Athens day trips in late November

[calliopecruiser]

I've been off these forums for years, but I think I might actually be able to go on my November 2022 cruise, which departs from Athens at the end of that month.  My thought now is to stay in Athens for 5 or 6 days, but I'm not sure if I'll actually stay in Athens or include some day trips.  I've read that taking ferries that late in the year is unpredictable, so I don't want to plan any island trips, though most of the recommendations I read are for the islands.  What about Meteora, Patras, Thessaloniki, Veria?  I do not want to go to Delphi.

[marazul]

Meteora is unique and spectacular.  Yes, do an overnight trip there.  The town next to it is Kalabaka (Kalampaka - "mp" is pronounced "b" in Greek) and it has a great variety of accommodations).

 

I would suggest a driving trip through the Peloponnesus.  The area near Athens has Corinth, Nafplio and Mykines.  Further down is the not-to-be missed Mistras near Sparta.  (Some ruins in Sparta, but it is an ugly modern town, don't stay there.)  From there, you can go to Monemvassia which is a beautiful Venetian town on a small island right off the shore.   Or you can go to Gythio, a lovely seashore town for your overnight.  You can then continue west towards the Diros caves and up the shore towards Kalamata and Olympia.  Patras is interesting just to see the bridge.  I would return to Athens driving along the Lousios river gorge.  Beautiful scenery and villages.  

 

Look up those places and see which ones interest you.

Edited January 9, 2022 by marazul

[cruisemom42]

As usual, marazul is spot-on with suggestions. The Peloponnesis is quite an interesting area with a lot of variety.  A good guide can provide options for however many days you want to devote. For example, you could do just Corinth, Mycenae and Epidauros in a single day trip. 

 

I love Monemvasia but have only ever visited it by sea (from which one gets a lovely view of the town spilling down the hill). It is extremely charming and together with Mystras and Sparta would be another good day.

 

In addition to all the well-known sites, Athens has another attraction that is worth doing and often overlooked. Just on the outskirts/suburbs is Elefsis (Eleusis), an ancient site that was once home to the Eleusinian mysteries -- a cult that even Roman emperors belonged to.  It's almost always uncrowded and very evocative, with a nice small museum onsite.

 

 

[bennybear]

We took an overnight trip to Meteora.   It was spectacular, on our trip we stopped at Delphi on the way, but you could easily spend all the time in Meteora. Highly recommend.   There are local tour companies, a train and private taxi tours in addition to car rental.   I would not drive myself in Athens but the highways are fine. 
 

[calliopecruiser]

Thanks for suggestions (keep them coming).  I am leaning towards including an overnight in Meteora, taking the train there and then renting a car locally to take myself between monasteries.