Greece Thread

[texasdago 7579]

On 6/22/2019 at 7:56 AM, Loco said:

I know what you mean, and I see TornACL's post about check list vacations...also agree.  But, this is the meat of it...  I'm taking my family and two young teens to the actual physical birthplace of democracy, philosophy, and the foundation of culture for all western societies.  We are going to see the Agora, Pnyx, Aeropageous hill, the Acropolis, Mycenae, Olympia... then add in that my kids are really into Greek mythology so put that in 10 days.  Yeah, 30 days would be much better, I don't have 30 days to spend.  

There will be plenty of time to sit back an enjoy just being there.   Will I have wine in my pack and enjoy the sunset from Aeropageous hill, sure, will I shillelagh some obnoxious selfie douche with the bottle (hydroflask) perhaps...  but got damnit it's going to be glorious.

 

 

Do yourself a favor... stay in a less touristy neighborhood.  We stayed in Koukaki and it was just outside the madness... better local restaurants, better prices, less people trying to drag you into their restaurants.

 

On driving in Greece, it was fine on the island.  Worst drivers were a) tourists and b) taxi drivers.  I was in-between... was there long enough to drive my crappy rental car like a borderline maniac (aka fast)

[Loco 3754]

5 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Do yourself a favor... stay in a less touristy neighborhood.  We stayed in Koukaki and it was just outside the madness... better local restaurants, better prices, less people trying to drag you into their restaurants.

 

On driving in Greece, it was fine on the island.  Worst drivers were a) tourists and b) taxi drivers.  I was in-between... was there long enough to drive my crappy rental car like a borderline maniac (aka fast)

In Athens we're staying in Psiri, (we'll see how it goes, but near Monastiraki, everything will be somewhat touristy)  The apartment is just at the end of the street and has roof access and a view of the Acropolis.  

 

In the Peloponnese we rented a stone house near-ish to Dimitsana outside of a little town called Elati

Don't think tourists are going to be an issue.

[troph 24905]

We are trying to figure out Airbnb or hotel, which neighborhood and car/no car... also whether a day trip outside of Athens makes sense. For me I always love a car and a day road trip outside of the town we are staying in when traveling internationally. It’s one of the most exhilarating feelings.

[texasdago 7579]

We stayed in an AirBnB in koukaki - typical residential area.  For our day trip from Athens, we went to Vougliameni Beach - just wanted to get out of town and we were happy we did that.

I couldn't stand the area around Monastiraki... just felt too touristy.  But, as you go over there, at least in June, we found both Agoras, especially closer to dusk, were quiet.  

Pro tip: If you plan on seeing both Agoras, the Parthenon, etc., buy a ticket that allows you to see multiple sites at a discount.  Its 30 Euro per adult.  Make sure to buy a ticket at a quieter site like the Temple of Olympian Zeus.  That way you can avoid the lines at the Parthenon.  Then, visit the Parthenon around 6:30... you'll have about an hour before they kick you out but the crowds will not be as bad.

[tantric superman 4667]

All I have to add is this.  

I was with friends in Athens, but to me if I'm on vacation I want to be on the water so I really liked getting away from the city and getting there.

I stayed on Andros, which is big and green but not touristy at all.  As in it may suck for anyone who want to party.  If you want to go on long fucking hikes and be on isolated beaches, it's perfect.  I basically had this beach to myself for a week -- the water was cold but great to swim in.

I went at easter and the olive blossoms hammered me hard in terms of allergies.  I was also struck how none of the greeks swam in the spring and waited for summer. 

The whole thing was kind of funny because I'd spend the morning at the beach just hanging out, and then when I got back to town in the afternoon the family I was staying at would know exactly where I had been because all their friends were reporting on me ("I saw your friend having coffee with _________", Your short fat friend bought some bread at the bakery this morning", "Is your friend from America a religious fanatic?  I saw him at church and he stayed for the whole service.".)

The Greeks are pretty nice people.  If I went again I might do some of the flashier islands but I would err on staying put rather than covering lots of ground. 

 

 

 

 

[texasdago 7579]

On 6/24/2019 at 10:33 AM, tantric superman said:

The whole thing was kind of funny because I'd spend the morning at the beach just hanging out, and then when I got back to town in the afternoon the family I was staying at would know exactly where I had been because all their friends were reporting on me ("I saw your friend having coffee with _________", Your short fat friend bought some bread at the bakery this morning", "Is your friend from America a religious fanatic?  I saw him at church and he stayed for the whole service.".)

The Greeks are pretty nice people.  If I went again I might do some of the flashier islands but I would err on staying put rather than covering lots of ground. 

When we went to a lesser known island, people were amazed we were there from Texas without having a family connection to the island.  Yes, same thing... we found out the locals were talking about the Texans.  

Complete agreement about staying put - you get to know a place and truly enjoy and experience it.  Much less stress.

[utee94 15862]

Alright @texasdago , I'm going to let you custom-design my 6 days in Greece next June. We're celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and the Greece leg will be the end of a 17-day trip  centered on the Eurocup 2020 and we'll be hitting Budapest and Croatia before-hand.  I'd love to see some culture/ruins but my main interests are food, wine, beaches, and beautiful sites.  I know your preference is to sit and stay put, but I'd really like to hit a couple of different islands.

Whaddya got? (and for your services I will gladly pay you next Tuesday in Best Buy coupons)

 

 

[texasdago 7579]

52 minutes ago, utee94 said:

Alright @texasdago , I'm going to let you custom-design my 6 days in Greece next June. We're celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary, and the Greece leg will be the end of a 17-day trip  centered on the Eurocup 2020 and we'll be hitting Budapest and Croatia before-hand.  I'd love to see some culture/ruins but my main interests are food, wine, beaches, and beautiful sites.  I know your preference is to sit and stay put, but I'd really like to hit a couple of different islands.

Whaddya got? (and for your services I will gladly pay you next Tuesday in Best Buy coupons)

 

 

I would tell you stick with one island.  Your 20th anniversary?

 

1. Go to Milos

2. Stay at Captain Zeppo's ( http://www.captainzeppos.com/ )

3. Get the Sunrise Suite

4. Rent a car and enjoy the island by finding cool beaches

5. Rent a boat through Excellent Yachting for half a day (you can go as inexpensive as a 5 meter boat with a skipper and the cost is reasonable) and have them take you to Poliegos to go swim in stunning waters by yourself.  ( https://www.excellentyachting.com/ ) and, if you want, you can also take their boat, the Mama Maria, for a full day cruise around the island to go swim at Kleftiko.

6. If you want to hit a second island, take the car ferry from Pollonia (that's where Captain Zeppo's is located to Kimolos and explore the island on your own and to visit Prassa ( https://www.feelgreece.com/en/prassa ) 

7. ???

8. Profit 

Oh... some pictures of the water when we hired the half-day boat.  Each of these is a different spot where we went swimming... 

Visit to abandoned sulfur mines on Milos

Swim in a deserted beach further down the coast on Milos - only reachable by boat.  I swam towards the beach and it was me and half-a-dozen seagulls

Poliegos - spot #1 - about 10 of us (including us) in this spot... not including Daddy Warbucks in the background

Poliegos spot #2 - my favorite place to swim.  The water was stunning... big white boulders on the bottom at about 7-8 meters... crystal clear, no other boats.

Little boat we passed on the way to Poliegos spot #3

Water at Poliegos spot #3

Quick stop in Psathi, Kimolos

Finally light lunch at 3:00 back in Pollonia

 

 

 

[utee94 15862]

Giddyup.  This is why I pay you the big bucks, personalized information like this.   Thank you sir.

[texasdago 7579]

I'm going to go get a sweet mouse with that Best Buy coupon.

 

Seriously, though, June is the best time to go there.  We took the ferry to the island (Aegean - Speedrunner 3) which was nice and then flew out.  The ferry experience was excellent and, if I were to suggest a second island other than Kimolos, I would tell you to get off as Sifnos but there is enough on Milos for 5 days as we can attest for having been there twice that long and Kimolos allows you to put in a second island with even fewer tourists.  Milos has 5,000 wintertime residents and Kimolos has 300.

[utee94 15862]

Awesome info, thanks again.

I know June isn't ideal for a lot of Euro locations, but since we're starting off with Eurocup in Budapest, our timeframe is pretty much limited to that month.  So it's nice to hear that June's a good time to be there.

 

 

[texasdago 7579]

Just now, utee94 said:

Awesome info, thanks again.

I know June isn't ideal for a lot of Euro locations, but since we're starting off with Eurocup in Budapest, our timeframe is pretty much limited to that month.  So it's nice to hear that June's a good time to be there.

 

 

June is actually good.  European kids normally don't get out of school until mid-June.  Its a good time.  I personally prefer end of June to middle of July but we found that early June was an advantage this time.

[utee94 15862]

I've been all over Germany, Italy, France, Spain and May tends to be better than June, but June is definitely superior to July/August. Heck, sometimes even May is kind of cold and wet, especially from Paris northward.  Never get there in the Fall, because football.  Obviously.

[Dbeasy 15091]

I’m following the board advice and sticking to one island. It’s down to Milos and Crete I think. We have 3-4 days available in early May.

[texasdago 7579]

...and if I had a choice, I would go with September but that's no longer an option.  Weather is great, crowds have dwindled. 

[utee94 15862]

16 minutes ago, texasdago said:

...and if I had a choice, I would go with September but that's no longer an option.  Weather is great, crowds have dwindled. 

I'm sure it would be great.  But there are more important things. Like football.

 

[kevwun 15893]

@texasdago is our own personal Rick Steves.    We're supposed to go to the islands next year with some friends.  Starting in London for a couple of days and then I think Athens before the islands.  I like the idea of staying in one spot though over island hopping.  Staying on Milos sounds pretty damn good to me.

Edited July 19, 2019 by kevwun

[kevwun 15893]

How terrible is it going to be during late July?  The friends we are going with have a meeting in late July on Cyprus, so we are stuck with that time frame.  I've never been in Europe during tourist season.  Also found out it is 2021 and not next year.

Edited July 19, 2019 by kevwun

[texasdago 7579]

Late July will be busier everywhere and prices go up.  Maybe you can look at an even lesser-known island ... do some digging via https://www.greeka.com/where-to-go/ and find your own paradise.  That's how I original came across Milos back in 2008.

[Loco 3754]

Just got back...  Amazing trip.  We had a great time.

 

Athens...  It's dirty, there is graffiti, don't let anyone fool you.  It's much safer than cities in the US including MUCH smaller cities.  The most dangerous thing you'll do in Greece is drive...  We stayed at an Air BNB in Psyrii (neighborhood in the old city about a 2 minute walk to Monastiraki Square)  It consists of 5 different apartments in the same small building, but also has access to the Roof top with stunning views of the Acropolis.   It also has a college/hipster bar just next door (cool local place).   We spent some time in the streets chatting and drinking with greeks.  We went out to a rooftop diner in Athens, but the group consensus was the best nights were when we got greek take out mezes (gyros, slovaki, salads, etc...) and some (lots of) wine from the grocery store and had dinner/drinks on the rooftop at the apartments.

Ran out of wine, sent the boys to buy beer at the bar next door (the hot bra-less bartender shut them right down, once I went down and talked to the bar tender they were OK)

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Santorini...  It's a gorgeous tourist trap.  Skip the towns...  hike Skaros Rock near Thira, eat, drink, watch sunset, drive to O-hi swim out to Agios Nicholas and have fun jumping in the sea, eat, drink, watch sunset, leave...  cheap fast flights to/from Athens make this an easy visit.  I'd prefer other islands as discussed up thread, but it was fun/nice

No need to post pics...  caldera, t-shirt shop, sunset, rinse / repeat

Peloponnese...  Totally different from Athens and Santorini.  We rented a place near Dimitsana and it was well and truly in the boondocks.   July is off season in Arcadia.  Not counting the road trips to Naplion, Mystris, and Olympia...  we ran into 1 tourist couple from Texas in Dimitsana...  That's it!  The weather got cold at night and we did get some rain, but the dead quiet conditions were a pleasant change from Santorini/Athens.   Where ever we stopped we were the ONLY gringos and a lot fewer folks spoke english, but 99% of them were very warm/friendly regardless of the language barrier. (only exception was a mom and pop truck/stop and they wanted NOTHING to do with us... they weren't mean, they just weren't nice at all and they did speak some english)

Had the whole taverna to ourselves, so we sat and talked to the family that owned it.  No menu, just what they were cooking /serving that day.  The restaurant is right next to the family farm...  it's not the hipster farm to table, it's the original farm to table.  

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Geek salad, cheese pie as big as your head, .5 kilo of roast braided pork, tzatziki, bread, and some moussaka like dish, water and 500ml beer...  36 Euro  ....LOL 

 

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Lunch in Mystris...   45 Euro    Oh and that roast pork with the skin on....   incredible.  Cheese pie sucked though.

 

Driving in the Greece is an exercise in risk management. I almost saw 3 people die in a head on collision between a scooter and a quad bike (missed by less than a foot) in Santorini because they were idiots.  Passing on a blind turn.  Luckily most places on Santorini the speeds are slower and there is a lot of traffic, still you need to watch your six.

In the Peloponnese, it's a whole different animal.   Narrow mountain roads, no guard rails, massive cliffs, rock falls, blind corners that fit 1.5 cars MAX.  The drive from Lagkadi (worth a stop) down to Olympia is one of the most beautiful and dangerous drives I have ever done.  Like Tuscany with mountains instead of hills, but very rural.   PS Greek rednecks shoot road signs too....

Guardrail???   PFFFFT (and that ravine keeps going down another couple hundred meters)

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Those little shrines are for exactly what you think they are for.... and they are everywhere.  This is one of the few turns with ANY shoulder...  

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Traffic in the Peloponnese...  and the guard dogs will go after the car too.  My question, what in the world do the goats need protection from???

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Google directions lead through this old Olive grove outside ancient Sparta

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As always, check out the grocery stores....  you'll see some weird shit.

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Go have fun, don't be an idiot, Greece is awesome.   I'll post specific recommendations on Guides (so key)  and restaurants later.

 

[texasdago 7579]

Google directions will sometimes take you onto old ass narrow donkey roads.  Its happened to me before.  Always ask locals.

[Loco 3754]

2 hours ago, texasdago said:

Google directions will sometimes take you onto old ass narrow donkey roads.  Its happened to me before.  Always ask locals.

Yeah, I kinda like that though.  Given my preference Ill take back-roads over highways about 90% of the time when I'm traveling.  That road through the old olive groves wasn't more that 1km long...  but it does get you questioning the directions

[texasdago 7579]

22 hours ago, Loco said:

Yeah, I kinda like that though.  Given my preference Ill take back-roads over highways about 90% of the time when I'm traveling.  That road through the old olive groves wasn't more that 1km long...  but it does get you questioning the directions

It can be good and bad.  One time, we ended up on a road that looked like our last journey... tiny, narrow, literally a road that was originally in use during neolithic times (no kidding).  It was absurd.  We hiked it on this trip - opted not to drive it.

[kevwun 15893]

Google did that to us outside of Mason one time when we trying to get to a friend's place on the Llano River.  We ended up on a 3 or 4 mile stretch of old county road that was a washboard it's entire length.  If you went over 20, you would have bounced off the road.

[texasdago 7579]

1 hour ago, kevwun said:

Google did that to us outside of Mason one time when we trying to get to a friend's place on the Llano River.  We ended up on a 3 or 4 mile stretch of old county road that was a washboard it's entire length.  If you went over 20, you would have bounced off the road.

Yup - happened to me on the way to Luchenbach earlier in the year.  Was not particularly great with my Alfa Romeo.  

[Nueces River Rat 5539]

5 hours ago, kevwun said:

Google did that to us outside of Mason one time when we trying to get to a friend's place on the Llano River.  We ended up on a 3 or 4 mile stretch of old county road that was a washboard it's entire length.  If you went over 20, you would have bounced off the road.

Happened to me a couple of years ago on some backroads between Dripping Springs and Blanco.   Darn Google GPS took me  into someone's long ass drive way  and into a dry creek bed.  Let's just say it was interesting how I got back on to the real road which was very indistinguishable from the driveway.   

Edited August 5, 2019 by Nueces River Rat

[troph 24905]

Okay so we leave in about 10 days thinking of our time in Athens staying in Psirri only concern is being too loud to sleep at night.... I know we waited way to long to do make a reservation.

[elfenix 34332]

I always travel with earplugs so I can sleep. The gummy silicone ones.

 

 

[kevwun 15893]

I can't sleep on planes other than short naps.  It's just too loud for me.  I think I'm going to try noise cancelling headphones the next time we fly overseas.

[Party_Taco 3767]

Headed in October - I’ll catch up on the thread, but any advice on Santorini/Crete?

[Loco 3754]

On 8/9/2019 at 9:40 PM, troph said:

Okay so we leave in about 10 days thinking of our time in Athens staying in Psirri only concern is being too loud to sleep at night.... I know we waited way to long to do make a reservation.

Check out this private guide...   Highly recommend.   Her name is Vasso and she is awesome.  We had a group of 12 and a full day private tour was $220

v_kontari@hotmail.com

[troph 24905]

Check out this private guide...   Highly recommend.   Her name is Vasso and she is awesome.  We had a group of 12 and a full day private tour was $220

v_kontari@hotmail.com

Can I find her online some where ?

And we found a place in that neighborhood. Looks like a nice place to overcome jet lag and get going. Can’t wait!

[Loco 3754]

Just now, troph said:

Can I find her online some where ?

And we found a place in that neighborhood. Looks like a nice place to overcome jet lag and get going. Can’t wait!

you mean like her e-mail address?  She doesn't have a tour company, she is an archaeologist and is a licensed tour guide. 

E-mail her, she'll get back to you.  With the economy the way it is there, folks don't ignore a chance to work.

 

She is a small polite young woman who seemed more like a kindergarten teacher....   until she rounded a corner and saw some tourist who had jumped the rope and was laying out for pictures on the Parthenon.   She immediately transformed into a drill sergeant and got the insta-douche off the monument and faced down her menacing boyfriend/photographer.  I was 10 steps behind her and had to catchup when I saw the boyfriend/photographer heading to confront her...   she didn't need me as backup.  She scolded them loudly to general approval of the crowd.  She was giving up 1' and 100lbs to the boyfriend.  He backed down and left muttering & cussing.

[utee94 15862]

OK fleshing out my plans for June in Greece.

Is there a good way to do the less busy islands, but NOT rent a car and drive?  Because I don't really want to curtail the beverage-consuming, ya know?

 

 

[Dbeasy 15091]

Check out this private guide...   Highly recommend.   Her name is Vasso and she is awesome.  We had a group of 12 and a full day private tour was $220

v_kontari@hotmail.com

 

Where does she guide to?

 

By the way, we will be in Athens in early May staying in Plaka, then on to Napflios, and Crete.

 

[Loco 3754]

9 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

 

Where does she guide to?

 

By the way, we will be in Athens in early May staying in Plaka, then on to Napflios, and Crete.

 

She is in Athens and does tours there.  She can arrange a van and tours to Delphi IIRC.  Email her and ask for what you're looking for.

If you are going to be in Napflion/Myceanea I would reach out to katerina.dize@gmail.com.  We had a tour with her sister Smara in Mycenae but they do tours in/around Nafplio (where they live)

I have no connection or incentive to refer these folks just passing along the info on the guides we used and liked (although I have no frame of reference for comparison)  Definitely get a private guide.  Not only will you get a lot more out of the "rocks and rubble", you can get a lot of recommendations/information and have genuine conversations.  In Olympia we spent the better part of an hour sitting in a shady spot in the ruins and talking about why the Greeks are/were so pissed about Macedonia Vs North Macedonia ...  yeah just the name of another country will get you hot takes in Greece.  Spoiler... it has to do with Alexander the great.

 

PS anyone who goes to Olympia, be sure to notice a small glass box in the museum with a small crushed greek helmet....  There isn't a lot of fan fair about it...  It's only Miltiades game worn helmet from the battle of Marathon.... after the victory, he went to Olympia and made a sacrificial offering to Zeus for the victory...  and they found it.  The man who saved western civilization

[utee94 15862]

15 minutes ago, Loco said:

The man who saved western civilization

After one glance at texags or secrant, I can't help but wonder if perhaps he shouldn't have...

 

[Loco 3754]

24 minutes ago, utee94 said:

After one glance at texags or secrant, I can't help but wonder if perhaps he shouldn't have...

 

The more you learn about the Spartans the more they remind you of aggy (except for the whole ACTUAL army thing)

 

You could probably make a movie about the Peloponesian war with Aggy as Sparta and Athens as the Longhorns.  Sure Sparta eventually got lucky and won, but really it boiled down to Texas hiring Mackovic

 

But in the end only Athens is still standing

Edited January 16, 2020 by Loco

[troph 24905]

OK fleshing out my plans for June in Greece.
Is there a good way to do the less busy islands, but NOT rent a car and drive?  Because I don't really want to curtail the beverage-consuming, ya know?
 
 

We took a small cruise through the islands last summer during high season and on the popular islands we hired a driver to get us out of dodge and to the less traveled stuff. It was great. YMMV but trip advisor was helpful finding them.

We rented cars on the smaller islands and just didn’t get lit. It was still great. Had a blast on the back side of several of the smaller islands drinking cheap house wine at a beach side restaurant.

[troph 24905]

We did a food tour in Athens too, that was really great. Especially great considering how many restaurants seem to cater to tourists, after the tour we had a much better feel for the genuine food culture. Also the acropolis is so much better with a private guide. Don’t go without one.

 

 

[LonghornJones 837]

Any recs for things to do in Mykonos? We switched our plans from Amalfi Coast to Mykonos. Group of 12-16. House rented south of Mykonos town. We are 40'ish and married. We just want to drink and have fun.

[elfenix 34332]

2 hours ago, LonghornJones said:

Any recs for things to do in Mykonos? We switched our plans from Amalfi Coast to Mykonos. Group of 12-16. House rented south of Mykonos town. We are 40'ish and married. We just want to drink and have fun.

sounds like you answered your own question

[LonghornJones 837]

Fantastic info!! 

[Dbeasy 15091]

Any recs for things to do in Mykonos? We switched our plans from Amalfi Coast to Mykonos. Group of 12-16. House rented south of Mykonos town. We are 40'ish and married. We just want to drink and have fun.

Scotch, Bellini’s, and White Russians. You’re welcome.

[troph 24905]

Jackie O’s was fun but it’s a predominately gay scene so make sure that’s your thing. DJ the day we went played one of the best mixes I’ve ever heard. We wanted to go to kiki’s but didn’t have time. We were there for a day, that’s it.

[jetplane 3]

3 days is just about enough for Athens, at least if you're planning to see more than the Acropolis. Look to head to the *burbs* of Athens...out by Glyfada and/or Vouliagmeni for a nice beach/swim. When I can entice family and friends to join me on my trips to Greece, I lean towards these combos based on past experiences:

Lesbos/Chios

Chios/Samos

Samos/Patmos

Kos/Kalymnos

Naxos/Paros

Naxos/Amorgos

Syros/Tinos

All offer a great selection of nice beaches, traditional culture (much of which, sadly, seems to be disappearing), photogenic towns and great restaurants.

Mykonos and Santorini are the two most touristic islands in Greece, and thus also the most expensive.

Santorini is a must see island due to the fantastic scenery and views.

Both islands are swarmed by cruise liners daily.

Thessaloniki is probably the most beautiful city in Greece. It has a lot of Byzantine monuments spread throughout the city. Thessaloniki is famous for its delicious cuisine, considered the best in Greece. So if you like Greek food, in Thessaloniki you'll eat the best of the best. You can visit Archeological and Byzantine museums, folklore museum, White Tower, Castle area on the hill, Hagia Sofia temple, Saint Demetrius Temple, go for a small cruise (1h) to Perea to relax next to the seaside and have nice sea food, also swim there. If you really want to see all of the beautiful parts of Thessaloniki (and there are many), definitely rent a car in Greece.
You can go by bus or train to Edessa town (1-1.5h), where there are waterfalls.
There are buses to Halkidiki, it is just outside the city, so you need to go there by taxi or bus. It might be easier to go by car to Halkidiki, since the buses go to main towns or villages and might need to go to the hotel or resort by taxi from the bus stop.
I would suggest to go to the second peninsula of Halkidiki, called Sithonia. Favourite place is Vourvourou, and some more like Kavourotrypes and Sarti, also visit the other side of peninsula, like Toroni and Neos Marmaras.

[Party_Taco 3767]

Certainly check out some of the hipster areas in Athens... great bars and restaurants!

[crash_davis 23115]

going to Milos in June. any recommendations on an area to stay? looking at adamas, pollonia, or plaka. spending 5 or 6 nights there.

read about the northwest winds and how the can be unbearable if you are on the windward side. we want a little seclusion but close enough to bars and restaurants, and nightlife if there is such a thing in milos.

thanks.

[texasdago 7579]

4 minutes ago, crash_davis said:

going to Milos in June. any recommendations on an area to stay? looking at adamas, pollonia, or plaka. spending 5 or 6 nights there.

read about the northwest winds and how the can be unbearable if you are on the windward side. we want a little seclusion but close enough to bars and restaurants, and nightlife if there is such a thing in milos.

thanks.

Plaka is great to visit but I would not stay there.  Nothing to do near there other than take a back road down to maybe a beach or two but that's not where you want to stay.

Pollonia and Adamas are both great... Pollonia quaint, more of a fishing town, a little windier but there are some cool beaches on the north side.  Adamas has more buzz and activity and more restaurants.  Not as quaint.  Either way, you W A N T a car.  Explore the island - tons of beaches to visit.  I can provide suggestions later.

Take either a full day boat ride on the Mama Maria leaving Adamas to Kleftiko or the half-day boat ride on Zephyros.  If you take the Mama Maria, they can also hook you up with a private captain and a small excusion to islands like Poliegos or Kimolos.  

In the end, if you want more of a chill vibe, stay in Pollonia.  Can recommend both Captain Zeppos and Melian Boutique.  Same family that runs Melian in Pollonia also runs Villa Notos and the lady who runs Notos is wonderful!  Last time we went, we split time in both towns and were there 11 days.

[crash_davis 23115]

26 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Last time we went, we split time in both towns and were there 11 days.

which do you recommend? 

also, do I need an international drivers license to rent vehicle? never head of it but saw an article saying i needed one. i didn't need one in UK or France.