We will be two couples flying in on Oct 20 to Athens. We plan to stay in Athens until the 23rd and then rent a car and drive to Delphi, then stay at Galaxidi. We want to go to Meteora and thought it might be better to drive from Galaxidi than return to Athens and go from there. After Meteora we want to go to Nafplion and do day trips from there for 3 days. Then go to Hydra for several days before returning to Athens and flying out on the 2nd I would love recommendations or advice on this plan! Several questions:
1) Rent the car in Athens or go to the airport? We will want to return to the airport - is there a drop off fee? Can we do that? Recommended companies? We will want several authorized drivers (does Costco support that for Greece?).
2) What about the idea of Meteora from Galaxidi? Do Delphi first from Athens and Meteora the following day from Galaxidi, or the other way around (which drive is better)?
3) I don't see guided tours from Galaxidi to Meteora but I assume we can drive there on our own and then hire a guide when we arrive?
4) I know we are only scratching the surface but we don't want to be on the road endlessly and change hotels nightly. Given that, anything we are overlooking or should remove?
Posted by
Nanaimo, BC, Canada
1446 posts
You have chosen highlight destinations.
Just a few thoughts.
When you arrive in Athens airport you could rent the car and drive to Nafplio. I normally do not advocate renting a car after a long flight but lots of people do it. We have used ACR Athens Car Rental several times. It has a good reputation. They do not have an airport location. they deliver the car to the airport and meet youat arrivals. One thing to be aware of is they do a walk around to confirm dings and scratches. When you return the car they also look for any new damage. You should video the walk around the car so you have a record of what was there when you took the car. Both the rep and I missed noting a ding on a door but my wife had the video which proved the ding was already there.
Nafplio is a lovely seaside town with an old town area and Venetian era fortresses. Get over jet lag in Nafplio. Its a perfect place to relax and take it all in.
Nafplio https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157632094108982
Nafplio 2024 https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72177720319228274
After your time in Nafplio head to Delphi. You will be fully recovered and will be ready for that great site.
From Delphi its about a 5 or 6 hour drive to Meteora. Delphi is an amazing experience.
Delphi and Meteora https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr54/albums/72157698930270992
Drive back to Athens and drop off the car at the airport and head into Athens for the ferry to Hydra and end your trip in Athens. This sequence with Athens at the end of the trip means you are within easy commute to the airport for your return flight.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
That sounds like a great alternative but we are meeting someone in Athens who will only be there the first few days of the trip so we have to do Athens first. Is it practical to do Delphi, stay overnight in Galaxidi, then go to Meteora for the day and then return th Galaxidi for the night before heading to Nafplion? It looks like it is only a 3 hour drive from Galaxidi.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3398 posts
Some tweaking is certainly in order, but it's hard to advise with incomplete information such as:
• Is Oct 20 date you take off? or arrive? do u know arrival TIME? coming from West Coast, midwest, East? Nonstop from N America or Europe connection? Total trip length? We need to know how tired you'll be, whether u can start drive first & do Athens last. .. something we recommend for many reasons.
• Why beach town Galaxidi in late Oct? PLlus, adds miles (and mountains) to your route. Also, is Hydra off-season best choice or just because of R Steves constant promotion?
* Airport car rental most time-efficient & avoids city-driving stress. highly recommended agency Athens Car Rental Greece-owned; of course several driver sign-ups; Costco? up to you to research, we cant do everything.
• Remember, Sunset 6:30, earlier in Mountains? Also some historic sites close 3 pm off-season
Option to consider, if arrive noon- 4 pm fairly tired (based on 13 trips to Greece, 9 wit h newcomers along):
• Go to Hotel Avra (Free shuttle) on nearby beach Rafina Village, taverna dinner early night (jet-lag)
• 9 AM at Airport, car rental to METEORA - 4 hour drive (2 nights)
• Mid-morning Day 4 Drive to DELPHI (3 lhours); arrive 1 pm? as tour-bus mobs leave; stay o'night
• 10 AM Day 5, drive over Corinth Canal to NAFPLIO -- 3:30 nonstop but I recommend 1 hr Stop @ Ancient NEMEA plus lunch, arrive Nafplio 3 pm? Stroll Old Town, sunset @ harborside (nights 5, 6, 7 -- or 8? ) Can recommend best places to stay
• Explore ancient sites (TIRYNS? MYCENAE etc - possible vineyard tour? )
• AM Day 8 (or 9?) -- drive E across Peloponnese "thumb" to EPIDAURUS, N up seaside road to ISTHMUS (to see canal)... return to ATH airport afternoon, car service (City Cab or Welcome Pickups) to Central ATH hotel
• FINALE - Days 9 - AM Day 16 -- ATHENS for 4? days ... Island 2 nights? (I usually recommend Aegina, because you get a 1 hr "mini-cruise" each way to enjoy seascape, and can rent car or e-bikes to explore (and off-seasoon its Greek not just tourists) ... vs. closed-cabin/no view ferry to Hydra, only hiking & donkeys.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3398 posts
oops while I was figuring it all out, stanbr beat me to it. of course our tweaks were wasted effort due to factor you didn't share.. OK.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
We are arriving around 1 pm on the 20th, coming from the States, so we will be pretty tired. Re Hydra, we have heard that it is close and interesting, but are open to other suggestions. Our assumption is that we would go from Nafplion down to catch a ferry (leave the car there?), stay a couple of days on the island, return for the car, and then drive back to Athens airport to stay the night before flying back. So, Arr 20th, Athens 21, 22. Drive to Delphi 23rd, Galaxidi overnight, Meteora 24th and return to Galaxidi for the night, then on to Nafplion. We planned on Galixidi because a relative in Greece recommended it. Of course, that was when we were going to go from Delphi to Nafplion directly and before we thought of inserting Meteora.
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, USA
3398 posts
Your Galaxidi recommend therefore is now not relevant.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
These are great recommendations - thank you!
So updating our thoughts on the trip we are considering the following:
Oct 20: arrive 1 pm from US. Stay in central Athens
Oct 21+22: Tour Athens (Parthenon, museums)
Oct 23: rent car and drive to Meteora. Tour and spend the night there.
Oct 24: drive to Delphi to tour, spend the night in Galaxidi
Now comes a big question - return the car to Athens and ferry to Nafplio where we would rent another car or drive to Nafplio with the plan to drive back to Athens to return the car at the end of the trip?
Oct 25-28: Get to Nafplio (car or ferry). Use Nafplio as a base for 4 days (?) to visit Mycenae, Nemea, Epidavros, etc.
We fly out of Athens the morning of Nov 2 so we need to stay by the airport the night of the 1st. We thought we would do the last couple of days in Hydra or another close by island before returning to Athens. That may (?) leave us a day to see something else that could be an overnight stay elsewhere such as Monevasia, stay another day in Nafpoli or an island, or spend another day in Athens.
What do you suggest?
Posted by
NH (USA)
1223 posts
There are no ferries from Nafplio to Athens.
Your option are to get to Poros (closer) or Ermioni on the far east of the Argolis Peninsula and ferry back to Piraeus.
Drive back to Athens and hope you can get to your accommodations without driving through Athens which would be a nightmare!
You cannot take a ferry from Nafplio to Hydra. You can from Poros or Galatas or even Metochi.
Once on Hydra you can ferry to Piraeus.
Then you have to decide what to do with your rental car through all this.