No Greece book?!

Yikes - well, that's scary. Maybe it's time to think about that trip to Disney World instead...

Rick's not a big fan of Greece...but he's wild about Turkey. About Athens he's said, "Two days and get out."

Lonely Planet does a very good job on Greece.

Hi David,

We went to Greece in 2005. It was marvelous. Lonely Planet has really good info for Greece. It's the book that I used. Two days in Athens is enough as RS says but you do want to see the Acroplois and the archeology museum. The rest of our itinerary was:

Athens to Oia, Santorini (by air) - 3 nights
Santorini to Athens by air- picked up rental car at the airport and drove to Meteora (5+ hours). It's far but really amazing to see.

Meteora to Delphi - 2 nights in Delphi (this is half way between Meteora and Napflio which was our next destination).
Delphi to Napflio - 5 or 6 nights
Use Napflio as a base and tour Epidaurus, Mycenae, ancient and agro Corinth
Also see the citadel in Napflio and just enjoy the little city. We stayed at the Hotel Byron and loved it.

Napflio to Athens airport for flight home (an hour drive maybe?)

Mary

Rick is not the last word in travel experts.

There are lots of excellent guidebooks for Greece. Lonely Planet, Fodor's, Frommers, Let's Go and Rough Guide are the most popular ones. For the islands there's Thomas Cook's "Greek Island Hopping, 2009".

I would have thought it was painfully obvious! ;-)

I LOVED Greece,, or ,, specifically the islands,, I did not love Athens,, but one of course must go there at least for a few days in ones life( the sites the museum) ,but, then ,, off to the beautiful islands.

Ricks skin and hair colouring clue me into why he maybe doesn't love the islands .You see, the islands DO have some historical sites ,, but, mostly the islands are about down time,, just lazing on the beaches and cafes sipping ouzo.. eating fresh seafood, swimming in the Med. .. and a fair skinned strawberry blonde( ok, well he was before the grey mixed in ) might not enjoy it the same as some of do... LOL

PS This is lighthearted, ,I do not mean to offend the sun sensitive.. LOL

Well I'm built for the northern latitudes (at least) as much as Rick is (same general Viking ancestry), but I enjoy kicking back and lazing about a sandy beach pretty well. And although I do fear the radiation (as well I should) that doesn't stop me.

I figure Rick seems to enjoy Italy pretty well, and I tend to think of Greece as a similar experience to southern Italy (with more islands and a strong dose of eastern influence). Of course, I say that as someone who has yet to visit Greece, so what the heck do I know.

Sure, I've been to other places beyond the edge of Rick's known world (well beyond it, in fact). I've used books by other publishers, and have often found them to be OK. I do find the Lonely Planet series oriented towards a different travel style than I enjoy these days (I've had enough of that life, and am willing to pay for some comfort), and to be honest I have on occasion found the folks following the Lonely Planet Trail a bit tiresome. Although I've also had the odd experience of looking round a train or cafe and seeing the majority of people clutching their blue books, too.

I was just a little surprised that Rick hasn't done a book on Greece yet - I just assumed there was one. I'm sure it's on his short list.

IMHO, the very best guidebook is the Cadogan guide
edited by Dana Falcos - esp. for the historical info.
In fact, a Cadogan guide for any country is a must
have.

I've used Cadogan guides before in those areas that Rick didn't cover (or didn't
cover in depth) - Sicily, Morocco, etc. and like them, although I'd say they're not quite as easy to use as Rick's books are.

I'll look for a Cadogan book for Greece. Thanks,

David,

You might have a look at the Lonely Planet editions for Greece and the Greek Islands. Both are available in the Travel Store here.

I haven't been to Greece yet (planning for next year) but those are the ones I'll be buying.

Cheers!

Lonely Planet seems to have a reputation of using out dated references and lots of people on the Lonely Planet forum complain that lots of the information is wrong. I have heard great things about Rough Guides. I use Lonely Planet as my main source and never had a problem though, but I make sure that it is a recent edition as they update their guidebooks around every three years

As I said above...

"I do find the Lonely Planet series oriented towards a different travel style than I enjoy these days (I've had enough of that life, and am willing to pay for some comfort), and to be honest I have on occasion found the folks following the Lonely Planet Trail a bit tiresome."

That hasn't changed since Saturday. :)

I have been lead to some really dreadful hell-holes listed in LP books; I've generally found the places listed in Rick's books to be quite reasonable, often delightfully nice, and almost always accurately described. Can't say the same for places I've found through LP - their definition of "a good budget option" is sometimes my definition of "I'll eat/sleep there over my dead body!" YMMV.

As I said, I've also had pretty good luck with the Cadogan books and will happily use them when there's no Rick book. Looks like that's a good option for me for Greece.

Cheers.

I have used the Rough Guides to a limited extent and found their listings to be accurate. They tend to have more information about places to visit and more budget listings. Lodgings seem to be at a cost lower than the listings in the RS guides. Let's Go books have been reliable in my experience. You don't get champagne on a beer budget, but you might get some pretty good beer.

We always use Rough Guides in addition to any books that Rick might have. Also Google Matt Barratt+Greece and you will get his wonderful web site on Greece.

I always seem to chime in on these discussions. David, it depends on what you are after. If you are basically looking for a GUIDE -- in-depth details how to get there, where to stay/eat, principal sights, good historical/cultural background, AND good maps you can photocopy (so u don't have to carry the book around Naxos Town, for instance -- ROUGH GUIDE currently is tops.. it also gives the budget options plus more upscale choices and is very candid. R-G PAYS its writers so is not susceptible to pay-offs or plagiarism.

LONELY PLANET alas has outrun its reputation and has been revealed to be vulnerable to both of these. Recent editions, in order to fit a size squeeze, has shrunk to a terse "logistics" approach AND often betrays that its info hasn't been checked in person lately (I have gone thru the latest editions since my most recent trip & confirm this). Also, had a confidential conversation with an LP editor who said that they decided to go "upmarket" but to stay to a page limit they chopped text and to afford color-foto section they fired their cartographers and bought cheapest available maps; they're grey-on-grey and do NOT photocopy well. He says aficiandos buy the outdated 2002-3 editions.

CADOGAN GUIDES (Pelopponese 2008, Greek Isles 2002) are for those who truly want to understand GReek culture, history, ambience. No, they are NOT as quick-to-navigate as Rick Steves, because they don't have fotos, maps etc. Instead they are in-depth, insightful and really delightful prose.

No David, Greece is NOT like Italy; its geography and islandic element are vital influences. Also consider: it was the world's most complex society, which then was conquered, occupied and oppressed for nearly 2,000 years yet never stopped resisting and finally emerged -- with its sense of nationhood intact. So its essence is very different. You don't have to explore these things to enjoy its beaches and landscapes... but if you do, it can add greatly to your experience.

Janet: Thank you for taking the time to share your insight with us.

Continuing along the lines of what Janet said

Part 1 of The Passion of the Western Mind - Understanding the Ideas That Have Shaped Our World View, Richard Tarnas

Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea - Why the Greeks Matter, Thomas Cahill

are books that help give the reader an understanding of why what happened in Greece--about 2300 to 2600 years ago--still matters. Something that might add to the experience of some visitors, helping to understand the significance of what you're looking at and where you are, when you're in Greece.

If you are going to Athens and Delphi, I would recommend getting Rick's book and maybe the Lonely Planet Island book as well. I just returned from a trip there last month and used both books. I spent 2 days in Athens then rented a car for a day to Delphi (then off to the islands). His tours were great, though somehow my husband and I managed to get through all the major sights in one day! The second day we did the Archaeological Museum and shopped.

We went to Athens ( and get this-- I really did like it) We were there for only three days but I have no regrets at all. Not sure if I would go back... but I am glad we saw it with our own eyes.

As for the islands... well my friend Lee on here was my guide book for Santorini...

Thank you again!!!

I did not feel like I missed anything by not having a book.. the internet is wonderful... and Lee (and others) were very patient with all my questions. Our trip was flawless, and perfect (seriously)... the only bad thing is that it had to come to an end...