Greece Trip!

[FiftyBelow]

A friend and I have booked a 2 1/2 week trip to Greece. I was wondering if anyone else has any suggestions or tips on what to see... preferably something that a tour book may miss. Any advice is welcome! Also on route to Athens we have a 12 hour layover in Philadelphia. Does anyone know if the city is relatively easy to get to from the airport... I'd hate to spend 12 hours in an airport.

[Language]

If you're going to hop over to some Greek Islands, make sure you know how many stops the ferry makes.

Not knowing Greek, we hopped on a ferry to Mykonos and got off when the ferry finally stopped. After one and a half days on the island and not finding a single big club like we thought we would, we realized we weren't on Mykonos but actually on Tinos. Some of the locals on that island thought we were pretty dumb at that moment.

Greece is a beautiful country and I think you'll really enjoy it. Some people I talked to found Athens to be dirty and not a very memorable city compared to others in Europe but I loved it. The sprawling, low rise white roofs as far as the eye can see was really beautiful in my opinion, and the meandering streets and street activity was great.

[604flames]

Been twice, and yes Athens can be a bit grungy, but it is also an AMAZING place to visit. It and Istanbul were my two fav European cities.

Meteora is pristine, great for hiking too, but depending on when you're going, can be a bit of a zoo. The two little towns near it, Kalambaka and Kastraki, were full of uber-friendly people when I was there.

As for islands, the Sporades are also cool. Skiros is a bit overdone, but Alonnisos (sp?) is/was 10 yrs ago a bit more off the beaten track.

[chid]

Definitely try to avoid spending time on ferries, worst part of my europe trip.
I took a ferry from Ios to Santorini when in retrospect I should have just stayed on one of them and not wasted so much time.
Pick an island or two that sound good to you and spend time there.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Athens is considered a dump. but I didn't mind it. Go see the Parthenon. Probably has a few clubs and stuff you can go to as well, I didn't stay for very long. I'm pretty sure the Oracle at Delphi is on the mainland as well so go see that too before you set sail. They have a pretty cool arena (not like the Colosseum, but still worth checking out).

As for the islands, Santorini is an absolute must. The island itself is the tip of a big underwater volcano and the sunsets there are some of the best in the world. You will likely be riding donkeys up (and I mean waaaay up) to the town from where the ferry docks. The path is like a bit wider than a sidewalk and basically jack-knifes up the side of a steep hill/cliff. It's made of stones, some of which are falling off which gives the entire route up a nice slant sideways towards the edge. Definitely one of the more sketchy journeys I've made. Pray you get a surefooted mule. Lots of students go there too.

Patmos was pretty cool, I think that's where a cave is where John the Baptist... or one of the other decipals.. anyways someone who wrote something for the bible lived for a bit. If you're into that kind of stuff. Nice beach if I recall correctly.

Mykonos seemed to have some good clubs and a good nightlife.

Crete has the palace of Knossos on it which was where that crazy minotaur was chasing Theseus around in a maze if you are up on your Greek mythology. It was actually pretty well preserved and excavated when I was there.

I don't know the ferry situation but I also remember going to Ephasus which is on the western edge of Turkey. Maybe ferries going there are rare or something cause it's Turkey, I'm not sure. Anyways it's another ancient town with a big amphitheater. Apparently someone thought it'd be a good idea to have Sting perform live there and his bass amps tore the place apart.

I hope that helps. I went a loooong time ago before I was even of legal drinking age so this is all from distant memory. I think to a couple more islands too.. Rhodes was maybe one of them but I can't recall. Things might have changed a bit, but those are some of the things that stuck out for me. I would imagine the mainland is pretty charred after those big wildfires last summer.

EDIT: ooooh boy, ya, pray for good weather when you're on the ferries too. Just brutal when we were going to Santorini, pretty much everyone on board got sick except for some local guy who was just pounding back the beers. Probably found the whole situation pretty funny. Looking out the big windows it was all ocean... then sky... ocean... then sky again. When we got to Santorini it was in the middle of a small storm and the ferry ramp got knocked off the dock and a car almost fell into the bay.

[icarus]

Athens is a crazy but very cool city. You'll hate it if you don't like crowds, hustle and bustle, and getting lost, but I like those things (to some extent), so it was great.

I highly recommend going to Delphi, and checking out the ruins of the Oracle there. It may be the most beautiful place I've visited in Europe.

Be sure to travel around the Peloponnese peninsula as well, stopping to check out Olympia, Mycenae, and Epidauros. Also Patra and Corinth are worth a visit.

As for islands, I've visited: Aegina, Dokos and Hydra in the Saronics, and they were nice to see, especially Hydra; Mykonos in the Cyclades which is worth seeing even despite its reputation as a gay haven; and in the Dodocanese, Rhodos (Rhodes) which is a really cool place but might be a bit too far afield for you, and Patmos which was quaint and where John wrote Revelation.

[icarus]

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

I'm pretty sure the Oracle at Delphi is on the mainland as well so go see that too before you set sail. They have a pretty cool arena (not like the Colosseum, but still worth checking out).

Yes its on the mainland, north of the Gulf of Corinth. In fact you can see the gulf from the mountain but not the other way around, which is a neat factoid.

As you mention, Delphi has a great stadium, it's on the top of the mountain. All ancient Greek sites had an amphitheatre, a stadium, and a temple (for the mind, body, and spirit).

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

Patmos was pretty cool, I think that's where a cave is where John the Baptist... or one of the other decipals.. anyways someone who wrote something for the bible lived for a bit. If you're into that kind of stuff. Nice beach if I recall correctly.

I'm guessing you never went to Sunday School. He was a disciple, but not John the Baptist (who got killed off before Jesus did). He wrote the book of Revelation and depending on who you listen to also wrote the Gospel of John, but probably not the same guy.

Originally Posted by FlamesAllTheWay

I don't know the ferry situation but I also remember going to Ephasus which is on the western edge of Turkey. Maybe ferries going there are rare or something cause it's Turkey, I'm not sure. Anyways it's another ancient town with a big amphitheater. Apparently someone thought it'd be a good idea to have Sting perform live there and his bass amps tore the place apart.

Sounds like you and I did very similar trips, as I also went to Ephesus. It was a major centre in ancient times, the site of the Temple of Artemis (one of the seven wonders), where Antony and Cleopatra are said to have visited. You're right, the amphitheatre is renowned and survived several earthquakes over the millenia but did not withstand the Sting concert. Ephesus also has a very famous ancient library, which was second in size only to Alexandria's.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

Ah, good to see my memory still kinda serves me well... except when it comes to religion it seems. I actually used to go (was forced) to Sunday School a lot when I was younger. At least I got "John" and "writing something for the Bible" right, though John's probably a safe guess when referring to prominent individuals in the Good Book. I remember there was a groove in the cave wall where they said he used to rest his head. Looking back I have no idea how they'd know that but for some reason it stuck out at the time.

I was NOT, however, aware that Mykonos was known as a gay haven... might've resulted in some awkward encounters at the clubs had I been old enough to venture inside.

Oooh I got another semi-random factoid too: Santorini was the volcano that erupted way back in the day and sent a huge tidal wave all the way to Egypt. That's why they find some Greek artificats scattered all over bits of northern Africa... so yeah. Feel free to use that one to impress your friends!

[FiftyBelow]

This is great stuff, thanks everyone! I'm really enjoying the little mythical stories related to each area! Just to make it more clear, my friend and I are both students and we'll be heading out in early May.

[4X4]

I've not been to Greece yet, but I do have a bit of European experience. My suggestion is to talk to the people you meet along the way, and heed the advice of the ones you trust. Hot spots change with the season. If you're there for the experience, listen to the people you meet in hostels. If they're lame, do the opposite. If they're cool take their advice.

[@theCBE]

If you are in Athens and are booking ferries it is way cheaper to do it down at the main port rather then through a travel agent. We went to the Blue star Ferries office right at the port and it cost us 60 euro's each for a 9 day trip from Athens-->Santorini-->Ios-->Mykonos-->Athens. We booked it only 2 days before we left in the middle of July. The travel agent quoted the same trip at about 350 euro's each. Even if the company office you are going to doesn't have one of their own ferries they can book you on another companies ferry so it doesn't matter which one you go to.

As for the Islands, Santorini is really busy and more commercial than some other the others Islands but is still a MUST. By far my favourite island.

Ios is pretty tiny but has crazy clubs in the city centre. Its also not as busy on the roads so if you rent a scooter or ATV its not too bad driving around, we rented ATV's and took a ride out to the opposite end of the Island from where the main town is to check out a secluded beach.

Mykonos I didn't really like much, hostels there cost 2x as much as any other place I've ever been to in Europe, the beaches were so packed we could barely find a place lay our towels. As someone mentioned above it is a huge gay scene, big buff oiled up dudes strutting around ever with some major moose knuckle. Although, they did have a lot of topless lesbians fondling each other in the water at the beach which was pretty sweet.

[Five-hole]

In early May you'll probably have a better time on the super-popular islands than if you were going in High season. Santorini, Mykonos, Ios, Rhodes, and Samos are all pretty packed and touristy in high season. Obviously they're popular for a reason, though!

Where you should go depends on what you want out of Greece. If you want sight-seeing and a good time, hit up those places for sure and don't ignore Athens. If you want some more off-the-beaten-path type experiences there are lots to be had but you need to work a little harder (and be REALLY sure you know when the ferries are running in the low season). It's really easy to roll into Athens and grab an island tour for however long you want and it'll hit the hot spots. If you want weirder experiences like being "stranded" due to choppy seas on a fishing island of 800 people -- in the middle of their annual fishing festival! -- you need to travel more extemporaneously.

Patmos was my favorite place ... it was gorgeous, not very busy, not really expensive, and still had some remarkable old stuff to check out. If you're planning to spend a couple days in one place, rent a car. It's really, really worth the money to be that mobile. I rented one on Patmos and saw almost every single corner of the island in two days. I saw some incredible things I would have missed if I had limited myself to bumming around Skala (the harbor) and Hora (where St. John's monastery is).

My biggest recommendation: don't order anything by looking at the menu. Ask what the chef thinks you should eat. And if he or she's not busy chat him up! Greeks are pretty entertaining even if you don't really understand what they're going on about because your Greek sucks and so does their English. You'll find them pretty hospitable in May though .. they get a bit more jaded and worn-out toward the end of tourist season.

Ferries: I'll say again what @theCBE said. Avoid travel bureaus if you can. Also the high-speed Hydrofoils are pretty sweet. They ain't cheap but they'll cut the boat trip down 66% if you're going on a long trip. The problem is they mostly run as intra-regional connectors so unless you're hanging around one island chain they probably won't help you.

I've got a bunch of Greece photos on my facebook. If you wanna see 'em PM me with your email and I'll add ya. Have fun!!

[mykalberta]

I absolutely loved it.

The women there are AMAZING if you prefer Brunettes/Dark hair over blondes.

Beware of the WHOREHOUSE scammers. Especially in Syntagamo square. Anyone offering you free beer or wanting you to come to his "Disco".

If you are staying anywhere close to downtown then dont get scammed by the taxi's that are waiting for tourists at the bus stop near the above square. Its very likely you can just walk to your hotel.

I only went to a few islands when I was there (I was there in April so not beach weather). The one island I remember the most was Paros (as indicated above, the luxurious Ferry is BS, dont pay for anything more than the cheapest unless its raining). To the right of the port, about 0.75-1 mile is a nice quaint little restraunt. Its run by this older guy and his wife and daughters. Amazing food and very reasonable when I was there. Also I highly suggest renting a vehicle (I rented a Suzuki Sidekick) and went for a day trip around the island, well worth the cost and the best way to see things.

Have a great trip!

[Aeneas]

Other than the things already mentioned: I would see Tiryns (esp if you will go to Mycenae or Epidavros). Also in the area is the beautiful town of Nafplio. Nearby are the beaches at Tolo. Farther in the south of the Peloponnese, I really liked the little port at Githio, and the whole peninsula of Mani. The town of Methoni is picturesque, with a huge ruined fortress reaching out into the sea. I like climbing around in old ruins, so may not be for everyone. Especially when you have a hole in the ground with a fence and signs saying keep out. That just screams scramble on down to the subterranean depths. We ended up in a pitch black maze for about 10 - 20 minutes. Finally got light from arrow slits over the moat, a long ways from where we started.

That's all I can think of, that is not already mentioned. Note all these things are on the Peloponnese, and mostly of archealogical interest.

But I will strongly agree that Delphi is phenomenal.
And I would not miss Mycenae for the world. Walking through the Lion's gate was the highlight of my trip...yes I'm odd.

[BerubeHater]

If it is in your budget, you can fly between the major Islands. There is a cheap airline, I think it was seaservice that was just for the Greek Islands.

I was just there in the summer and don't count on the hydrofoils. They didn't run half the time and you would get stuck on an island.

[St Loomis]

I really enjoyed Athens. I agree it is a bit dirty, but the history is second to none, great museums, great archaeological sites (obviously). A word of advice, if you are going in the summer it can be ridiculously hot. We were there in August 05 and happened to go to the Acropolis on a day when it was 45 degrees, my goodness that was painful, i would suggest carrying a little hand held fan. There is no shade in the acropolis so wear a hat (preferably a Flames hat...I was picked out from a crowd there by a fellow Calgarian) and have plenty of water with you.

In Athens we also went to check out the Olympic stadium from the 2004 games. I am a stadium nut and like to see them anywhere i go. Anyways i was not impressed to see that all of the facilities were in a state of disrepair (with the exception of the soccer stadium), the olympic pool was specifically striking...nice moldy water that likely hadnt been changed since the games ended in the previous summer. Overall, a very different feeling from this city which has embraced and utilized our olympic facilities.

We went on a daytrip from Athens to Sounio (sp?) point to the south of the city. This is where the temple of Poseidon sits. Very very nice bus ride, seeing some wonderful Greek towns and a beautiful coastline. The temple was great, we got there early and were the only ones there. Nice beaches in the area for a swim after you see the site itself.

We went to Santorini by ferry from Patras (or was it Pireaus??). Prepare to be herded like cattle when getting on/off the ferry (what an experience). Santorini was very nice, extremely beautiful but quite touristy so I am not sure if you would be looking for a place like that.

We also did some exploring on the peloponnese. We went to Olympia which was my Greek highlight. The town had some of the best Archaeological sites I've seen and the best museum in Greece imo (The Archaeological Museum of Olympia). The town itself of Olympia was also very quaint/quiet compared to the other more touristed areas of the country that we had been. As a huge olympic fan nothing quite compares to running a lap on the original Ancient Olympic stadium, for a moment there I felt like I was back in time (probably one of my favourite memories ever). The train ride through the Peloponnese was amazing, it was demonstrative of how rural Greeks live. We stopped in some of the surrounding towns on the way (not even sure what they were called) and found them very charming in their out of the way kinda way. The countryside was absolutely stunning as well. With that said I am unsure of how the fires last year affected the area, it is likely not going to be the same as I remember it. Regardless I would highly recommend spending some time in the Peloponnese (Olympia if you can...but apparently there are some other nice places as well).

Cheers

edit. I missed your post about you going in May, my guess would be the heat should be fine (nice actually). Should be a good time to go before the tourist rush.

[troutman]

Did my honeymoon in Greece.

I would recommend maybe two nights in Athens - then get on the ferries, and just go where your mood takes you.

We loved the Cyclades - some of the smaller islands can be more interesting than the more famous islands - ex. we really liked Folegandros.

We enjoyed Santorini, Naxos, and Paros. Ios and Mykonos not so much. Ios is like a spring break party for Scandanavians. Mykonos seems to be a big gay destination. There is a tiny island near Mykynos with important ruins - Delos I think. Rent a moped - you can get around the smaller islands really well this way.

Get ready for this - everyone in Greece smokes, all of the time. In line at the bank, in restaurants, even on the flight to Athens. On our flight from Frankfurt to Athens, the flight attendants were smoking while making our sandwiches (Olympic Airways).

When we returned, we later learned that one of the ferries we were on sunk on a reef. The reason? The entire crew was watching a soccer match, rather than steering the boat.

[FiftyBelow]

Hey, I just had to say thanks again to everyone who took the time and effort to post! I never realized so many people from CP are such experts on Greece! We'll definitely be taking into consideration the suggestions posted. From a quick scan, there seems to be an obvious consensus that Santorini is a must see... so we'll definitely hit up the island. All these suggestions have made it pleasantly harder for us to decide which isles to visit since they all sound truly amazing! I'll be sporting my Flames jersey some of the days when I'm there so I'll try to post some photos when I return in June.

[Canada 02]

haven't read the other posts, so it may have been mentioned already

the island of Crete, Samaria Gorge. Absolutely beautiful; 20 K hike opens up onto the Mediteranean as the prize at the end. Stunning scenerey