A question about Nice and Athens

Using frequent flier miles we are going to fly from New York to Barcelona on
September 9 and then return to the USA from Athens on September 24. I am
thinking three nights in Barcelona then rent a car ($250 for 3 days) and
drive the coast to Nice spending another 3 nights along the way. We will
then fly to Paris ($177pp) for 3 nights and after that, fly on to Athens
($176pp) where we will stay for 5 nights. We don't have a budget but it
looks like this trip is only going to cost us around $3,000 for two people
and that includes $175 per day for hotels and food. We'll probably do a few
fancy dinners but we normally prefer to eat healthy, low calorie, simple
meals, so I think an average of $175 a day is probably on target.

Anyway, here are my questions.
Athens: What would be a good Athens itinerary? Especially, what islands
are cost effective to reach and most worth seeing, and should they include
an overnight stay?

Barcelona to Nice: Mapquest says the road trip from Barcelona to Nice is
411 miles, 6-1/2 hours. We could do this in one day but it would be rushed.
We are only planning 3 nights after Barcelona and before Paris so what would
be a good itinerary? In other words, what would be a good half-way point to
explore and spend the first night, or should we just drive straight through?
We aren't beach people and we are not at all interested in museums. Our
tastes lie in outdoor exploration, local commerce, culture, architecture,
and of course natural beauty. We live in New York City and mostly prefer
visiting urban areas versus the countryside. Given that, how could we
maximize our visit and should we include Cannes and/or Monte Carlo?

This group has been a great help in planning our past adventures. Thank you
all for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Note: I originally posted this question under the byline "Barcelona to
Athens via Paris for $1500!" and after I did I realized that byline looked
more like spam than a legitimate question. I have reposted under the
current byline "A question about Nice and Athens." Sorry to all for the
dual posting.

"RipVanWinkle" wrote in message
link.net...



Barcelona to Nice: Mapquest says the road trip from Barcelona to Nice is
411 miles, 6-1/2 hours. We could do this in one day but it would be
rushed.
We are only planning 3 nights after Barcelona and before Paris so what
would
be a good itinerary? In other words, what would be a good half-way point
to
explore and spend the first night, or should we just drive straight
through?
We aren't beach people and we are not at all interested in museums. Our
tastes lie in outdoor exploration, local commerce, culture, architecture,
and of course natural beauty. We live in New York City and mostly prefer
visiting urban areas versus the countryside. Given that, how could we
maximize our visit and should we include Cannes and/or Monte Carlo?

Two places you might consider to break up your trip are Montpellier or Aix
en Provence. Although Aix isn't near the coast, it has much that to see that
I think would interest you. In my opinion, it would be a shame to just zip
through from Barcelona to Nice without stopping.

As to whether to visit Cannes, I live there and I find the Croisette much
nicer than the Promenade des Anglais in Nice. If your tastes run to window
shopping the likes of Christian Dior, Luis Vuitton, etc., or eating lunch
with a view of the sea then you will enjoy Cannes. There is also the Suquet
to wander around in and the Forville Market in the morning, although the old
town in Nice is more interesting. As for Monte Carlo, I don't find it all
that special unless you want to visit the casino. You might consider a drive
along one of the Corniches to Menton, the last town before Italy, affording
some beautiful views along the coast. You haven't allowed much time for the
South of France, so it's difficult to make recommendations.

Lana

RipVanWinkle wrote:
Barcelona to Nice: Mapquest says the road trip from Barcelona to Nice is
411 miles, 6-1/2 hours. We could do this in one day but it would be
rushed.
We are only planning 3 nights after Barcelona and before Paris so what
would
be a good itinerary? In other words, what would be a good half-way point
to
explore and spend the first night, or should we just drive straight
through?
We aren't beach people and we are not at all interested in museums. Our
tastes lie in outdoor exploration, local commerce, culture, architecture,
and of course natural beauty. We live in New York City and mostly prefer
visiting urban areas versus the countryside.

Given these priorities, may I suggest you structure your visit in part
around seeing some of the Roman antiquities of southern France?

I'm thinking mostly of the ones in Provence, but I think every old city
along the Med was Roman once. So you could visit Perpignan, Narbonne, and/or
Beziers on your way, spending the night at one or the other. In Provence you
could plan to stop in Nimes and at the Pont du Gard, staying in Arles.
Avignon is also a lively place in season.

Alternatively you could push on to Aix or Marseilles, which are both
fabulous cities, very different.

If this idea speaks to you, I suggest doing a little reading about these
towns. Since you are driving, the Michelin Green Guides might be suggestive,
both for information about the cities and about different routes to take.

Given that, how could we
maximize our visit and should we include Cannes and/or Monte Carlo?

If that is what you like, then perhaps you'd be better off getting to Nice
as directly as possible--a flight or night train from Barcelona, for
instance. Or take more time. Otherwise you might feel a tad rushed.

Personally--and I'm not saying anyone ought to share my priorities--I'd skip
Nice, spend the extra day in Provence or French Catalonia, and take the
really fast train to Paris from Avignon. But, it's all going to be good,
whatever you do.

Have a great trip!

Using frequent flier miles we are going to fly from New York to Barcelona on
September 9 and then return to the USA from Athens on September 24. I am
thinking three nights in Barcelona then rent a car ($250 for 3 days) and
drive the coast to Nice spending another 3 nights along the way. We will
then fly to Paris ($177pp) for 3 nights and after that, fly on to Athens
($176pp) where we will stay for 5 nights.

Anyway, here are my questions.
Athens: What would be a good Athens itinerary?

Arrive at airport.
Store stuff in temporary storage.
See ruins (1 hour).
Return to airport.
Get stuff out of storage.
Fly away as fast as possible.

I'd recommend more time in Paris, Barcelona, and Southern France (1
night each in Carcassonne, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence). Cut Athens
back to 1 night; there's no reason to stay any longer in that hole.
Other than a few ruins on a hill, the rest of the city is hideous
urban sprawl. There's a museum full of plate fragments, and an old
quarter that's been completely taken over by tourist restaurants and
souvenier stores and has no local character at all. 5-days isn't
nearly enough to really see any islands. They're beautiful and
relaxing, but unless you fly you'd be taking endless ferry rides for
just a short time to explore them.

What would be a good Athens tinerary?

Arrive at airport.
Store stuff in temporary storage.
See ruins (1 hour).
Return to airport.
Get stuff out of storage.
Fly away as fast as possible.

I'd recommend more time in Paris, Barcelona, and Southern France (1
night each in Carcassonne, Avignon, and Aix-en-Provence). Cut Athens
back to 1 night; there's no reason to stay any longer in that hole.

Iceman, I loved your review of Athens--I laughed out loud,
as I couldn't agree more.

Szozu, if you haven't bought your inter-Europe tickets, check EasyJet and
RyanAir and reroute you trip, as you will regret 5 days in Athens.
Consider spending more time in beautiful places in Spain like Granada or
Seville,
(although Barcelona is my favorite) or try Prague--5 days in Jersey would be
preferable to Athens.

If you cannot change your departure from Athens, consider going from Paris
to
Naples (both of you can fly there for $75 on EasyJet). The city and
coastline are
picturesque, and Mt. Vesuvius, Pompeii and Herculanium are close by offering
outdoor exploration and a little history.

From there you can take the train to Brindisi, the overnight ferry to
Greece,
and a bus ride to Athens. Yes, you will lose a day traveling, but seeing
the sun rise over the Greece coastline is far preferable to most of what you
will see in Athens.

RipVanWinkle wrote:

Thanks to all of you but especially Iceman and DFW who convinced us to
reconsider Greece. We have eliminated Greece from our itinerary and now
plan Barcelona, then drive along the coast spending several days exploring
Provence/Cannes/Nice. From Nice, back to Marseille for a TGV to Paris
leaving on a Sunday, probably around noon.

That's probably a better, less hectic itinerary anyway, but do think
about Greece at another time. Yes, Athens can be a busy city with a lot
of bustle, that's part of the attraction for me, actually- but I think
it does have quite a bit to offer the visitor, and while arguably
over-played, the historic sites are still very impressive. I've always
enjoyed my visits there.

David

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk

RipVanWinkle wrote:

Thanks to all of you but especially Iceman and DFW who convinced us to
reconsider Greece. We have eliminated Greece from our itinerary and now
plan Barcelona, then drive along the coast spending several days exploring
Provence/Cannes/Nice. From Nice, back to Marseille for a TGV to Paris
leaving on a Sunday, probably around noon.

I think you will have a great time with that itinerary.

"RipVanWinkle" wrote in message
link.net...
Using frequent flier miles we are going to fly from New York to Barcelona
on
September 9 and then return to the USA from Athens on September 24. I am
thinking three nights in Barcelona then rent a car ($250 for 3 days) and
drive the coast to Nice spending another 3 nights along the way. We will
then fly to Paris ($177pp) for 3 nights and after that, fly on to Athens
($176pp) where we will stay for 5 nights. We don't have a budget but it
looks like this trip is only going to cost us around $3,000 for two people
and that includes $175 per day for hotels and food. We'll probably do a
few
fancy dinners but we normally prefer to eat healthy, low calorie, simple
meals, so I think an average of $175 a day is probably on target.

Anyway, here are my questions.
Athens: What would be a good Athens itinerary? Especially, what islands
are cost effective to reach and most worth seeing, and should they include
an overnight stay?

Forget about the ignoramus who has only visited the bars of Plaka (way
overrun with tourists) to fill his beer belly and has visited the
Archeological museum which is commonly known to be under renovation for the
Athens Olympics.

By the time you go Athens will be a transformed city and you can take full
advantage of the makeover that is underway (these words were echoed by the
New York Times journalist in the Sophisticated Traveler section about the
merits of visiting Athens after the Olympics).

Amenities such as a lightrail that would take you from the airport to
downtown as well as the seaside areas, walkways to most of the ancient parts
of town allowing to peacefully enjoying a stroll as the ancient inhabitants
would have. You can visit the thoroughly renovated National Archeological
Museum which boasts the best selection of Cycladic, Mycenaean, Minoan and
Classical Greek art. If you get tired of antiquities you can visit the
Byzantine museum yet another establishment that offers one of the greatest
collection of artifacts from the longest continuous reigning empire that of
Byzantium. You can visit urban revival areas such as Gazi or Psiri that will
surprise you with their outstanding culinary delights. You can go to Xaravgi
and sample the best crayfish imaginable.

If you want to get away from Athens for the day or a few you can visit
Delphi (serene settings at the foot of mount Parnassus), Sounion (the most
romantic sunset), Epidauros, Meteora (breathtaking), Mount Athos (an
incredible monastic community that has remained unchanged in almost 500
years, Monemvasia (Tuscany of Greece).

Oh yes there are also the islands. You could visit Ydra a few hours by
hydrofoil and enjoy one of the prettiest port towns. You could dash across
to Aegina for breath of fresh air, good food and some interesting
archeological sites. You could fly into Santorini for a few days, the most
romantic island in the Mediterranean.

But I strongly believe that you should make the decision yourself based on
facts you have reviewed and not some parrot’s monochromatic view of a city.

Whatever you decide may you have a wonderful time.


Barcelona to Nice: Mapquest says the road trip from Barcelona to Nice is
411 miles, 6-1/2 hours. We could do this in one day but it would be
rushed.
We are only planning 3 nights after Barcelona and before Paris so what
would
be a good itinerary? In other words, what would be a good half-way point
to
explore and spend the first night, or should we just drive straight
through?
We aren't beach people and we are not at all interested in museums. Our
tastes lie in outdoor exploration, local commerce, culture, architecture,
and of course natural beauty. We live in New York City and mostly prefer
visiting urban areas versus the countryside. Given that, how could we
maximize our visit and should we include Cannes and/or Monte Carlo?

This group has been a great help in planning our past adventures. Thank
you
all for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

Note: I originally posted this question under the byline "Barcelona to
Athens via Paris for $1500!" and after I did I realized that byline looked
more like spam than a legitimate question. I have reposted under the
current byline "A question about Nice and Athens." Sorry to all for the
dual posting.

"RipVanWinkle" wrote in message
nk.net...
"Iceman" wrote in message

Thanks to all of you but especially Iceman and DFW who convinced us to
reconsider Greece.

And you can't even get good Greek food (seriously). Very greasy low quality
stuff.

Mike O'sullivan wrote:

And you can't even get good Greek food (seriously). Very greasy low quality
stuff.

Maybe that's so the tourists feel at home?

I'm not claiming it's the culinary centre of the earth by any means, but
you can get decent food in Greece, and the stereotype of "bad food" gets
almost as irritating as "dull UK food." Just be discerning- guide books
can be helpful, as well as knowing what to order. Moussaka- I'd nearly
always skip it, as it's nearly always pre-cooked, but for lamb and
grilled aubergines, that kind of suits the dish. In most places,
anything with dairy products is usually very fine- great yoghurt, feta
(well, the Bulgarians would argue about that) and so on. There are some
very good, cheap, restaurants in Athens. I find it more difficult to get
great food on the islands actually, though it's not impossible, and if
you find a good place, it's generally a good idea to make repeat visits,
rather than trying different places.

David

--
David Horne- www.davidhorne.net
usenet (at) davidhorne (dot) co (dot) uk