Hi There, I am taking a 5 week trip to Europe this spring and have planned to spend my last week in Greece (April 26th to June 2nd). I'm wondering what is the best way to spend our time there? Is two days enough for Athens? Are we better off to fly or ferry to an island and spend several days there, or island hop from place to place? What is the cheapest way to spend our time on the islands...we are students on a budget! We are considering doing a 7 day Contiki tour that cruises several of the Islands...is this a worthwhile expense? What is the best way to get from Rome to Greece, and travel within Greece?
We will leave Rome on the 26th and fly home from Athens June 2nd. Any tips and advice are greatly appreciated!
Posted by
Bellevue, WA, USA
811 posts
1 week to see santorini and crete would be pretty good. everyone goes to greece has to see santorini for a couple of days, and it's a short boat ride to crete. both are great places with a variety of places to stay for cheap, can even camping if you want.
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
I can't speak to the islands so I'll just answer your other questions. Two days in Athens is tight but doable depending on if you have the full two days or less with travel time. You'll need a day for the Acropolis and Museum and a day for the Agora and Archeology Museum. Fill in gaps with the Plaka, lesser sites and museums. There is a train, ferry combo that can get you from Rome-Athens. But you'll spend lots of time out of a short trip. I'd recommend flying and finding a cheap budget airfare. Plus you could fly to your first island direct from the Athens airport and save Athens for your return.
Posted by
Chania, Crete, Greece
42 posts
Outside the Acropolis and the museums, there isn't much else to see or do in Athens. Crete, on the other hand, takes much more than a week. You might want to check out the Peleponnese also.
Posted by
OP
Saskaton, SK, Canada
8 posts
Thank you for the feedback. We are considering flying from Rome to Crete, spending 4 nights there, then heading back to Athens with two days to explore Athens before heading home. We're considering Crete because it seems to have very nice beaches. I'm worried that because it is so big, we will need to rent a car to get around the island. I'm really looking for a place to relax with great beaches and sightseeing opportunities close at hand. Can Crete offer this?
There are so many islands and such an abundance of information on each island that it becomes a bit overwhelming.
Posted by
Chania, Crete, Greece
42 posts
If you want sightseeing and beaches, and only have 4 days, I'd recommend flying into Chania and renting a car. Chania itself has a nice old town that's worth a day or so, along with the beaches in Platanias or Akrotiri. Also the south coast of the island (Sfakia or Paleochora) is about a 90 minute drive through the mountains.
Posted by
Phoenix
17 posts
In my opinion, 2 days is enough for Athens. Once you see the major sites, there is not much more to see in Greece. We were in Mykonos and Milos last May and all of the locals would ask how long we were spending in Athens, we would tell them 2 1/2 days and everyone said, that is all the time you need to spend in Athens and they were right.