Travel to GREECE!!!!!

[Winnie1031]

Hey guys...my fds & I r planning to go to Greece soon....any "MUST" visit places recommended???

[leedseagle]

athens, santorini

[Boris]

If it was me i would bypass Greece and go to Crete.Heaven in the Med, if you stay away from the tourist strip.

If you HAVE to go then it has to be into the Islands. I have found the mainland to be drab. You could spend 100 yrs discovering the Islands and not see them all.

[lamagnes]

You'll land Athens anyway, visit the Pathenon

if you still have time after Santorini and Mykonos (yes, they are quite different, Mykonos is much more crazy) then take some time to Meteora (check the spelling, there they have the ministries on the rock mountains and Zakinthos (a very little island but the water is THAT blue and there's a little ship wreck, it's more "local"

[leedseagle]

you need to be careful in zakynthos (AKA zante) bcs parts of it are hellish. like ibiza - some is gorgeous, some is the very worst of brits abroad

[JoJoinHK]

You need to choose which area of Greece you wish to visit. And it depends on how much time you have to stay in Greece. If you are going for one or two weeks, then I suggest the following. Arrive in Athens and stay one night (two days) to go and see the Parthenon, Plakia, etc. Then hop on a ferry and go to Mykonos for 3 days. I don't like Mykonos any more, as I think it's becoming too touristy, but if you've never been, then it's a must visit. You can go to Paradise beach (or Super Paradise beach, which is a gay beach) for an all night party on the beach. Then head over to Paros. It's a great island, with fantastic kite surfing. You can also hop on a 5 minute ferry ride to go to Anti-Paros. It has great little restaurants and stunning jewelry. (Greece has some of the most beautiful jewelry I have ever seen/bought.) I suggest you stay in Nassau in Paros. There is a beautiful hotel called The Aronauta (Paros Hotel Argonauta) where we have stayed many times. The owner's son is also a kitesurfer and knows all the best spots to surf and where to get really good food. Next stop should be Santorini. Known for having the most beautiful sunset in the world. Please note that that beaches have black sand, as Santorini is a volcano, half of which has sunk. I suggest you stay either at Oia, which is at the end of the island and situated high on the cliff. Alternatively, you can stay at Kamari beach. We always stay at a self catering apartment there, but if you want to stay at a hotel, I suggest you try Roussos hotel. They are on the beach with a big pool. Try Kamari Tours if you want to book anything - accommodation, tours, etc.

You can finish your trip by going back to Athens, and then hopping on a ferry to go to Hydra for half a day or a day. No cars are allowed on the island, so you can walk everywhere. It's a arty-kinda island and only about an hour from Athens.

Hope you have a brilliant time in Greece. It's my most favourite destination in the world and I've been there about 9 times now.

Oh, and I would steer well clear of Zakynthos.

[drumbrake]

August is peak time. Not a good time to go to Greece.

If choose an island, try Folegandros.

[wai_j]

I second Paros. Definately the best island for me out of Santorini, Mykonos and Ios. Best time to go is probably September when there are less people but the weather is still hot.

Santorini has the amazing Sunset at Oia, but in general i found the island too touristy and crowded. I remember the buses at Santorini weren't too regular (cheap though).. if u can hire a moped or quad bike and u can explore the island without restrictions (definately recommended in Paros/Mykonos).