Hello all,
I am planning a 2 week trip to greece, most likely in mid to late fall of 2014. While we have been to Italy many times, this is our first trip to Greece, and I don't have a clue where to start on the itinerary. When we travel in Italy, we prefer the smaller, low key, and off the beaten path places and towns, though we certainly enjoyed the bigger sites as well. I would love to get some recommendations from those who have been there and done that. Best towns to visit, best places to stay(do they have B&B's/agriturismos??), and best places to eat. Good and bad, I'd like to hear anything you feel is worth telling me. Thanks so much for all the help, I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts.
Jeff
Posted by
Honolulu/Seattle, HI/WA, USA
2788 posts
Just a suggestion: go to RS TOURS and click thru to the 14 day Greece tour (which I am taking next May) to see where his tour goes and it shows it on a little map.
That would give you some ideas, I hope.
Posted by
Brighton, UK
1388 posts
Jeff
It would be useful to know a bit more about you: how much travelling do you want to do? Are you happy to hire a car and if so how much driving? Are the major sites a priority?
Having said that a couple of general points:
a) at that time of the year you probably won't be island hopping. The weather isn't great for it, ferries are less frequent and can be disrupted by weather, and places on a lot of islands will be dead. If you want to get to an island it might be worth thinking about flying to an all year round island like Crete or Syros.
b) given that island hopping is out I would look seriously at Nafplio. It's a beautiful town in its own right, lively throughtout the year, and a good starting point for visits to Mycenae, Epidavrus, Tiryns and Argos. If you want to drive and take in sites you could do a round trip of Athens, Delphi, Nafpaktos and across the Rio - Antirio bridge to Mycenae and Nafplio.
We've written up our visit to Nafplio, and various other places we like, which might give you some ideas.
http://www.greekramblings.org.uk/Nafplio%20overview.html
There's a much more extensive site on Greek travel run by Matt Barrett. It's certainly worth a look for ideas
Have a great trip.
Alan
Posted by
Philadelphia, PA, United States
174 posts
Napflio is indeed wonderful, and a great base as mentioned. Also look north: Metsovo is a ski resort in the mountains, beautiful and picturesque. Delfi is spectacular, both the ruins and the setting. And Parga is just like an island, also beautiful and on the water, not far from Corfu.
Posted by
Bend, OR, United States
1167 posts
The Rick Steves Guide is currently on sale. Click on the "Books" tab at the top of the page.
SALE
Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese
$13.99
Rick's favorite places in Greece
Posted by
Oak Park, Illinois
4535 posts
It would help us to help you if you knew whether you were going to visit the islands and/or stay on the mainland. As noted above, depending on exactly when you are going, the islands might be shutting down for the season. Typically early-to-mid- November on.
One recommendation if you visit Delphi, and I do highly recommend it, is to stay in nearby Galixidi. It is a small coastal fishing village with some nice B&Bs. MUCH nice than the town of Delphi, which is pretty awful really. Plus the drive between the two is stunning. Also on the way to Delphi from Athens is the Byzantine monastery of Hosius Loukas. It's a bit off the main highway, but well worth it for a stunning monastery.
To visit smaller towns and off the beaten path locations, you'll need a car. Driving in rural Greece is not bad but you will need an International Drivers Permit and read up on Greek driving customs.
Monemvasia is a remote village on a rocky outcropping. Mystras is just outside Sparta and is like the Greek version of Pompeii. These are in addition to standard places like Olympia, Myceanae and Nafplio, which are all worth a visit.