I'm a big fan of using a table to plan out my trips so I've included mine below rather than a more wordy write up. We live in Newcastle-upon-Tyne but had an event we were in London for anyway so made use of the cheap flights from London (and the train tickets to London were paid for which helped!). The trip was around £850 total for everything we spent in Greece, flights, 1 night in London & food/snacks (though we ended up eating burger king not KBBQ), train/taxi to Stansted, it would have been another 100ish per person if we'd had to pay for train tickets (depending on rail card and dates) but we'd have saved maybe £60 on the overnight accommodation/transfers.
We ended up eating at Tsolias in Vari on the first day which I highly recommend, the host couldn't have been more friendly, he recommended us dishes which were excellent though I was a bit wary of getting scammed as tourists being brought dishes we hadn't seen on the menu, but a very large dinner with leftovers we took away with us as well was less than 30 euros.
We had the hotel breakfast each day as it was included, often we will make a supermarket the first port of call though and buy some bread/nutella/whatever snacks look interesting to bridge between meals or if we don't have time for breakfast. The hotel was nicely located being close to a metro station but it was only around a mile to walk so we mostly walked from the hotel towards monastiraki. Overall especially in the areas with more restaurants/cafes I felt very safe in the evenings, but wouldn't recommend walking to/from the hotel alone at night as a solo female as its not that busy as you get further out.
Overall I absolutely loved this trip - the weather was beautiful, the food was cheap and delicious, there were dogs all over which is a big bonus for me as a dog/animal lover (though I don't know if rabies is a risk/its unfortunate that there are so many strays). We did have a bit of an issue getting fuel in Corinth in siesta time, but had lunch while waiting and weren't on a particularly tight schedule, communication wasn't really an issue in Athens but wasn't as convenient further out in less touristy areas, gesticulating was fine though and people were pleasant.
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Feb 2016 |
Morning |
Afternoon |
Evening |
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Mon 15th |
Convert 390GBP to Euro |
2100-2200 Check packing? |
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Tue 16th |
0800-0830 Wake up, get ready, breakfast, pack lunch 0830-0845 Last pack, ensure trackies, coat in bag, wear hoodie jeans each. 0845-0915 Walk to station 0915 Meet train station Train from NCL to KGX ( 0930-1243, 10-1251), Underground from KGX to LBG(1230-1306, 1243-1319, 1251-1327) Metropolitan, Hammersmith and City, Circle - single. |
1330-1345 Walk from London Bridge 0.3 mile. 1345-1400 Find some food/eat lunch/sign in 1745-1815 Walk to Korean BBQ place 1815-1930 Eat KBBQ |
1930-2015 Walk around or get 1928 train 2028-2122 Liverpool St Plat 7 to Elsenham 2122-2130 Walk from Elsenham Station to Stansted Lodge, Park Road, Elsenham, CM22 6DF 0.7 mile 2200-2300 Go to One Stop buy food, sleep |
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Wed 17th |
0530-0600 Shower, Dress, Pack 0600-0630 Breakfast- fruit juice, jams, marmalade, and a selection of cereals with milk. 0630 leave hotel, 0700 arrive STN STN 0855 - ATH 1435 Ryanair Pick up rental car |
1500 drive to Temple of Poseidon 30 miles 43 min arrive 1630, sunset closing 1800. |
1800-1830 drive to Lavrion To Steki tou Mina or Vari, Tsolias for either fish or lamb/pork Eat 1830-2000, then drive to Apollo Hotel, Achilleos 10, Athina 10436 18-40 miles 2000-2100. |
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Thur 18th |
0700-0730 Wake up, brush teeth, shower, pack, dress 0730 breakfast at hotel or meliartos 0745, 0753, 0801 metro Meraxourgio M2 towards Acropoli. 0810-0830 Walk towards Acropolis, food on way potentially, 0.5 miles. 0830 -1015 Acropolis - Walk up footpath to Theatre of Dionysus (30 mins) and the Odeon (30 mins), parthenon (30 mins). North towards exit. 12 euro 1015- 1030 walk to ΚΩΣΤΑΣ (0.5 miles from Temple of Hephaestus) |
1030-1130 walk with food, visit Syntagma square (0.2 miles) 1130-1230 walk via national gardens to Temple of Olympian Zeus 2 miles 1230-1300 walk via plaka to Hadrian’s Library 1300-1315 Hadrian’s Library 1315-1500 Monastiraki Flea Market, Maiandros at the end of Adrianou (0.8 mile) 1500-1600 Roman Agora (0.2 mile), Anafiotka |
1600-1700 Platanos Taverna near Roman Agora or Meliartos at the end of Ermou, or Maiandros, Bairaktaris If finished by 1500, get car from hotel, drive to Vouliagmeni Lake 35 mins, arrive 1600, 1600-1700 enjoy lake Ethniki Odos Athinon Souniou, Vouliagmeni 16672, Greece 1700-1900 Academy of Athens/Attika Department Stores (0.8 mile) |
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Fri 19th |
0700-0730 Wake up, brush teeth, shower, pack, dress 0730 breakfast at hotel 0745, 0753, 0801 metro Meraxourgio M2 towards Monastiraki 0800-0815 Walk to Agora 0815-1015 Agora of Athens (40 mins), museum (15min) Temple of Hephaestus (30 mins), Stoa of Attalos (20 min) |
1100-1300 Diporto/Athens Central Market , corner of Sokratous and Theatrou at the bottom of the fruit and vegetable market |
Sunset mt lycabettus |
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Sat 20th |
0700-0730 Wake up, brush teeth, shower, pack, dress 0730 breakfast at hotel 0730-0830 Drive towards corinth 53 miles, 0830-0900 canal 0900-1000 ancient corinth 1000-1100 drive to epidaurus theatre 1100-1130 epidaurus theatre 1130-1200 Drive to Nafplio (see Akronafplia Fortress on the way) OR 1000-1300 Spa couple’s treatment Follow a dream trail to discover Náfplio’s precious gems starting from the medieval Old Town, the narrow cobblestone alleys, the neoclassical mansions +Turkish fountains. |
1200-1300 Eat at Aiolos Tavern, explore Nafplio city 1300-1400 Walk up Palamidi Castle 1400-1430 Drive to Argos, see the theatre 1430-1500 Drive to mycenae 1500-1600 explore mycenae 1600-1630 Mycenae to Nemea 1630-1700 Temple of Zeus, Nemea 1300-1430 Drive to Vouliagmeni Lake 1430-1700 Lake 1700-1830 Eat 1830-1930 Drive back to Athens |
1700-1900 Nemea to Apollo Hotel 1930-2000 chill 2000-2130 Find food (Rock & Balls?) 2200 Pack and Sleep alternate go to Kritikou taverna listen to musicians, Stoa Ton Athanaton, Bretto Depending on sleep schedule stay up until pack for flight or sleep early. |
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Sun 21st |
0300-0330 Dress, Eat? 0330-0345 Check out 0345-0415 Drive to ATH 0430-0500 Arrive ATH, drop off car ATH 0630- STN 0830 |
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