Italy for 8 Days and Greece for 4 Days (Itinerary Recommendations)

It's been a while since I was in Greece, so can't really remember how long the boat rides were, but I'd recommend going to an island.

When I was there, we went to Paros for a night & rented scooters & rode around the entire island. Then we went to Mykonos for a couple nights, which was a great time also. The islands were actually more enjoyable than Athens itself. If you go in the water - watch out for sea urchins though. I stepped on one, as did a few others in my group.

I am with Kim on that, Greece is so wonderful, you will kick yourself for only giving it a few days. Athens was not my favorite, , er, I just stayed a few nights, the best part for me was the islands, my friend and I did Paros and Mykonos, then friend stayed longer and did Corfu,, and next time I will do Santorini and Naxos..

Greece is so incredble,, really, the whitewashed buildings, the blue sea, the beaches, it was so my favorite. ( PS why go to Cinqe Terra when you are going to Greece???, skip it, )

If you still plan on Italy,, I recommend against planning to drive anywhere on first day after a transalantic flight.. you will be tired, the driving a bit stressful.

Hi Shauna. I agree with Kim and Pat. If you will go to Greece, go to Greece only. The way to enjoy Greece is to go to islands, and stay at islands several days. Appreciating being at an island of Greece (at the Agean Sea) requires spending some time there. I suggest : be in Athens 2 days, and go on a day trip to Delphi from Athens, and be at islands all of the other days. My suggestions for islands -- Option A : Fly from Athens to Naxos, Ferry boat from Naxos to Santorini, fly from Santorini to Athens. Option B : Fly from Athens to Naxos, Ferry boat from Naxos to Folagandros, Ferry boat from Folagandros to Sifnos, Fast boat from Sifnos to Port of Piraeus. Be at Naxos 4 nights.
Athens is a stressful city. Athens can be unpleasant on a hot day in the summer. You might want to be in Athens only one day. I think one day is sufficient for sightseeing in Athens. In one day : visit the Athens Acropolis and the Benaki Museum. Plan to go to Italy an other year, and be in Italy more than 8 days.

Do 2 days in Athens and then GET OUT! Rick Steves says that in his online Greece section and I have to 100% agree. Athens is a big crazy dirty city. Once you see the sights, which can be done in a day and a half, head to the islands.

It's been a very long time since I was in Athens and it is a big city, but I think that there are likely places you can go to escape the diesel fuel. I'm sure your cousins will have suggestions, but I did day trips from Athens to Delphi, Mycenae, and Corinth. My host was going to take me north to the island of Evia or Eyboia, I'm unclear of the spelling. It's an island that Greeks go to. Sadly, his car died and we didn't go, but I've always wondered what it was like. BTW another day trip I did was out to Sunion. In the city be sure to go to the National Museum. All of the artifacts from the islands are housed there. And, while you're in Athens, do a lot of cafe sitting. My friends and I went to at least six cafes a day--breakfast, lunch, late afternoon refreshment, dinner, and then after dinner refreshment. It's an art form. ; ) Pam

Linda's standard advice to ensue: I wonder why you are renting a car since almost every destination on your Italian itineray is one where a car is useless? You don't need a car on Lake Como-- you will use water taxis and ferries. You many not be able to drive to your hotel and will likely park on the edge of town anyway. (depends..) You can't use a car in the CT and parking is a hassle. (distant, limited, expensive, vandalism concerns..) Of course, your car is useless in Florence.

The only use you have for a car is to get to Pienza and to visit the Tuscan countryside.

To top it off you are on a tight budget and renting a car is expensive. Gas is @ $7.00 a gallon and parking it for days in distant lots is an unnecessary expense. You also need to budget for traffic/parking tickets.