I’ve been pouring over these boards for my 1st upcoming Greece trip and see the recommendation to travel directly to islands over staying in Athens to get over jet lag.
I’m coming from Seattle WA, so after a 17 hour flight (1 stop in Montreal) I can’t imagine going thru baggage/customs and getting on another plane adding additional travel time when I’ll feel so wrecked already- what am I missing?
Just curious (I ultimately decided to forgo the Cycladic islands in favor of the Peloponnese)
That is a long flight not including the long day you'll have even before the flight as you get to the airport, check in, security, wait for the flight, etc.
Most recommend going directly to your destination upon arrival IF practical and you can make quick connections for a flight.
However, if you are going to the Peloponnese there are transfers available from the airport where all you have to do is get in the car upon arrival and let the driver take you to your destination while you relax and catch your breath.
It depends on where your first destination is. It's only around 2 hours to get to Nafplio from the airport and there are several reliable transfers. I like www.greek-taxi.gr. If there are two of you the price breakdown isn't bad, around 150 euros but it may be worth it to wake up in a beautiful town like Nafplio without the stress of trying to get another flight after a real long day/flight already.
I’m staying 3 nights in Athens, the first day will be a wash (arrive at 10:30 am so nothing planned), then grabbing a car to do the Peloponnese, ( Nafplio 2 nights , Monemvasia 2 nights, Mystras 1 night, Zakynthos 3 nights) then Kastraki 2 nights, Delphi 1 night, fly home.
Everyone recommends saving Athens for last and hanging somewhere else to get over jet lag but logistically it seemed to better to hit Athens 1x instead of circling back at the end. But, I might be wrong.
Delphi 1 night, fly home.
Everyone recommends saving Athens for last and hanging somewhere else to get over jet lag but logistically it seemed to better to hit Athens 1x instead of circling back at the end. But, I might be wrong.
How well that works depends on what time your flight for home is.
2:30 pm flight, planning for ~2.5 hr drive from Delphi.
In my experience google maps tends to be overly optimistic. Having to include gassing the rental car and turn in time, I would allocate 4 hrs for the trip and then the standard admonition to be at the airport 3 hrs before an international flight has you leaving Delphi around 7:30 AM. If that works for you, great. Allowing just 2.5 hrs looks dangerously optimistic from where I sit.
That's my $0.02
Thank you, Joe. With 8k posts I’ll take your advice. This is my first trip as the solo adult so I’ll take all the help I can get!
The advice to save Athens for the end of the stay in the case of travel to the islands is mainly because of the possibility of delays or cancellation of ferries.
For this reason visiting Athens at the beginning of the stay and planning for the end of the stay only a short passage through Athens between the arrival of the ferry and the return flight is risky because you can be stuck on an island for one or two or even three days.
There is also the fact that the favorite islands recommended by RS have an airport (Santorini, Naxos). Flying to an island immediately after arriving in Athens makes things easier for people who often want to "visit" as much as possible in a minimum of time.
Otherwise the weather and the state of the sea in general having very little influence on driving a rental car, there is no inconvenience to stay in Athens 3 days and then leave by car for the Peloponnese
I flew from Seattle to Athens via Chicago in September, arriving about 8:00 a.m. Since we had both been to Athens before we had booked flights to Mykonos for around 1 PM to allow for possible delays. Yes, it’s a super long day but we explored the Athens airport a bit and went in one of the lounges and caught our flight on time. If I remember correctly the flight to Mykonos was less than an hour long. It was nice to arrive at a sunny relaxing Island destination after that long travel day. if we had been staying in Athens for a day or two I know I would have wanted to go out and see some of the sites that first day and that’s what makes it so much harder. Much more relaxing the way we did it. I didn’t feel at all guilty spending that first afternoon at the pool. Have a wonderful trip!
One option you might explore: I flew from LAX to Frankfurt and then connected from Frankfurt directly to Santorini.
All on Lufthansa.
Another argument for not doing Athens first is... that is no place to get over Jet lag! Huge bustling capital city, where you don't even know the alphabet or how to get around, and groggy-faced, you'll feel obliged to sightsee world-famous Landmarks, which will all pass in a blur. If go somewhere outside, with a view of the sea ... then you can ease into the delights of Greece.
OK, I can understand you don't want to jump off a plane, and do a long drive ... but how about just a short one, where you'd end up in a lovely room with balcony overlooking sea, and even a wee beach to take a quick dip before you collapse on a comfy bed? Here's the deal. Look at this map - https://tinyurl.com/zekuft9 -- (click & it gets huuuge -- use side-slides to navigate). It shows all of the Peloponnese and -- importantly for you -- the "Big Green Road" that leads from the airport bypassing Above Athens, then straight to That Promised Land. ...
But Wait! I promised just a short drive for weary Seattle-ites, and here it is! With the aid of one strong espresso, could you drive 43 miles on a modern divided highway, with no stops or turns needed?? If so. look on that map, and between Megara and Vineta right on the water -- is HOTEL COKKINO - https://www.cokkinishotel.com/en/ -- off the big road to the Old ROad by the sea, and presto! this divine resting place. Stunning view, a beach chair to fall into, food & drink at the wave of a hand, and blessed recovery begins. The next Morning you'll be refreshed and bright-eyed, to take the wheel for all the discoveries across the corinth canal.
Our story coming from Seattle five weeks ago. SEA-EWR-ATH. Final arrival in ATH at around 13:00 or so. Baggage collection and custom went smoothly and we grabbed our car and drove to Delphi. No problems and we weren't jet lagged. Of course the depends on if you had a pleasant flight. We did not stay overnight in ATH before heading out. We have since driven 3 weeks in the Peloponese and now doing the islands-some flight, some ferries. It has all gone beautifully smoothly. If well-planned well the ferries and flight connections work very well. Ticketing a breeze with ferries. We are doing Athens last (four days) so that we will be prepared to schedule a rapid antigen test, tour, and prepare for departure. Having hashed over our 8 week itinerary, Athens last seemed the best solution.
