areas not covered by Rick, I'd also look at a Michelin Green Guide. I prefer their star rating system and color maps to the "phone book" personality I've experienced with Lonely Planet Greece.

I think the plan you outlined above makes sense. People on this forum want to help and share their experiences, but sometimes that can produce more "must sees" than anyone has time for. I like your priorities and sequence.

Not knowing where you're flying from, I'm not sure the airfares are right, but I'd find them OK for one person from the US west coast. However, I'd want a longer layover in CDG than you're looking at. It's a busy confusing (confused?) airport and any slippage of arrival time or unusual delay with immigration can mess you up. If the flights are on one ticket with the same airline you're protected, but still it's better not to have to take a later flight. (But you already know about this from past trips.)

Yes, by all means avoid CDG if at all possible. It's the worst airport I've ever had the misfortune to use.

If you MUST use CDG, no alternative, allow at LEAST 3 hours between flights. And get ready for lots of Attitude.

OK, thank you very much about warnings on CDG. I do remember it was hard to figure out where to go, once before.
My husband and I are flying from the Midwest.
We will have only carry-on luggage, but it is still daunting to imagine two stops and all the time that takes, for less expensive flight.

I have gotten so many good tips from postings, here. It is great! Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge.

I second the recommendation for the Museum of Cycladic Art, and that of Byzantine and Christian Art in Athens. Also the Benaki collection includes many wonderful artifacts from a much longer time range. I don’t see the Hosios Loukas monastery on your itinerary now. It is very worth visiting and easy to access if you are driving to Delphi, really just a turn off the highway.

Emirates has a fare sale for next 2 days ....they fly Nonstop from Newark NJ to Athens. Travel to Greece has to start no later than May 14, 2019 and be completed no later than June 30th. Economy fare starts at $579 PP.....I did a dummy booking for 5/13 returning 6/6. Fare was $769.

Wow, thanks for the info, Chris, I will go to sky scanner and look for it.
And to Rosalyn, yes, definitely, still going to Hosios Lukas. Have wanted to see those monasteries and others, ever since a class I took on Early Christian and Byzantine art....
also will definitely go to museums in Athens. I have wondered about the 3 bronzes in Piraeus Archeological Museum--I am trying to see as much art history as I can!