What to do in Greece for 10 days in October?

October is a transitional time in Greece. You will have some beautiful, warm days, but might run into some chilly winds and cold nights. We spent time on the beaches in October, but were too cold to go into the water. The ferries can run late or be cancelled if a fall storm moves in, so be patient and flexible. It can look gorgeous out, but the seas can be terribly rough! Corfu is quite far from Athens and the Peleponnese. Most people would fly from Athens. Hydra is much easier to get to based on where you want to visit. I would use Nafplio as a base to see Mycenae and Epidauros. I loved Mystras, with it's Byzantine churches, and Monemvasia, the fortress town.

If you read through the itinerary for the RS Greece tour you will get an idea of the highlights of the Peloponnese. He hits pretty much everything that I would recommend in the area.

If you are feeling adventurous, see what ferries are leaving Patras, which you might be driving by, and head out there. I know there is a link to Kefalonia, and possibly Zakynthos or Ithaka. I have not been to either of those, but they are probably beautiful, and definitely less visited than Corfu or Hydra.

I know everyone goes, but if you haven't been, you should try to visit Delphi. It should be pretty quiet in October, which makes it all the more fun!

Enjoy! I wish I could go, too!

We go to Greece every Oct. and for the most part the weather has been very good, sun, blue skies, mild temperatures, a little rain, some thunderstorms at night but never any washouts. We all know weather can be unpredictable but if you look at the weather averages for travel to Greece you'll find it to be a nice time to be there.

How many days to you have to travel outside of Athens? There are numerous options, mainland or islands.

You can rent a car and go down to Nafplio on the Argolis Peninsula and use it as a base to explore that part of the Peloponnese which is rich in archeological and historic sites. Nafplio is one of Greece's loveliest towns.

You could also drive down to the Mani Peninsula and base yourself in Kardymili which is a beautiful town, on the water, lots of charm and a great place to start your exploration of the Mani.

Or . . . go to an island or islands. Too many to mention but October will be perfect for finding lower costs, less tourists and still nice weather. We've swam in the Aegean in October and the water was warm, hardly a sole on the beach or in the case of Sifnos shared the beach with goats and an overfriendly cat!

Corfu as stated is way over on the west side of the mainland and your best option is to fly there. I've never been there so can't speak of it.

I have been to Hydra (day trip including Spetses) It's one of Greece's most beautiful waterfront with the town cascading down hillsides toward the port. It's more of a day-trip experience but there is nice walking along the coastline and if you walk uphill away from the waterfront it won't be as crowded. Again October will find most anywhere in Greece less touristed so it may just work out.

Check out Matt's Greek Island Guide for more info:
http://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/