Student/Teacher Spring Break Trip to Greece

It couldn't be simpler. There is a frequent public bus to Cape Sounion. They leave every hour on the half-hour from the bottom of Pedion Areos (Green Park) at the intersection of Pattision Street and Alexandras Ave just beyond the National Archaeological Museum. You can also pick it up on Fileninon Street a block or so from Syntagma Square. The fare is approximately €5 one-way. I believe the last bus returns to Athens around 6pm. Your hotel concierge can help you determine which bus stop is the most convenient.

Hi John, If you are looking for low cost places to eat, check out the travel book: Let's Go Greece. It is designed for the student/budget traveler and I believe you will find a lot of information that will be helpful for your trip. They have the book at Barnes & Nobles; I have found some editions at the library, but they are sometimes not up-to-date editions. You WANT to read the up-to-date versions. It would be a good purchase! What a great trip you are planning for your students, I hope everything goes well for you! They will remember this trip for the rest of their lives. The Loney Planet: Greece is another option to check.

I would think that since you are the tour leader you would have all this figured out by now.

Thanks Monte but I was hoping that the readers of this forum might have some more ideas. Sorry you could not contribute to the sharing.

I've done this trip and your schedule seems reasonable. It's a beautiful drive almost all the way. Have not stayed in Delphi but there are a plethora of accommodations. In April there may be a plethora of student groups too, so good luck and find a place and book it. There are plenty of cheap eats in Delphi. Same is true for Olympia. For a slight dinner splurge, I highly recommend the Bacchus Tavern in the nearby town (RS tells you how to get there - it's a quick easy trip). Food overall is cheap in Greece so splurge is a relative term. In Nafplio, there are lots of eating options. The harborside restaurants seem to be pricey but there are lots of options throughout the town. In Athens, the Plaka has tons of cheap eats. RS mentions several good ones. I'd recommend a place serving mezedes (Greek version of tapas). That way people can try lots of different things.

Actually, the housing is the easy part. At that time of year, right before their main tourist season, the hotels are literally empty. I did this same route last April and I was the only person at the hotel in Olympia. All my hotels were recommended by Rick and are wonderful. If you are interested in the names, let me know.
My main concern, with the cost of the flight being so high, is finding low-cost places to eat while still giving the students a taste of Greek life. I know several good places to eat but I want to keep it as cheap as possible. Several of my students have never been to Europe and are paying for all of the trip themselves. Since it is still app. two months away, I have time to plan.

Hi John GO CARDINALS! ( I have relatives in Lville) Trip sounds well-planned; wish you'd askd us first re Athens lodgings; rick is upscale thse days my ATH budget faves r Hotel Metropolis & Phaedra both IDEAL Plaka locales, doubles w balconies @60 (lower for shared baths), hope u did as well. Now to food/drink savings for hungry teens: BEVERAGES: Steer away from Cokes/Sprite etc; cost more than wine! As for WATER; In Ath & Nafp each buy ONE small bottle (50¢), then biggies from market (3-4x as much, 70¢) and refill. In Olympia or Delphi, just fill bottles from tap & chill; in fact, in Delphi (water from Olympus snow-melt) when I tried tap water in taverna, I asked for another pitcher!! Divine. If kids want flavor, have them pack powdered drink mix (In small Singles to Go packets). LUNCH PICNICS: the BEST €€ savers! In 10 greece trips (mostly May) I've picnicked 90% of time. In bakeries & small groceries, readymade "hero" sandwiches for €1.5 - €3 + fruit etc; OR build your own from deli counter. Filling fare under €4. Outside Athens, u get a room fridge, in Athens often a hotel fridge available for guest items. Picnic in parks, benches by sea, or sitting on a ruined column in the sun. Better/cheaper than tourist-filled tavernas. More, in entry #2 ...

EATS BARGAINS (continued) In GENERAL Kids hungry ALL the time; if Breakfast included, nothing wrong with carrying away some fruit, rolls etc. in Athens, great "street food" is "Koulouri" sesame covered bread rings (think soft Pretzels) @50¢. Snack Heaven! Find good larger groceries for snacks/picnic fare at best price. In Athens' Plaka district, best one is right BEHIND Metropolis Hotel (open 7:30am). In Nafplio, on Bus Station St (Singrou - boundary between Old Town/New town) walk toward water, block before harbor has SUPERB big market all kinds food drink fruit deli treats V. GOOD prices. ATHENS What's low-cost to you? Take-away is cheapest a Pita can be €3.5 @ a corner stand, €8 if you sit down. Good value on dinner = €10-11 for hearty main dish, shared salad & bev. Steer kids to GREEK dishes not hamburger or pizzas, warn them to Share side dishes (huge). In Plaka "restaurant Square" u cant beat BYZANTINO for solid value @ that price. Same price, great views, from that square go uphill on Thespidos past 1st 2 pricey places, at top THESPIS; super. For top value try the popular souvlaki spots corner of Monastiraki Square (€7-8 for souvlaki,fries, salad) but warn kids to guard billfolds & cameras VERY closely... it's a hotspot for pickpockets! Good takeaway "Pies" (mushroom, cheese, spinach, chocolate!) at €1.5-€3, ARISTON. NAFPLIO ... on another post; RS computer 'glitch' counts a message as over-long when there are fewer than 500 characters left in the character count.

EATS BARGAINS/NAFPLIO Map for locations: http://www.latinihotel.gr/nafplio.asp
This town, so popular with Athenians, doesn't have any super-cheap authentic Greek-food restaurants ... but plenty of good food anyway!. NOTE: in ANY Greek taverna, one does best with the long slo-cooked dishes ("Fourno" for overn) rather than grilled. On so-called "restaurant Row" (Staikopoulu St) of the many, my pick is To PHANARIA try the Stews. My own faves, on Othonos Street, lane between main square and seafront is AEOLUS, and OMORFO, on Olgas. ALSO for good Non-Greek food at kid-prices... go to Old Town/new Town boundary Singrou St... across from P.O. is "Goody's" the Greek MacDonalds but MUCH better.. and beyond that is the Town Park, where only Greeks Go. On its border, some incredibly cheap Pita & Pizza places. ALSO (if your hotel doesn't have internet or wi-fi) next to Goody's is an internet place charges only €1 per hr. DELPHI I like the cafe directly across from the bus station cheap GOOD spaghetti, great views, Delphi's youth crowd. That's where we switched from wine to heavenly water.

Thanks to all who posted needed info. The bus to Suonin comes back to Athens too early to enjoy the sunset. We may drive from Epidaurus straight to Suonin and then drop off the rental van back in Athens. So far the most difficult part has been convincing parents that the students don't need travelers checks and that a debit card is sufficient. Looks like unrest in Athens again. I hope that it settles down before we get there. My only concern is that the historic sites would be closed but from what I've gathered, they are the last to close due to the income they bring into the government coffers.
If you have anymore info, feel free to post! Thanks again.

"So far the most difficult part has been convincing parents that the students don't need travelers checks and that a debit card is sufficient." LOL - When the parents travelled abroad they didn't have ATM cards, euros or open borders. No doubt some parents will raise concern over the protests. Most likely things will settle down now that the vote has been taken with occasional flareups. Generally the Plaka has not been targeted for protests and as a tourist you can visit and never know it's happening. Syntagma Square is to be avoided in that case, but in my opinion you don't miss much.

Such great practical ideas from Janet especially about the beverages. However, I don't think it is acceptable to scoop up food from the breakfast table for one's lunch. Not good traveler manners. Kids are especially likely to take great quantities. Hotels offer breakfast not the meals for the day.

Here is where we will be staying: Athens: http://www.attaloshotel.com/ Great place, but the view sells it! Delphi: http://www.fedriades.com/ Again, the view of the Gulf of Corinth sells this place! Olympia: http://www.hotelsolympia.gr/ Nice hotel, sufficient. Wonderful host, even drove me to the archeological site. Great taverna recommendations. Napflio: http://www.hotelmarianna.gr/site/en/home.html
Great hotel, great view, best place I've stayed in Greece. I rent a van from http://www.greektravel.com/swift/

John Last time we stayed, breakfast wasn't included at the Attalos and was rather pricey (8 euros). For half that, there's a little place down the street with a couple of tables on the sidewalk where you can have a huge croissant, coffee and juice for half that. Or, better yet, if the rooftop is open in the morning, go down to the market when you arrive and stock up on fruit, then find a bakery, and have breakfast on the Attalos rooftop. There's also a really inexpensive restaurant near the corner, just down from the Attalos, before you get to the fruit/vegetable market. They may sell breakfast items there. Their gyros are wonderful and very cheap for lunch.