Rick Steves - Rick Steves Greece: Athens & the Peloponnese

GREECE ATHENS & THE PELOPONNESE

Rick Steves with Cameron Hewitt and Gene Openshaw

GREECE ATHENS & THE PELOPONNESE

Travel is intensified livingmaximum thrills per minute and one of the last great sources of legal adventure. Travel is freedom. Its recess, and we need it.

I discovered a passion for European travel as a teen and have been sharing it ever sincethrough my tours, public television and radio shows, and travel guidebooks. Over the years, Ive taught thousands of travelers how to best enjoy Europes blockbuster sightsand experience Back Door discoveries that most tourists miss.

This book offers you a balanced mix of Greek cities and villages, ancient sites and Byzantine churches, great museums and relaxing beaches. And its selectiverather than listing dozens of historic attractions, I recommend only the best ones. My self-guided museum tours and city walks give insight into Greeces vibrant history and todays living, breathing culture.

I advocate traveling simply and smartly. Take advantage of my money- and time-saving tips on sightseeing, transportation, and more. Try local, characteristic alternatives to expensive hotels and restaurants. In many ways, spending more money only builds a thicker wall between you and what you traveled so far to see.

We visit Greece to experience itto become temporary locals. Thoughtful travel engages us with the world, as we learn to appreciate other cultures and new ways to measure quality of life.

Judging from the positive feedback I receive from readers, this book will help you enjoy a fun, affordable, and rewarding vacationwhether its your first trip or your tenth.

Kalo taxidi! Happy travels!

Democracy and mathematics. Medicine and literature. Theater and astronomy. Mythology and philosophy. All of these, and more, were first thought up by a bunch of tunic-clad Greeks in a small village huddled at the base of the Acropolis. The ancient Greekswho reached their apex in the city of Athenshave had an unmatched impact on European and American culture. For many North American travelers, coming to Greece is like a pilgrimage to the cradle of our civilization.

A century and a half ago, Athens was a humble, forgotten city of about 20,000 people. Today its the teeming home of three million Greeksnearly half of the 11 million people in all of Greece. Athens is famous for its sprawl, noise, graffiti, and pollution. The best advice to tourists has long been to see the big sights, then get out. But over the last decade or so, the city has made a concerted effort to curb pollution, clean up and pedestrianize the streets, spiff up the museums, and invest in one of Europes better public transit systems. All of these urban upgrades reached a peak as Athens hosted the 2004 Olympic Games.

And yet, the conventional wisdom still holds true: Athens is a great city to see...but not to linger in. This book also includes the best Greek destinations outside the capital, including the highlights of the PeloponneseGreeces heartland peninsula, the site of the ancient oracle at Delphi, and the castaway islands of Hydra, Mykonos, and Santorini.

In this book, Ill give you all the information and opinions necessary to wring the maximum value out of your limited time and money. If you plan two weeks or less in this part of Greece and have a normal appetite for information, this book is all you need. Destinations include the predictable biggies (such as the Acropolis and ancient Olympia), but Ive also mixed in a healthy dose of Back Door intimacy (workaday towns such as Kardamyli, rustic seaside viewpoints, and neighborhood tavernas where youll enjoy a warm welcome).

These attractions are listed (as in this book) starting with Athens, moving to the Peloponnese, and then covering other regions.

Athens Greeces capital, featuring the ancient worlds most magnificent sightthe Acropolisa pair of world-class museums, an atmospheric Old Town, and funky neighborhoods bursting with avant-garde nightlife.

Nafplio Greeces first capital and finest midsized town, with a cozy port, an elegant Old Town, a cliff-topping fortress, and energetic street life; handy to nearby ancient sites (Mycenae and Epidavros).

Epidavros Best-preserved theater of the ancient world, with unbelievable acoustics.

Mycenae Legendary mountaintop palace/fortress with iconic Lion Gate, massive beehive tomb, and mythic links to the Trojan War.

Olympia Birthplace of the Olympic Games, with impressive temple ruins, a still-functional stadium, and an intimate museum of ancient masterpieces.

Kardamyli Cozy, unspoiled beach town, providing a handy jumping-off point for the Mani Peninsula.

Mani Peninsula Remote, rustic region with dramatic hill towns, spectacular caves (Pyrgos Dirou), and breathtaking, jagged coastlines.

Monemvasia Greeces Gibraltar-like fortress on an imposing rock peninsula jutting out into the sea, blending Venetian and Byzantine charm, traffic-free cobbled lanes, and million-dollar views.