Going to Greece?

no, but greece is hugely on my bucket list. my dh is less enthusiastic. maybe i'll go with you and your kids. they and i have much in common. :)
my brother lived there for a while. he says the traffic in athens is insane and horrifying. don't drive there- get a driver to take you to the places you want to go. be prepared for some to be an initial disappointment- my number #1 destination, eleusis, is apparently now engulfed in a nasty grubby industrial area. but the great temple grounds are still there, and i'm sure (i hope) still holy.
delphi has a lot of touristy trappings but has retained much of its awesomeness. oh, i can't wait. a friend of mine actually quietly ducked the tour crowds and spent an evening alone in the pythia's cave. life-changing.
and your kids will be able to touch the omphalos!
if you can swing it, getting a driver for the whole trip would probably be best, although expensive. but don't drive yourselves until you've finished with athens.
again, just passing on what i've gleaned from asking folks i know who've been.
i'm uber-jealous!
:) khairete
S.

We went for 2 weeks in 2007 and it was the most amazing experience of my life. We flew into Athens, stayed for a few days in a hotel (the Dorian, highly recommend) and went sightseeing, and to markets and shops, then took an overnight ferry to Crete for a few days. It was awesome, awesome there. Kids played violins by fountains, the dining outside was so beautiful. We took a boat to 3 small islands nearby that lasted a day. Then we went back to Athens by ferry, hopped on a bus and rode up to Delphi for a few days. Loved the Temple of Apollo and the little shops and museums. Every place there had amazing views since its in the mountains. Felt like a movie. Then, back on the bus to Athens for the last couple days, and flew home. The food and service were the most incredible experience. We'd go back in a heartbeat.

I'd recommend reading through Frommers guides and travel recs online. Don't do too much planned touristy stuff in a group because you won't have a lot of time to explore. Oh, and cabbies will screw you over if you let them. Learn the routes of where you want to go, and tell them how you want to get there. Good luck!

I guess I am failing to see the logic. Your kids are obsessed with Greek gods, I assume something to do with Lightning Thief and suddenly Greece is a great idea? There are places where they worshiped these gods but they never really existed, ya know? They will get there, it won't be cool, you will be miserable, and then you wasted a ton of money.

If you have money to blow, sure, go to Greece but if you think the trip is going to be what you are imagining, be prepared to be disappointed.

Europe is amazing, I haven't gone to Greece because it was a nightmare last time we went over. Still you have to understand where you are going, what you will see and why it is important and kids as young as yours are not going to get that.

I won't take any of my kids to Europe until they are adults. Two have gone, two have not. I remember when my youngest was 9 and wanted to go to England with us because she wanted to meet Harry Potter and find Hogwarts, um, yeah, stay home sweetie.

I want to go to Greece as well. Specifically the island of Santorini (like the movie Mam Mia).

I travelled in Greece back in the late 1980s, LONG before kids, so I can't give you any perspective on that piece. I can say that I spoke no Greek and could only sound my way through shop signs, so I got by with English only. I spent time in Athens (which I found to be fascinating just in terms of the time depth that was visible in the city-space--new buildings next to squat little Byzantine churches with the Acropolis looming over all of it!). I also spent a delightful couple weeks in Crete--Rhetymnon and a small village on the southern side--very quiet, lots of cool buildings to explore, and stunning beaches. There's so much to see!

I travelled to Greece in 2007 via Venice on a cruise ship. My sole purpose of the whole trip was to see Mykonos. Unfortunately, due to bad weather, that stop was eliminated and the extra day was spent in Athens (I also travelled to other islands for one day each). I saw many different things and am grateful for my experience, but overall I did not care for Greece - especially Athens. I found the people to be rude to Americans, and we were often overcharged for items because we were tourists. The Venice portion of my trip was amazing (stayed extra days prior to the cruise) and the Turkey portion was the highlight of my life (definitely going back someday).

I personally wouldn't take another trip (but glad I got to go once) to Greece unless I specifically went only to Mykonos - even then, I think I would rather spend the money and see more of Turkey. However, great vacations are subjective :) Good luck no matter what you decide!

I went in 2006 with a friend who was between jobs and decided to use his severance on two months of travel in Europe. We spent 2 weeks in Greece. We went to Athens mikonos and santorini.

We spent three or four days in each and gave a day to travel via ferry between each. We be booked hotels at each departure, ate out every meal and did a combo of history beach and nightlife at each location.

We walked took cabs or busses. We even rented atvs for a day trip to the beach.

English was spoken widely. People were friendly and accommodating. You know your kids best but I would hold off till the youngest is six so he has some meaningful memories.

Also there is a siesta culture and dinner starts at 9 pm after the heat of the day has passed.

Best
F. B.

My daughter was into the Greek Gods as well until about a year ago. We couldn't travel to Greece, but instead took a trip to Nashville, TN to see a replica of the Parthenon.

http://www.nashville.gov/Parks-and-Recreation/Parthenon.aspx

It was much cheaper and we didn't have to go through customs or worry about speaking another language, lol.

I have never traveled to Greece, but I would check with a tour guide depending on how long you are going to be there. I cant imagine you would be able to see much in a week without one.

We visited Greece as part of a Mediterranean cruise and it was amazing! We only had one day in Athens and one day in Santorini, but you could do so much more if you planned a trip just to Greece. I would recommend 2-3 full days in Athens and visits to Santorini plus another island or two (Mykonos is a popular one).

Delphi looks to be a couple of hours from Athens, so you'd need another day or two to go out that way.

I would not worry at all about not speaking the language. You can get by with English in pretty much any part of Europe. To be polite, it's nice to learn basic phrases like please and thank you, hello and goodbye.

Whether you choose hotels vs private rentals is really more a question of what type of accommodations you prefer to stay in. You'd be able to find a nice but affordable option either way.

we travel to europe almost every year. we have been taking kids there since they were 3. they are now 11. they were up for sightseeing (short perids) by the age of 9 (visited ruins from 6BC). i'm afraid your 4 year old, would not go for it. the other two might be ok. if this is something you can afford, without penny pinching, i would suggest the island of corfu. easy direct flight from frankfurt. also beautiful (and touristy area). i would say skip thessaloniki (just didn't amaze us in any way).
rent a house or a condo via vrbo.com or homeaway.com, a place near the beach (adriatic or ionian) and enjoy. im afraid, you won't run into any gods but everything else is beautiful.