OT: Europe Trip

[Pachinko_]

Most of my family lives semi-permanently in Peloponnese these day, this is the view from our summer house down there



This is our olive grove at the front and then you can literally see 4 different towns in the background, plus most of the Bay of Corinth. This is what most of Peloponnese looks like in terms of colours/landscape.


I'd gladly go back any time of the year, but keep in mind it might be different to what you'd expect from Greece based on tourist brochures, especially in March. But if you're happy to drive a couple of hours a day you'll see some really nice places like Monemvasia, Nafplio, Spetses etc which are all really pretty, and you will find some very good hotels at affordable rates at that time of the year. Lots of ancient stuff as well if you're so inclined and definitely lots of eating/drinking by the sea.

Peloponnese is not all touristy, so you'll see some "real" Greece as well ie not always the best infrastructure etc, but t's definitely worth it in my mind. But I realise I'm also not exactly objective

[ReginaldDwight]

Would probably rent a car and drive around the Peloponnese after landing in athens and spending 2 days there.

Τhat's a hell of a plan, if you love history and nature. There's everything down there, from mountains and beaches to castles, ancient cities and traditional towns. If you need more detailed description of the region feel free to ask, I've close family and friends in Peloponnesos, so I've been almost everywhere for short periods of time

Probably going to stick to Rome though the more I look it up it just seems like 6 days is the perfect amount of time for a bigger city we dont really want to be traveling too much once we are in Europe. Is a Naples or Pompeii day trip worth it from rome?

[ReginaldDwight]

Most of my family lives semi-permanently in Peloponnese these day, this is the view from our summer house down there



This is our olive grove at the front and then you can literally see 4 different towns in the background, plus most of the Bay of Corinth. This is what most of Peloponnese looks like in terms of colours/landscape.


I'd gladly go back any time of the year, but keep in mind it might be different to what you'd expect from Greece based on tourist brochures, especially in March. But if you're happy to drive a couple of hours a day you'll see some really nice places like Monemvasia, Nafplio, Spetses etc which are all really pretty, and you will find some very good hotels at affordable rates at that time of the year. Lots of ancient stuff as well if you're so inclined and definitely lots of eating/drinking by the sea.

Peloponnese is not all touristy, so you'll see some "real" Greece as well ie not always the best infrastructure etc, but t's definitely worth it in my mind. But I realise I'm also not exactly objective

Would it be better off holding off till September so the beaches would be in play?

[Pachinko_]

Would it be better off holding off till September so the beaches would be in play?

I would, yeah. Actually September is a very advantageous and sophisticated choice of timing
Most people go to Greece in July-August but this is peak season, prices are at the highest, everything is packed and the weather is actually not the best (the Aegean sea gets pretty windy). September is still very warm but overall milder weather and prices and vacancies are much better.

[ReginaldDwight]

Would it be better off holding off till September so the beaches would be in play?

I would, yeah. Actually September is a very advantageous and sophisticated choice of timing
Most people go to Greece in July-August but this is peak season, prices are at the highest, everything is packed and the weather is actually not the best (the Aegean sea gets pretty windy). September is still very warm but overall milder weather and prices and vacancies are much better.

Was thinking like a week in mainland greece then hitting up Crete.

[Pachinko_]

Would it be better off holding off till September so the beaches would be in play?

I would, yeah. Actually September is a very advantageous and sophisticated choice of timing
Most people go to Greece in July-August but this is peak season, prices are at the highest, everything is packed and the weather is actually not the best (the Aegean sea gets pretty windy). September is still very warm but overall milder weather and prices and vacancies are much better.

Was thinking like a week in mainland greece then hitting up Crete.

Nice
Yeah September would be fantastic

[chile]

I know Greece was talked about here but I have a trip coming up (end of April, early May) and wanted to get some opinions. I will be there for 9 days. I will be in Santorini for 3 nights and spending all the time on that island. Is there something that you would recommend?

My next dilemma is flying to Crete for an additional 3 or 4 nights and doing things on that island. Or going to Athens for more exploring there. Delphi and Meteora really looked nice. It sounds like we don't want to spend 1 or 2 nights in Crete but rather a longer time there or no time at all. What would you choose? 3-4 nights on Crete or more time in Athens to see the Delphi and Meteora?

[Beorn]

a good Kreta trip requires a week , it's a reallly big islands with tons of things to see. In Santorini go to the Akrotiri Prehistoric Site, and stop at Geromanolis Tavern in Megalohori Village, best local food in the island, at very low prices. Rent a car, it should be ~25-30€ per day. Apart from that i recommend the usual, sunset at Oia, The Lighthouse at the southern cape, etc.

[Besiktas]

i don't understand this greece love many of you. there is so many places at least eaquel beauty with greece maybe even much better than greece ( ) in europe especially around adriatic

doesn't make sense to me many times this greece love. i guess this because of giannis

i think you should research more about summer vacation in europe in my opinion.

maybe hurghada ( egypt ), tel aviv ( Israel ), sharm el sheikh (egypt ), ksamil ( albania ), san sebastian ( spain ), minorca ( balear island spain ), mallorca ( spain ), olhos de agua in algarve region ( portugal ), budva ( montenegro ), ulcinj ( montenegro ), bar ( montenegro ), durres ( albania ), lubenice ( croatia ), hvar ( croatia ), orebic ( croatia), dugi otok ( croatia ), kemer, belek ( turkey), cesme ( turkey) bodrum ( turkey ), marmaris ( turkey ), butterfly valley fethiye ( turkey), kalkan, kas ( turkey )

these are just come to my mind for now. i went to all, i would advice to you all at least a few of them in this summer

don't think about in coming hot summer times go to paris, prague, berlin, bratislava, munchen, frankfurt, amsterdam, rotterdam, avignon, rome, naples, venice, florance, bucheresti, tiran, podgorica, brussels, brugge etc.

please

[Nightfall]

a good Kreta trip requires a week , it's a reallly big islands with tons of things to see. In Santorini go to the Akrotiri Prehistoric Site, and stop at Geromanolis Tavern in Megalohori Village, best local food in the island, at very low prices. Rent a car, it should be ~25-30€ per day. Apart from that i recommend the usual, sunset at Oia, The Lighthouse at the southern cape, etc.

I agree about Crete, it is better for dedicated vacations. Follow Beorns advices. Santorini, while expensive in comparison to other less know islands, offers good quality services and it is very unlikely you will get ripped off.

2 other activities I would suggest:

If you like wine, the a wine tour, most of them are great because Santorini has great producers:
Check here : https://santorinidave.com/best-santorini-wineries

A boat tour to the volcano and other locations, Tripadvisor's best boat tours are all good, this one is considered the best : http://santorini-privatetour.com/ we had it years ago and it was very good.

Also If you are into craft beer, Santorini's Donkey beers are very good, send them an email and they could even arrange a brewery tour : https://www.santorinibrewingcompany.gr/contact

[chile]

a good Kreta trip requires a week , it's a reallly big islands with tons of things to see. In Santorini go to the Akrotiri Prehistoric Site, and stop at Geromanolis Tavern in Megalohori Village, best local food in the island, at very low prices. Rent a car, it should be ~25-30€ per day. Apart from that i recommend the usual, sunset at Oia, The Lighthouse at the southern cape, etc.

I agree about Crete, it is better for dedicated vacations. Follow Beorns advices. Santorini, while expensive in comparison to other less know islands, offers good quality services and it is very unlikely you will get ripped off.

2 other activities I would suggest:

If you like wine, the a wine tour, most of them are great because Santorini has great producers:
Check here : https://santorinidave.com/best-santorini-wineries

A boat tour to the volcano and other locations, Tripadvisor's best boat tours are all good, this one is considered the best : http://santorini-privatetour.com/ we had it years ago and it was very good.

Also If you are into craft beer, Santorini's Donkey beers are very good, send them an email and they could even arrange a brewery tour : https://www.santorinibrewingcompany.gr/contact

Thanks for the input (Beorn too). It sounds like we are skipping Crete and will do Santorini for 3 nights and the rest will be the mainland. We were looking for a boat excursion so that helps a lot. Also looking to rent an ATV which should help save time getting around (instead of using the bus). We are staying in Oia but will want to make see the opposite end of the island/beaches.

For staying on the mainland, we will make our camp in Athens. We will see everything that everyone does in Athens (Acropolis, etc...). But outside of that, what would you recommend besides Delphi and Meteora? If we wanted to see Delphi and Meteora in 2 days, how would you recommend getting around? We could take the train to Meteora from Athens but I don't know how to get to Delphi from Meteora (vice versa) without returning to Athens to catch a bus. Maybe renting a car is the easiest?

We are into hiking, mountains, beaches, old towns/historic buildings, unique terrain so that is why we want to see what I am mentioning above. Peloponnesos was mentioned but don't know where to go. It appears to have good terrain but I mainly rely on Google and photos. How would you get around there? Are ferries a good option from Pireas? Train? Or best to rent a car?

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

[jschligs]

Just thought I'd drop in and say flights from ORD to London are $150 right now on Kayak for the end of April. Doesn't include bags, but that's still insanely cheap.

[Nightfall]

For staying on the mainland, we will make our camp in Athens. We will see everything that everyone does in Athens (Acropolis, etc...). But outside of that, what would you recommend besides Delphi and Meteora? If we wanted to see Delphi and Meteora in 2 days, how would you recommend getting around? We could take the train to Meteora from Athens but I don't know how to get to Delphi from Meteora (vice versa) without returning to Athens to catch a bus. Maybe renting a car is the easiest?

We are into hiking, mountains, beaches, old towns/historic buildings, unique terrain so that is why we want to see what I am mentioning above. Peloponnesos was mentioned but don't know where to go. It appears to have good terrain but I mainly rely on Google and photos. How would you get around there? Are ferries a good option from Pireas? Train? Or best to rent a car?

Any other suggestions are appreciated.

First of all renting a car is the best option. Trains apart from the one going from Athens to Salonika are not the best. For short distance (in Athens) you can use the subway or taxis (much cheaper than in the USA).

Meteora/Delphi
There are one, two and 3 day tours you can also take and avoid driving. They are highly rated : http://www.chatours.gr
They have a good offer on tripadvisor that could cover you : https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductDetail-g189400-d11448508-2_Day_Trip_to_Delphi_and_Meteora_from_Athens-Athens_Attica.html

Athens
2 days are more than enough to see the major sites. If you are there on the 18th May, all museums and archaelogical sites are free. Otherwise the best option is the "eniaio" ticket (one for all), costs 30 euro valid for 5 days and covers acropolis, the new museum and all archaelogical sites in the area. More info: http://odysseus.culture.gr/h/3/eh355.jsp?obj_id=2384
If you are into food, beer I can also give you recommendations from gyros up to 2 Michelin star restaurants

For the extra daytrip if you are into nature, hiking, buildings and stuff, I have 3 suggestions:
Aegina (island 40' with the ferry from Piraeus Port) :
http://www.aeginagreece.com/aegina-island/
Very close, wonderful temples, nature ,beach, little tavernas to eat, old buildings you name it

NAfplion in Peloponese (1:30 from Athens):
http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/main_cities/nafplio
Venetian castle and a wonderful old town as it was the first capital of Greece. You can also visit the ancient theater of Epidavros

Arachova (2 hrs from Athens):
http://www.visitgreece.gr/en/mainland/arachova
For something completely different than your typical Greek vacation, a wonderful village at Parnassos mountain, in Winter a popular Ski Resort, but during Spring and Summer it offers great hiking and views in cooler temperatures than the average grrek temperature.

Have fun wherever you decide to go

[Beorn]

Nauplio>>Aegina>Arachova IMO. Had I been in Greece I would gladly act as your "guide"

@Besiktas I agree that there are other great places around mediterranean, but they are either much more expensive, less accessible by plane, there's a lot of prejudice about the locals (in balkans and turkey), or they don't combine the same beaches/life/food/unique architecture as the greek islands. Personally, I aim to visit ~90% of the places you mentioned at least once in my life too. Cheers!

[fan230]

Would probably rent a car and drive around the Peloponnese after landing in athens and spending 2 days there.

Τhat's a hell of a plan, if you love history and nature. There's everything down there, from mountains and beaches to castles, ancient cities and traditional towns. If you need more detailed description of the region feel free to ask, I've close family and friends in Peloponnesos, so I've been almost everywhere for short periods of time

Probably going to stick to Rome though the more I look it up it just seems like 6 days is the perfect amount of time for a bigger city we dont really want to be traveling too much once we are in Europe. Is a Naples or Pompeii day trip worth it from rome?

Yes Pompeii is highly worth it. Rent a car from Rome and go; did it. Driving in Naples is hard unless you are used to it; did not go there.

[Triple 7]

OT in this OT thread... I'm taking a trip to Colombia (Medellin) next month. One of my best friends from high school (in Greendale) runs an IT company down there and has been trying to get me to come down there for a while. Anyone ever been?

[ReginaldDwight]

Looking at spending pretty much all of september on the mediterrean somewhere, going to greece for a part of it then kinda open to wherever, really looking for cheap places any ideas or places youve been that you liked.

[BUCKnation]

I'm planning on going to Hong Kong and then London and Iceland in November. Not Europe but will have 1 full day in Hong Kong, for those who've gone there, anything other things to go other than Victoria's peak or Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade that I should do.

I'll likely have 4 nights in London and 2 nights in Reykavik. I've been to London when I was younger and other than a soccer match and hitting up the Eye and other touristy stuff, any recommends on that city. My Iceland is pretty open too.

[3Diamantidis]

Looking at spending pretty much all of september on the mediterrean somewhere, going to greece for a part of it then kinda open to wherever, really looking for cheap places any ideas or places youve been that you liked.

If you visit Greece at summer, try to stay away from places like santorini, rhodes, myconos.
All great and beautiful islands but pretty expensive.

Will you be staying at hotel or you prefer camping?

[ReginaldDwight]

Looking at spending pretty much all of september on the mediterrean somewhere, going to greece for a part of it then kinda open to wherever, really looking for cheap places any ideas or places youve been that you liked.

If you visit Greece at summer, try to stay away from places like santorini, rhodes, myconos.
All great and beautiful islands but pretty expensive.

Will you be staying at hotel or you prefer camping?

Airbnb and the like is our usual way, seeing lots of rooms under 40 usd a night. Probably will stay 2 nights in santorini if we do a touristy island.