There are numerous islands to visit when you decide to have a Greece vacation. You won’t be able to see all of them by land so to get from one island to the next you have to get there by sea.
Greece has more than 2,000 islands and islets. Only 169 of them are inhabited. Some of the best places include the Cyclades, the Dodecanese, Ionian Water, the Sporades and the Northern Greece area. You can visit these by joining a tour company or hiring an independent charter.
But when you go on a sailing vacation, which is to better to get a yacht or a boat? You might think that the two are the same but they are not. The yacht is much bigger and it has cabins so you can eat, take a shower and get some rest. Boats are smaller so you can’t spend the night here and you have to head back towards port.
If you plan to have an extended stay on board, by all means rent a yacht. These are available in various sizes and most of these can even accommodate even a large sized family. You can easily book one by booking for it online and getting referred to one by your travel agent.
But how much will a yacht cost so you can have a Greece vacation by the sea? The price varies and this is calculated based on the distance and the fuel consumption of the engine.
On average the price for two days is about 45 euro per booking to cover the yacht damage waiver, cleaning and fuel. For a double cabin, you pay 1680 per person while a singles supplement is about 2100 euro. The singles supplement is different from a single cabin since it is smaller so it will only cost you 1100 euro. Lastly, a double cabin is about 1375 euro.
If money is no object, you can get a super luxury yacht that comes with its own crew. The price is about eight to ten thousand euro a day which is equivalent to how much you will be paying if you are staying in one of the super luxury resorts.
So why book for a hotel on the island when most of the time, you will be visiting the various attractions in the other islands? Perhaps it will be better to stay on the boat if the prices are not that far apart so while you are resting, the yacht is able to move to the next island.
This just means that you can enjoy a Greece vacation by the sea. All you have to do is charter a yacht for a week or for as long as a month. In fact the local tourism industry is now doing a lot to promote this kind of leisure activity. It’s a great experience which you don’t do often when in most countries, you travel from one destination to another riding a car or a bus.
The Greek islands are a sight to behold given that there are hundreds of these spread out along the Mediterranean. You will surely get your money’s worth when you decide to spend a Greece vacation because there is no other place on earth that will ever come close to what you see here.
The biggest and main prefecture in Crete is Heraklion. It is home to about 275,000 inhabitants and is the largest city and the considered capital of the whole island. Tourism is the main industry of Crete. Its economy is mainly driven by the arrival of tourists on its shores. That is why it considers its visitors with care and tries to ensure that the tourists would have a wonderful time in the island. After all, it is tourists that pump blood into the economy of the island.
Crete was once considered as the center of the ancient Minoan civilization. The island provides evidences of the achievements, knowledge and power of this ancient Bronze Age culture through the various palaces, tombs and other sacred sites found throughout the area. This provides a historical backdrop that would guide tourists of what to look for while in Crete.
The main language used in Crete is Greek. And because the island is a main tourist destination, many of the inhabitants can understand and speak English. Even those located in the small villages on the island can speak and understand English, making communication with foreigners not that much of a problem on the island.
Getting into the island can be made through various means. By plane, Crete can be reachable through the three significant airports located in the island. There's the Nikos Kazantzakis airport that is located at Heraklion. There is also the Daskalogiannis military airport available in Chania where tourists can land on Crete. A new public airport is also located in Sitia where visitors can also make use of to get into Crete. There are several flights available for Crete that usually departs from the main island of Greece.
The island can also be reached by ferry. There are various ferry services located in mainland Greece as well as the other islands that service Crete. The trip usually takes 2.5 hours from the mainland. Going around Crete can be done through an inland bus service that operates around the island. The bus schedules are fairly frequent and serves many parts of the island. Some buses even divert trips from their usual route in order to bring tourists to small villages if asked. Public transportation is by far the most convenient and affordable means of going around Crete.
Car rentals are also available if you wish a more private and more personal adventure on your visit to Crete. But tourists may need to bring along their drivers license for this and make sure that the car insurance covers them to the places that would be visited. Petrol stations also close early, usually around 7pm.
It might be important for private car tourists to fill up beforehand so as not to let an empty gas tank on an isolated part of the island spoil your Greece vacation.
Athens the capital city. Athens should not be left out in any Greece vacation. First and foremost, it is the capital city of this beautiful country and hence one of the main attractions of the land. Getting to know about Greece is getting to know about life and culture in its cities. And with Athens being a major city, it truly needs a special mention for tourists visiting for the first time.
Athens:The birthplace of whole nation Athens is a city with about 3.7 million inhabitants. This city is also considered as the birthplace of the whole nation and therefore, also the birthplace of Western civilization. This metropolitan city is bounded by mountains on three sides namely, Mt. Ymettos, Mt. Parnitha and Mt. Pendeli. Inside Athens, there are twelve hills that can be found of which Acropolis and Lykavittos are the most prominent.
Attractions and places of interest in Athens For the tourists, Athens has a lot to offer in terms of attractions and places of interest. One of the most notable ancient landmarks in the city is the Acropolis, the ancient high city where marble temples sacred to the city's goddess Athena can be found. At the foot of the hill of Acropolis are places worth visiting. These are the districts of Plaka, Monastiraki and Thissio. Notable on these districts are the various restored 19th Century neoclassical homes, restaurants and the picturesque ruins of the city's Roman era.
Do not forget to visit Piraeus Another place worth visiting in Athens is Piraeus, the city's ancient port. This port still serves as an industrial hub for products going in and out of Greece. It is also where ferry connections to Crete and the Aegean Islands as well as almost all of Attica can be found. Tourists can then head out to the city's business district, Syntagma Square. A notable landmark of the Square is the old Royal Palace. This is also where most of the major hotels, banks, restaurants and other offices of note are located.
Getting In Getting to Athens is fairly convenient with it being the Greek capital. This is especially true for tourists from other countries getting in by plane. The city has the new Athens Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport which opened last 2001. It is located just 27 km east of the city center and has become a more attractive and efficient means of getting into Greece. The new airport contains excellent public transit networks that can connect arriving tourists to various points of the city.
From the airport, tourists can get into the city center by Metro, the city's railway system. The airport Metro is the city's Line 3 extension which then leads to downtown Syntagma and Monastiraki stations. There are also available buses as well as taxis operating from the airport going into the city.
If coming from other regions of Greece, there are regional coaches that connect Athens to the other cities in Greece. There is also a national railway service available connecting the various Greek cities including Athens. Public transport in Athens is considered relatively cheap with a simplified ticketing system that allows commuters to travel on any means of public transport.
An Athens Greece vacation need not be a problem in terms of transportation since they are readily available from the city.
Your Visit To Different Beautiful Places In Greece.
There are many things to see in Greece.A single,short visit to the country may not do justice at all.However, in order to take full advantage of even the limited schedule afforded for your vacation in Greece, visiting Athens should be your first priority. Not only that, having a good idea of the main places to visit in the city may be important in order to fully maximize your time and cover all the important places of note in the city. Here are some suggestions of the things that you might be able to do while in the city of Athens.
Visit Acropolis
Your visit to Athens will not be complete without going to Acropolis. This prominent hill in Athens is more than just a landmark. It has been honored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Acropolis is the site of the ancient fortified town of Athens which date back to as early as the Late Bronze Age. The acropolis is also the site of the country's best buildings from the Greek Classical Age. In this hill tourist can find the Parthenon, the Erectheion and the Temple of Athena Nike.
The Ancient Agora
After visiting the acropolis, tourists can then go to visit the site of the Ancient Agora. This location provides tourists one of the best possible views of the Acropolis. On the Ancient Agora tourists may be able to visit the Temple of Hephaestus, one of the best preserved temples of the ancient Greeks. Also located in the Agora is the Attalos Stoa museum which is a reconstructed ancient Greek building.
Head to Lykavittos Hill
This is one of the most prominent of the dozen hills located in the city of Athens. It is a 200 meter hill that borders the Kolonaki district. It can be reached either by hiking towards the peak or by through a funicular railway for a fee. At the top, you may enjoy the scenery at one of the many restaurants and cafes. This is a site worth going to since it provides a picturesque view of Athens that stretches towards the sea.
Your Tour on bike to the old Athens.
For those who wish to go around the ancient parts of Athens, there is a free bike tour scheduled for every Saturday and Sunday that will take the participants in and around the old and ancient section of Athens. The bike tour usually starts at 10:40 in the morning outside the Thissio metro station. And of course, each one is obliged to bring his or her own bike.
Do not forget to visit The Beaches
If the weather permits, tourists can also head out south of Athens and in the outskirts towards the city's beaches. There are buses from the Sygrou station that will take tourists to the destination. Tourists can then check out the magnificent coastline of Greece from any point of the beaches. There are also beach-side cafes that offer refreshments to tourists in the area.
Explore the islands by a cruise.
If looking from the beaches is not enough of a Greece vacation for you, you can take a look at Athens and explore the other islands by sea. There are also a variety of cruises available that would take tourists to the surrounding Greek islands such as Mykonos, Paros and Syros.
Sunday, 27 November 2011
Your Accommodations for Your Greece Vacation Greece a country of ancient culture.
Greece has an ancient culture that extends on extensive coastlines and islands. This country is mountainous, with wealth and diversity of the Greek seas. Its charming Greek islands and coasts provide great vacation places. A Greece vacation is a great experience and adventure.
So whenever you choose to stay in Greece for a vacation, there are several great places to stay. After a day of sightseeing and different activities, surely tourists would like to come home to a very homely and comfortable accommodations.
There are several hotels that would be great places to stay. Hotels in Athens have world class choices. King George Palace was a legend since 1936. the classical King George Palace has been home to kings, princes, presidents and Athenians alike. It has been ranked among the top 100 European hotels.
Grande Bretagne Hotel has been representing the essence of hospitality in Greece for more than 134 years. This hotel was the host too the world sports occasion of the Olympic games that took place in the country of its origin in 2004. For all guests the Hotel offers a special treat with the impressive spa area, designed to relax and refresh body and spirit.
Hotels in Athens provide spectacular view to Acropolis and its beautiful sites. If you feel to stay near the sea and the coast, then Mykonos would be the place to go. When in Mykonos, you can experience a luxurious vacation by staying in the Cavo Tagoo hotel. This hotel is built on a Cliffside and located only a few meters away from the town center.
Another unique resort in Mykonos, would be the Kivotos Club Hotel. It has been built respecting the environment and traditions of the Mykonos and is located in the magnificent Bay of Omos. They have five swimming pools, a private beach with water sports facilities, perfectly equipped fitness and health club, squash court and a play room.
The Myconoian Ambassador Hotel and Myconian Imperial hotel are some of the wonderful and romantic jet-set destinations in the world. It has private beaches and their rooms have balconies providing spectacular and romantic view of he ocean.
The oldest and most simple form of residence in the Aegean is called cave houses. They are traditional buildings which are found inside the rocks with a domelike roof, narrow façade, and narrow but long spaces inside. Santorini, another beautiful place in Greece is known for its cave houses and people from all over the world.
Cave houses have been transformed into hotel rooms, and a lot of tourists have been visiting Santorini to stay in these famous cave houses. According to the tradition, the cave houses were created by ship crews in order to survive and have a place of residence inside them despite the steepness of the cliff. Some others say that some cave houses were also used as stables for mules and other animals.
Cave houses re divided into two parts. The front part which is the kitchen and living room. The second part is the bedroom which is at the back. The two areas are separated by a wall with openings to let the air and light to enter the back of the cave. Another certain technique that the Santorinian people still use today in house building is applying mud on the walls along with some small part of red rocks that are added for the reinforcement of the mixture.
Your choice of accommodations and places to stay during your Greece vacation will make everything worthwhile and picture perfect.
Your Activities on your Greece Vacation 1.sight seeing
Greece is a wonderful and fascinating city. Before, it is home to three of the great wonders of the world and though they are now just ruins, the spirit and the culture of this great civilization still emanates. This is perhaps why a vacation in Greece is one of the most dreamed about trip. A lot of people want to visit and see for themselves the structures that have played a part in history.
But beyond the sight seeing, people can also do a lot of things in Greece. Here are some of the things that you can do while on vacation.
2. Shop
The girls will surely love this part. There are a lot of items that are uniquely found in Greece. Tourists will also love replicas of the famous structures. There are places that you go to, to look for bargains. Greece is known for their bazaars and markets where you can get great deals. Here you can find things that you can bring to your loved ones at home and at very affordable prices.
3.Explore the countryside
The city is no the only place where you can have a great time. In fact, exploring the countryside will afford you with more of the ambiance of Greece. Remember that the country is actually not citified. Most of the places that are really enjoyable to go to will be the ones that most people have not gone to. Besides, would it not be great to be able to tell your adventure in areas where people have not been to. That way, you will have a different story to tell.
One downside in doing this is getting lost. If you prefer to go gallivanting on your own, make sure that you have with you a local who can help you to get there. If you are not familiar with the place yet or if you do not have a local who can help you, then it Is better to stick to the tours. At least, you will be safer there.
4. Relax and eat
Greece’s restaurants are great places to relax and just rest after touring the place. This is especially true if you have gone through so many sights during the day. Relaxing at a local café or a restaurant is a great way to cap your evening. You should also try their famous restaurants. For a list of the recommended restos in the area, check with the local tourism office or at your hotel concierge. You can also check the internet for any listings and for some recommendations from bloggers.
5. Bar-hopping
Greece may have been an ancient city but this does not mean that they don’t have modern haunts like bars where you can drink and dance the night away. Before going to any bars though, make sure that you have asked locals for the right direction and to also check if the area is okay for tourists. Remember that you are still new to the place and will need to go to places that are tourist-friendly. You can get information from your hotel concierge. 6. Walk
Walking is one way to enjoy the sights and the ambiance of the place. You can go early morning or really late at night when the weather is not as hot. Be careful though in going out late at night. Always ask if the area is safe.
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