shape
carat
color
clarity

Greece in a week?

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
6,299
My husband surprised me with a 9-day trip to Italy last week and I loved it so much that I''m considering doing something similar for him for his 30th B-Day this September. The issue is that we have another week-long vacation trip planned in August and I don''t want to completely deplete my vacation days for the September trip (I need at least a few for the holidays).

For those of you who have been to Greece, do you think that 7 days/6 nights or so would be enough? Obviously we''d fly into Athens, but I''d like to do a little island hopping as well. My fear is that I would leave feeling like we''d only seen half of everything we wanted to see and need to come back. In Italy we were able to fit a TON of sightseeing in, but they have fast, reliable trains that leave often, whereas in Greece we''d be taking boats. My other fear is the meltemi winds, which seem to start around mid-September and could affect the boat service.

If it isn''t enough time, I have some backup options (perhaps Ireland or Kaui), but I know several PS members have been to Greece and I''d like to get some opinions on a short, 1-week trip to Greece.

Thank you!!
 

Iowa Lizzy

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jul 2, 2008
Messages
1,667
Are you opposed to a greek isle cruise? I went on a Mediterranean cruise through Windstar which was fantastic. The boat only had 150 passengers (it was pretty much a giant sailboat). They sail in September and you can do Athens, Mykonos, Santorini, Rhodes, Bodrum (Turkey), Kusadasi (Turkey), and end up in Istanbul. It''s a 7 day trip.

It''s a really great cruise line. Small, intimate, good food. Expensive, but worth it. I''d recommend it!

Windstar Cruises
 

mrscushion

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
3,309
I''ve heard good things about Windstar cruises, too, though I''ve never been on one myself.

I''d say if you don''t take a cruise, it depends on how many islands you want to hit. I think if you want to go to more than 2 islands (in addition to a day in Athens), you won''t have enough time to savor each place. Just my opinion.

Don''t do more than a day in Athens -- polluted, crowded, noisy and not worth it (apart from the Acropolis).
 

elle_chris

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 19, 2004
Messages
3,504
Like MsCushion said- Athens is polluted, crowded noisy etc. but you can't really go and not spend at least one day (i'm thinking more like 2) there.

If you want to see the Islands, we did Santorini and Crete. I've heard Mykonos has a big party scene so if you're into that, it could be a good place.

Santorini is a beautiful island with a black sand beach but so small you don't need more than 2 days there and it's about a 40 minute flight from athens, but it's also very touristy.
Crete is just stunning but large. We spent a full week there and still didn't get a chance to see the whole place.
If you do choose Crete, it's also a short flight from Athens. But, and this is what my husband just told me, (i don't remember) we had to fly back to athens from santorini and then to crete. So you'd be spending half a day flying if you're going to go to various islands.

I honestly don't think 7 days is enough. Especially if want to spend time in a few places. If you do choose to go, I'd do 2 days in Athens, and 5 in Crete. We stayed near Agios Nicholaos in Crete. It was just spectacular, but a loong drive from the airport. The wonderful thing is that there are so many beaches (granted they're not sand but rock) that you'll always find a place all to yourselves if you choose to leave the resort. And the food.. omg, amazing and always so fresh.

eta: I wouldn't bother with taking boats in between the islands. You'd waste most of day each time you did it. Flying is still much faster even if you're spending a bit of time at the airport.
And, we stayed at a resort called "Elounda Bay". It was stunning. Pretty sure it was on the Aegean Sea side. (can you tell I love Crete?)
1.gif
 

TravelingGal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
17,193
Add me as another one who says don''t bother with Athens. But I can''t say that with authority because I didn''t bother with Athens. When I was on the backpacking circuit, nearly everyone told me that it wasn''t worth it. I went through it via train and I wasn''t impressed, but I don''t think I saw the best parts of Athens.

7 days might be fine for some R&R on the islands. The problem is that most don''t need a lot of days. I went to Santorini and Paros (town of Naoussa) and Paros was way more my speed...i.e., more of a real fishing village.

My opinion: skip Greece for 7 days. Ireland is nice in Sept, or at least has a good shot of being so. If it were me, I''d do Croatia with those 7 days.
 

plethora23

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Jun 9, 2001
Messages
210
Definitely do-able. You only need one day for Athens trust me!

In the 9 days I spent there we also did Santorini, Crete, and the Peloponnese....

We did gets stuck on Santorini because of the winds in early September (no boats in service) and had to spend an extra night and try to get a flight out the next day....that was crazy! If the boats stop running it is almost impossible to get a flight out for the same day. We high tailed it to the airport to try to get out on a flight that same day and it seemed everyone else was already at the airport...
 

LGK

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 27, 2007
Messages
2,975
Greece is one of my favorite places I've been. The islands are fabulous! Santorini wasn't my very favorite- it was a lot more crowded than the smaller islands, the beaches were dirtier, and it was more touristy. Definitely spend the week on the islands and as little time in Athens as possible, if you only have a week. (Though I admit I really enjoyed Athens, though a lot of people find it a bit too third-worldy I think.) We stayed for a solid week on Paros, and it was amazing- we had a small room right on the beach. The people were almost without exception really, really nice. Plenty of them didn't speak English but we got along fine. The smaller, less touristy islands were my favorites for sure. I can't remember where all we went (lord, this was over 10 years ago now) but I think we hit Paros, Antiparos, Santorini and one other larger island... Mykonos? (Am I making that up??) Greece was pretty inexpensive then too, dunno if it still is though. Good luck making yourself leave after the week is up! I'm definitely envious. Very!

Have an iced coffee for me. They're deadly!
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
6,299
This is all fantastic information, thank you very, very much!!!

If I go with Greece, I''m only going to stay in Athens long enough to see the Acropolis--I think a few of the less touristy islands will be more our speed (Crete, Paros). I love the idea of only staying on one island for a day or two and then going to the next one, I think it keeps the trip exciting, even if we can''t really unpack. Also, if I do book this trip, I''m going to just book flights so I don''t have to worry about the boats, I didn''t even realize that I could do that, so that''s great. Is there a different weight restriction for the flights between the islands? Most commercial flights have a 50 lb. limit, but I''ve been on shorter flights in Europe where the weight restriction was 25 lbs.

Thanks again to all of you! I''m still weighing my options and am going to start looking at some other destinations (like Croatia!)
 

elle_chris

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 19, 2004
Messages
3,504
When we were there six years ago, i don''t recall any specific restrictions on luggage. We went for two weeks and had two suitcases and one carry on. Didn''t have any problems flying between athens and the islands. I remember we couldn''t get direct flights from island to island. what i don''t remember is why. either they weren''t doing it then and all flights went through athens or none were available. But I''m thinking all flights went through athens.

For a six day trip I would choose 2 islands. I know you said 7 days but the last one is usually spent packing and trying to make your flight. especially if you need to take two. I guess one day to see the acropolis and just walk around is enough.
Second day fly to whichever island you choose (try to get an early flight) and spend 2 nights there. Then the fourth day choose the 3rd and spend 3 nights there. Doing more islands wouldn''t be very relaxing as you''d always be rushing.

Another thing I would do is, if you can get a direct flight from island to island (no idea if they''re doing it now), is to stay in the same island group. so for instance, if you want to see Crete, I''d choose Rhodes which is the closest one to Crete in the Dodecanese group. Or, the Cyclades since you said Paros. This only really makes a difference if there are flights available in between islands. I also mentioned Rhodes because I heard it was gorgeous and not as touristy as some of the other isles.
I regret not choosing it instead of Santorini.
 

vespergirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
5,497
Yes, you can do it, and you''ll love it! I went to Greece about 10 years ago, and it was wonderful. I flew to Athens, and then island-hopped the Cycladic Islands on those hydrofoil boats. The standouts in my mind were Ia, Santorini, and Mykonos. I think that if you hit Athens and maybe two islands you can do it in a week and really enjoy it!
 

mrscushion

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Nov 15, 2008
Messages
3,309
Date: 6/20/2009 10:27:26 PM
Author: elle_chris
I''ve heard Mykonos has a big party scene so if you''re into that, it could be a good place.
This is true, it does have a big party scene, but I''m not a big vacation partier / clubber, and I still LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Mykonos. It is SO pretty and it has some great beaches. I particularly like Psarou Beach with a restaurant/bar called Nammos, that is one of my favorite spots in the world, hands down. The food is simply unbelievable and the atmosphere (outdoor, lots of wine, forever lunches, either a live sax player or chill hangout music) is fantastic.
 

TravelingGal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
17,193
NEL, if you are going to be moving every day or two, do yourself a favor and don''t worry about the luggage limit on the planes as you should be packing LIGHT. A lot of luggage while hopping around is a recipe for misery.
 

whitby_2773

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Messages
2,655
hi iwanna :)

i haven''t been to greece, but i''ve always wanted to go and have planned my dream greek holiday many times.

my main inslands to visit would be santorini (a given) but also hydra. hydra seems to me like one of the more romantic islands, not least of which because it has no wheeled vehicles on it; all travel is done by donkey. perhaps in part because of this, it''s extraordinarily beautiful, filled with old buildings and all cobblestone roads. it''s not a large island - only 52sq kms in total (about 13 x 2 miles) and you''ve just got to love an island whose highest peak is called ''mount eros''! because it''s long and thin, a great deal of the population is on the coast, so there are picturesque views everywhere!

anyway, that would be my choice and here''s a link if you''re interested....

hydra

there are some gorgeous small hotels here too, and the whole island has a very authentic and old world feel.

hope this gives some ideas....
 

Pandora II

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
9,613
I will admit I wasn''t at all fussed with Greece - I spent a summer island hopping (mainly in the Cyclades), and would not choose to go there again.

Places I really loved and would go back to:

Croatia - totally amazing islands, still unspoilt and really pretty. Great food. Split and Dubrovnik are great if you want some museum type culture. Also super easy to get to the islands (high-speed hovercraft) rather than the hideous boats in Greece...

Turkey - Istanbul is incredible!
 

NewEnglandLady

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jul 27, 2007
Messages
6,299
Date: 6/21/2009 11:00:41 PM
Author: TravelingGal
NEL, if you are going to be moving every day or two, do yourself a favor and don''t worry about the luggage limit on the planes as you should be packing LIGHT. A lot of luggage while hopping around is a recipe for misery.
I couldn''t agree more--I have no doubt I could pack for a 10-day trek using only a backpack. My husband is the over-packer, though--I''m not kidding, the man would pack crampons and an ice axe on a trip to Greece just in case we had time to swing up to the Swiss Alps.

Thanks again, everybody, the more I look into this trip the more I think this might be a good trip for both of us to plan instead of a surprise trip. I also think he might somewhat expect it since he was on the fence between Greece and Italy for my surprise trip. I just watched a Rick Steves episode on Croatia and it looked great, though I''m still heavily considering other European options. You have all been so, so helpful and I think you very much!!!
 

TravelingGal

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 29, 2004
Messages
17,193
Date: 6/22/2009 8:49:02 AM
Author: Pandora II
I will admit I wasn''t at all fussed with Greece - I spent a summer island hopping (mainly in the Cyclades), and would not choose to go there again.

Places I really loved and would go back to:

Croatia - totally amazing islands, still unspoilt and really pretty. Great food. Split and Dubrovnik are great if you want some museum type culture. Also super easy to get to the islands (high-speed hovercraft) rather than the hideous boats in Greece...

Turkey - Istanbul is incredible!
Ha yeah, I forgot about that...
 

whitby_2773

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Messages
2,655
NewEnglandLady -

i''m so sorry! i addressed you as ''iwanna'' - as in - iwannaprettyone'', whose thread i thought this was.

so sorry! i''m a bit groggy this morning and that post was written rather early. *sigh* (wake up, whitby!)

just by the way - if you like the look of croatia, perhaps you might also be interested in prague? gorgeous city for those who want something a little different. and if you''re interested in ireland - have you considered scotland? edinburgh is my favorite city in the world (after sydney) - SO atmospheric and beautiful - with gorgeous shopping for woolens and knitwares, if that''s your interest....

will be looking forward to seeing what you decide on :)
 

vespergirl

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 29, 2007
Messages
5,497
Date: 6/22/2009 11:32:44 AM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2009 8:49:02 AM
Author: Pandora II
I will admit I wasn''t at all fussed with Greece - I spent a summer island hopping (mainly in the Cyclades), and would not choose to go there again.

Places I really loved and would go back to:

Croatia - totally amazing islands, still unspoilt and really pretty. Great food. Split and Dubrovnik are great if you want some museum type culture. Also super easy to get to the islands (high-speed hovercraft) rather than the hideous boats in Greece...

Turkey - Istanbul is incredible!
Ha yeah, I forgot about that...
I have to ditto Croatia over Greece - my parents are immigrants from there, and we still have a home on an island in the Dalmatian Coast. Croatia is way prettier than Greece IMHO, but I still really loved my trip to Greece as well. Croatia looks more like Italy, whereas Greece has it''s own flavor & architecture. If you decide on Croatia, I second the recommendations of Dubrovnik and Split.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top