<p>I need some recommendations about tours to Greece and cruises.
Thank you. :)</p>
<p>I strongly recommend going to Santorini for the beautiful views and to Delphi for the really cool history.</p>
<p>We took a family vacation three years ago to Greece and used Fantasy Travel in Athens to book our trip. It was great. They booked the ferries, car rental, had transfers from the airport, etc. We stayed two nights in Athens to start the trip and I would suggest that you stay in the Plaka. We then took a ferry to Naxos and really enjoyed this island. We then went to Santorini and had a great time. We then took a ferry to Crete and stayed on the Eastern side of the island. The town of Agios Nikolas is great and the beach in Vai is one of the nicest in the Mediterranean. We then flew to Rhodes and enjoyed this great walled medieval city. Then flew back to Athens and two more nights in the Plaka. </p>
<p>This summer we are going back to Greece and I am booking my own trip to take advantage of some smaller hotels that are not used by the Travel Agencies. The larger hotels tend to sell blocks of rooms to the travel agencies at a discount rate so you can always get a better deal on hotel rooms with a travel agent. I have found some nice boutique hotels in Western Crete, Mykonos, and Naxos so I decided to book the hotels, rental cars, ferries, and inter-island air fare myself. Usually, the hotel owners are really helpful and can help book car rentals through people they know. I like to use tripadvisor.com to look at the reviews of the smaller hotels. I have used this website in the past and it has been really helpful on my trip to Portugal and Croatia. </p>
<p>Hope that helps. Greece is one of favorite places to visit. The sites, food, and the people are great.</p>
<p>Agree that Delphi is a must. The Temple of Apollo with the mountains in the background just took my breath away. I think Athens gets a bad rap and that it’s worth at least two full days. Go to the Acropolis as early in the morning as humanly possible so you can avoid the hordes or tourists. Santorini and Mykonos are very touristy but going to one of the islands in the Cyclades is a must and I enjoyed them both. Mykonos has the advantage of allowing a half day trip to Delos, a great acheaological site. I’ve heard rave reviews of Crete, but have never been.</p>
<p>I found Greece to be an easy place to travel, so depending on your travel style and preferences, you might consider doing it without a group.</p>
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As I recall, there is some sort of mineral in the mountains that makes them sparkle when the light is right. I can remember thinking I could look at those mountains all day (or at least until the sun went down). One of the parts I liked best about my trip to Delphi was the stadium at the top of the mountain. I was amazing to look at.</p>
<p>The great thing about Greece is that its population is only about 11 million people. If you go to Greece before the European travel season, the crowds are manageable.</p>