Interested in seeing Greece and Rome in May

Hi,

Just wondering if anyone has any suggestions for visiting Greece or Rome (or both!!) in May. Tours? Cruises? Rent a car? Train? etc.

My fiancee and I want to do our honeymoon there but we can't decide the best way to visit the area.

Any good deals that people know of would be much appreciated.

Thanks

I guess the easiest way to say this, is to just show you. I would think you would pretty much have to fly to see both, as by land you will have a REALLY long ride, and by boat, could be very nice, but again might take awhile. Not to say it can't be done, but it's not as simple as just jumping on the train, or in the car and driving down the way. Good Luck, I've never been to Greece, but know many who have, and enjoyed it, I have been to Rome, and had a great time, you've picked a great place to see.

Among backpackers, the most common way to get from Rome to Greece is to take a train from Rome to Brindisi and then a ferry from there to Greece. I hear that it's an absolutely brutal trek though. Brindisi is uglier than Hamilton on its worst day and the ferry is old, dingy, and filled with smelly backpackers.

We're doing our Honeymoon in Greece this September.

Santorini is a must, most beautiful sunsets in the entire world and definitely the Honeymoon capitol of Europe. Stay on the top of santorini in Oia or Firostefani which is nice 10 min walk from Fira, main capitol. View of the caldera is a must.

Use Tripadvisor.com to help you find a good place to stay.

We're flying to greece, then flying to santorini (1hr).
Santorini 6 nights, then ferry to Mykonos for 5 nights, then back to athens for couple nights near Acropolis and Plaka. Don't do cruise, really need to stay there to enjoy.

Santorini is a must with Mykonos second choice.

Let me know if any questions.

We did Glorious Greece for our honeymoon in August 1999

Here's a quick trip-ticker.

If its with Air Transat, try to book ClubClass. For us, it was an additional $300 each way pp to sit in 1st class for the 10hour flight to Athens.
For me, at 6'6", it was money well spent.

Our first island we stayed on was Mykonos. But first, getting there.
We were transported to a 'cruise ship'. Its a 7 hour trip from the port, so we thought it would be nice to go to our room and shower/ freshen up after the 10hr flight. Unfortuantely, since we were just ferrying over to Mykonos, there are no rooms for us. We have to wander aimlessly around the ship for 4 hrs.
We wanted to sleep so we found a deserted lounge and crashed there.
That was a bit of a disappointment. But reallly, that was the only problem we encountered. We stayed at Mykonos, Syros ( the capital island of the the Cycladic Islands) Naxos and of course Santorini.

Our fondest memory is Santorini. WE went 5 star all the way, however, the 5 star hotel in SAntorini is the Santorini Palace. It is NOT on the cliff so you have to travel to get that view. We 'downgraded' to, ok, its a sappy name, but, its the Honeymoon Villas. Located in the middle of the crescent shaped island, in a town called Imerovigli. Its a little closer to Fira than Oia.

Here's a view from one of the rooms...



If you like taking photos, they get literally no rain for the entire summer. No rain means no clouds. We didn't see a cloud for 12 days. So all those pics of Greece u see where the skies are pure blue - its no trick photography - thats the way it is. I shot 18 rolls of film and I could've shot more. Its really a gem.

Word to the wise....its all up and down hill everywhere u go. bring comfy shoes. Also, we were there in August. Average daily temp was 40 degrees Celcius. One day, while in Syros, it went to 44 degrees. I remember that night, it was 30 degrees at midnite, while we dined at a taverna.

Unless you're a sucker for punishment, don't bother with the lower priced non-air conditioned rooms. You'll just bake.

I will always remember Greece noy only because it was my honeymoon, but also because it truly is a gem. The people are wonderful, the food was great and the sights were out of this world. I'd be happy to share more, PM if yor interested. Have to agree with sixer, you'll be happy you stayed on an island,rather than trying to do a whirlwind 8 hr tour from a cruise ship. The view from up there is 1000 times better than looking up from a ship.

Originally Posted by sixer

We're doing our Honeymoon in Greece this September.

Santorini is a must, most beautiful sunsets in the entire world and definitely the Honeymoon capitol of Europe. Stay on the top of santorini in Oia or Firostefani which is nice 10 min walk from Fira, main capitol. View of the caldera is a must.

Use Tripadvisor.com to help you find a good place to stay.

We're flying to greece, then flying to santorini (1hr).
Santorini 6 nights, then ferry to Mykonos for 5 nights, then back to athens for couple nights near Acropolis and Plaka. Don't do cruise, really need to stay there to enjoy.

Santorini is a must with Mykonos second choice.

Let me know if any questions.

I totally agree with MLC - Greece is amazing, truly a wonderful destination. The people are wonderful, the food amazing everywhere. I've been twice. My suggestions for Greece are as follows:

1. Minimize your stay in Athens. Athens does have the Acropolis, the Plaka, the Archeological Museum, etc., but is otherwise a very unattractive city. Budget a day for Athens, no more.

2. In addition to the bigger or "star" islands, hit some smaller or more out of the way ones too. I've personally stayed on the smaller islands of Lipsi, Chios, Fourni, Samos, and Patmos, and there is definitely more of a "getting away from it all" vibe there than on Mykonos or Santorini, which are also not to be missed but for different reasons. I got engaged at Kokkari on Samos:



3. Prepare your mind for the "Greek" way. Greece has the friendliest people I've ever encountered in Europe, but they are definitely relaxed. Ferries don't run on time, restaurant meals can take forever to arrive, and there is a general "don't rush, smell the flowers vibe" (the total opposite of Switzerland or Germany). This can be frustrating, as when you are waiting for a ferry that is permanently 4 or 5 hours late (they run circuits, and so can get later and later as the summer goes on).

4. The time of year you go is critical. If you go during July or August, you will be swamped in crowds and backpackers from Northern Europe. Both times I've gone have been in September, and it's been magical - no crowds yet still amazing weather.

5. If you don't like the ferries, fly! Most of the key islands have airports, and flights from Athens are cheap. Unfortunately, mlc's experiences are somewhat similar to mine, but I went through that when I was a lot younger, I think it would bug me more now. Greece's ferries are generally all "used" ones purchased from other countries' shipping lines and put into service with minimal refits. Another good option (although bumpier) is to take "dolphins" or hovercrafts.

6. Like any other travel, buy a good book/do your research. I recommend "Greek Island Hopping" by Frewin Poffley, available at <a href=../autolink/redirectpage.php?linkid=17 target=_blank>Amazon</a> and <a href=../autolink/redirectpage.php?linkid=33 target=_blank>Indigo</a>. For information websites, check out http://www.greektravel.com, a great information resource.

Have an amazing trip, I'm jealous!

Originally Posted by Talamasca

Among backpackers, the most common way to get from Rome to Greece is to take a train from Rome to Brindisi and then a ferry from there to Greece. I hear that it's an absolutely brutal trek though. Brindisi is uglier than Hamilton on its worst day and the ferry is old, dingy, and filled with smelly backpackers.

I took the overland bus from Naples (11 hours) to Bari (just south of Beindisi), nice views.. pain in the arse (~24 euros) backpackers hotel (15 euros), then the ferry the next day.. I did walk through the town... short with tourist traps. The ferry (~45 euros) was 17 hours! and it was top deck sitting for the cheap tickets. Arrival was a small town on the Greek western coast.. with another 11 hour (~22 euros) bus run into Athen's. The backpackers 'do' Athen's in a day or two... I stayed a week in a small hotel dowtown great food, nice people, good deals on clothes. I flew out..

Southern Italy was by far, the better choice..

Originally Posted by spender

1. Minimize your stay in Athens. Athens does have the Acropolis, the Plaka, the Archeological Museum, etc., but is otherwise a very unattractive city. Budget a day for Athens, no more.

Agreed. You can hit all the major spots in one day. It was cool to see the first Olympic stadium. Its right beside a 4 lane main road. Hehe, guess its no big deal for them. Check out the National Archaelogical Museum in Athens.

Originally Posted by spender

2. In addition to the bigger or "star" islands, hit some smaller or more out of the way ones too. I've personally stayed on the smaller islands of Lipsi, Chios, Fourni, Samos, and Patmos, and there is definitely more of a "getting away from it all" vibe there than on Mykonos or Santorini, which are also not to be missed but for different reasons. I got engaged at Kokkari on Samos:

Agreed, we stayed on Naxos and Syros, both were beautiful and less crowded.

Originally Posted by spender

3. Prepare your mind for the "Greek" way. Greece has the friendliest people I've ever encountered in Europe, but they are definitely relaxed. Ferries don't run on time, restaurant meals can take forever to arrive, and there is a general "don't rush, smell the flowers vibe"

Hehe, every restaurant we went to, from a chic hilltop restaurant in Mykonos to a taverna in Syros, the menus were almost all identical. Every waiter wanted to know your entire order immediately. Appetizers, entre, wine, dessert, coffee, etc. Then they bring the bill right away, tucked in an upside-down shot glass on the table. Interesting. Once we asked for our wine and Saganaki and said we would order dinner in 45 mins, after we relax and enjoy the view. The waiter just stared back, incredulously. He was not easy to find after that. That was in Ano (upper) Syros.

Originally Posted by spender

4. The time of year you go is critical. If you go during July or August, you will be swamped in crowds and backpackers from Northern Europe. Both times I've gone have been in September, and it's been magical - no crowds yet still amazing weather.

We went in last 2 weeks of August, pretty crowded. Went to an island off Mykonos called Delos for a tour. Its an old arhcaelogical site, very interesting. However, at 10:30am, it was already 110 degrees. There's 1 tree on the whole island for shade. There's a cave way up a hill. you'd prolly die before u got up there. Those greeks were hardy!

Originally Posted by spender

5. Another good option (although bumpier) is to take "dolphins" or hovercrafts.

If by dolphin you mean Hydrofoil, man are they rough! I recommend Gravol for weak stomached travellers. U can't sit outside like on a ferry. It travels at about 70 mph. I smelled alot of protein-spills (puke) on that boat.

Originally Posted by spender

Have an amazing trip, I'm jealous!

Me too!!