First time to Greece

donna, could you elaborate - are you in Europe NOW or is this planning for a future trip? I'd suggest two or three days in Athens to visit the Acropolis, Agora and the Archeological Museum. The first day is usually spent checking into the Hotel and becoming familiar with the area, so three days would probably be about right. ¶ Given that you only have 7-8 days total, one possibility might be Athens and some time on Hydra, which isn't far. You could substitute another island, but keep in mind that transportation often takes longer in Greece, especially if travelling by Ferry. ¶ You might get some good ideas by having a look at Matt Barrett's * www.greecetravel.com * (cut and paste the link). For Hotels in Athens, have a look at the Acropolis Select. It's a very comfortable Hotel and very close to the Sygrou-Fix Metro stop. Happy travels!

Please understand that your question is very open ended. I assume you have invested in some guidebooks? Are you interested in islands or some of the ancient sites on the mainland and Peloponnese? Are you looking for sun and fun or culture? Can you/will you drive or are you limited to public transportation? We really need to know some of these answers to help you. The RS guide is very good and I recommend the DK Eyewitness guides because they have great photos that show what to expect (and inspire).

I probably was a little premature in my post. We just returned from our 5th trip to Italy [INVALID] and the four of us think maybe we should expand our horizons and try Greece next year, probably end of April/early May. (Or as an alternative October) We've never been. First, I should buy the guide book, and ask questions later. Of course, Athens is a must [INVALID] but we were wondering about short excursions to the Islands. My husband and I have more time than the friends we're traveling with [INVALID] they're limited to 7 days on the ground. Also a centrally located hotel in Athens [INVALID] where taxi use could be limited. We speak NO Greek [INVALID]

Guidebooks are the very best place to start your research. For the islands get a copy of T. Cook's 'Greek Island Hopping.' Once you have an idea of which islands you want to visit you can go to tripadvisor.com for all sorts of first-hand information and recommendations from the dedicated contributors in the various Greece forums. There are lots of hotel reviews there as well.

donna, to add to my earlier reply, the book that Lee mentioned would be a good start to deciding which Islands to visit. However, it's quite a comprehensive (and thick!) book, so it will take you some time to go through it (I have a 2010-edition sitting beside me on the desk at the moment). ¶ The Hotel that I mentioned earlier is "central" (and within walking distance to the Acropolis), but Trip Advisor or the RS Guidebook will give you a good idea of other Hotels. Matt Barrett's website provides a good description of all the islands. ¶ Based on your last reply, it appears you'll have 7-8 days travelling with the other couple. How much time will you have in total for travel in Greece? ¶ I was in Greece this year, partly on a RS tour of the Pelopponese and then to Naxos and Santorini on my own after the tour ended. It's not really necessary to be able to speak Greek, but of course knowing some of the "polite" words is a good idea. Good luck with your planning!

I think that there are a few nuggets of advice to pass on even before you look at a guide. Late April/Early May or October are the very edge of the season. The islands and other tourists destinations will be active, but not at full steam and certainly not crowded. I would prefer late May or Early September, but that is me (little more beach, little more party)...........Athens is really the central Hub, you tend to arrive and leave from there, meaning likely your first and last night will be there, maybe one more. That leaves about 5 days for travel......In that time you could do a few sites on the Peloponnese (Nafplio, Epidarus, Olympia) or at the most two Islands, but probably not both Islands and the Peloponnese(there is an exception, but not that for now)......Some popular routes: The Cyclades; maybe a ferry to Mykonos, Naxos, or Paros; then a ferry to Santorini, then fly back to Athens. You could also take a westernly route to Santorini, through Sifnos or Milos. You could also go North to Lesbos and some of the surrounding islands.......just keep any islands along the same ferry route, certainly consider Aegean Airlines for flights back to Athens or to a far island........In the end, 7 days will give you enough of a taste to want to go back for 7 weeks.

Definitely try to get to Delphi. A beautiful site and great ancient ruins and museum. An easy 2-3 hour drive from Athens or there are many day-trip excursions if driving is not your thing. Totally forgot about Matt Barrett's website - a great resource for all things Greece. AVA Hotel is fantastic in Athens and usually #1 on Trip Advisor. Very close to the Acropolis, the Metro and Plaka. Don't worry about the language - most in the tourist industry speak some English and most signs are also in English and the Greeks are super friendly even if you can't understand each other.

Late September to early October was lovely when we visited the islands of Paros and Mykonos ,, years ago. The weather was still perfect( good for beaches yet not too hot) everything was still open, but crowds seemed ok. perhaps things have changed,. I would not choose to go in April,, I like beaches and outdoor cafes facing ocean with a drink,,, and I prefer decent weather,, I think April is still too early. ,

Donna, I'm just curious; were your visits to Italy limited to 7-8 days each? Or did you allow up to 2 weeks. When you talk about broadening your reach this next time, did you mean that you want to tack a week in Greece to the END of your usual Italy trip? What I'm trying to get at is, do you normally take a looong air journey in order to spend just 5-7 days in a country? Or are you not giving us the entire picture. Please share more.

We usually spend at least ten days in Italy, this last time, 4 days in rome, 10 in Sicily. We usually travel with another couple, but they only have 7 days on the ground [INVALID] so we usually arrive before them and see some sites [INVALID] and stay a few days after they leave and go somewhere else. They are small business owners and cannot be away from their business any longer. So, I'm thinking we'll all be in Athens together,and maybe take a side trip after they leave. I need to get one of the recommended guidebooks and at least get familiar with the logistics.

Is what you're saying is, you're going to spend 10 days in Italy as usual, then go to Athens where you will spend 7 days?? with your friends, they'll go home, and then you'll have a couple more days to spend in Greece. If that is your approach, I suggest that you take Greece as you apparently take Italy [INVALID] a bite at a time. 4 days in Athens with friends, and if it's April or Early May, then drive (2.5 hrs) to Nafplio for 3 days, most beautiful Old Town in Greece, on a peninsula, castles, Venetian architecture, chic shops, minutes away from 2 world heritage sites PLUS lovely beaches, here's a slideshow by a friend to show a few of its attractions: http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/551991579dJbWvh . Then afterwards if you 2 had 5 additional days you could fly to an island and ferry back. Impossible to give details & full recommends in Rick steves' restricted-character answers, PM me to discuss further.

I wouldn't waste 4 days in Athens (maybe 1 just to quickly visit Acropolis/Plaka. Then, I would definetely agree about Nafplio but again 1 day. Rent a car in Athens and visit the rest of Peloponesse (not just Nafplio): Hydra/Spetses/Poros islands, Epidavros, monenvasia, mystras. Need a good base in Peloponesse.

Just got back from an 8-day trip to Greece-Sept. 5-12. We flew to Santorini as soon as we hit Athens and stayed in Oia in a family owned hotel who also had a great restaurant with fresh dishes prepared each time- great area to stay and just take the bus to Thira -only 1.40E- to take other buses to other parts of the island. We went to Kamari for the ancient city of Thira and the black beach. From staying about 3 days there, we went back to Athens for the rest of our Greece itinerary (rented an apt from an American couple who is from Chicago but rents out their place in Athens- it was in the Pagrati district-residential and near Metro and restaurants as well as grocery stores-great location, in my opinion and we can cook if we wanted to). We hit the Acropolis and Plaka in our 1st day and the Lykavittus Hill for a sundown to evening view of the city; 2nd ful day we hired Jordan taxi service to take us for an Argolis tour- Corinth, Mycenae and Naphlio- nice to have your own taxi for the whole day; 3rd full day we hired George taxi driver service for Delphi, again so very recommended to get the most out of your trip. Last full day was spent in Aegena island which is only 45 mins from Athens. This we did on our own-no need to buy ferry tickets in advance, there are several schedules during the whole day. We got the bus near the marina to take us to St. Niktarius monastery and the ruins also, had a great lunch in the marina and took a late afternoon speed ferry back to Athens. Please email me if I can be of any further help.