Romantic Getaway Outside of Athens

If you haven't yet, try www.greecetravel.com. Matt Barrett does a great job with this website. We are using information from his website for our Greece trip this summer. Enjoy!

Norm

I have one, but not sure if you mean by "doable in 2-3 days" if the total time allowed is 2-3 days? If so, an island is tough since you may need one day to get there and one to get back...leaving only a day for romance. If I had 4 or 5 days, I would hit Koufonissia. It requires an early ferry or flight to Naxos, then catching the once daily ferry to Koufonissia. There you will find a small town with cheap rooms, a few restaurants, great beaches and a few miles of shoreline to wander, and little else. If the time is shorter, I would consider one of the Saronic Gulf Islands, or Nafplio.

On the mainland is Napflion. An island close to Athens is Hydra, no cars allowed. Next to Paros is Antiparos, a very nice and not-too-crowded friendly island.

Kim

Nafplio is beautiful but I doubt it fits the bill as somewhere not too crowded in June.

One possibility is Chora on Andros. It's still a very old fashioned town, built out on a headland, and with beaches on each side.

It's a couple of hours by frequent ferry from Rafina, which can be reached directly from the airport. There's no need to go in and out of Athens if time is short.

There are some photos of Andros here

http://video.google.co.uk/videosearch?q=andros+chora&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enGB268GB269&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&oi=video_result_group&resnum=5&ct=title#

We always stay in these apartments

http://www.androsrooms.gr/andros-rooms-apartments.html

but there are various others about.

Cheers

Alan

Thank you so much, everyone! Very helpful--I appreciate it.

Kim I disagree with previous Poster, Nafplio IS a romantic getaway, Rick's own video calls it the Greeks 'THE weekend honeymoon spot and in mid-June it is N
NOT overly crowded. It's THE most beautiful town in Greece; the Old Town is a World Heritage Site for its perfect preservation and architecture.

Nafplio FEELS like an island, because it is on a peninsula that juts out into the bay of Argos. Streets "stair-step" down from the top of the city to the sea, festooned with flowering vines. The center of the city is virtually car-free, and the large central Square/piazza is totally paved in marble. In the evening, people sit under trees, while little children ride their tricycles across the marble paving. On the seafront, outdoor cafes, totally open with marquee-tent tops, have cushioned loveseats where you can watch one of the best sunsets in Greece. Here is a slide-show showing its beauties in Late May --
http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/551991579dJbWvh

Three lovely hotels with balconies looking down on the town and the water (and the castle in the middle of the bay are Hotel Leto, Pension Eleni, and Pension Ligeia -- "google" them all & you'll see lovely reviews, and they are a lot cheaper than hotels down on the flat area, with less of a view. And BTW, on the other side of the peninsula is the cutest pebble beach ever.

To get there, a comfortable a/c intercity bus with reserved leanback seats takes just 2.5 hours - and leaves hourly on the half hour. Cost: 11.5€ one way. From Central Athens (the Plaka district), just take a taxi (€8) to the Kifissou Bus Station (also called Terminal A)... Go to the Argolid window & ask for Nafplio seats ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE of the BUS OUTBOUND (the best scenery). En route, u will see the corinth canal, and after that, drive through lovely orange and olive groves. Nafplio is end of the line. A 3€ taxi will get you up to those lodgings, and returning to the bus station U can walk (downhill).