Questions about Athens

I'd think 7 days in Athens is a bit much unless you filled that with several daytrips. Figure a day for the Acropolis, a day for the Archeaological Museum and a day for the Agora. That also leaves you plenty of infill time for exploring or other minor musuems/sites. Delphi is a perfect daytrip. Its about 2 hours from Athens and can be done via tour or on your own. If on your own you can stop at Hosios Loukas Monastary. I personally would not stay overnight in Delphi, but there are nearby towns worth an overnight. I highly recommend spending a night or two in Nafplio. From there, you can see Myceanae and Epidavros. Those can be done with a tour or on your own in a day, but Nafplio really is worth the overnight. Sounio is another great daytrip and there are some lesser sights to see along the way. The above makes 7 total days if you decide to skip islands. Driving is not bad if you are experienced in Italy. Avoid central Athens but the rural highways are good, lightly traveled and well marked. Pick up the car at the airport or the Avanti people will drive you out of the city center. The highways around Athens are stressful but no worse than Italy.

The nearby islands of Hydra and/or Aegina would make a good day trip(s) as well, and would give you a little taste of the islands.

Ron There's plenty to do in Athens and you can easily spend a week there especially if you fit in a couple of day trips. GO Tours and Chat tours both do a one day tour to Delphi and a one day to Epidavrus and Mycenae which are worth doing. A couple of sites that seem less visited than most are the Bath House of the Winds and the Keramicos. I'd recommend both http://www.athens-greece.us/athens-museums/bathhouse-of-the-winds/ http://www.greece-athens.com/place.php?place_id=6 You can fly to Santorini if funds allow and so it is fairly easy to overnight there. Flight takes about an hour but remember you also need to get to Athens Airport and back - around 40 minutes on the metro - and allow time to check in. Cheers Alan

Like the poster above, I think you could fill seven days by including a few day trips. In my experience 3-4 full days is enough to see the major sites of the city. There are numerous options for day/overnight trips including: Delphi, Nafplio, distant islands by air, closer islands by boat, etc. How much does archaeology interest you? My husband and I live in Athens as he is a classicist studying ancient Greek history so we have many recommendations depending on your interests! If you can drive in Palermo then I think you could drive in Athens. Some folks recommend renting a car from the airport. We have had good luck renting from the Hilton. From there the National Highway is a straight shot out of town. Does your 7 days in Greece include the visit to Santorini? If so, then you would want to fly to the island. Let me know if you need any other questions answered as I'll be around Athens while you're here visiting.

The ferry to Santorini takes 8 hours and in March it'll be a long, chilly ride, so if you can get cheap airfare that would be the way to go. Check the Aegean Airlines website. They periodically offer 'saver' fares for as little as €39, all taxes included. This is only a few euro more than the cheapest ferry ticket. You'll definitely need to spend the night unless you can fly in on the early morning plane and fly back to Athens on the last flight of the day. Honestly, as much as I love Santorini I don't think it's worth going there for just a daytrip.

I think 7 days would be a bit long in Athens, especially when there are easy day trips and overnights to really great places. For March, focus on the mainland, many of the islands will be a bit dead, though Santorini tends to get year round attention. Delphi as mentioned is easy. Nafplio/Mycenae/Epidaurus are great. There are other places in the Peloponnee (Olympia, Mystras) as well. I can add the Meteoras as well, about the only easy destination by train, but probably needs at least one night, maybe two.

IMO 7 full days in Athens only is a bit much. We were there in October and did the day trips others described--monastery/Delphi and Nafplio/Mycenae/Epidauros--by hiring a taxi and bilingual driver. You might consider that if you choose not to rent a car. Good luck.

Athens is worth a good three or four full days on its own. We were there just a couple of months ago. You might want to factor in some extra days for possible strikes that can close museums and historical sites on short notice, and/or shut down public transit making it hard to get anywhere (even if taxis are running, no public transit means terrible traffic jams).

I was in Athens last July and found a few days in the city to be enough for me. Walked and also took the HOHO bus to see overall view of city. We then took a bus to Nafplio and stayed a few days and it was a perfect mix of city and small village. We loved seeing the must see sights in Athens, but were ready to get out of the chaos and enjoy the water. I would return to Nafplio again in a minute but have no need to see Athens again.

Thanks for all the replies!
We're still kind of tossing ideas around but think we're leaning towards no car,staying for seven days with at least a couple of day trips (still thinking about Santorini too). Another question: I would kind of like to have the flexibility of getting a hotel at the last minute but I'm a bit paranoid as there's 4 of us. I've found here in Italy that it can sometimes be difficult to find a quad room even searching a few weeks in advance. If we just tried to wing it in some of the suggested places outside of Athens (and in Santorini) would it be difficult to find accomodations? I'm sure I'll have plenty of other questions as we get closer. Again, thanks for all the info! Ron

Ron In March you should have no problem getting rooms in places like Nafplio and Delphi. I was in Santorini a couple of years ago in March and a lot of places were closed. Even so I would imagine you would be OK. Have you considered an apartment in Athens? With four people this can often be cheaper. May not work out if you want to do overnight trips but still worth a look. We've used both these companies in recent years and have been happy with the service and the apartments (although obviously with the latter you get what you pay for.) http://www.athensstudios.com/ http://www.only-apartments.com/apartments-athens.html Have a great trip. Alan

OK, this is what I'm thinking. Broke out the RS vids, did some online research and taking into consideration all the fine suggestions from here and a little guidebook reading. No rental, flying out of Bologna March 9, when we arrive in Athens catching a bus to Napflio and staying2/3 nights. Questions: Is it pretty easy to catch a bus from the airport to Napflio?If so do they have many runs a day? We want to try to see everything but want some chill time to sit in a cafe and relax too. Can we see all of Nafplio with a sidetrip to Myceanae ( taking into consideration that I don't like to rush things, spent about 3 hours in the Sistene Chapel just absorbing it) between Fri (wasted travel day) and Sunday and leaving for Athens Mon. morn.? Or would it be better to give it one more night? That would still give us a partial day on Tues. with 3 full days to see Athens and maybe 4 full days. I'm still debating on return home for Sat. or Sun. Just have to decide if I want a chillout day before returning to work or not. Unfortunatly the flight to Santorini for all of us is just gonna be too steep so that's out of the itinerary. Delphi I may still try to squeeze in but still unsure yet. Here in Italy transport strikes are pretty well advertised beforehand. Is it the same in Greece? I like to wander....are there any areas in Athens I should avoid? Again, thanks for all the info! Ciao
Ron

Connections to Nafplio are pretty easy. From the airport you can take a bus (I think X93) to Kifissou or Terminal A (there are two main stations). Buses to there run often, then buses to Nafplio run at least every hour (maybe less in March?) You will go through Corinth, could maybe get off, see the canal then catch another bus. In nafplio, check at the bus station, but there should be buses to both Epidaurus and Mycenae. The trips are easy, but I recall timing does not work to do both in the same day. A Taxi to Epidaurus may be an option, or maybe rent a car for the day and see the area. If I were in Nafplio, I would not miss eating at Taverna Paleo Arhontiko (or the Old Mansion) Reasonably priced, ten years later my wife still remembers the Shrimp Saganaki. Then do dessert at the Antica Gelateria di Roma. I know you have been in Italy for a year or so now, but I recall this place to be as good as any place in Italy (Maybe Grom in Florence or a couple places in Rome as good) it would be interesting to hear your opinion. Beyond that, Nafplio is a nice place to chill, see a few sights, and have some good food.

I took my first trip to Greece last April (2011) and rented a small SUV and drove solo from Athens to Delphi, Olympia, Napflio and back to Athens. It wasn't difficult driving in Greece although Athens is a bit challenging. That said, I am planning to do it again this April with 4 high-school students and another teacher. I'd highly recommend it, just be sure and get a GPS from your rental company.

We were in Greece last summer and spent about 4 days in Athens (including a day trip to Delphi - you will find lots of options). 3 more days in Mykonos - it is heavenly - not to be missed; and 3 days in Santorini. Just spend the time walking around the island if you have enough time on your hands.

OK, have gotten the plane tics and hotels taken care of. Still debating on public transport, George the Taxi driver or maybe renting a car. One of the reasons for resisting the rental is that my IDP expired a long time ago, the reason being is I have a US Armed Forces issued drivers license which is good for anywhere in Italy but not valid outside the country. I've been advised that rental companies in Greece are starting to ask for it more. So what's the chances, if I reserve a rental, that I'll be turned down at the counter? (I'm aware too that technically I should have it anyways). Without travel days I have 3 full days in Nafplion (with a most likely trip to Mycenea), 4 full days in Athens (Delphi a possible) and a half day in each for travel in between. Any further suggestions/tips most appreciated and again, thanks to all who have responded. Ciao e grazie mila,
Ron

Chances are very good that in Athens and at the Airport you will be denied access to a rental if you don't have your IDP. The rental companies there are much more prone to conduct business "by the book" than agencies in more remote locations. Greek law requires this document. If you get in an accident, without it you will be liable for any and all damages, and any insurance you carry will be invalidated because you will have been driving illegally. It's even possible that you could be detained until you can come up with cash to pay for repairs to the vehicles involved. By the way, driving a car in Athens is a nightmare unless you're familiar with the streets, and parking is next to impossible. Also, I'd never rely on a GPS in Athens to be of any use.