Consider an apartment or a hotel that is not located in Omonia, Plaka or Syntagma. There are ways to experience Athens without being part of the kitsch tourist track. If you have never been to Athens, it does deserve some of your time. Hi Dawn - You are my kind of traveler! You don't say when you are going to be traveling, but here are some suggestions. Good luck with your research! You will love Greece. I suppose you're looking for Greece 'off-the-beaten-track'? I'm sure other members will be able to help you out with a greater deal of information (and based on personal experiences as well!) I'm not very familiar with the Dodecanese Islands but have heard that some of those are also quaint.Īs for the mainland, there are areas like the Meteora, an area famous for the high-perched monasteries in Thessaly. Islands such as Milos, Folegandros, Lesser Cyclades, Sifnos, Sikinos (in the Cycladic region) would provide more of the quaint environment you may be looking for. The larger of the cities ( Heraklion and Hania) wouldn't be characterized as 'big-city' but you may not be able to get away from the 'standard souvenir'-type shops. Depending on which time of year you are planning on travelling, Athens can get extremely hot (obviously during the summer months).Ĭrete is a large, beautiful island with lots of character. If you are travelling directly from the US, then you will be landing in Athens so you must see it and explore it for a few days. Greece is so diverse.hmm, where does one begin?

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