Greece itinerary

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Anyone have advice on a trip to Greece? We will have 2 weeks. I'm having a hard time deciding where exactly to go next summer. We definitely will fly into Athens and want to get highlights there for a few days. Beyond that, I can't decide what else to do because there are so many interesting looking places! Thinking of flying to Crete for part of our time, but I'm not sure. I'm also really interested in the Ionian Islands so that is another idea. Priorities are ancient sites, nature, and some amount of beach time mixed in. Kids are WAY into Greek mythology, so we definitely want to get a lot of that.

Please share itinerary suggestions or certain locations in Greece that you really loved!

 

[sk!mom]

Following along as Greece is on our possible
List for next summer. We’re nervous about it being too hot though.

 

[kymom99]

Check out Rick Steves for good info

 

[Travel60]

Just got back from Disney cruise around Greece...several islands and Athens. Go as early in summer as you can....May or earlier. It is basically a hot, dusty windy desert. You are doing it right to pick a couple of places and stay a few days. Enjoy the beach. If I ever go again, it will not be a cruise. I really liked Santorini and Mykonos, even though we had a terrible guide in Mykonos.

Study up on your Greek mythology before you go.... everything is about the mythology.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Just got back from Disney cruise around Greece...several islands and Athens. Go as early in summer as you can....May or earlier. It is basically a hot, dusty windy desert. You are doing it right to pick a couple of places and stay a few days. Enjoy the beach. If I ever go again, it will not be a cruise. I really liked Santorini and Mykonos, even though we had a terrible guide in Mykonos.

Study up on your Greek mythology before you go.... everything is about the mythology.

Thank you! One of the ideas I had been tossing around was Athens for a few nights and a cruise in the middle (in order to see different islands) and then Athens again at the end. We've enjoyed the couple of Caribbean Disney cruises we've done, but would not really consider ourselves cruise people, and we would probably rather see fewer places but for a few days in each location. But, the idea is appealing that we wouldn't have to pick up and move all our stuff for that week, and we would get lots of different locations to visit (the one I'm looking at has 4 ports in Greece and 2 in Turkey). Can I ask, why would you not do a cruise there again?

I am worried about the heat. We will go in June as soon as school is out. I am trying to prep the kids that we will want to do the sightseeing early in the morning and take the afternoon for driving to the next location, or beach/pool time, or siesta time. They are not morning people, lol.

 

[holden]

I’d take a look at the Adventures by Disney itinerary to see what they do.

 

[Carol_]

Aegina for a day trip, Paros for a longer trip

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

We were on a cruise RT from Venice that went to the Greek Isles. On our day in Athens we did a tour - you might want to consider this for your first day and then revisit some of the areas...

http://www.privategreecetours.com/ We did the tour with Nick Loukas, and had really good communication. I also recommend ensuring you have Google Translate (cool for talking into it and translating to Greek, and vice versa. I also did Duolingo to learn the most common phrases for tourists. Have fun planning.

 

[cvjw]

My son and his partner did 10 days last July. They flew atlanta to Athens. Spent a couple days in Athens, then split their time in Mykonos and santorini. They loved it.

 

[EilonwyWanderer]

See Athens (the Parthenon and museum!), then take an overnight ferry and go to Crete. Crete is a GREAT jump off point to the other islands. Stay in Heraklion (where the port is) and see the archaeological museum there, then you can take the buses just about anywhere BUT be warned that they sort of run on their own schedule so make sure you aren't rushing anywhere. Visit Knossos to see the amazing ruins Arthur Evans dug up and probably put together wrong but they're still amazing. Chania is a fantastic seaside town that's absolutely picturesque. There are other archaeological sites around there but I'm not as familiar with them and museums will be EVERYWHERE you go. Museums and beaches.

Santorini is nice but tends to be kind of packed. I liked staying in Oia there. Keep in mind the 'black sand beaches' are actually black rocks and they are HOT! Make sure you try to catch the sunset from one of the many restaurants there. There are several other islands you can hop to on the ferries, though keep in mind they can be very rough. On our way back from Santorini to Athens I think 90% of the boat ended up throwing up.

Mykonos is a party island, just be warned. They go all night! But if you're looking for a bar scene be aware that things don't really kick off in Greece until like 11 or after. And then go to the early hours of the morning.

I would've killed to go see Pylos and Mycenae on the mainland but never got that far. Delphi is also supposed to be amazing. Basically every restaurant is awesome and if you're interested in archaeology at all it's everywhere. I can't wait until we get back!

 

[Carol_]

Sounion is an easy drive from Athens. Hit that, the Parthenon, and Aegina, and you’ve done the Sacred Triangle… https://www.greecehighdefinition.co...-ancient-greece-and-their-well-hidden-meaning

 

[rlk]

I've only been to Athens and Mykonos, but my son also spent time in Naxos and Santorini. He said Naxos was his favorite location in Greece because it was beautiful and less crowded than Santorini.

 

[KristaZ]

We went to Greece last summer for our babymoon. We only did a week, so we split between Athens and Santorini. We went in August and the weather on Santorini wasn't bad (80s and breezy), but Athens was HOT (around 100+). Athens is also hills everywhere, so keep that in mind if you're the type who will walk everywhere (there's really no reason not to walk everywhere in Athens). Also, we spent 3 total days in Athens and it was too long. We were out of things to do after 2 days - and that was with us taking things pretty slow because I was pregnant. We did go out to cape Sounion on day 3 for sunset, and it was gorgeous. Well worth the trip - and honestly better than anything on Santorini.

On Santorini we thought Oia was overrated. We stayed in Firostefani (just outside of Fira), which was central, but also pretty quiet. We rented a car to get around. Keep in mind the beaches are beautiful, but they're also just rocks, so really not the most comfortable to lounge on all day. We liked exploring all the little villages around Santorini. I think we had 4 full days there and felt that was perfect. The hike from Fira to Oia had some gorgeous views and was not nearly as long as we expected. It's definitely something to do early in the morning before it gets too hot. We thought the best sunset spot was out at the lighthouse, far away from the crowds of Oia.

 

[jalapeno_pretzel]

Also, we spent 3 total days in Athens and it was too long. We were out of things to do after 2 days - and that was with us taking things pretty slow because I was pregnant. We did go out to cape Sounion on day 3 for sunset, and it was gorgeous. Well worth the trip - and honestly better than anything on Santorini.

Interesting that 3 days in Athens was too long. I was thinking more than that (assuming we wanted to do the Athens plus Crete option rather than making a drive around the Peloponnesian Peninsula & mainland), but part of that was thinking we could use Athens as a base and then make some day trips from there.
My sort-of plan / thoughts -
1) Acropolis & major sites in Athens
2) day trip to Sounion
3) day trip to Delphi
4) day trip to Corinth / Mycenae / Nafplion
5) sailing day trip around Saronic Islands
If we skipped Crete and focused on mainland instead, we would definitely shorten the Athens time and some of these places would be stops along our road trip route.

 

[Carol_]

Don’t forget to book a ride to/from the airport. Taxis and trains like to strike (A LOT).

 

[KristaZ]

Interesting that 3 days in Athens was too long. I was thinking more than that (assuming we wanted to do the Athens plus Crete option rather than making a drive around the Peloponnesian Peninsula & mainland), but part of that was thinking we could use Athens as a base and then make some day trips from there.
My sort-of plan / thoughts -
1) Acropolis & major sites in Athens
2) day trip to Sounion
3) day trip to Delphi
4) day trip to Corinth / Mycenae / Nafplion
5) sailing day trip around Saronic Islands
If we skipped Crete and focused on mainland instead, we would definitely shorten the Athens time and some of these places would be stops along our road trip route.

With those day trips I don't think your time in Athens would be too much, but we had 3 days dedicated just to the city itself and that's what ended up being too much. You can easily hit all the major sites in 1 day.

 

[Travel60]

Thank you! One of the ideas I had been tossing around was Athens for a few nights and a cruise in the middle (in order to see different islands) and then Athens again at the end. We've enjoyed the couple of Caribbean Disney cruises we've done, but would not really consider ourselves cruise people, and we would probably rather see fewer places but for a few days in each location. But, the idea is appealing that we wouldn't have to pick up and move all our stuff for that week, and we would get lots of different locations to visit (the one I'm looking at has 4 ports in Greece and 2 in Turkey). Can I ask, why would you not do a cruise there again?

I am worried about the heat. We will go in June as soon as school is out. I am trying to prep the kids that we will want to do the sightseeing early in the morning and take the afternoon for driving to the next location, or beach/pool time, or siesta time. They are not morning people, lol.

You asked why I would not do a cruise again. We did the Disney excursions. They consisted of being shepharded onto a 40 passenger bus with minimal air conditioning and, in Santorini and Mykonos, the worst guides we had in 6 weeks in Europe. We would get off for "10 minute" photo stops and leave 20 minutes later. The guides did not use a "vox" system (speaker) and talked fast with significant accent. I didn't understand or hear half of what they said. All I learned about Mykonos from our guide was that from 4pm to 4 am it's party time, baby! We actually walked away from that excursion and made our way back to the boat.
I guess we could have paid for private excursions but I'd rather just be there for a few days to soak up the local culture.

 

[Lisa_lvspplmvr]

Athens is the most air polluted city I’ve ever been to . Get in and see what you want and get out . I would never skip Crete or Santorini . They are both beautiful and relaxing. Athens is not relaxing. Just wait until you see the stars from Crete . You’ll never believe your eyes how many there are when you get out of the city .

 

[Travel60]

Athens is the most air polluted city I’ve ever been to . Get in and see what you want and get out . I would never skip Crete or Santorini . They are both beautiful and relaxing. Athens is not relaxing. Just wait until you see the stars from Crete . You’ll never believe your eyes how many there are when you get out of the city .

Agree. I had sinus issues the day after Athens. Of course, the first thing I thought was ...Covid. But, as soon as we were out to sea, i was good.