We went to Greece in Oct 2012. This time of the year is still sunny and warm….in the range of 25 C. Our intention was to visit Athens and one of the popular islands of Greece.
Our flight was Ryanair from Brussels (charleroi) to Volos. I parked my car after calling and reserving a space at http://easyparkingairport.be/. Parking here was much cheaper than at the airport.
I rented a car at Volos airport. But I think you really do not need a car in Greece…especially to/from Athens. The bus service is really good….except when they go on strike! Cost wise, other than fuel, the route from Volos to Athens has multiple toll points that costs about € 20 in total. Add parking cost of € 10 per day.
Day 1: We reached Athens at about 18.00 hours. We checked in at the Acropolis Select hotel (hotel was nice) and walked out to see the illuminated Acropolis from the outside. We also had a wonderful dinner with many vegetarian options. We liked the Risoto (rice), stuffed tomatoes and the spinach dishes.
Day 2: We set out to see the Acropolis from the inside. Within one campus are the Propylaea, Dionysus Theater, Erechtheion and the Parthenon. Also, very close by are Herod Atticus Theater, Hadrian’s Arch, Temple of Zeus and the Museum of the Acropolis (we did not go here). The Agora is a little further away. It cost us about € 4 for a taxi ride from the Temple of Zeus to the agora. Later in the afternoon we took the ferry from Rafina port to the Mykanos island and reached there at 22.30. The restaurants were open till close to midnight.
Day 3: We stayed in Illio Maris hotel (we loved the hotel; search no further!). The receptionist was very helpful in planning our day. We rented a car and went around the island. Rental cost us €25 but was worth every penny! Kapari beach though very small was the best in the island….clear blue sea. The Ano Mera village was nice. For a slightly adventurous drive (steep uphill) go to Pouli beach. The light house at the other end of the island has a wide angle view and is nice. In the evening we went out to the Mykonos town. Walking along the very narrow shopping streets was nice and fun. At this time of the year, huge discount sales will be on because they would be preparing for the closure for the year.
Day 4: Our plan was to take one of the 9.00, 10.00 or 11.00 AM boats to the Delos island, return 4 hours later and then take the evening ferry to Rafina. However our plan was upset because of the cancellation of the evening ferry. We had to take the 13.45 ferry to Rafina. So, we checked out, stored our luggage at the reception and limited our half day to go to the wind mills, little Venice and other small points within the Mykonos town. We reached Rafina and drove to Volos for the night stay.
Day 5: Our hotel was very close to the beach. The weather was nice and we went to the beach for sunbath. Later we checked out and set out to the Pelion hill. We went to Portaria town and further up the hill to Marrinista. The hotel suggested we drive to the other side of the hill to Agios Ioannis. But we did not have the time since we had to reach back to the airport to catch our flight.
Note: Santorini (also called Thira) island is more popular among tourists as a romantic island. We chose Mykonos since ferry timing was convenient and also had good review comments on the internet. Needless to say, we loved Mykonos.
