weather for late June/early July 3 week trip

Where do you want to go? Up North the weather should be cool, down south hot, more southern hotter.

We were considering following the itinerary described in the RS guidebook. We would grab a car in Athens and follow the 14 day plan outlined. Maybe add a few days on end of trip to visit an island or 2. Wanted to focus mostly on the Peloponnese. I have visited some islands a long time ago ....Santorini, Ios, Paros, and know how touristy they can be. I'm just not sure that this early in the summer would be ideal but its the only time we have available.

Jeff not all of us know that Steves 14 day plan by heart the Peloponnese?? I presume what you want to do is end your trip with island(s) visit in 1st week of July... That is when the tourist crowd really gets oppressive, but since you are planning so far ahead, you can strategize to avoid worst crowds. So, let's deal with the Temps. I usually time my trips mid-May to Mid June when the weather is absolutely heavenly -- hi 60s at night, mid-80s in afternoon. (the old joke is that, when the world began, God went around assigning weathers and at the end he had run out before he got to Greece in June -- so he had to give it the weather he'd been saving for Paradise). By about June 15, the afternoon temp in Athens and mainland creeps up to 90s == but the Cycladic islands are much better!! Last week one day it was 98°F at 2pm in Philadelphia -- and 2pm in Naxos, 79°, with 10 mph breeze in from the ocean.

SO, your Pelopponnese strategy needs to be -- UP EARLY! Off in car before 8 AM, especially going to a rocky-sun-reflecting place like Mycenae! No shade, no grass ... but if you're in by 9, you can scram out by 11, get to some shade. In Nafplio you can enjoy the great stony "town beach" (it has concrete plaforms & ramps now, to get in the water, so no need to walk ouchy-ouchy on stones). The water will be Sublime! I also love tiny secret cove (across from jampacked Tolo beach) Kastrati/Asine beach, locate it on google maps -- never crowded, by an ancient ruin, just ONE taverna, where u can change ... and where u can linger for drinks & dinner. For the R Steves circuit, use afternoons for driving in an a/c car, get to your next destination late in afternoon ... swim! Nap! do some exploring when sun gets low. Do NOT attempt much between 12 & 5.

As for your Island stay at the end, in light of the timing (July 1-8) Id say -- go to ANTI-PAROS ... small, still somewhat overlooked, has limited housing accommodation so when that fills up, that's it. Thus, beaches & the port village never get that crowded. When u head back from Peloponnese, turn car in at airport, fly to PAROS (if you sign up for Aegean AIr "newsletter" - really an e-mail -- you'll get e-mail alerts of some promotional pricings in early spring. And always, the 1st flight of day is lowest price -- 7 am or so). In Paros, just taxi to the port & take a short ferry to Antiparos... totally walkable island with numerous sandy beaches. You will LOVE it -- I guarantee. A quiet and Very convenient hotel right across the bay from the tiny pier is Mike's Place, ask for upper rooms w. sea views.

Staying on Anti-Paros, you can take a day excursion from PAROS to Santorini for €65 -- gives you 5 hours on the island, to photograph the famous views, without having to stay there on that super-costly, super-crowded isle in High Season. There are 2 boats doing this trip -- Choose MV Alexander (goes on Tuesdays only), a larger boat, smoother ride if the wind kicks up . To get this excursion, a shuttle will run from Paros dock up to Piso Livadi dock in north end of island to get the boat. On arrival at Santorini, there's an excursion bus to Oia ... then back to Fira town... then back down to pier. There's a guide as escort, but you can also just be on your own.

Here's another vote for peaceful Antiparos. We were there for 6 days in late May, and stayed at Mike's Place. It's right on the water, with a couple of beaches you can walk to, and a lovely owner named Lillian. All the rooms have recently been updated with new showers, new windows, new paint, and very comfortable beds. Just around the corner from Mike's Place there are a couple of hotels (Artemis and Sunday) with balconies facing the main harbor, but I suspect they'd be more expensive.

Antiparos has a famous cave that draws daytrippers across from Paros (there's a landing-craft ferry that runs between the two islands every 20 minutes). It has lots of good restaurants, including an excellent Italian restaurant, Sale Rosso, with a Sicilian chef. And it offers a fabulous full-day boat trip, "Lazy Day with Captain Ben," that takes you around the island to see amazing rock formations and stops four or five times for swimming. It was one of the most enjoyable days of our recent visit to Greece.