08-17-2007, 11:35 PM
To be honest, you can skip Sparta. It is a modern town, but don't expect to see very much.
I suggest you concentrate on Athens. You need about one day for the Akropolis, the monuments on its southern slope, and the Agora; one day for the Roman Agora, the Temple of Zeus, and the National Archaeological Museum; one day for Kerameikos and some other "minor" sights; and one day for the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine & Christian Museum. Also try to visit Sounion, Brauron, and Marathon (one day).
Then, to Delphi. If you (or your parents) have rented a car, you can make a detour to Plataea, Thebes (dull town, but I have excellent memories of its museum), Chaeronea, and Thermopylae. If you have no car, but really want to see Thermopylae, take a bus from Athens to Lamia, and leave at Thermopylae; then, take the bus in the direction of Patra, and leave it somewhere near Delphi.
Delphi costs about one day, site and museum. Don't forget to take a swim at Itea. Try to make a trip to the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, which has splendid paintings.
If you have a car, better not take the bridge to the Peloponnese, but take the ferry to Hagios Nikolaos, and pay a visit to Kalavryta. The Greeks are happy if you show an interest in their ancient past, but they will love you if you are also interested in the more resent past - and Kalavryta is one of the saddest places to be. But ignoring it (or a similar site) is like visiting New York and ignoring Ground Zero; your American hosts will not blame you, but they do appreciate it if you share in their loss.
A visit to Olympia takes about one day. You may consider a visit to the battlefield of Mantinea (north of the airport of Tripoli) on your way to the east coast. Nauplion is a nice place to stay if you want to see Mycene and Epidauros, which you can easily do on one day. (BTW: as you are planning well in advance, try to make a reservation in the hotel in Mycene where the great Schliemann had his rooms.)
As I said, Nauplion itself is a lovely place to use as base for trips in the neighborhood (although I once spend three nights in a cheap hotel before I discovered that it was actually... a brothel! :oops: ); after visiting the museum, you can pay a quick visit to the museum of Argos (no other important remains) and the ruins of Nemea, before finding a hotel in Corinth.
Allow one day for Corinth's ancient city and the Akrokorinth; and another day for Isthmia, Cenchreae, and bungee jumping in the Canal of Corinth (serious!). On your way back to Athens, do not ignore Eleusis and the monastery of Daphni (currently closed).
If you (or your parents) have some additional money to spend, I'd recommend to start in Thessaloniki (lovely Byzantine Museum; great archaeological museum; palace complex of Galerius; Greek and Roman forum; city wall; several nice churches [you will understand Greece better once you have seen the tomb of Saint Demetrius]; and the depressing but beautiful Jewish Museum).
Pay a visit to Pella, Naousa, and Vergina (this is your Alexander the Great day) and take a hotel at the foot of Mount Olympus; next day, take a swim in the Tempe Canyon, and drive to Lamia, making brief stops at Cynoscephalae (Roman camp visible) and the plain of Pharsalus. After Lamia, there is Thermopylae and Delphi again; and then you make the tour as described above, culminating in Athens.
No doubt you will find your way to classical books like Herodotus and Thucydides. I suggest you also read Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece ($19.00), which tells the story of Greece since 1770. After all, Greece is not an open air museum full of ancient monuments, but a modern country, and it helps to know something about it. And a personal favorite: Peter Levi, The Hill of Kronos: a charming story about a classicist writing about Pausanias who visits Greece and falls in love with the country. Which is easy.
I suggest you concentrate on Athens. You need about one day for the Akropolis, the monuments on its southern slope, and the Agora; one day for the Roman Agora, the Temple of Zeus, and the National Archaeological Museum; one day for Kerameikos and some other "minor" sights; and one day for the Benaki Museum and the Byzantine & Christian Museum. Also try to visit Sounion, Brauron, and Marathon (one day).
Then, to Delphi. If you (or your parents) have rented a car, you can make a detour to Plataea, Thebes (dull town, but I have excellent memories of its museum), Chaeronea, and Thermopylae. If you have no car, but really want to see Thermopylae, take a bus from Athens to Lamia, and leave at Thermopylae; then, take the bus in the direction of Patra, and leave it somewhere near Delphi.
Delphi costs about one day, site and museum. Don't forget to take a swim at Itea. Try to make a trip to the Monastery of Hosios Loukas, which has splendid paintings.
If you have a car, better not take the bridge to the Peloponnese, but take the ferry to Hagios Nikolaos, and pay a visit to Kalavryta. The Greeks are happy if you show an interest in their ancient past, but they will love you if you are also interested in the more resent past - and Kalavryta is one of the saddest places to be. But ignoring it (or a similar site) is like visiting New York and ignoring Ground Zero; your American hosts will not blame you, but they do appreciate it if you share in their loss.
A visit to Olympia takes about one day. You may consider a visit to the battlefield of Mantinea (north of the airport of Tripoli) on your way to the east coast. Nauplion is a nice place to stay if you want to see Mycene and Epidauros, which you can easily do on one day. (BTW: as you are planning well in advance, try to make a reservation in the hotel in Mycene where the great Schliemann had his rooms.)
As I said, Nauplion itself is a lovely place to use as base for trips in the neighborhood (although I once spend three nights in a cheap hotel before I discovered that it was actually... a brothel! :oops: ); after visiting the museum, you can pay a quick visit to the museum of Argos (no other important remains) and the ruins of Nemea, before finding a hotel in Corinth.
Allow one day for Corinth's ancient city and the Akrokorinth; and another day for Isthmia, Cenchreae, and bungee jumping in the Canal of Corinth (serious!). On your way back to Athens, do not ignore Eleusis and the monastery of Daphni (currently closed).
If you (or your parents) have some additional money to spend, I'd recommend to start in Thessaloniki (lovely Byzantine Museum; great archaeological museum; palace complex of Galerius; Greek and Roman forum; city wall; several nice churches [you will understand Greece better once you have seen the tomb of Saint Demetrius]; and the depressing but beautiful Jewish Museum).
Pay a visit to Pella, Naousa, and Vergina (this is your Alexander the Great day) and take a hotel at the foot of Mount Olympus; next day, take a swim in the Tempe Canyon, and drive to Lamia, making brief stops at Cynoscephalae (Roman camp visible) and the plain of Pharsalus. After Lamia, there is Thermopylae and Delphi again; and then you make the tour as described above, culminating in Athens.
No doubt you will find your way to classical books like Herodotus and Thucydides. I suggest you also read Richard Clogg, A Concise History of Greece ($19.00), which tells the story of Greece since 1770. After all, Greece is not an open air museum full of ancient monuments, but a modern country, and it helps to know something about it. And a personal favorite: Peter Levi, The Hill of Kronos: a charming story about a classicist writing about Pausanias who visits Greece and falls in love with the country. Which is easy.
