Greece 4th Edition. by John S. Bowman & Sherry Marker. with cruise coverage by Heidi Sarna. Here s what the critics say about Frommer s:

Transcription

1 Greece 4th Edition & Sherry Marker with cruise coverage by Heidi Sarna Here s what the critics say about Frommer s: Amazingly easy to use. Very portable, very complete. Booklist Detailed, accurate, and easy-to-read information for all price ranges. Glamour Magazine Hotel information is close to encyclopedic. Des Moines Sunday Register Frommer s Guides have a way of giving you a real feel for a place. Knight Ridder Newspapers

2 Published by: Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ Copyright 2004 Wiley Publishing, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as permitted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) , fax (978) Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing, Inc., Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, (317) , fax (317) , permcoordinator@wiley.com. Wiley and the Wiley Publishing logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates. Frommer s is a trademark or registered trademark of Arthur Frommer. Used under license. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc. is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. ISBN ISSN Editor: Amy Lyons Production Editor: Donna Wright Cartographers: Roberta Stockwell and Nicholas Trotter Photo Editor: Richard Fox Production by Wiley Indianapolis Composition Services Front cover photo: Roussanou Monastery, The Meteora. Back cover photo: The Parthenon, Athens. For information on our other products and services or to obtain technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the U.S. at , outside the U.S. at or fax Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic formats. Manufactured in the United States of America

3 Contents List of Maps vii What s New in Greece 1 1 The Best of Greece 6 1 The Best Travel Experiences The Best of Ancient Greece The Best of Byzantine & Medieval Greece The Best Beaches The Best Scenic Villages & Towns The Best Islands The Best Places to Get Away from It All The Best Museums The Best of Greece s Religious Treasures The Best Resorts & Hotels The Best Restaurants The Best Nightlife The Best Natural Wonders The Best Shopping Planning Your Trip to Greece 22 1 The Regions in Brief Greece on the Web Security in Greece: Red Alert Visitor Information Entry Requirements & Customs Money When to Go Greece Calendar of Events Travel Insurance Health & Safety Specialized Travel Resources...44 Frommers.com: The Complete Travel Resource Getting There Escorted General- Interest Tours Special-Interest Trips Getting Around Greece Taxi Tips Tips on Accommodations Tips on Dining Fast Facts: Greece Olympics 2004: The Summer Games in Athens 83 & Sherry Marker Security & Crime Sources of Information Venues & Events Getting Tickets SARS & Health Concerns Olympics Mascot

4 iv CONTENTS 4 Accommodations During the Games Handicapped Accessibility Dining During the Games Transportation During the Games The Cultural Olympiad/ Olympic Arts Festival The Paralympic Games by Heidi Sarna Cruising the Greek Islands 94 1 Choosing the Right Cruise for You Calculating the Cost Booking Your Cruise Cruise Preparation Practicalities Embarkation Dealing with Seasickness End-of-Cruise Procedures The Cruise Lines & Their Ships Ships Visiting Greece on Longer Mediterranean Itineraries Best Shore Excursions in the Ports of Call: Greece Best Shore Excursions in the Ports of Call: Turkey Settling into Athens Orientation Neighborhoods in Brief Getting Around Athens s Metro Finally Gets Moving Fast Facts: Athens Where to Stay Where to Dine Quick Bites in Syntagma Exploring Athens The Top Attractions More Museums & Galleries Ancient Monuments Historic Buildings Churches & Synagogues Parks & Gardens Especially for Kids Organized Tours Spectator Sports Shopping Athens After Dark Ticket Information for the Athens, Lycabettus & Epidaurus Festivals Piraeus: A Jumping-Off Point to the Islands Day Trips from Athens

5 CONTENTS v 7 The Saronic Gulf Islands Aegina Strategies for Seeing the Islands Poros Hydra (Idra) Spetses The Peloponnese Corinth Nafplion Mycenae Epidaurus Nemea Argos Sparta (Sparti) Vassae & Andritsena Monemvassia The Mani Pylos (Pilo/Navarino) Messene (Ithomi/ Mavromati) Olympia The Ancient Olympic Games Patras (Patra) Crete Iraklion (Iraklio) Chania (Hania/Xania/Canea) Rethymnon (Rethimno) Ayios Nikolaos The Cyclades Santorini (Thira) Folegandros Sifnos Paros The Cave of Andiparos Naxos Mykonos (Mikonos) Delos Tinos Siros (Syros) The Dodecanese Rhodes (Rodos) Simi Kos Patmos

6 vi CONTENTS 12 Central Greece Delphi Thebes Two Famous Battlefields: Thermopylae & Chaironeia The Vale of Tempe & Ambelakia Mount Olympus The Meteora The Sporades Skiathos Skopelos Skyros (Skiros) The Famous Carnival of Skyros Highlights of Western Greece: Epirus & Ioannina Getting to & Around Epirus Ioannina Side Trips from Ioannina The Ionian Islands 525 Highlights of Northern Greece: Thessaloniki, Mount Athos & the Philip & Alexander Sites Corfu (Kerkira) Kefalonia (Cephalonia) Thessaloniki (Salonika) Fast Facts: Thessaloniki Suggested Itineraries The Food of Thessaloniki In the Footsteps of Philip of Macedon & Alexander the Great Philip & Alexander Mount Athos (The Holy Mountain) The Northeastern Aegean Islands Samos Hios (Chios) Lesvos (Mitilini) Excursion to a Mountain Village Limnos (Lemnos)

7 Appendix A: The Greek Language Making Your Way in Greek Useful Words & Phrases Appendix B: Useful Toll-Free Numbers & Websites 638 Index 641 List of Maps Greece 8 Greece by Plane 61 Greek Ferry Routes 63 Olympic Competition Venues 86 Athens & Environs 129 Athens at a Glance 136 Athens Accommodations 152 Accommodations & Dining South of the Acropolis 159 Athens Dining 162 Athens Attractions 174 The Acropolis & Monastiraki 177 Syntagma Square & Plaka 191 Piraeus 205 The Saronic Gulf Islands 219 Peloponnese 239 Patras 291 Crete 295 Iraklion 297 Chania 311 Rethymnon 319 Ayios Nikolaos 325 The Cyclades 333 Santorini 335 Fira 341 Mykonos Town 387 Delos 399 The Dodecanese 417 Rhodes Attractions 419 Rhodes Accommodations & Dining 427 Central Greece 465 Ancient Delphi 467 The Sporades 487 Ioannina 515 Western Greece & the Ionian Islands 527 Corfu Town 529 Kefalonia & Ithaka 541 Northern Greece 549 Thessaloniki 552 The Northeastern Aegean Islands 601 Vathi 603

8 An Invitation to the Reader In researching this book, we discovered many wonderful places hotels, restaurants, shops, and more. We re sure you ll find others. Please tell us about them, so we can share the information with your fellow travelers in upcoming editions. If you were disappointed with a recommendation, we d love to know that, too. Please write to: Frommer s Greece, 4th Edition Wiley Publishing, Inc. 111 River St. Hoboken, NJ An Additional Note Please be advised that travel information is subject to change at any time and this is especially true of prices. We therefore suggest that you write or call ahead for confirmation when making your travel plans. The authors, editors, and publisher cannot be held responsible for the experiences of readers while traveling. Your safety is important to us, however, so we encourage you to stay alert and be aware of your surroundings. Keep a close eye on cameras, purses, and wallets, all favorite targets of thieves and pickpockets. About the Authors John S. Bowman has been a freelance writer and editor for more than 35 years. He specializes in nonfiction ranging from archaeology to zoology, baseball to biography. He first visited Greece in 1956 and has traveled and lived there over the years. He is the author of numerous guides to various regions of Greece. He currently resides in Northampton, Massachusetts. Sherry Marker majored in classical Greek at Harvard, studied archaeology at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, and did graduate work in ancient history at the University of California at Berkeley. The author of a number of guides to Greece, she has also written for the New York Times, Travel & Leisure, and Hampshire Life. When not in Greece she lives in Massachusetts. Heidi Sarna has cruised on more than 75 ships of all shapes and sizes, and she loves them all (well, OK, some more than others). Heidi s a contributing editor to Travel Holiday magazine, and her work has appeared in numerous magazines, major guidebooks, websites, and newspapers including the New York Times, Star Ledger, and Boston Herald. When she s not off cruising somewhere, she lives in the Big Apple with her husband, Arun, and their baby boys. Other Great Guides for Your Trip: Frommer s Greek Islands Frommer s Europe Frommer s Europe from $70 a Day Frommer s European Cruises & Ports of Call Frommer s Gay & Lesbian Europe

9 Frommer s Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see). In addition to the star-rating system, we also use eight feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for: Finds Fun Fact Kids Moments Overrated Tips Value Warning Special finds those places only insiders know about Fun facts details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun Best bets for kids and advice for the whole family Special moments those experiences that memories are made of Places or experiences not worth your time or money Insider tips great ways to save time and money Great values where to get the best deals Warning traveler s advisories are usually in effect The following abbreviations are used for credit cards: AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa DC Diners Club MC MasterCard Frommers.com Now that you have the guidebook to a great trip, visit our website at for travel information on more than 3,000 destinations. With features updated regularly, we give you instant access to the most current trip-planning information available. At Frommers.com, you ll also find the best prices on airfares, accommodations, and car rentals and you can even book travel online through our travel booking partners. At Frommers.com, you ll also find the following: Online updates to our most popular guidebooks Vacation sweepstakes and contest giveaways Newsletter highlighting the hottest travel trends Online travel message boards with featured travel discussions