mila0229

Hi,

We are planning a trip to Greece this September.
Our itinerary for now looks as follows:
Day 1 arriving to Athens, renting a car and driving to Delphi. We did this before. Arrived to Milan and drove to Lake Garda with no problems.
Day 2 Delphi tour and leaving for Meteora
Day 3 Meteora tour leaving to Nafplion
Day 4 Nafplion
Day 5 Epidavros and Mycenae; arriving to Athens
Day 6,7 Athens
Day 8 - flight from to Paros
Day 9 &10 Paros, leaving for Santorini
Day 11 - Santorini, leaving by ferry to Crete
Day 12-16 Crete. Flight to Athens.
Day 17 - flight back home

Is there is anything we can add to it and/or modified?
All suggestions welcome.
Thank you so much!!

Mila

kja

In general, I think you plan is a bit rushed, but probably do-able, and it would give you an opportunity to see some wonderful things.

If there is any chance that you will have jet lag, I would strongly encourage you to take public transportation for your first night or two. Although many people are not aware of it, there is mounting evidence that driving with jet lag is just as dangerous -- to yourself and others -- as driving drunk, and nothing you can do will prevent the microsleeps (which you might not even notice) that are the apparent culprit. Seriously -- NOT a good idea, no matter your other constraints and no matter your prior experience! And please be patient with me if you think I’m being overly adamant, but I know too many people who have died or been seriously injured in accidents to which jet lag was a contributing factor, and I know too many people who will spend the rest of their lives dealing with the knowledge that they were responsible for accidents that resulted in multiple deaths, including those of children, all because they were too confident in their ability to drive safely with jet lag. The issue has become a bit of a cause célèbre for me….

You should be able to avoid the problem by staying in Athens for a day or two at the start of your trip.

mila0229

Thank you so much!
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Heimdall

It is a bit rushed, and you won’t have time to see anything in Athens, but perhaps you have been there before. I wouldn’t add anything else to an already full itinerary.

Regarding driving after a long flight, it’s not just jeglag, but also fatigue that slows your reactions down. If you have done it before with no problems you may not have faced an emergency where you had to react quickly and correctly. Since your Delphi tour won’t be until Day 2, why not stay overnight in Athens and drive up the next morning?

travelerjan

Original Poster could easily clarify whether there is cause for concern about driving upon arrival -- by simply stating where they are coming from ... if they are coming from Europe, a 3-4 hour trip, no fatigue problem -- but if they're coming from West Coast of N. America , that can be 20 hours travel time including layovers, PLUS the 10-hour time-change. However, so many people provide no clues to their start-point, in a thread OR their profile. (I sometimes feel as if we're dealing with a witness-protection program!) We all want to help, and just a few details will keep us from veering off track ... do share a bit, OP!

mila0229

Hi kja,
You seem to be one of the most knowledgeable members of the forum. Thank you very much for the jet leg concern. I managed to convince other members of our group to stay 3 nights in Athens first and explore Athens.
Do you think if we will drive direct to Meteora on our 4th day and then go to Delphi we will have enough time? Considering that we will see Delphi next morning?
Do we need to have 2 nights in Napflion? I was told that we can explore Napflion, Mycenae, and Epidavros in one day. Is it true?
Please let me know. Thank you.

kja

I'm glad you thought my input helpful, but I am FAR from one of the most knowledgeable Fodorites, and I'm quite a novice on Greece -- whereas people like Heimdahl & travelerjan are experts!

I'm also very glad that you've decided to stay in Athens a bit before renting a car.

How much time you need for Meteora and Delphi depends on what, exactly, you want to do while there. If you just want to drive by the rock formations, stopping for a few pictures, you won't need much time at all. If you want to visit some or all of the open monasteries and convents, you might want a full day there. I was glad I had a night before and after, but that's just me. For Delphi, it can take several hours to see the site (I think i spent about 5 hours, though one could easily spend more or less time) and another hour (or more) for its extraordinary museum, so again, I was glad to have a night before and after. And the extraordinary Hosias Loukas is near Delphi and easily worth a couple of hours.

I would think it would be possible to see a bit of Napflio, Mycenae, and Epidavros in one day; I wanted to see much more than that. Your call!

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report:
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

Hope that helps!

travelerjan

When I hear "I was told" , regarding the idea of experiencing the 3 things you mention in 1 day, I know it was on a bus tour... and what was experienced was 1-2 hours in each of the famous Ruins site, plus lunch in Nafplio, with a few snapshots. If all you want is to say "I was there," fine, check them off the list. Very Frankly, I would skip Meteora entirely, in order to have a couple of Days in the Nafplio area ... but what do I know, I've only been to Greece 12 times, I have only taken along 4-5 Newbies on 9 of those visits, hve only been to the Nafplio area 6x or so, I have only been helping people plan trips on 4-5 forums since 2004 or so. I've always advised people to do homework, look at some reliable comprehensive guide books (Rough Guide -- and Rick steves is good on Peloponnese) .. but others work better relying on what a friend says. You have every right to decide that way ... and I don't have the energy tonght to do a full-on explanation of the worth of time in Nafplio/Argolid. I guess you could click on my name and see what I said on other threads. Good luck planning!

mila0229

Oh, thank you so much! I am, in fact reading Rick Steves’s book. See, we never being in Greece. And of course, we won’t be able to see everything. I do understand that we will need to come back again and again. Wishful thinking!
no, we are not interested in taking pictures and leave the sight that’s why I am asking you and others understanding that you know much better then we are. Any recommendation and advise are highly appreciated. We thought about spending couple nights in Nafplio at first. It seems like we will be sticking to that plan. Thank you so much! We are also confused with islands. For now our plan is to stay 2 nights in Paros, 1 night in Santorini and 4 in Crete. Is it wise use of 7 nights we allocated for islands considering that we are not interested in the beach.... What can you say about Olympia?
Thank you so much! And sure enough I will be reading your other posts.
Thanks again!

travelerjan

Oh thank heaven you didn't take my advice the wrong way!! I posted the last time when I was tired ... and discouraged about explaining why a rushed 1-day visit to the Argolid area (Mycenae - Nafplio - Epidaurus) would be exhausting, and would all be a blur. It can be done in TWO days, IF you plan carefully, and do enough advance reading, downloading etc so that things make sense ... Mycenae can be just rocks if you don't know the background, and at Epidaurus the theatre can be a great visit even without background, but the rest will just be Rubble without preparation or a guide.

I have some definite thoughts about the sequence of your trip -- since you have not locked-in definite arrangements yet. It would help if you shared a few key details -- how many people are we talking about? 4, 5, 6? (It affects car rental a lot!) Where are you all coming from? USA, Europe, Farther away? I asked about this before, but you didn't answer. I see from your other "thread" that you ARE interested in history, and authentic Greek culture, and would like a bit of beach time, in the islands. Have to go out now, but if y ou answer, maybe I can suggest an itinerary sequence that will Minimize the time you spent just in transit, and maximize the time you have to enjoy y our destinations., So please share!

thursdaysd

I don't do beaches and I had a great time on Crete. I hiked the Samaria gorge, visited Knossos and the museum in Heraklion, and hung out in Chania and Rethymno

mila0229

Thank you so much! There are 4 of us. We are coming from USA. We thought we will rent a car on our way about from Athenes. To go to Meteora, then Delphi , and 2 nights in Naphlion. We plan to spend night in Meteora and night in Delphi as well. Then coming back to Athens to catch a flight (next morning) to Paros. 2 nights in Paros. Ferry to Santorini. 1 night there. Ferry to Crete. 4 nights there. Flight back to Athenes. 1 night there. Flight back to US.
Fyi we spend first 3 nights in Athens. Total we have 17 days.

mila0229

I forgot to tell, yes, we will be renting a car in Crete.

mila0229

Oh wow! Your trip looks amazing!

neckervd

I suppose you know that there are slow ferries (with salons and open decks) and catamarans between Piraeus (port of Athens) and Paros too. Check whether the plane or the boat is more conveniant for you

mila0229

Yes, we know that. But in order to save some time we thought about flying. We might be wrong. That's why i am looking for advice.

Heimdall

Mila0229, I like the flights, especially when I can make a connection without leaving the airport. Paros has a new airport and the planes that fly there are modern 78-seat Q400 turboprops. You are returning to Athens from Delphi and intend to catch a flight the next morning to Paros. That's a good idea, but won't necessarily save you much time.

Consider spending the night in Piraeus and catching the 07:25 Blue Star the next morning. The trip takes 4 hours, which is not much more than flying time, transfer to the airport, check-in, and security added together. You can board the ferry up to an hour early when there are no lines, find your seat, settle in, and relax while you are waiting for departure. Some people buy reserved air-seat tickets, but I like to go business class, which is cheaper than air fare to Paros. The business class section has its own cafe/bar with waiter service, windows on three sides, and a choice of tables & chairs or sofas. Blue Star Delos, the ferry that usually sails at 07:25, is one of the newest in the Greek fleet.

The ferry arrives on Paros at 11:25, and you can retrieve your luggage while the ferry is approaching the harbour. As soon as the ramp is lowered you can step off the ferry, and you are in the middle of Parikia. The main bus station is about 200 yards to your right, or there are taxis waiting too.

neckervd

.....and if the slow ferry isn't fast enough, there are catamarans too (1 hr faster).
But FB Bluestar Delos, FB Bluestar Naxos, FB Nissos Chios (they operate all between Piraeus and Paros) are much more comfortable.

Heimdall

I hate catamarans (even the large ones) and would much rather spend the extra hour on Blue Star. Catamarans have seating similar to an oversized airliner, and you don't have much room to move around. Conventional ferries have seating both inside and on the open deck, cabins if you wish privacy, and a choice of cafes and restaurants. If you want wifi, stop at Reception for the key and password (there is a charge).

To see what Blue Star Delos is like, play the company video:
https://www.bluestarferries.com/en/a...et-videos.html

neckervd

" I hate catamarans (even the large ones) "

Me too. But I realized that most people in this forum hate boat journeys and prefer planes, hydrofoils or catamarans. Knowing that, I try to show them all possibilities.