Map: Top Destinations in Greece
Democracy and mathematics. Medicine and literature. Theater and astronomy. Mythology and philosophy. All of these, and more, were first thought up by a bunch of tunic-clad Greeks in a small village huddled at the base of the Acropolis. The ancient Greeks—who reached their apex in the city of Athens—have had an unmatched impact on European and American culture. For many North American travelers, coming to Greece is like a pilgrimage to the cradle of our civilization.
A century and a half ago, Athens was a humble, forgotten city of about 20,000 people. Today it’s the teeming home of three million Greeks—nearly half of the 11 million people in all of Greece. Athens is famous for its sprawl, noise, graffiti, and pollution. The best advice to tourists has long been to see the big sights, then get out. But over the last decade or so, the city has made a concerted effort to curb pollution, clean up and pedestrianize the streets, spiff up the museums, and invest in one of Europe’s better public transit systems. All of these urban upgrades reached a peak as Athens hosted the 2004 Olympic Games.
And yet, the conventional wisdom still holds true: Athens is a great city to see...but not to linger in. This book also includes the best Greek destinations outside the capital, including the highlights of the Peloponnese—Greece’s heartland peninsula, the site of the ancient oracle at Delphi, and the castaway islands of Hydra, Mykonos, and Santorini.
In this book, I’ll give you all the information and opinions necessary to wring the maximum value out of your limited time and money. If you plan two weeks or less in this part of Greece and have a normal appetite for information, this book is all you need. Destinations include the predictable biggies (such as the Acropolis and ancient Olympia), but I’ve also mixed in a healthy dose of Back Door intimacy (workaday towns such as Kardamyli, rustic seaside viewpoints, and neighborhood tavernas where you’ll enjoy a warm welcome).
The best is, of course, only my opinion. But after spending much of my life exploring and researching Europe, I’ve developed a sixth sense for what travelers enjoy. The places featured in this book will make anyone want to shout, “Opa!”
Rick Steves Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese is a personal tour guide in your pocket. This book is organized by destinations. Each is a minivacation on its own, filled with exciting sights, strollable neighborhoods, affordable places to stay, and memorable places to eat.
The first half of this book focuses on Athens and contains the following chapters:
Greece offers an introduction to this mesmerizing land, including a crash course in the Greek alphabet.
Orientation to Athens has specifics on public transportation, helpful hints, local tour options, easy-to-read maps, and tourist information. The “Planning Your Time” section suggests a schedule for how to best use your limited time.
Sights in Athens describes the top attractions and includes their cost and hours.
Self-Guided Walks and Tours take you through interesting neighborhoods, pointing out sights and fun stops. In Athens these include a city walk, the Ancient Agora, the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum, the National Archaeological Museum, and a walk through Psyrri and the Central Market.
Sleeping in Athens describes my favorite hotels, from good-value deals to cushy splurges.
Eating in Athens serves up a buffet of options, from inexpensive tavernas to fancy restaurants.
Shopping & Nightlife in Athens gives you tips for shopping painlessly and enjoyably, and guides you to music, folk dances, outdoor movies, and bustling nighttime neighborhoods.
Athens Connections outlines your options for traveling to destinations by car or bus, and includes information on getting to and from Athens’ airport.
The Peloponnese section includes in-depth chapters on the historic peninsula’s top sights: Nafplio, Epidavros, Mycenae, Olympia, Kardamyli and the Mani Peninsula, and Monemvasia.
The Beyond Athens & the Peloponnese section covers the ancient oracle site at Delphi and the idyllic islands of Hydra, Mykonos, and Santorini.
The Greek History & Mythology chapter gives you a quick overview of the country’s past.
The Practicalities chapter near the end of this book is a traveler’s tool kit, with my best advice about money, sightseeing, sleeping, eating, staying connected, and transportation (buses, boats, car rentals, driving, and flights).
The appendix has the nuts and bolts: useful phone numbers and websites, a holiday and festival list, books and films, a climate chart, a handy packing checklist, and Greek survival phrases.
Throughout this book, you’ll find money- and time-saving tips for sightseeing, transportation, and more. Some businesses—especially hotels and walking-tour companies—offer special discounts to my readers, indicated in their listings.
Browse through this book, choose your favorite destinations, and link them up. Then have a great trip! Traveling like a temporary local, you’ll get the absolute most of every mile, minute, and dollar. And, as you visit places I know and love, I’m happy that you’ll be meeting some of my favorite Greeks.
This section will help you get started planning your trip—with advice on trip costs, when to go, and what you should know before you take off.
Five components make up your trip costs: airfare, surface transportation, room and board, sightseeing and entertainment, and shopping and miscellany.
Airfare to Europe: A basic round-trip flight from the US to Athens can cost, on average, about $1,000-2,000 total, depending on where you fly from and when (cheaper in winter). If your trip extends beyond Greece, consider saving time and money by flying into one city and out of another; for instance, into Paris and out of Athens. Overall, Kayak.com is the best place to start searching for flights on a combination of mainstream and budget carriers. Note that if you’re visiting only Greece, the airport at Athens is your most convenient way in and out of the country.
Transportation in Europe: If you’re just touring Athens, you can get around easily on foot and on the Metro (plan on $30 for three full days in Athens and a round-trip ticket to/from the airport). If you’re venturing beyond the capital—say, doing a two-week loop of this book’s destinations—figure per-person costs of $150 by public transit (boat to Hydra, bus to everything else) or $450 by car (not including tolls, gas, and supplemental insurance). If you need a car for three weeks or more, leasing can save you money on insurance and taxes.
Room and Board: You can thrive in Greece on $105 a day per person for room and board (less on the Peloponnese). This allows $15 for lunch, $20 for dinner, and $70 for lodging (based on two people splitting the cost of a $140 double room that includes breakfast). Students and tightwads can enjoy Greece for as little as $60 a day ($30 for a bed, $30 for meals and snacks).
Sightseeing and Entertainment: In Athens, figure $12-24 per major sight (Acropolis, National Archaeological Museum), $10 for minor ones (Benaki Museum of Greek History and Culture, Byzantine and Christian Museum), and $40-90 for splurge experiences (such as walking tours, concerts, special art exhibits, and big-bus tours). An overall average of $30 a day works for most people. Don’t skimp here. After all, this category is the driving force behind your trip—you came to sightsee, enjoy, and experience Greece.
Outside of Athens, this region is best visited by car. If you’d rather get around by bus, you’ll see less in virtually the same amount of time (or you can add more days to your itinerary to see it all).
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
| 1 | Arrive Athens | Athens |
| 2 | Athens | Athens |
| 3 | Athens | Athens |
| 4 | Boat to Hydra | Hydra |
| 5 | Hydra | Hydra |
| 6 | Boat back to Athens, pick up rental car, drive to Delphi | Delphi |
| 7 | Sightsee Delphi, drive to Olympia | Olympia |
| 8 | Sightsee Olympia, drive to Kardamyli | Kardamyli |
| 9 | Relax in Kardamyli | Kardamyli |
| 10 | Mani Peninsula loop drive, on to Monemvasia | Monemvasia |
| 11 | Monemvasia | Monemvasia |
| 12 | See Mycenae en route to Nafplio | Nafplio |
| 13 | Nafplio, side-trip to Epidavros | Nafplio |
| 14 | Return to Athens, drop off rental car | Athens |
| 15 | Fly home, or continue to Mykonos and/or Santorini by plane or boat |
| Day | Plan | Sleep |
| 1 | Arrive Athens | Athens |
| 2 | Athens | Athens |
| 3 | Athens | Athens |
| 4 | Morning in Athens, afternoon bus to Delphi | Delphi |
| 5 | Sightsee Delphi | Delphi |
| 6 | Morning bus to Athens, then boat to Hydra | Hydra |
| 7 | Hydra | Hydra |
| 8 | Morning boat back to Athens, then bus to Olympia | Olympia |
| 9 | Sightsee Olympia | Olympia |
| 10 | Morning bus to Nafplio | Nafplio |
| 11 | Day trip to Mycenae | Nafplio |
| 12 | Day trip to Epidavros | Nafplio |
| 13 | Bus to Athens | Athens |
| 14 | Fly home, or continue to Mykonos and/or Santorini by plane or boat |
Bus Notes: Research and consider your bus connections carefully (usually easier to do on site than online); these can be limited and complicated, especially on the Peloponnese.
Two nights in Delphi offer a fine escape from big-city Athens, but if you have limited time, you can see Delphi either as a day trip on Day 4 (return to Athens to spend the night) or as a single overnight (bus from Athens to Delphi on the morning of Day 4, afternoon sightseeing and overnight in Delphi, then bus to Athens and boat to Hydra on Day 5).
The bus itinerary leaves out the hardest-to-reach destinations: Kardamyli/Mani Peninsula (best by car or with a hired local driver) and Monemvasia.
If you’ve seen enough ancient sites, you could skip Olympia (which is time-consuming to reach by bus), and instead visit Monemvasia (reachable by bus, but involves more travel time than Olympia) or enjoy more beach time on Hydra.
Without a car, the easiest connection from Hydra to the Peloponnese is via Athens, but adventurous travelers might want to tackle the cheaper and shorter—though more complicated—boat-taxi-bus connection to Nafplio instead; for tips, see here.
With an extra week and a bunch of patience, you could include all of the recommended destinations.
Shopping and Miscellany: Figure 50 cents per postcard and $3-4 per coffee or ice-cream cone. Shopping can vary in cost from nearly nothing to a small fortune. Good budget travelers find that this category has little to do with assembling a trip full of lifelong memories.
So much to see, so little time. How to choose? Depending on the length of your trip, and taking geographic proximity into account, here are my recommended priorities.
| 2-3 days: | Athens |
| 5 days, add: | Hydra |
| 7 days, add: | Delphi |
| 10 days, add: | Nafplio, Epidavros, Mycenae |
| 12 days, add: | Olympia, Monemvasia |
| 14 days, add: | Kardamyli and the Mani Peninsula, and slow down |
Although this book focuses on Athens and the Peloponnese, I’ve also included Mykonos and Santorini—two of Greece’s best islands—for travelers with more time. The “Greece at a Glance” sidebar (earlier) can help you decide where to go. A suggested itinerary is on here.
The “summer” and “winter” seasons can vary, but summer is roughly Easter through October, when Athens can be crowded.
Peak Season: In summer, Athens is packed with tourists, and hotel prices can be correspondingly high. July and August are the hottest months.
Shoulder Season: Late spring and fall are pleasant, with comfortable weather, no rain, and lighter crowds (except during holiday weekends).
Winter Season: Weather from late October through mid-March is colder. Though rain is rare in Athens, this is the time for it. Some sights close for lunch, TI offices keep shorter hours, and some tourist activities vanish altogether. Hotel rates are soft; look for bargains.
My free Rick Steves Audio Europe app makes it easy for you to download my audio tours of many of Europe’s top attractions and listen to them offline during your travels. For Greece, these include major sights and neighborhoods in Athens. Sights covered by audio tours are marked in this book with this symbol: 
. The app also offers insightful travel interviews from my public radio show with experts from Greece and around the globe. It’s all free! You can download the app via Apple’s App Store, Google Play, or Amazon’s Appstore. For more info, see www.ricksteves.com/audioeurope.
You’ll have a smoother trip if you tackle a few things ahead of time. For more information on these topics, see the Practicalities chapter (and www.ricksteves.com, which has helpful travel tips and talks).
Make sure your passport is valid. If it’s due to expire within six months of your ticketed date of return, you need to renew it. Allow up to six weeks to renew or get a passport (www.travel.state.gov).
Arrange your transportation. Book your international flights. Figure out your main form of transportation within Greece: It’s worth thinking about renting a car, buying boat tickets online in advance, or booking cheap European flights. (You can wing it once you’re there, but it may cost more or sell out.) Drivers: Consider bringing an International Driving Permit (sold at AAA offices in the US, www.aaa.com) along with your license.
Book rooms well in advance, especially if your trip falls during peak season or any major holidays or festivals, or if you’re hoping to land a particular hotel on Mykonos or Santorini, where perennial visitors often book their favorite rooms months ahead.
Consider travel insurance. Compare the cost of the insurance to the cost of your potential loss. Check whether your existing insurance (health, homeowners, or renters) covers you and your possessions overseas.
Call your bank. Alert your bank that you’ll be using your debit and credit cards in Europe. Ask about transaction fees, and get the PIN number for your credit card. You don’t need to bring euros for your trip; you can withdraw euros from cash machines in Europe.
Use your smartphone smartly. Sign up for an international service plan to reduce your costs, or rely on Wi-Fi in Europe instead. Download any apps you’ll want on the road, such as maps, translation, transit schedules, and Rick Steves Audio Europe (see sidebar).
Rip up this book! Turn chapters into mini guidebooks: Break the book’s spine and use a utility knife to slice apart chapters, keeping gummy edges intact. Reinforce the chapter spines with clear wide tape; use a heavy-duty stapler; or make or buy a cheap cover (see Travel Store at www.ricksteves.com), swapping out chapters as you travel.
Pack light. You’ll walk with your luggage more than you think. Bring a single carry-on bag and a daypack. Use the packing checklist in the appendix as a guide.
If you have a positive attitude, equip yourself with good information (this book), and expect to travel smart, you will.
Read—and reread—this book. To have an “A” trip, be an “A” student. Note opening hours of sights, closed days, crowd-beating tips, and whether reservations are required or advisable. Check the latest at www.ricksteves.com/update.
Be your own tour guide. As you travel, get up-to-date info on sights, reserve tickets and tours, reconfirm hotels and travel arrangements, and check transit connections. Visit local tourist information offices (TIs). Upon arrival in a new town, lay the groundwork for a smooth departure; confirm the boat, bus, or road you’ll take when you leave.
Outsmart thieves. Pickpockets abound in crowded places where tourists congregate. Treat commotions as smokescreens for theft. Keep your cash, credit cards, and passport secure in a money belt tucked under your clothes; carry only a day’s spending money in your front pocket. Don’t set valuable items down on counters or café tabletops, where they can be quickly stolen or easily forgotten.
Minimize potential loss. Keep expensive gear to a minimum. Bring photocopies or take photos of important documents (passport and cards) to aid in replacement if they’re lost or stolen.
Beat the summer heat. If you wilt easily, choose a hotel with air-conditioning, start your day early, take a midday siesta at your hotel, and resume your sightseeing later. Churches offer a cool haven (wearing shorts inside is discouraged, but usually tolerated). Take frequent ice cream breaks.
Guard your time and energy. Taking a taxi can be a good value if it saves you a long wait for a cheap bus or an exhausting walk across town. To avoid long lines, follow my crowd-beating tips, such as making advance reservations, or sightseeing early or late.
Be flexible. Even if you have a well-planned itinerary, expect changes, strikes, closures, sore feet, bad weather, and so on. Your Plan B could turn out to be even better.
Attempt the language. Many Greeks—especially in the tourist trade and in cities—speak English, but if you learn some Greek, even just a few phrases, you’ll get more smiles and make more friends. Practice the survival phrases near the end of this book, and even better, bring a phrase book.
Connect with the culture. Interacting with locals carbonates your experience. Enjoy the friendliness of the Greek people. Ask questions; most locals are happy to point you in their idea of the right direction. Set up your own quest for the best baklava, Byzantine church, or secluded beach. When an opportunity pops up, make it a habit to say “yes.”
Greece...here you come!
Rick Steves Audio Europe