Hi Ladies/Gentlemen,

I’ve been reading a lot of the questions and even though they are similar to mine, I haven’t yet found exactly what I’m looking for.

I’m planning an anniversary trip in September to Greece for 10 days,and 4 days in Florence, Italy. Before anyone freaks out, let me tell you that I’ve already done an Italy tour for a month and seen cities at a week at a time so the reason the Italy part is so short is because I’ve already been to Florence closer to 2 weeks and LOVED it so much, that I can’t go all the way to Greece without having a few days in Florence!

My question is:

We arrive in Athens and I thought to spend a day or 2 there. We’re mainly going for the beaches, sun and romantic sunrise at Santorini, etc.

Then I was hoping to see Crete, Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes. But I hear 10 days isn’t enough for all the islands. For some reason I really have my heart set on Crete and Santorini. What do you think?

From Athens, should we go to Santorino first or Crete? Keep in mind we want to take a ferry over to Italy. Which port is the closest in Greece to our destinations that goes to Italy?

Also for Florence, is Ancona port better or Venice? Which is closer and cheaper to get to Florence? Is it one train ride away?

Thank you so much in advance. I really do need some help to get organized!

I really appreciate it

Lana

First of all I hope you enjoy this trip, it sounds great to me. Let’s see now about how you can organize it.

-Athens is ok for just 2 days, just to see the Acropolis and Plaka and then leave for the islands.
- The islands you have choosed are the best, but I disagree with Rhodes. Thers is absolutely nothing to see in Rhodes. It is a huge island with beaches that are not even close to the ones of Crete. IMO visit Crete, Mykonos and Santorini only. You will be thrilled.
- As far as the duration of your visit to the islands is concerned, it is true that 10 days are not enough, but here is why: Crete is a very big island. There is no way you can see the whole of Crete in 2-3 days. That is the reason why every Greek chooses Chania or Rethymno (the 2 best regions in Crete) and visits one of them only. Crete is devided in 4 big parts (Chania, Rethymno , Irakleio, Lasithi) and there is no way you can see all the 4 of them (and actually there is no reason to do so). So you have to choose between Chania or Rethymno and spend at least days 4 there. Then spend 2 days in Mykonos (100% enough) and 2 days in Santorini (100% enough). This way you can have a nice trip in 10 days. I would do it, it is not a bad idea. But this means that you do not rest during the day, if you want to see the most of these islands. You may have to bee on the run.
If you are an active person and fit, do not miss Samaria Gorge (it is in Rethymno ). Also keep in mind to do that the last day of your trip since you may find it hard to walk the next day…….
- Let’s see now which island you should visit first, second etc…
I would visit Santorini, then Rhodes (if you still want to go), then Crete and last Mykonos since it is the closest to Pireus. All of them are relatively close one ot the other.
- Keep in mind that the romantic sunrise in Santorini (Oia is the name of the village you are looking for) is just a tourist myth. Been there, seen it, crowded and full of tourists waiting to see, and it was a big dissapointment. There is nothing to see there.

Hope I helped. Ask anything else you want. DOn’t go to Rhodes, too big and no fun at all.

Hi Ladies/Gentlemen,

I’ve been reading a lot of the questions and even though they are similar to mine, I haven’t yet found exactly what I’m looking for.

I’m planning an anniversary trip in September to Greece for 10 days,and 4 days in Florence, Italy. Before anyone freaks out, let me tell you that I’ve already done an Italy tour for a month and seen cities at a week at a time so the reason the Italy part is so short is because I’ve already been to Florence closer to 2 weeks and LOVED it so much, that I can’t go all the way to Greece without having a few days in Florence!

My question is:

We arrive in Athens and I thought to spend a day or 2 there. We’re mainly going for the beaches, sun and romantic sunrise at Santorini, etc.

Then I was hoping to see Crete, Santorini, Mykonos and Rhodes. But I hear 10 days isn’t enough for all the islands. For some reason I really have my heart set on Crete and Santorini. What do you think?

From Athens, should we go to Santorino first or Crete? Keep in mind we want to take a ferry over to Italy. Which port is the closest in Greece to our destinations that goes to Italy?

Also for Florence, is Ancona port better or Venice? Which is closer and cheaper to get to Florence? Is it one train ride away?

Thank you so much in advance. I really do need some help to get organized!

I really appreciate it

Lana

First of all I hope you enjoy this trip, it sounds great to me. Let’s see now about how you can organize it.

-Athens is ok for just 2 days, just to see the Acropolis and Plaka and then leave for the islands.
- The islands you have choosed are the best, but I disagree with Rhodes. Thers is absolutely nothing to see in Rhodes. It is a huge island with beaches that are not even close to the ones of Crete. IMO visit Crete, Mykonos and Santorini only. You will be thrilled.
- As far as the duration of your visit to the islands is concerned, it is true that 10 days are not enough, but here is why: Crete is a very big island. There is no way you can see the whole of Crete in 2-3 days. That is the reason why every Greek chooses Chania or Rethymno (the 2 best regions in Crete) and visits one of them only. Crete is devided in 4 big parts (Chania, Rethymno , Irakleio, Lasithi) and there is no way you can see all the 4 of them (and actually there is no reason to do so). So you have to choose between Chania or Rethymno and spend at least days 4 there. Then spend 2 days in Mykonos (100% enough) and 2 days in Santorini (100% enough). This way you can have a nice trip in 10 days. I would do it, it is not a bad idea. But this means that you do not rest during the day, if you want to see the most of these islands. You may have to bee on the run.
If you are an active person and fit, do not miss Samaria Gorge (it is in Rethymno ). Also keep in mind to do that the last day of your trip since you may find it hard to walk the next day…….
- Let’s see now which island you should visit first, second etc…
I would visit Santorini, then Rhodes (if you still want to go), then Crete and last Mykonos since it is the closest to Pireus. All of them are relatively close one ot the other.
- Keep in mind that the romantic sunrise in Santorini (Oia is the name of the village you are looking for) is just a tourist myth. Been there, seen it, crowded and full of tourists waiting to see, and it was a big dissapointment. There is nothing to see there.

Hope I helped. Ask anything else you want. DOn’t go to Rhodes, too big and no fun at all.

For example, I know people who have gone to Germany, Ireland, and Greece on mission trips. I don’t understand why anyone would go to a country that already has a majority Christian population and/or can/does take care of its own poor/sick/homeless/etc to do "God’s work." Shouldn’t these people be putting more effort into countries in Africa or Asia instead? If they are going to do mission work in an industrialized Christian country, why not just do it in America and help their own country? It seems to me like these people are just looking for an excuse to say they’ve been on a mission trip but are actually more interested in leisurely travel and their own safety.

Because its fun to take a vacation on another cool country instead of actually sacrificing your time to help others.

None.

My school is providing the option to go to either Greece or China? both trips will be guided by proffessional tour guides and go to all the important tourist locations but I don’t know which to go to?
Any reccomendations?
I only have enough money one tour.

Greece, a beautiful country, lovely people, they speak English which is a good thing and they have lots of history and culture.
As regards China, probably it has a lot of monuments too, but I would never give my money to a dictatorial communist government.

My fiance wants to plan a trip to Greece next summer. We live in California. I have booked trips through AAA, and they turned out to be much more expensive than if I had booked through other companies. Do you happen to know the average price of a 7 day trip to Greece including airfare for 2?

I assume you will want to do some traveling once you’re there.
Airfare will cost you about 1500-1700 each.
Hotel will cost you about $100 a night in Athens…..
Do you want to visit some islands?
Add in the travel costs of the ferry or plane.

Email me and let me know what city you are in.
Maybe I can direct you to some Greek travel agents who specialing in planning Greek vacations.

I have never been out of the US and want to plan a trip to Greece next June. We will be staying for 7-10 days. Would it be better or cheaper for me to book everything myself, or use a travel agent?

A little of both, on your own you can do research to find the parts of Greece you want to visit.
http://www.greektravel.com or Greeka.com Are great websites that you can get lots of ideas and info on Greece, as well as local suggestions on Greek travel agencies. The great part of using a Greek travel agency, is that they are there and know all the ins and out of the areas you want to visit. They can also assist you greatly if something does not go as planned, like a ferry cancellation, which can happen due to poor weather conditions. With one call they can contact the hotel on the Island you are supposed to be on, get you accommodations for where you are stranded, and rebook you on another ferry the next day. This is a great advantage for any tourist, especially for a first timer. I do not suggest tour packages, especially from one of those large .com sites, the prices are seem good but the hotels can be far from where you want to be and you are subject to a schedule other than your own. You also might want to consider making your Greek get away at least 2 weeks, Mainly because you lose alot of time in just getting to and from there, basically 2 full days. I promise that no matter how long your trip is, you will not want to go home yet. I have always used Mykonos accommodation center for all of my hotel bookings, ferry and island transfer airline tickets. they have been great every summer, They do everything by email, and you can call them if you need to. http://www.mykonos-accommodation.com/ For the actual airline ticket to get to greece, you can do on your own, I find I always get the best price this way, especially if you get it way in advance, June is not quite high season yet but the prices do go up the closer to summer it gets, I usually start getting stuff together in janurary for my august trip, The airfare is cheaper, the cool hotels with good prices book up quick, and it gets me excited to know Im going, Have fun!!!!

This Summer I will be going to Greece with my school (well.. the art department at my school). The trip is the first week of June and I’m really excited. The only problem is that I don’t know what to wear. I hear it is going to be very hot, the problem is that we will be going to museums and churches. At these churches and museums, we must have our shoulders covered. I also don’t like to wear skirts, which is an issue. Please help me!

How about light sleeved tops in white or cream to repel the heat. Some loose linen trousers might be good instead of a skirt. Again, choose a pale color to repel the heat. Choose your shoes carefully too. You’re going to be wearing them all day and your feet may suffer with a lot of walking in the heat, if you aren’t careful. Perhaps find some comfortable open sandals. Don’t forget the sunscreen where your skin is exposed.

Enjoy.

I’m going on a school trip to Greece on the 21st of april and I will be staying there for 14 days.
I’m not sure of the temperature, the electrical outlets or the clothes that would be appropriate in that country… Please help?
I’m heading for Athens

Depends which area of Greece you are going to. Usually the northern parts are cooler. If you are going to Crete the current temp is 18-20 degrees, but cooler at night, so you can get away with a T-shirt daytime with a light jacket and then something a bit warmer in the evening. In April when you come it may be slightly warmer, but only by around 2 degs. Electrical outlets are two pin for Europe, so if you are coming from the UK bring an adaptor. Clothes warn are the same as UK and the rest of Europe.

Does anyone know how much is Greece-USA (NY) round trip?
Links to web sites?
Thanks

Try here

http://www.olympicair.gr/Home.aspx?a_id=256

http://www.aegeanairlines.gr/