Greece

[Chewbacca 7,780]

So the family has voted, and it looks like we are going to Greece next May.  What are the must-dos from those that have been there?  No itinerary yet, but I'm guessing the total trip will probably be 10 days or so.  Max of 14.  Might try to squeeze a day or two in London if we end up connecting through Heathrow.

[elfenix 34,251]

parthenon and agora takes an afternoon.  the antiquity museum takes a half day or a full day depending on how long you spend reading the little exhibit signs.  

how long before you get sick of beaches?  

[52-80 19,161]

Thessaloniki and Athens didn't feel special to me.  Its about the olympus of antiquity and civilization but somehow from a tourist perspective I never got that feeling of awe and sense of place there.  14 days would stretch it personally speaking. 

 

So if it was me, I'd hit up the islands and beaches. 

 

If you want more than a bit of isolation, check out Hotel Citta dei Nicliani.  We're heading up there in Spring to do literally nothing.  And that'll be great.

 

Seafood is obviously good.  Might consider hopping over to Cyprus, just to say youve been there.

[DaysOff 7,951]

Following. We just planned a trip for September of 2019. I never travel during the season, but after Maryland I said FUCK IT. Now we're back baby. Damnit.

 

 

[Etexhorn13 3,051]

Definitely spend a full day in Athens and take in some history. Acropolis is neat, as is the old Olympic stadium. We did a couple days in Athens, 5 in Santorini, and 3 in Naxos. We stayed just north of the capital of Santorini - Fira - about 10 min walk to downtown area, and loved being a little bit out of the main area. Naxos was much less crowded and touristy, with some very beautiful beaches. We rode four wheelers a lot there to the many different beaches. Cheap, great food at local restaurants there. I’d say that was definitely my favorite spot. 

Catamarans are always fun, in Santorini we did the day booze cruise. Lots of swimming and snorkeling, good food. For a family I would either do a separate trip or rent the main cabin to eat. Feel free to ask if you have any more questions about those two islands 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

I loved Athens.  Yes, it is run down, but man, it is the birthplace of Democracy and Western Civilization as we know it.  

The Acropolis is absolutely a must do.  Go early in the AM.  I went in late May of 2016 (think Memorial Day), and Athens pretty hot by mid-morning.  Once you come down from the Acropolis, definitely visit the new museum.  They did an absolutely outstanding job.  None of the statues on the Acropolis are original.  The originals are all in the museum.  

There are some great Tavernas in Athens.  It is great to stop in, get some good, Greek food, drink some good Greek wines (they are eye opening), and then get to listen to some Greek music.  So much fun.

I stayed in the Plaka, and I recommend renting a house there if you can.  You are right in the center of town.

Other good sites include the Agora (both the Green and the Roman) and what is left of Hadrian's Library.  Unfortunately, I didn't make it out of Athens, but I have heard that Delphi and the Temple of Poseiden at Sounio are also good places to visit close to Athens.  I think there is also this amazing Amphitheater at Epidaurus that is worth checking out.

From an Island perspective, I have been looking into a number of Greek Island trips.  I find the Ionian Islands especially tempting, with Kefalonia, Corfu, Ithaca, and Zykanthos.  If you are interested in Islands, most of the major travel magazines talk about which islands are best.

[Kringelbert Fishtybuns 943]

It depends on how much people are into history, but just remember that a lot of the ruins in Greece are not very intact.  Delphi is a pretty drive from Athens, but you may get there and think 

As far as the islands, I really liked Crete.  Xania and Heraklion are fun little towns.  The beaches around Phalasarna are beautiful and nobody was there the week we were there.

Another day trip we liked from Athens was Nafplio.  Castle on top of the hill and great views of the harbor.

 

[TornACL 7,698]

I was just in Greece last month.

As stated above, get to the Acropolis first thing in the morning. It opens at 8am? Be there at 730am. Blow through and be inside the Acropolis Museum while the crowds up top are at their max. Alternately you can visit at the end of the day, but I can't speak to personal experience on that one.

If you're bringing the family, Athens will be 2-3 days of seeing all the major sites and then on to islands. When I landed at ATH my cab driver told me I only needed one day in Athens, and then I should get out of the city and get on boats and see the islands. He was right, in retrospect.

Hydra was an easy day trip from Athens. You can book ferry tickets in advance. You can chill, eat, relax, soak up the scenery, maybe do a bit of shopping. Very small island best known for no vehicles, and a home of Leonard Cohen. A modest memorial (a bench with a view of the sea, and a small plaque) is now in place to Cohen along the hike from the town to Vlychos Beach. I had it scheduled perfectly in the middle of the trip as a day to do as little as possible.

Also spent significant time on Crete. Pretty touristy in August when the whole continent seems to descend on Greece. You may find better luck at the start of the season in May. I was told by locals in Rethymnon to find a small hotel in the elevated villages inland from the beach towns. Unfortunately however I didn't have time to do that. I'd check it out next time. I did hike Samaria Gorge. Depending on your physical fitness and age of your kids, you may not be able to do that. But it was a pretty awesome experience, and the sore legs were worth it for those views.

Forget the idea of trying to see al the "must-do's". You could never cover it all in 10-14 days, and the trip can turn into a logistical mess if you try to cram too much into it. You'll need transit time in between islands.

[Digdogger 1,344]

Was there in May with the family for about a week.  You can do Athens in a day, which will be full.  Driving in Athens is horrendous, but driving around the countryside is easy and nice.  Athens was pretty dirty, but definitely worth seeing the sites.  There were some big trees full of purple blooms all around, especially in the park near the old Olympic building in early-mid May that we’re really pretty 

Delphi was in a beautiful area in the mountains.  A neat mountain town is just before you get there coming from Athens.  It’d be nice stop.  I can’t remember the name.  Olympia was good.  We stayed 2 nights in Tolo near Napflio.  It was pretty quiet and a nice town that time of year.  The Palamidi Fortress in Napflio was cool. There’s a crusader fortress just outside Argos that was unmanned and fun for our kids to run around.  Mycenae was really neat.  Corinth and it’s canal were cool too.  Heraklion was alright, Knossos was kind of lame.  Ruins recreated out of concrete looked stupid.  Santorini was probably my least favorite place we went on our trip (3 1/2 weeks, Israel, Jordan and Ireland as well).  Very touristy and overpriced.  Basically just one big cruise ship stop.  The views can be amazing, but they’re surrounded by crap.  It’s quite desolate and barren.  The white hotels look pretty, but the rest is dumpy.  The black beach and red beach were ok, I liked them better than Oia or Fira

[orange dream 1,254]

Also subscribed.  We have looked at Greece trips 2 or 3 times over the years but every time we end up with too many things to choose from (mainland vs. islands, moving around every couple of days to see things vs. having a base and taking a bunch of day trips, which islands, cruise vs. hotels, etc.) and decide to do something else instead.  Still interested though.

[DFWTexEx 276]

We did Athens, Santorini and Crete.  All were great in different ways.

Athens was much better than we expected.  We really enjoyed it.  Of course, part of this was because we stayed at the Royal Britagne, with views of the Acropolis.  I highly recommend this place.  We did quite a bit of walking and really loved the city (especially the semi-licensed packs of well kept, stray dogs).  The rooftop restaurant at the Britagne is beautiful for breakfast, but I would not recommend it for dinner (over priced and underwhelming).

Santorni was gorgeous and I look forward to going back.  But, again, it has a lot do with where you stay.  I think a poster up thread recommended staying up away from Fira, in one of the smaller villages overlooking the Caldera  We stayed in Imerovigli at the Chromata and it was perfect.  Quite, cave style hotel with perfect views of the Caldera.  The village around us was nice and quite, with a couple of nice places to eat.  We walked into Fira (about a 15 minute walk, although it is a hard uphill coming back) a few times for dinner and nightlife.  We took a bus to Oia.  What a shitshow.  Yes, it has some iconic views, but that is where the cruise ships land.  We could barely walk through some of the streets and we were there in "shoulder" season / October.  I can't imagine what it would be like in Summer.  I would not stay there and I would not even go back there to visit.  Fira would not be as bad.  Oh, and as recommended above, definitely do a Catarman cruise.  You can do a day one with more beach activity.  We chose a sunset one and still got some swimming in (especially at the hot springs) and it was a highlight of the trip.   Pick a nice one where there are going to just be a handful of people on board with you.

Crete was quite nice. I can't say too much about it because we stayed at a big hotel (Blue Palace) that was full of surly Russians.  The villages nearby were nice.  We skipped meals at the hotel to eat along the water in more simple tavernas.  Much better.  We were in  Elounda and visited Spinalonga island, which was creepy and interesting.  The beach was rocky.  But I liked the vibe in Crete a lot.  It felt like Mexico.  Knossos was a good stop to see some significant ruins on the way to the airport in Heraklion (one of the most ridiculous aiports I have been to, by the way).

Edited September 19, 2018 by DFWTexEx

[Dbeasy 15,051]

We are also looking at a Greece trip in May. People are right about too much to see. Between the islands, Athens and the other parts of the country, you have to pick and choose.

[Digdogger 1,344]

30 minutes ago, DFWTexEx said:

We did Athens, Santorini and Crete.  All were great in different ways.

Athens was much better than we expected.  We really enjoyed it.  Of course, part of this was because we stayed at the Royal Britagne, with views of the Acropolis.  I highly recommend this place.  We did quite a bit of walking and really loved the city (especially the semi-licensed packs of well kept, stray dogs).  The rooftop restaurant at the Britagne is beautiful for breakfast, but I would not recommend it for dinner (over priced and underwhelming).

Santorni was gorgeous and I look forward to going back.  But, again, it has a lot do with where you stay.  I think a poster up thread recommended staying up away from Fira, in one of the smaller villages overlooking the Caldera  We stayed in Imerovigli at the Chromata and it was perfect.  Quite, cave style hotel with perfect views of the Caldera.  The village around us was nice and quite, with a couple of nice places to eat.  We walked into Fira (about a 15 minute walk, although it is a hard uphill coming back) a few times for dinner and nightlife.  We took a bus to Oia.  What a shitshow.  Yes, it has some iconic views, but that is where the cruise ships land.  We could barely walk through some of the streets and we were there in "shoulder" season / October.  I can't imagine what it would be like in Summer.  I would not stay there and I would not even go back there to visit.  Fira would not be as bad.  Oh, and as recommended above, definitely do a Catarman cruise.  You can do a day one with more beach activity.  We chose a sunset one and still got some swimming in (especially at the hot springs) and it was a highlight of the trip.   Pick a nice one where there are going to just be a handful of people on board with you.

Crete was quite nice. I can't say too much about it because we stayed at a big hotel (Blue Palace) that was full of surly Russians.  The villages nearby were nice.  We skipped meals at the hotel to eat along the water in more simple tavernas.  Much better.  We were in  Elounda and visited Spinalonga island, which was creepy and interesting.  The beach was rocky.  But I liked the vibe in Crete a lot.  It felt like Mexico.  Knossos was a good stop to see some significant ruins on the way to the airport in Heraklion (one of the most ridiculous aiports I have been to, by the way).

The cruise ships let off in Fira, not Oia.  The cable car and donkeys both dump you out there.

[Chewbacca 7,780]

The cruise ships let off in Fira, not Oia.  The cable car and donkeys both dump you out there.

You can take the tram, or you can take the donkey. It is the same price.

[DFWTexEx 276]

25 minutes ago, Digdogger said:

The cruise ships let off in Fira, not Oia.  The cable car and donkeys both dump you out there.

My bad then.  It just seemed like Oia was crowded as fuck and not fun at all.

[Lazarus Bocanegra 305]

I hear the sparagmos and omophagia are not to be missed

[texasdago 7,573]

Athens is fine. When we went on two separate trips, we went to Milos and Karpathos.  Beach time.  Never gets old.

[Etexhorn13 3,051]

To add a couple more things... there are some great tavernas in Plaka in Athens. We stopped at Zorbas for dinner one night for one of our favorite meals of the trip (I think I heard about t from Penelope’s thread on shaggy), and the olde tavern of psara he the best ravasaki (phyllo wrapped feta w honey and sesame seeds) we had in Greece. Would advise against doing the rooftop dinners looking st the acropolis, food is generally underwhelming and overpriced; both meals we had doing that/overlooking caldera at sunset in Santorini were the least impressive and most expensive we ate the whole trip.

If you end up doing Santorini, take a day trip to Oia just to see the views, it really is worth it even though it’s much more crowded. Very important note: hit the Atlantis book store. It was super impressive and super quaint, with a great variety.  http://atlantisbooks.org/

We went down to amoudi bay and hung out for a little bit, had some seafood, and walked over to where they do the cliff diving. It was neat, but that walk up and down the steep cliffs is a bitch. YMMV. 

[texasdago 7,573]

Been looking at lodging in Athens for our trip next summer... have to say, AirBnB prices in Athens kick ass, especially considering what we used to play to stay at places like the Athens Gate hotel.  

Pretty sure we'll go back to Karpathos.  If you haven't been...

 

https://www.greektravel.com/greekislands/karpathos/index.html 

https://thegoldenbun.com/2017/07/10-reasons-to-visit-karpathos/

http://thatwanderlust.com/10-reasons-visit-karpathos/

 

When we went there were very few Americans and, as we were told, none who didn't have a connection to the island (ex: family members who now lived in NJ).  Most of the tourists were Greek or Scandinavian.  People were super friendly and it was a great island to explore.  

 

 

[Mo Horn 8,847]

Bumping this because it looks like we will be doing a couple of weeks in September. They're supposedly opening everything up in May, and we are both fully vaccinated, so starting to plan. Thanks in advance. 

[52-80 19,161]

come for the mezes, stay for the lesbos

[Etexhorn13 3,051]

23 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

Bumping this because it looks like we will be doing a couple of weeks in September. They're supposedly opening everything up in May, and we are both fully vaccinated, so starting to plan. Thanks in advance. 

I’m jealous. We went a couple years ago and it was probably my favorite vacation ever. 

[Mo Horn 8,847]

I've already been checking sites and doing some preliminary planning, but I'm already psyched about going. Will wait until everything officially opens to book. Our plan right now is to do Athens for 3 days or so, do a "popular" island or two for a few days to do sights and stuff, and an "unpopular" one for a few days just to lay on the beach. Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

[DFWTexEx 276]

Athens will be more fun than you think.  The Grand Hotel Bretagne is a nice splurge.  Of course, do the Acropolis early and spend time walking the parks and going to the Panathenaic Stadium.

I am sure some folks are about to tell you to skip Santorni.  Take those comments with a grain of salt.  Yes, part of it, are touristy, but probably less so now with less cruise ships arriving.  We stayed in at the Chromata in Imerovigli, a quiet village up the hill from Thera/Fira.  It was like being a film set or on the Turman Show, so beautiful you can't believe it.

[Mo Horn 8,847]

1 hour ago, DFWTexEx said:

Athens will be more fun than you think.  The Grand Hotel Bretagne is a nice splurge.  Of course, do the Acropolis early and spend time walking the parks and going to the Panathenaic Stadium.

I am sure some folks are about to tell you to skip Santorni.  Take those comments with a grain of salt.  Yes, part of it, are touristy, but probably less so now with less cruise ships arriving.  We stayed in at the Chromata in Imerovigli, a quiet village up the hill from Thera/Fira.  It was like being a film set or on the Turman Show, so beautiful you can't believe it.

Thanks for the hotel recommendation. When we travel, splurging on hotels aren't something we do. As long as there is a clean place to sleep, and hot water, we're good. Usually look at 3 star type ones. We'd much rather spend less there and more at nice restaurants and excursions. Just our preference.

I've heard that from other places like Santorini, so I really appreciate your perspective. 

[Etexhorn13 3,051]

4 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

I've already been checking sites and doing some preliminary planning, but I'm already psyched about going. Will wait until everything officially opens to book. Our plan right now is to do Athens for 3 days or so, do a "popular" island or two for a few days to do sights and stuff, and an "unpopular" one for a few days just to lay on the beach. Any recommendations would be appreciated. 

This pretty much mirrors what I did. Spent a day and a half in Athens, then went to santorini for 4 days, then Naxos for the last 2 or 3. Naxos was the “unpopular” beach island we chose. Really laid back, and the island is small enough that you can rent a moped  and go to different types of beaches across the island. We went to three different beaches, and all of them were different color sand and terrains. There are also a cluster of mom and pop type restaurants we really had a great time at. 

Edited March 31, 2021 by Etexhorn13

[Etexhorn13 3,051]

1 hour ago, Mo Horn said:

Thanks for the hotel recommendation. When we travel, splurging on hotels aren't something we do. As long as there is a clean place to sleep, and hot water, we're good. Usually look at 3 star type ones. We'd much rather spend less there and more at nice restaurants and excursions. Just our preference.

I've heard that from other places like Santorini, so I really appreciate your perspective. 

On santorini, we stayed in Firostefani, which is a 10-15 min walk north of the main downtown of Fira. It was way less crowded with Asian cruise tourists. There were several good restaurants across the street from our airbnb, which gives you that sunset view that’s in all the pictures. 

[Mo Horn 8,847]

As I do more reading I'm finding two ideas of how to visit Greece for 2 weeks. One is what I laid out above, Athens, popular island, unpopular island in the Aegean. The other is Athens, other sights on the mainland, and the Peloponnese and no islands in the Aegean. Anybody done both and can give the pluses and minuses of each? 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

Alas, I have only been to Athens.  I have been twice.  I can tell you:

Definitely do the Acropolis.  Do it first thing in the AM if you can.  Fewer folks.  The first time I did it, I paid for a guide ($20, they have them at the ticket office and the tell you all sorts of cool things).  The next time I went, I just went alone.  It was the Saturday after Thanksgiving in the AM and there was really no one up there.  It was amazing.

After the Acropolis, go to the Acropolis museum.  It is definitely worth a trip.

I also really enjoyed the Agora.

On food and drink, the first time I went in 2016, I hit up Mani Mani, Kuzina (get a rooftop table for nighttime views of the Acropolis), and the Old Tavern of Psarras for dinners.  Recommend all of them. My drinking place was Brettos (cocktails and Greek Wine). That is one cool bar in Plaka.  They have tons of flavored liqueurs (I think they make them).  Also, highly recommend Kafe Stani for the yogurt.  

The second trip, I was there for a conference around Thanksgiving 2019.  The first night for dinner, went to Vassilenas, which was really, really good.  It is one of the oldest restaurants in Athens.  Another night, I had a late dinner at Taverna Zorbas.  It is just an old school taverna with really simple food and drinks.  Mavro Pravato was a place I went to twice and I HIGHLY recommend it.  It was so, so, so good.  Generally talked about as one of the best restaurants in Athens, and just very simple, very good food.  Epirus Tavern is the restaurant inside the main Athens food market.  I went at like 1 in the AM after drinking, and the simple meat and potatoes dish was amazing.  Again, simple, with great spice and flavor.  And finally, went to Lukamades for Lukamades (i.e. Greek Donuts).

On that second trip, made a return to Brettos, which was great as always.  Tried to go to Clumsies (one of the best bars in the world), but it was absolutely packed.  Did get a stool at Baba Au Rum (another one of the best bars in the world) for a lot of Rum cocktails.  I would highly recommend Brettos and Baba Au Rum, and Clumsies is on my list to go to next time I am in Athens.

For my first trip, I rented an apartment in Plaka.  It was right underneath the Acropolis.  I would recommend checking out AirBnBs in Athens rather than staying in a hotel.  My second trip I stayed in a hotel as that was where the conference was, but I would still recommend an AirBnB.  On neighborhoods, I recommend Plaka, Monastiraki, Psiri, Kolonaki and Thissio.  Also, do not be afraid to take an Uber.  Plaka, Monastirakaki and Psiri have lots of people out late (well in normal times they do), but if you are outside of those areas late at night, and have to walk through a park, be safe and just take an Uber.  Don't be afraid.  Just be smart.

 

 

[DFWTexEx 276]

21 hours ago, Mo Horn said:

Thanks for the hotel recommendation. When we travel, splurging on hotels aren't something we do. As long as there is a clean place to sleep, and hot water, we're good. Usually look at 3 star type ones. We'd much rather spend less there and more at nice restaurants and excursions. Just our preference.

I've heard that from other places like Santorini, so I really appreciate your perspective. 

All of that will be fun.  And that hotel preference is what I usually do.  But, the Greece trip was big and we went special.  If you do do Santorini, splurge enough to get a hotel on the caldera side.  There will be cheap beach hotels on the other side, but you will miss the experience.  

[Fud 9,552]

If you go to Mykonos, do dinner at Scorpio's before or as the sun sets, and then grab some drinks in the outside area facing the bay afterwards 

[Mo Horn 8,847]

Anybody been to Hydra? I'm a big Rick Steves fan and he says it's a can't miss island. We're working on our itinerary and looks like we're doing the Peloponnese and one island for a couple of days. Is it worth trying to do Santorini with its busyness and touristy stuff, or just do Hydra where we just lay on the beach, eat food, and drink wine. We're planning on doing it the last few days of our trip, so relaxing on Hydra sounds appealing. On the other hand I know Santorini is worth visiting. 

[PenelopeWitherspoon 19,101]

Hydra is on my list.  I was going to try and go to it and another island in 2020, but in 2019 when Abby passed away and then I decided to move to NYC, a bunch of travel got moved around.  And then COVID.  Sigh.

[Sandman 3,403]

My great-grandfather came to the US from Argos and my mom had always wanted to go to Greece. My dad was able to take her in 1981 or so, left us kids with the neighbors (thanks, mom & dad).

Out of the many pics he took (and converted to slides, as one did in the 70s/80s), I still can't believe he took this one.

 

[CooterBrown 18,014]

My great-grandfather came to the US from Argos and my mom had always wanted to go to Greece. My dad was able to take her in 1981 or so, left us kids with the neighbors (thanks, mom & dad).
Out of the many pics he took (and converted to slides, as one did in the 70s/80s), I still can't believe he took this one.
 

Cut him some slack. Jerkin’ material was hard to come by back in the day.

[luke duke 6,413]

My great-grandfather came to the US from Argos and my mom had always wanted to go to Greece. My dad was able to take her in 1981 or so, left us kids with the neighbors (thanks, mom & dad).
Out of the many pics he took (and converted to slides, as one did in the 70s/80s), I still can't believe he took this one.
 

Your mom looks pretty good.

[Sandman 3,403]

8 hours ago, CooterBrown said:

Cut him some slack. Jerkin’ material was hard to come by back in the day.

No shit, that's why I'm mad I didn't see this until I was in my 40s. This would've come in handy in 1983 or so.