<p>BengalMom, I have traveled in Greece twice in the past two years, taking brief side trips after going to scientific conferences. In Athens itself, besides the Parthenon and the new Parthenon Museum, I would recommend the Benakis Museum, the Cyclades Museum, the Archaeological Museum, and the Byzantine Museum. There are a number of excellent restaurants on a hill near the Parthenon (with the Parthenon above, illuminated at night). I think one of them is called Sisyphus.</p>
<p>Relative to other large cities (e.g., London and Rome), the open-topped, double-decker bus tours do not offer as much information (at least on the English channel), so you might skip them, although they do provide a useful overview of the city.</p>
<p>I arranged side trips from Athens through Viator. You can easily book them online. I believe that Viator acts as a clearing-house for local tourist agencies, since they cover a lot of cities. Can’t guarantee that they have the best (or cheapest) tours available, but I was completely happy with them. You may be able to connect with the same local tours by using a travel agent. (I’m not connected with Viator or any other tourist company. I am also not of Greek ancestry.)</p>
<p>I took a one day tour to Delphi (traveling solo), which was really excellent. I had a very knowledgeable guide and also a very congenial tour group. They offer a 2-day version, which goes to Monastiriki as well; then there are longer tours of northern Greece, which include Olympia. (I did not try these, though.) I also liked the half-day tour to the Temple of Poseidon at Sounion. A half-day tour to Corinth is offered on some days (but I couldn’t fit that into my schedule). Viator offers a one-day cruise of islands near Athens, going to Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. I would recommend this trip enthusiastically, if you would like a “mini-cruise” experience, and do not require luxury. The islands are beautiful, and it is well worth seeing some of them. </p>
<p>On my latest trip, I went to Santorini for one day. Based on reading reviews on the web, I flew out and back from Athens, rather than taking a ship or ferry. The flight takes a little over half an hour each way, and it is very pleasant on Aegean airlines (which I recommend). If I were repeating the trip, I would probably arrange to stay overnight on Santorini. </p>
<p>When you hear people raving about the Greek islands, Santorini is one of the reasons! Gorgeous beyond all description! Santorini was the site of an active volcano, which exploded about 3000 years ago, leaving a caldera, with small islands forming in the middle. The last lava flows occurred about 60 years ago, but there are still warm regions of water within the caldera. Santorini is thought by some to be the site of the legendary Atlantis. The ruins of an ancient city (Archaia Thera) are accessible on a mountain top, which also offers magnificent views. Santorini has separate beaches with white, red, and black (volcanic) sand, donkey trips down to the water, brilliant white houses and other buildings, very friendly and helpful people, a cheap public bus system which will take you to many spots of interest (if you plan right), great shops, legendary sunsets, and everywhere the brilliant blue of the water and sky. I plan to go back with my spouse.</p>
<p>If you can splurge, I would also recommend flying to Crete. I have not done that yet, but hope to do so one of the years in the future. </p>
<p>Do you speak Greek? I found that I was welcomed warmly with the little Greek that I had acquired. A taxi driver remarked that it “shows respect for the country” to use a bit of Greek. The most effective set of CD’s for me came from Pimsleur–a bit expensive, but very effective in developing the phrases you will most often need. I also tried out an Oxford Greek program, but think that it was intended for someone who had longer to study. It covered more grammar and went in much greater depth, and faster.</p>