12 Days of Greece Tour: Road Trip of 1900 km
It was hard for us to choose the destinations in Greece because of the limited number of days we had. While reviews of islands like Santorini and Crete were bewitching, the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Greece were equally alluring.
12 Days of Greece Tour
I succumbed to the captivating heritage sites most of which had crumbling ruins, almost fading away from the face of earth. The next problem was, there were 3 national holidays in the 12 days period, which meant the world heritage sites would be shut to tourists.
So, effectively we had just 9 days to tour the sites. Greece has 17 UNESCO World Heritage sites, of which I could make it to 8 sites, couple of them I had to skip even though they were well within our travel range as they were closed. You can see the route map of my travel in the pic.
A total 1900 km was done in these 9 days in these 12 Days of Greece Tour.
Google map for 12 Days of Greece Tour
Essential Documents to Drive in Greece
We needed just 2 important documents for the road trip through Greece: International Driving Permit and Valid Driving Licence for India.
We hired from Avis car rentals in Athens which gave a better deal than Hertz and Europcar. They rent out snow chains too, but we trusted the weather forecast of light snow showers and didn’t take them. That saved a few Euros and thankfully the weather forecasts for the 12 Days of Greece Tour were quite accurate. We did experience a small scare though.
Road Trip of 1900 km
Thessaloniki is the northernmost city of Greece that we visited and Sparti the southernmost town. I was a little disappointed in Thessaloniki, not finding any proper route map to the various Byzantine monuments. The Hotel guy at Hotel Amalia of Thessaloniki did the best he could.
We visited Aigai (Vergina) from Thessaloniki. The best I liked among these was Meteora. You cannot call it beautiful; it is out of the world kind of experience. If you are ever there, don’t rush through the 6 monasteries there, try and spend 2 days to soak it in completely, preferably under blue skies.
Sparti at south was again a sweet experience. Smaller cities and towns like Larissa, Lamia, Navplion, Korinthos and Sparti made great places to halt and interact with locals a bit, and also enabled us to taste authentic Greek dishes.
Athens charmed us with its mix of modern and ancient structures. The taverns’ experiences here are unforgettable for me. Plaka here is a window shoppers’ paradise.
Check these Road Trips in Greece:
Athens to Thessaloniki
Vergina to Larissa
Winter Driving in Greece
Kids and I experienced snowfall for the first time in our lives in Delphi and Epidaurus. Thankfully it was just 2 to 3 cm snowfall. Without snow chains on wheels we managed to drive on at slow speed with no noteworthy incidents.
I will admit the weather was frightening and we soon realized it could be dangerous if we are not cautious. Driving on snow covered road can be a tricky affair. We had none of the cold weather gear in our car.
We were equipped with just food and water and warm clothing, hoping that should help us sail through in case of any incident or accident. No snow chains for the tires, no glass scraper or medications for frost bite just in case.
Snow covered Trees near Delphi
Tips for Driving in the Snow
- Drive very slowly when the road is covered with sheet of ice or snow.
- Always accelerate and decelerate slowly. Any sudden application of brakes can lead to skidding on the road.
- Increase the margin of following distance. This is to cater for any eventuality or sudden reaction by the driver ahead.
- Be extremely cautious when you climb up or down the hill. Pick up inertia before you actually start the climb. And as you go downhill reduce speed and try avoiding the use of brakes.
- Check more: Winter Driving Tips
Traditional Greek Food
Food of Greece is amazing, divine! Such abundance of delightfully tasty dishes, all made with fresh ingredients; make sure that you sample some of them if not all.
Start from the simplest of simple like Greek Yogurt, Olives and Olive oil, Greek Salad with slabs of Feta cheese, continue to variety of breads and rich juicy lamb meat and end with traditional Greek Desserts. Vegetarian food in Greece too has plenty of choices.
More elaborate blogposts on what was seen, eaten, and experienced soon.
Pin this for later
Looks like an amazing itinerary! It is hard to fit all of them in, isn’t is? Greece is just so full of amazing sites! Delphi is so beautiful and how fun to get to experience snow for the first time in such a beautiful location!
Just read the latest post 🙂 Eager to read more 🙂
Can't wait to read all about it.
Waiting for the pictures from the trip!
Adding to my list of must-visit-before-I-die places 🙂 Waiting for the photographs, Indrani.
Looking forward to hearing more of your journey.
Meteora is one of my favorite places and I've been there twice. Best time was in the dead of winter. We went up to St. Nikola monastery at night and looked at the stars. So close, it seemed, that you could almost touch then.
This preview itself is so exciting. Waiting for the detailed posts with PHOTOS.
Wow,lucky you..Waiting for the pics 🙂
WOW distance, waiting for photos.
I'm waiting for some great photos and information… 🙂
That's a lot of driving but I'm looking forward to seeing the results. (I've driven around 1,800 km in one day on occasion.)
That's quite a distance to travel especially with children in the car so well done. Look forward to seeing some of the pictures.
Wow! Greece is so amazing. Was just looking through my friends' pics recently. Waiting for more pics 🙂
Definitely a place I would love to visit myself. Seeing it through you lens will do for now, though. Thanks for letting us tag along.
WOW, looking forward to read about your experience. I agree it's too less time to cover such a beautiful country.
That's great, looking forward to the shots Indrani.
Greece is indeed on my list of places to #MustVisit.
Seems like you covered lot of distance. 1900 Km travel still a lot in a foreign land. For me, I always thought of Hertz being the best, but good to know Avis served better than Hertz & EuropeCar.
Wasn't aware of 17 world heritage sites in Greece. Now since I got to know about it through your blog, I am waiting for your postings from this trip.
Wow……waiting for the awesome pics!!
What an amazing trip you had. Thank you for sharing this map and your route. When I was young, because of my great interest in Greek Mythology, I always wanted to visit Greece. I am not sure I will be able to now but I live in hope. I will certainly look forward to your photos
Sounds like a very interesting trip.
One of your favourites. 🙂
Lucky, lucky. Visiting beautiful and historical Greece.
Waiting to read about those magnificent heritage sites Indrani
The Brief given is quite impressive.. Awaiting to see the Tour Photographs!
Wow! I'm so excited to see posts on Greece! 🙂
Lovely intro!! Now for the meaty posts!
That sounds like a lovely Greek saga. Look forward to the detailed posts.
This is starting of your journey of Greece.Greece is most amazing country in the world , as it has a numerous scholars in its history book. Looking forward for your pics
Eagerly waiting for more pics from you indrani…. 12days means loafs of knowledge and images for us 🙂
The Preamble sounds enticing..looking forward to the photos Indrani..
What a way for you to start your blog-year-2015..!
Had an opportunity to go there earlier last year in April and must say, it is indeed a fabulous place… A lot to see, and not to miss, the islands are simply gorgeous.
Indrani, sounds like an awesome trip. I am looking forward to seeing some of the post and photos.. Have a great week!
Knowing how beautiful your photography always is, I can't wait to see how you've captured Greece.
This sounds like a marvelous trip. I'm looking forward to your photos.
I am looking forward to your photos from your trip to Greece!! As, I think I told you, we spent time there when we lived in Europe and I love it!! One of my favorite places! Hope you've had a wonderful trip, Indrani!!