Athens help please

rabbitwarren

We have been given 2 nights free hotel accommodation in Athens for any time in 2007. We cannot decide whether to go for a long weekend, pay for an extra couple of nights and just use it as a short break or to go for the couple of nights and then go on somewhere else. Is Athens worth it for a short trip , when should we go? Any opinions gratefully appreciated!!

sal

We stayed in Athens twice last year en route to the islands. We went in May and September, both were nice and hot but not too hot. In summer it's unbearable.

Whilst it's really interesting and full of ancient sites to visit, it's also hot and busy. We were only staying there while waiting for the ferry, went with Easyjet for a good price.

Have you thought of getting a ferry to one of the islands? They are very cheap and the choices are huge. The metro to the ferry port at Piraeus is also quick and cheap. There are lively islands and blissfully quiet ones too, the last one we visited was Fourni (I shouldn't really tell you about it as it's so unspoilt) which is a 12 hour overnight ferry journey and well worth it.

Lots of information on https://www.greekislandhopping.com, the book is well worth it's money as it's updated every year and is a great read, very funny too.

Hope you get sorted out.

Sal

davidlizard

I would go along with all of what sal says, but also add that BA also fly to Athens and are sometimes cheaper than Easyjet - depends if you want either a strike or the bun fight for seats.

Theres no shortage of stuff to do in Athens itself (acropolis, agora, national gardens, plaka, national archeaological museum) if you like old stuff, and some reasonable beaches nearby (although beaches on the islands are better) - certainly enough to easily occupy 2-3 days without scratching around for stuff to do.

Getting around is very cheap and easy - an underground, buses and trolleys, and a new tram system, much of it upgraded as a result of the Olympics - tickets are about 3 euros for a days unlimited travel. Travel from the airport to the city/ferries is also very easy.

Personally, I would tag a couple of days sight seeing in Athens on the back of a few days or longer in one or more of the islands, which will allow some contingency to get back in time for the flight home. Theres probably about 40 islands of all tastes within striking distance to chose from (see sals link above), and the ferry connections are usually cheap and relatively plentiful. Avoid the "three island" cruises advertised everywhere - the same can be done for about 1/4 the price on the ferries.

Have fun if you go.

rabbitwarren

Thanks very much for the advice. Looks like we will go for a longer trip and make a proper holiday of it, now the problem is deciding where to go on to, not really a problem though!!!! Thanks again.