Ah, the Acropolis of Athens! It is the pinnacle of Greek culture and a mecca for cultural travel. It’s both a graceful monument to the old gods and a tourist attraction famed for the number of visitors willing to risk heatstroke to see it in all its rubble-strewn glory.
Of all the many archaeological site scattered across Greece, the most famous by far are the imposing collection of temples perched atop the hill in the middle of the busy city of Athens.
The hill is called the Acropolis and the big temple in the middle is called the Parthenon, but people often use the two terms interchangeably.
Overview of the Acropolis of Athens
A UNESCO World Heritage site, the Acropolis inspires millions of visitors every year to make the long trek from the ticket office to the temples, puffing up stone steps that go on forever (or at least feel like they do). There is no shade; for several months of the year, the sun can be life threatening; and you make the trek with thousands of fellow visitors.
Unless you’re visiting in the depths of winter, forget romantic thoughts of strolling up the steps in solitary communion with the ancient Greeks.
I’m actually surprised so many people visit the Acropolis. And yet they do. Thousands upon thousands of them visit every day—young and not so young, fit and definitely not fit, and from all over the world. The Acropolis is the must-see hit of Athens.
You can’t go to Athens and not climb to the Acropolis. Not to do so is probably illegal.
Read on for more about my experience and my recommendations for comfortably visiting the Acropolis and the must-see Acropolis Museum.
When It’s Too Hot to Visit the Acropolis
Officials sometimes close the Acropolis on summer afternoons when temperatures soar to the high forties Celsius. I can’t even imagine how hot that must feel. With no shade on the way up, such high temperatures plus bare rocks equal a searing experience.
If you’re visiting on a particularly hot and crowded day in the summer, I recommend just admiring the Acropolis from afar. Why risk heat stroke?
Instead, visit the wonderful (and air conditioned) Acropolis Museum and/or the National Archaeological Museum (check out my suggestions for touring!), enjoy a leisurely lunch, do some shopping, do some people-watching of the modern Athenians, and maybe take a peek at some of the lesser-known and much less crowded archaeological sites. You’ll still see the Acropolis from just about anywhere you walk in central Athens. Let that be enough.
Here are some tours from Tiqets.com that don’t include the Acropolis!
Visiting the Acropolis of Athens in the Late Afternoon
When the heat is manageable, consider visiting the Acropolis in the late afternoon. The crowds start to thin out, the temperature starts to cool, and sunset is imminent.
Here’s what I did during a visit with my daughter in mid-September.
My Visit to the Acropolis in September
We arrive at the ticket area near the main entrance to the Acropolis site at 4:30 pm to find that tickets for the 4:45 time slot are sold out, with the next available time slot being 5:45 pm.
If you go in the late afternoon, you may be lucky, like we are, and only wait an hour to get in. If, however, you are visiting at other times of the day or during the summer, buy your tickets online several days before your visit.
Your big decision when buying your ticket to the Acropolis is whether you should buy a single or a combo ticket. The single ticket costs €20 and the combo ticket costs €30.
The single ticket only gets you into the Acropolis & Slopes within a 30-minute time frame from 15 minutes before to 15 minutes after your selected time slot.
The combo ticket gets you into the Acropolis & Slopes at your appointed time and into the Ancient Agora, Hadrian’s Library, Kerameikos, Aristotle’s School [Lyceum], Olympieion, and the Roman Agora anytime within five days of the ticket date. That’s a lotta ruins!
With only a day and a half in Athens, we decide to throw caution to the wind and buy the combo tickets. I figure that for the extra €10, we’re bound to visit at least one of the other sites. Most of them cost around €10, so we only have to visit one additional site to get our money’s worth.
We visit the Ancient Agora the day after our visit to the Acropolis, so for us, the combo ticket paid for itself, just. Here’s some advice on How to Spend a Perfect Artsy Traveler Day in Athens that includes a visit to the Ancient Agora.
Here’s the fabulous Temple of Hephaestus in the Agora.
I recommend you buy the combo ticket if you think you’ll have time to explore other sites. The Ancient Agora is definitely worth a visit.
After buying combo tickets, we go in search of a café to have a drink while we wait. My daughter, Julia, chooses a donut that looks like it will be a tasty, if indulgent, treat.
Unfortunately, it’s drier than a vat of pixie dust. We should complain and get our €3.50 back. But I don’t have the heart since the server was so cheery when she seated us. We leave the donut virtually untouched and return to the ticket office.
NOTE: Avoid the string of cafés a few steps from the entrance to the Acropolis. There are many better places to eat in the nearby Plaka district.
Joining the Line to the Acropolis of Athens
We arrive back at the line at 5:30 and join the queue. There are quite a few people, but not so many that we feel overwhelmed. Precisely at 5:45, the turnstiles open and the line moves with surprising briskness.
Soon we’re through and ready to begin the long climb up to one of the world’s most iconic sites.
OMG! I’m at the Acropolis! Socrates walked here. Plato pontificated here. Thousands of believers made their way across these very slick stones to climb to the temples and worship the gods.
It’s one of those “pinch me” moments that make travel worthwhile.
Have you been to the Acropolis in Athens?
Oh yes. It was marvelous.
Fortunately, most people move quite slowly, what with stopping every two meters to snap pictures, so the climb feels less strenuous than it would be if the place were empty. Every few steps, we get to pause, admire the view, and catch our breath.
I listen to a Rick Steves audio commentary as I climb and learn all sorts of interesting things about what I’m seeing. I recommend Rick’s commentaries—they’re fun, informative, and not boring.
The Odeon of Herodes Atticus
On the way up to the Acropolis, we pass the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. It’s a superb open-air theater with seating for 5,000 spectators that is still used for performances. Built in 161 AD, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus has hosted stars such as Elton John, Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, and Sting.
Caption: Odeon of Herodes Atticus on the Acropolis Slopes
Slowly, slowly we climb up and up Acropolis hill until we face the monumental entrance to the Acropolis—enormous pillars soaring into the cloud-studded Athenian sky. I am suitably awed and snap away happily along with a few hundred of my fellow climbers.
Approaching the entrance to the Acropolis in Athens
What’s Up Top at the Acropolis of Athens?
When, finally, we make it to the top, all of Athens is laid at our feet which is pretty danged spectacular. We’re also standing in the shadow of the mighty Parthenon which, despite the scaffolding and the missing columns, is magnificent.
It’s the very definition of iconic.
People are everywhere, but it’s not difficult to crop them out of pictures, and everyone is in good spirits. After all, they’re in the midst of crossing a major experience off their bucket lists. Also, the temperature at around 28 C degrees with a nice breeze and the sun fast setting is just about perfect.
The front façade of the Acropolis
Warning: No Disrespecting Allowed
Resist the temptation to engage in any shenanigans while snapping pictures of the monuments of the Acropolis. Guards patrol the perimeter on the lookout for anyone daring to make light of Greece’s national treasures. They frown on people mugging for the camera with excessively silly poses or acting in any way disrespectfully.
Temple ofErechtheion at the Acropolis of Athens
The beautiful temple of Erechtheion with its columns made from the figures of women is a highlight of the Acropolis. The original statues are in the Acropolis Museum, which I talk about later in this post. The statues you’ve climbed up to see are reproductions.
But the temple is still wonderful! Who cares that most of it was rebuilt in modern times?
The Temple of Erechtheion on the Acropolis
The Parthenon
The main activity at the top of the Acropolis is walking around the Parthenon and snapping pictures of the Parthenon along with the other temples and the view of Athens from every angle.
You can eavesdrop on tour groups or listen to an audio guide to learn more about the site, or you can just look and enjoy.
The attraction of the place is its hold over our collective imaginations. The Acropolis of Athens symbolizes much of what is good in western culture as defined by the ancient Greeks. Their contributions to medicine, theater, literature, language, architecture, sculpture, and a whole lot of other useful pursuits have lasted millennia.
The world owes a lot to the Greeks, and the Acropolis of Athens stands proud witness to that debt.
We circle the Parthenon, admiring its perfect dimensions and lamenting its sorry state of disrepair. Over the millennia, it was bombed by the Venetians, had a mosque built inside of it by the Ottomans, and had bits of it removed by a certain British lord whose name begins with E.
Many Greeks are not happy that their “Elgin” marbles were removed from the Acropolis back in the day and are still in the British Museum. I hope they get them back so they can be installed in the gorgeous new Acropolis Museum that we visit next.
Temple of Athena Nike
Athena, goddess of wisdom, crafting, and victory, is one of my favorite goddesses. Perched at the edge of a cliff, the temple dedicated to the goddess Athena is the smallest temple at the Acropolis. It was built in the Iconic order (my favorite of the three orders) in 420 BC.
Sunset Over Athens
The sun is starting to sink over Athens and the guards start ushering people towards the exit. Although the Acropolis is supposed to stay open until 8 PM, that’s not exactly the case. I suppose they want everyone off before darkness falls which, considering the roughness of some of the steps, is a good idea.
The journey back down the slopes of the Acropolis is much easier than the journey up. Before long, we’re back in front of the Acropolis Museum.
Because it’s a Friday, the museum is open until 10 PM. Visiting it after an early evening climb to the Acropolis makes a perfect ending to an Acropolis outing.
Accessing the Acropolis via Elevator
If you are not able to climb the many, many steps to the Acropolis, you may be able to use the elevator. Thank you to a commenter on this post for reminding me that an elevator is available.
Note that access is strictly controlled. You need to prove you are disabled, and should call ahead to check availability. The number is +30 210 3214172 or +30 210 9238470
The ride up takes just 32 seconds!
Visiting the Acropolis Museum
This museum is an Athens must-see. It’s brand new and gorgeous and is equally awesome whether visited before or after climbing to the Acropolis. And if the weather and crowds prevent you from making the climb, the Acropolis Museum is a fine consolation prize.
Entrance to the Acropolis Museum in Athens
The three floors of the museum are large and airy with beautifully curated displays of artifacts from the Acropolis of Athens. In addition, informative videos, and lots of information in English, bring Greek history to life.
Allow at least two hours to tour the museum.
A highlight for me are the original statues from the Temple of Erechtheion. The details in the robes and hair of the women are astonishing.
On the top floor, you can see great views of the Acropolis. Since we are visiting in the evening, the floodlit ruins appear to float in the night sky.
Also on the top floor is the glass-encased “Parthenon Gallery” on which the relief sculptures of the Parthenon frieze are exhibited in continuous sequence around all four sides, mimicking the real Parthenon.
While most of the sculptures were long ago plundered by Lord Elgin, enough remain to give an idea of the splendor of the original building.
Plenty of information is provided to help visitors visualize the original friezes as well as understand the significance of the sculpted figures. It’s a pretty cool experience to walk around the four sides of the massive structure on the top floor, occasionally glancing out the window to see the real Parthenon rising into an indigo sky from the moonlit Acropolis.
On the ground floor, wide expanses of glass that you can walk over allow you to view the active archaeological dig below ground.
When to Visit the Acropolis Museum in Athens
I highly recommend visiting the Acropolis Museum in the evening, if possible. We pretty much had the place to ourselves for the entire visit. Earlier in the day, the museum can get very crowded because people often go to the Acropolis first and then visit the museum.
Here are some options for purchasing tickets to the Acropolis and the Acropolis Museum.
Where to Stay in Athens
On my recent trip to Athens, I stayed in two places–a holiday apartment for two nights and a hotel for one night. I can highly recommend both places.
Karma Athens: Located on a quiet street just around the corner from the lively Plaka district, Karma Apartments was the perfect place to stay in Athens. Our one-bedroom apartment included a private terrace that featured a peek-a-boo view of the Acropolis.
The building contains only holiday lets so it’s more like a hotel, but without a reception. However, there was an attendant there when we arrived early who kindly stored our luggage until the apartment was ready and then carried it up to our apartment on the top floor. The stairs were steep but the climb was worth it.
Hotel Lozenge: This business hotel located in the high-end Kolonaki area of Athens, and within easy walking distance of most of what you’d want to see in Athens, is clean and modern with a friendly staff and an attached bar-restaurant.
We stayed one night before flying home the next morning, and it was an excellent end-of-trip choice.
Conclusion
The Acropolis of Athens is a definite must-see if you can avoid risking heatstroke or standing in long lines for hours on end. Go late in the afternoon, if possible, scheduling your visit to the Acropolis Museum for when the museum is open late, and take your time.
It’s likely you’ll only make the climb up to the Acropolis once or twice in your life. Make sure the experience is one you look back on with fondness, remembering the thrill of treading in the footsteps of the ancients rather than the tedium of inching painfully across sun-baked stones.
Have you visited the Acropolis in Athens? Share your experience and recommendations in the Comments below.
I highly recommend including at least two or three nights in Nafplio in your Greek itinerary.
It’s well worth a visit, with its narrow streets in the old town, great views of the sea, and relatively few crowds.
During a 16-day trip around Greece, I stayed three nights in Nafplio and could easily have stayed longer.
Compared to Santorini, Nafplio feels deserted. One reason is that the large cruise ships don’t come here. As a result, most visitors either pop in for a quick visit on a tour from Athens, or stay a night or two. Many use the town as a home base to explore nearby ancient sites.
In this post, I share my suggestions for things to do in Nafplio and how to allocate your time.
I suggest spending three nights and two days, with one day devoted to a tour of Mycenae, Corinth, and Epidaurus.
Overview of Nafplio
Nafplio, also known as Nafplion and Nafplia, was the first capital of Greece from 1828 to 1834 following the Greek War of Independence.
The history of Nafplio is fascinating. Back in the 15th century, Venice conquered the region and left behind three formidable fortresses—one high atop an imposing cliff that looms over the town, one on a peninsula not visible from the town, and one out in the harbor.
Floodlit at night, the two fortresses visible from the seafront add a romantic touch to this elegant little town.
Getting to Nafplio
After a three-hour ferry ride from Naxos to Piraeus (check out my post about our three nights on beautiful Naxos), we take a private transfer to the charming city of Nafplio, a two-hour drive on a mostly empty highway.
The cost of the private transfer is about $250 and while not inexpensive, it was a much more convenient way to get to Nafplio from Piraeus. The alternative would taking a taxi into Athens and then catching a bus to Nafplio or renting a car.
When you are on a fairly tight itinerary, spending extra to save time makes good sense.
You could visit Nafplio on a day trip from Athens, but don’t! As mentioned above, Nafplio is worth at least two nights and preferably three or four.
Arrival in Nafplio
The driver drops us off in the little square in the middle of Nafplio old town a few meters above our place and points down a narrow alleyway.
Your apartment is down there.
Okay…
We trundle down the narrow street to another narrow street flanked with souvenir stores and look around hopefully. Julia spies the name of the apartment high up on a wall: 99 Dream Vacations. Now all we need to do is get in.
Staying in Nafplio
I text our host and, to my relief, she rounds the corner into our street minutes later and lets us into a beautiful apartment complete with high wood-beamed ceilings, a comfortable living room and two bedrooms.
The kitchen is stocked with provisions for breakfast—tubs of creamy Greek yogurt, along with eggs, fruit, bread, and enough coffee pods to keep me well caffeinated for the entire stay.
I highly recommend 99 Dream Vacations if you’re looking for a centrally located and reasonably-priced apartment. Here are photos of the living room and adjacent dining room.
Getting to Know Nafplio
On our first evening, we stroll around the cute streets of the old town of Nafplio, all brightly lit until late in the evening, and share a very tasty pizza at a café overlooking the Bourtzi fortress in the harbor. The fortress is one of three built by the Venetians.
As usual, the service is efficient and friendly. During our entire 16-day trip in Greece, we never once experienced poor service.
After dinner, we treat ourselves to an Italian gelato at a gelateria reputed to serve the best gelato in Greece. The server greets us in Italian, and the gelato is indeed excellent. Several hundred years of Venetian occupation have left their mark on Nafplio.
Day 1 in Nafplio – Exploring the Town
Our first full day is a semi-down day with very little planned beyond taking a cooking class at 5 pm. Nafplio is a charming and walkable town, but it’s fairly low on sights.
I recommend checking out the Archeological Museum and the Venetian Fortress of Palamidi (also known as Palamidi Castle) perched high above the town, and then spending the rest of the day relaxing, shopping, eating, and strolling (not necessarily in that order).
Archeological Museum of Nafplio
After breakfast at an outdoor cafe in Nafplio’s old town, we head to the Archeological Museum to learn all about the early inhabitants of the area—some dating back 30,000 years. This is a very old part of the world!
The Archeological Museum in Nafplio is well organized and compact and definitely worth a visit if you are interested in ancient history (and hey, you’re in Greece!).
The permanent collection includes artifacts dating from the Paleolithic period to Roman times. The most important exhibits are associated with the Mycenaean centers of the region.
All the exhibits include informative English captions. I particularly like the collections of pots, including a well-preserved Octopus pot.
A highlight of the museum is a suit of bronze armor that was found in a chamber tomb dating fthe 15th century BC. Check out the boar tooth helmet. Imagine how many boars gave their lives to make that helmet.
I also snap a picture of three reconstructed theatrical masks. As a former theater major (back in the day, I got my Master’s in theatre from the University of Toronto), I have a soft spot for Greek theater and am looking forward to our visit to the ancient Greek theater at Epidaurus.
Tourist Train in Nafplio
With the clouds threatening rain, we set off after our visit to the museum to find the hop- on-hop-off tour bus that will, according to the guidebook, take us up to the fort.
We could climb the 999 steps from the town to the top, but we won’t.
Fortress of Palamidi seen from Nafplion
At the bus stop, we discover a little tourist train next to a sign advertising a 20-minute meander around the town. With 30 minutes to spare before the hop-on-hop-off bus arrives, we decide to give the tourist train a whirl.
Feeling like toddlers on a day trip, we clamber into the train which sets off at a painfully sedate pace. My great-grandma could walk faster.
The English commentary is not particularly compelling and the only charming streets we putter down are ones we’ve already walked along.
Tourist train in Nafplion
At one point, we squeeze past the café where we had breakfast. We want to sink through the floor as the server catches our eye and kind of smirks as if to say, Really? You fell for the tourist train tour? Don’t you know it sucks?
She is right. For the next twenty minutes, we chug along, often stuck for several minutes in traffic with nothing to see either side but graffiti-scrawled walls and kids playing volleyball at the local high school.
The train circles through the modern part of the town which doesn’t have much to recommend it, with some vistas appallingly ugly.
Not all of Nafplio is charming
Finally, excruciatingly, we arrive back at the parking area only to discover that the bus has already left. So much for that plan! But no matter; the skies have been steadily darkening and we feel a few raindrops.
Rather than go up to the fort where the main attraction is views of the sea, we decide to head back to our lovely two-bedroom apartment for some R & R.
I write for a while, nap for a while, and around three o’clock, the skies clear and we venture out again.
Fortress of Palamidi
We have two hours before we need to be at our cooking class, so we catch a taxi up to the fort. The driver says he’ll return for us in one hour and that we can pay him then.
I’d read that the taxi ride from the town to the fortress should cost about 10 euros so I figure that I may as well give him my 20 euros for a round trip rather than take my chances that a taxi will be available when we emerge from the fort.
We wave a cheery good-bye to the driver and set off to explore the Venetian fort. There’s not much left of the fort itself, but the views are jaw-droppingly stunning.
We clamber and climb over the remains of the ancient fortifications, snapping picture after picture of views Nafplio that go on forever. It’s a wonderful place to visit—a Nafplio must-see for sure.
After much climbing and snapping photos of views of Nafplio, we enjoy a drink at the tiny concession inside the Palamidi Fortress.
We exit the fort precisely one hour after we arrived and find our driver waiting.
After a few wrong turns, he drops us off at Savor Nafplio Cooking School a few minutes before 5 pm. He also charges us 40 euros for a round trip that should have cost 20 euros. But what to do? I hand over the cash and chalk it up to one of the few times we are ripped off in Greece.
The cooking class is a must-do! See my post all about it.
Day 2 in Nafplio – Tour of Ancient Sites
We’re up early on our second full day in Nafplio to take a guided tour of the major archeological sites in the area: Mycenae, Corinth and Epidaurus.
I’ve read about these places for decades and seen pictures, so I’m beyond excited to finally see them in real life, especially the ancient theater of Epidaurus.
If you have a car, you can take day trips from Nafplio to visit the ancient sites. We did all three in one day, which felt very doable.
A few minutes before 9 am, we walk into the small square near our apartment and meet our driver, George. To our delight, we’re in a small van rather than a bus and traveling with just two other people—a honeymooning couple from New York.
George inches the van down a very narrow street lined with stone houses on one side and restaurant tables and chairs on the other. He makes it to the end of the road unscathed and then negotiates several tiny maneuvers to coax the van around a very tight corner hemmed in on two sides by parked cars that he passes with centimeters to spare.
It’s an impressive display of driving skill, and I feel we are in good hands.
George sets off towards the ancient city of Mycenae. He is very enthusiastic about the Mycenaeans, a still-mysterious culture that thrived around 3000 to 1700 BC, after the Minoans, but well before the Athenians (500 to 300 BC).
Mycenae
Around 1600 to 1200 BC, the city of Mycenae ruled its mighty empire from atop a hill now littered with evocative ruins and some truly marvelous tombs. Historians don’t know all that much about the Mycenaeans—who they were, where they came from, and what happened to them.
We do know that around 1200 BC, the Mycenaeans defeated Troy and became the rulers of the Aegean before mysteriously disappearing from the ancient map.
Tomb of Agamemnon
Our first stop is known colloquially as the Tomb of Agamemnon. It is very likely not Agamemnon’s tomb, but calling it the Tomb of Agamemnon is better than calling it the Tomb of Some Bronze Age Dude We Don’t Know.
Its other name is the Treasury of Atreus, which isn’t nearly as romantic nor as descriptive since the site is, definitely, a tomb. Or was.
We are the only people at the site until the honeymooners catch up with us, and I am thoroughly verklempt. Here’s the entrance to what is called a beehive tomb.
The interior of the tomb is massive, its high stone ceiling a testament to Bronze Age architectural know-how. The walls of horizontal stone blocks rise up and up to a height of more than 13 meters, decreasing in diameter the higher they go until the dome is closed.
I breathe in the smell of ancient stone and let my imagination soar to the height of the tomb. This place is almost 4000 years old. It was already ancient history when Plato walked the earth.
Try to arrive as early as possible, preferably just after the site opens to avoid the crowds. I am so grateful I was able to see the tomb on my own rather than with five dozen people all crammed together and simultaneously snapping photos. Talk about an imagination killer.
The honeymooning couple take our picture all alone in front of the tomb. Very soon, taking this same shot with no one else in it would be impossible.
In the five minutes it takes for George to drive from this site to the main site of the Mycenae Acropolis, five tour buses have pulled in. The early visitor definitely gets the best shots.
Palace of Mycenae
The sparse ruins of the palace high on a hill overlooking a spectacular view are pretty much all that’s left of a great and powerful empire. But one element is a show-stopper—and that’s the famous Lion’s Gate that dates from around 1300 BC.
I remember seeing pictures of it back when I first studied art history. It was touted as an incredible engineering achievement, considering its age. In fact, the relief of the lions is the oldest monumental relief in Europe.
The stone lintel upon which the carving of two headless lions sits weighs over 18 tons.
The Lion’s Gate at Mycenae
Awestruck, I pass through the gate and then start the climb to the top of the site. Those ancient Mycenaeans must have been in great shape. The climb is steep but worth the effort.
At the top, I take this panoramic video that shows the beauty of the surrounding countryside.
I’m captivated by an area of the ruined palace called the Artisan Quarter. This was once an extensive building complex that consisted of two stories (although only the foundations survive). Based on finds such as ivory objects, gold leaf, and remnants of semi-precious stones, archaeologists believe the buildings must have contained artists’ workshops.
Hmm, a novel about a Mycenaean jewelry maker? Maybe he’s kidnapped by the Sea People (Sardinian pirates, some think) who allegedly are responsible for conquering and destroying Mycenae? Maybe he’d taken on board a ship and rowed to Sardinia?
Contemplating the glimmerings of a plot keep me entertained when we’re back on the road driving to our next stop.
Archeological Museum at Mycenae
As with every ancient site I visited in Greece, Mycenae includes a small archaeological museum. I am particularly taken by the extensive collection of carved figurines and an intriguing ceramic snake.
Ancient Corinth
Our next step is the ancient city of Corinth. In around 400 BC during Greece’s Golden Age, the city was one of the country’s largest and most important cities, with a population of 90,000. And then the Romans swept in during 146 BC, demolished the city as they were often wont to do, and built a new city in its place in 44 BC.
As a result, most of the ruins and the artifacts in the museum are Roman, not Greek.
Nevertheless, the site is pretty darned evocative. With the sky studded with interesting clouds, I snap some good photos of the remains of a Doric temple.
Corinth is famous with Christians because of the two letters that Paul wrote in the New Testament. Several tours led by Christian clerics were prowling the site while we were there, some even gathered in circles and singing and/or praying.
The ruins are quite extensive and worth visiting. The museum also merits a look. It contains a courtyard full of Roman statues along with other artifacts, including this well-preserved mosaic.
After wandering around the ruins for a while and visiting the museum, we enjoyed a tasty and reasonably-priced traditional Greek lunch at a small nearby piazza ringed with restaurants and souvenir shops.
Corinth Canal
Nowadays, most cruise ships and freighters can’t squeeze through the Corinth Canal, but it’s still a marvel of engineering. From a vantage point on a bridge high above the canal, it’s hard to believe the canal is 24.6 meters wide and 6.4 kilometers long. From the bridge, the canal looks a lot narrower and shorter.
As far back as the 7th century BC, engineers dreamed of building a canal to connect the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Even Nero had a go. He actually broke the ground with a pickaxe and removed the first basket load of soil in 67 AD.
But then he died and the project was abandoned. It wasn’t until 1893 that the canal was finally built.
The Theater at Epidaurus
For me, the ancient theater at Epidaurus (a UNESCO World Heritage site and rightly so) is the highlight of the day. I’ve read about it and seen pictures, but nothing prepared me for its sheer size and grandeur.
Regarded as the best-preserved ancient theater in Greece, the theater was constructed in the late 4th century BC and is still used for performances.
Our guide, George, tells us that he saw a performance of Oedipus Rex in the theater when he was five and cried loudly when Oedipus died, thinking it was all real. He still comes to performances and brings his own children, assuring them it’s all make-believe.
Arrival at the Theater
The pathway from the entrance to the theater ends at the stage with the rows and rows of seats fanning upwards in a half-shell.
From the stage, the theater doesn’t look that big and I’m just a tad disappointed.
Climbing up the Theater
But then I start to climb—up, up, up with my heart pumping and my sore knees screaming. I count each step, pausing occasionally to catch my breath and note how much farther I have to go (far!).
Finally, I make it to the top and look down. A wave of vertigo makes me clutch the nearest railing. Yikes, I’m high.
The magnificent theater spreads out before me, perfectly engineered and harmoniously constructed. It’s like a poem in stone.
Waaaaay down on the stage, I hear people testing the famous acoustics that allegedly allow all 15,000 spectators to hear a pin drop.
I recommend you make the trek up the stairs to the top of theater if at all possible. You really can’t appreciate the breadth of this marvel until you see the whole theater spread before you with the hills and sky beyond.
Around the Theater
The theater is situated near the ancient sanctuary of Asklepios, which was a celebrated healing center in ancient times and dedicated to Asklepios, the god of healing.
After visiting the theater, we wander through the extensive archaeological site dotted with columns and various and sundry ruins.
It’s an extremely pleasant place in which to imagine ancient people streaming along the walkways to see a performance by that new guy, Euripedes.
Back to Nafplio
It’s been a good, long day of sightseeing. Just as we pull away from the site, the heavens open. George slogs valiantly through a violent rainstorm, but fortunately, before we have time to worry about flooding, the sun bursts out and all is well with the world for the rest of the trip back.
We spend our last evening cruising around the picturesque streets, enjoying yet another tasty Greek meal (they’re all tasty), soaking up the atmosphere in lovely Syntagma Square, and picking up a few souvenirs.
Here’s the main plaza at night.
Tours Around Nafplio
GetYourGuide offers tours of the ancient sites on the Peloponnese Peninsular that are easily accessible from Nafplio. Many more tours depart from Athens, but then you’re faced with a much longer drive each way and may not find as many small group tours.
If possible, see the ancient wonders of Mycenae, Corinth and Epidaurus from your home base of Nafplio. You’ll have more time to tour the archaeological sites as well as spend some quality time in Nafplio.
Win-win.
Conclusion
Have you visited Nafplio? Share your suggestions for artsy travelers in the Comments below.
Have your ever wanted to learn the secrets of Greek cooking? If so, then consider adding a cooking class to your Greek travel itinerary.
When you travel in Greece, you’ll find out very quickly that Greek food is drop-dead amazing and consistently tastier than any food I’ve eaten anywhere.
Sure, I’ve had great meals in France, Italy, Spain, and even North America, but Greece wins hands down when it comes to consistency, taste, and freshness.
To learn why Greek food is so great–and more importantly, how to prepare it myself, my daughter Julia and I decide take a cooking class at Savor Nafplio Cooking while staying in lovely little Nafplio.
In the three-hour class, we learn how to prepare Greek dishes and then enjoy a five-course meal complete with wine pairings.
Arrival at Savor Nafplio Cooking Class
We arrive at 5 pm to discover that we are the only two participants. Chef Kostas is a wonderful host and teacher. He keeps us enthralled and engaged throughout the class.
I’ve taken several cooking classes while traveling in Europe, and the class at Savor Nafplio Cooking ranks as one of the best.
Chef Kostas starts the evening by sharing the menu and telling us what to expect. We then dive right into work.
Main Course: Lamb Bogana
The main course of the four-course meal is lamb and potatoes. Since both must cook for at least two hours, we start by preparing the lamb followed by the potatoes. Kostas shows me how to cut slits in the lamb and insert small slivers of garlic, along with sprinklings of salt and pepper. Meanwhile, Julia is put to work making the paste to rub over the lamb.
I also peel potatoes to layer under the lamb. While we work, Kostas provides us with a wealth of useful tips and information about what we are doing—and why.
Appetizer: Beef-Stuffed Zucchini
Once the lamb and potatoes are in the oven, we set to work making the beef-stuffed zucchini. Julia and I learn how to core a zucchini (harder than it looks!), and then we prepare the meat filling. We mix fesh herbs, an egg, plenty of olive oil, and green onions with ground beef and then stuff the mixture into the hollowed-out zucchinis.
Kostas nestles three stuffed zucchinis into a pan half-filled with water. Later, we’ll smother them in a delectable egg and lemon sauce.
Tomato Salad with Cucumber Soup
Kostas teaches us how to prepare cucumbers for pureeing into a refreshing green soup. He uses small cucumbers which he says are less bitter. To ensure the soup is a pleasing color of green, but not too bitter, he instructs me to peel the cucumber in stripes. Cool tip.
Later, he serves the cucumber soup under a mound of cut up Greek salad fixings–tomatoes, onions, olives, capers and some crunchy bread bits all topped with fresh feta cheese. Delicious!
Orange Pie
Traditional Greek orange pie is what I’d call cake—a light, orange-flavored sponge soaked in an orange syrup. Kostas demonstrates how to prepare and measure the many ingredients required for the pie.
One of my jobs is to cut a roll of filo pastry into thin ribbons and then mix them with eggs and fresh orange juice. The filo is a substitute for flour. Its texture will give the pie a lighter texture than it would if made with flour. Interesting idea!
Dining at Savor Nafplio
With all the food prepared, the dining and wine tasting begins. Kostas brings out a small loaf of warm sourdough bread for us to dip in local olive oil flavored with local sea salt. The bread is so good that I eat too much of it and then later have trouble finishing all my dinner.
Kostas pairs five wines with the various courses—from a light white to an after-dinner dessert wine. Kostas explains each wine—its origins in Greece and what to expect while tasting. I thoroughly enjoy tasting the wine and sampling the dinner courses.
Here are pictures of the meal we enjoyed at Savor Nafplio Cooking.
One of the five local white wines we sampled Lamb Bogana with potatoes for the main courseOrange pie with Kaimaki ice cream for dessertTomato Salad with Cucumber SoupAppetizer of stuffed zucchini with lemon egg sauce
Booking a Class at Savor Nafplio Cooking
Kostas varies the menu depending on the preferences of the guests. We’d specified no fish or shellfish so they weren’t on the menu. He also looks at what’s fresh in the local market and consults his own mood. The menu we enjoyed may not be the menu a guest would enjoy on another night. I am, however, confident that whatever the menu, the cooking experience will be first-rate.
Carol Cram with Chef Kostas at Savor Nafplio Cooking Class
If you’re visiting Nafplio, I recommend finding three hours in your schedule to take a cooking class and enjoy a meal and wine pairings at Savor Nafplio Cooking. You get excellent value for the money and learn new cooking tips.
Cooking Classes in Greece
Here are some GetYourGuide cooking classes available in Greece:
Have you taken a cooking class while traveling? Share your recommendations in the Comments below. Here are more posts about cooking classes I’ve taken when traveling.
Are you planning a trip to Naxos and you’re not sure what to do?
Spending two or three days on the beautiful Greek island of Naxos gives you a taste of this lovely island and definitely leaves you wanting more!
I visited Naxos after spending four days on uber-touristy Santorini, and it was a relaxing revelation. Naxos feels like a Greek island where Greek people actually live. !
Plenty of visitors bask on the beaches and eat in the many harborside restaurants, but the place doesn’t feel inundated. Part of the appeal of Naxos is that cruise ships do not come here. Let’s hope that doesn’t change!
During the evening, stroll along the waterfront and through the labyrinthine lanes of the old town (called, fittingly, the labyrinth), mingle with the locals, and watch the children play in the largely car-free streets. Everyone seems to be in a good mood.
And why not? The air on a September evening is warm but not stifling, the sunset over the Aegean is magnificent, the food well prepared (and cheaper than Santorini), and the general atmosphere easy going.
In this 3-night and 2 full-day Naxos itinerary, I cover what you need to know about planning a short trip to Naxos: including where to stay, how to get around, and what to do.
I suggest you spent one day relaxing on one of the many gorgeous beaches in Naxos and one day touring the island, either on an organized tour or on your own in a rental car.
Map of Naxos: Locations Visited
Naxos is the largest island in the Cyclades and a popular destination. The map of Naxos below shows the locations I visited.
I stayed at Giorgios Beach (#1), a short walk from the main town of Chora (#2) and the ferry dock. Click a number to read more about each location.
Since Naxos is an island, you have only two choices for how you get there (unless you have your own boat or are a very strong swimmer).
While most people take the ferry from Athens or another island, you can also fly to Naxos.
If you’re island hopping, you’ll probably take the ferry. On my trip to the Greek islands, I flew from London to Santorini and then took the ferry from there to Naxos and then from Naxos to Athens.
Following is my experience of the ferry trip to Naxos.
My Experience: Leaving Santorini
We bid farewell to Aethrio Sunset Village and take a taxi to the ferry port. Unlike the old port that services the cruise ships, the ferry port is accessible by car and bus down a very steep series of switchbacks.
When our ferry arrives, we join the throngs of suitcase-toting visitors for the mad dash up the gangplank and into the cavernous hold.
The loading and unloading of a Greek ferry is the very definition of organized chaos.
The ferry workers blow whistles and gesture for us to form two orderly lines (fat chance). It doesn’t seem possible that all the people waiting with us on the dock will fit on the boat. But within a surprisingly short time, we’re all aboard.
Before we’ve even found the place to stash our luggage, the gangplank comes up and the voyage is underway.
It’s a windy day and the ferry is rocking, but we manage to locate the luggage area marked “Naxos” and leave our luggage before mounting the stairs to the passenger lounge.
We used Ferry Hopper to book our two ferry trips in the Greek Islands—Santorini to Naxos and Naxos to Athens. The online ticketing went smoothly, and the app was easy to use. When we boarded the ferry, we showed the tickets on the app to the attendant who scanned them and waved us through.
Traveling to Naxos
To get to Naxos from Santorini takes about 90 minutes. My daughter Julia knocks herself out with a piece of Gravol gum and I settle in to write while occasionally glancing out at the white-capped sea.
The ferry docks briefly at the island of Ios and then Naxos is next. As soon as we hear the island announced, we leap out of our seats and clatter down the stairs to the hold.
At Ios, I saw how little time is allowed for loading and unloading and I’m terrified of being left behind!
Arrival on Naxos – Stay at Kalergis Studios
We are among the first visitors off the ferry, where we find the taxi rank and are soon on our way to Kalergis Studios on Plaka Giorgios.
For our three night stay in Naxos, the small studio is perfect. It contains two beds, a tiny kitchen, a bathroom, and a balcony overlooking one of the most famous beaches in Naxos.
The reasonably-priced place (three nights cost the same as one night in Oia!) is located right on the beach and just a ten-minute stroll to Chora.
View from our suite in Kalergis Studios
Our first order of business is to enjoy a late lunch at Yannis, the beachside café adjacent to Kalergis Studios that also manages a fleet of sunbeds. The portions are enormous!
Here is the most massive hamburger Julia has ever eaten and my traditional Greek Dakos salad., a delectable combination of super fresh tomatoes, olives, onions, feta cheese and crunchy dried bread. It’s also so large that I enjoy the rest of it for lunch the next day.
Although groaningly full after our lunches, we have to jump into the Aegean Sea. Apart from our bobbing swim in the hot springs cove on the boat trip on Santorini, we’ve not yet swum from a proper Greek beach.
Agios Georgios Beach (#1 on the map above) is sandy, and the water is just the right temperature to be refreshing. It’s also very shallow, requiring a long wade out before the water’s deep enough to dive into.
We bob happily for a while before returning to our room and getting ready to check out the Naxos sunset.
Sunset on Naxos
Sunsets really are a thing in Greece! On Naxos, the most popular place from which to watch the sunset is the Portera (#2) near the old town.
Also known as the Temple of Apollo, the Portera is a huge marble gate and all that remains of the temple of Apollo that was built, but never finished, in 530 BC.
We stroll toward the Portera, but my knee is aching, so I opt to sit on a bench overlooking the boats bobbing in the harbor while Julia runs on ahead to catch the sunset from the Portera.
Here are two of her amazing shots.
The Naxos sunset just keeps on giving. Long after the sun sets, the sky continues to change in one of the most dramatic displays I’ve seen in a while.
After finally tearing our eyes from the sky, we settle on dinner at one of the many places lining the harbor in Chora, the main town on the island.
The Greek food is hearty and tasty, and the ambiance can’t be beat.
Day 1 on Naxos – Relax!
On our first of two full days in Naxos, we decide to enjoy a beach day—our only one of the entire 16-day visit to Greece.
If you have the time and you love beaches, stay longer in Naxos and explore some of its many gorgeous beaches. See the map at the end of this post with suggested options.
After breakfast, we walk only about ten feet from the café below our window to our sun loungers for the day. At a cost of 25 euros, the loungers are a bargain compared to what I’ve paid in France.
And with a breakfast like this to start the day, how can we go wrong?
We seriously do nothing for the entire day. The air is breezy and warm, the sun hot but not unbearable, the view of the sparkling blue Aegean sea restful, and the occasional swim restorative.
It’s the perfect way to relax!
And then before we know it, the sun is starting to set again and it’s time to think about an evening walk and dinner.
Schedule at least one down day during your trip. Even the most avid sightseer needs time to recharge and restore. And what better place to do it than on a balmy beach in Naxos!
Exploring Chora
Thoroughly sun-warmed and relaxed, we follow the sunset back to Chora and stroll up to the top of the town to see the view.
The town’s narrow lanes, colorful door frames and prowling cats charm at every turn. We are virtually alone as we wander around, occasionally checking out a souvenir store or snapping a picture of one of the cats.
Cycladic Village Architecture
We learn later when we go to Athens that the tight architecture of the villages in the Cyclades Islands owes a lot to pirates. Over the millennia, pirates (the so-called Sea People) have been a constant thorn in the side of peaceful occupants of islands such as Naxos.
To protect themselves, people built their villages with houses very close together and clustered around narrow, serpentine lanes that wind around and through the villages with seemingly no logic. If a pirate manages to get to such a village, they can be more easily repelled.
At least that’s what our tour guide in Athens tells us a few days later and who am I to contradict?
The result of all this pirate repelling are villages that to our modern eyes are irresistibly charming and achingly picturesque. Every turn brings into focus another angle for another photo.
Cobbled lanes and slippery steps lead up, up, up to the Venetian castle of Naxos between houses so close they can be touched with outstretched hands.
Cats in Chora
And everywhere there are cats—lounging across the tops of thick walls, tails swishing lazily in the heat, stalking around corners, skittering across the cobblestones. At one corner in Naxos’s old town of Chora, we count eleven cats in various attitudes of total relaxation.
Cats are a thing in Greece, we are discovering. They are everywhere! Most look sleek and well fed, although I think they are feral.
Their presence is a constant source of pleasure for photo-snapping tourists, us included.
Dinner in Chora
After our wandering and picture-snapping, we go in search of a well-reviewed restaurant in the labyrinth.
Google’s restaurant reviews have not failed us yet. With its 4.8 rating, Restaurant Doukato looks like a good bet—and it is.
After being seated under a huge tree in an airy courtyard, we order chicken souvlaki for two. While we wait, we watch in awe as the black-clad waiters literally run from table to table.
Julia at Restaurant Doukato
I’ve never seen servers work so hard! One young man actually sprints, while holding aloft plates of food. When our souvlaki comes, he plunks it down and rushes off, only to return seconds later to offer to help us de-skewer the chicken.
A lot of chicken souvlaki at Restaurant Doukato
The meal is plentiful and tasty. We take home what we can’t eat (the portions are HUGE in Greece) and enjoy it for dinner the next night after our tour of Naxos.
Day 2 on Naxos – Tour the Island
On our second of two full days on Naxos, we’ve booked an all-day tour that will take us inland to exlore some of the villages of Naxos.
If you don’t have a rental car, then I highly recommend taking a tour, preferably a small group one or even a private tour. But if your budget is limited or you can’t find a suitable tour, taking a big bus tour at least gives you a taste of this spectacular island.
We end up on a big bus tour, which is not our preference, but we couldn’t find a small group tour on the day we are in Naxos.
The plus is that the price is startlingly reasonable—just 30 Euros each for an eight-hour guided tour that takes us all over this big island. Here are a few tours to consider.
Starting on the Tour
As two of the last people to be picked up, we settle into our seats in the second to last row and prepare to enjoy ourselves. Unfortunately, my ability to hear the guide’s commentary (and I do love a good commentary) is marred by the incessant chattering of the two women behind me.
I don’t want to be that person by asking them to be quiet, but all my attempts at subtle body language cues such as glancing back, cupping my hand around my ear, leaning forward and so on fail to produce the desired quietude.
And since they are speaking French, I can’t even eavesdrop.
Other than putting up with their rudeness (and to add insult to injury, they are fellow Canadians!), the tour is an admittedly efficient way to see the highlights of Naxos with minimal effort.
What to See on Naxos
On our 8-hour bus tour, we explore several villages on the island along with other must-see sites. If you have your own wheels, you can see these sites over more than one day and take your time.
But I found that a bus tour, while “touristy” was worthwhile, and gave me a good overview of the island’s fascinating history dating back millenia. Here are the places we visited, with details about each following:
Demeter’s Temple
Damalas
Chalki
Apiranthos
Apollonas
Colossus of Dionysius
Demeter’s Temple
We leave the town of Chora and head up into the hills. Right away, we see that Naxos is very different from Santorini.
As the largest of the Cyclades Islands, Naxos’s ecosystem is very different from desert-like Santorini. Although dry, the landscape is much more verdant with plenty of greenery and high mountains framing views of the ever-blue Aegean.
There is a great deal of agriculture here, including olive oil production, which explains the delectable freshness of the food. We’re told that Naxos grows most of the food consumed on the island.
It’s no wonder the tomatoes taste like they’ve just been twisted from the vine because they probably have.
Our first stop is the temple of Demeter (#3) which we’re told dates from 530 BC. Over the centuries, the temple suffered attacks and repurposing, including the building of a small Christian basilica in its center.
As is the case throughout Greece, the marble and other materials from ancient temples were frequently used to build Christian churches. I learn that the impressive looking ruins were rebuilt in 1977.
Temple of Demeter in Naxos
The Temple of Demeter doesn’t take long to explore and includes a small museum that we pop into.
If you go, try timing your visit for first thing in the morning or later in the afternoon when the tour buses are all gone. You’ll have the evocative ruins all to yourself.
Pottery Workshop in Damalas
We stop in the village of Damalas (#4) to watch a pottery demonstration. The potter throws a pot with impressive speed and accuracy.
I’ve dabbled in pottery a bit and recognize expertise when I see it. His pot comes out perfectly.
Pottery demonstration in the village of Damalas on Naxos
The small store adjacent to the workshop sells an impressive array of plates, jugs, platters, and figurines. I purchase a bowl and resolve that it will be my one pottery purchase of the trip.
I have a soft spot for buying pottery while traveling, but I have only a carry-on this trip and must make hard choices.
Chalki
The tour progresses at a brisk rate with frequent stops, the next being the charming village of Chalki (#5) where we have forty minutes to wander the picturesque alleys and sample olive oil and citron liqueur.
I buy a can of olive oil and a small bottle of the liqueur because, well, why not?
The town also contains an ancient Byzantine church called Panagia Drosiani that dates from the 4th to 6th centuries AD. We tale a quick look inside; the frescoes are impressive.
Apiranthos
The village of Apiranthos (#6) is billed as the most famous village in Naxos because of its marble cobbled streets (slippery when wet), narrow lanes, and panoramic views.
It is definitely charming, and we enjoy a stroll around.
A strip of cafés cater to the tour bus people, but we do our best to escape and walk up into the village in the short time allocated.
Alleyway in the village of Apiranthos
Apollonas
Between Apiranthos and the seaside village of Apollonas (#7) lies some seriously twisty-wisty mountain roads. Our driver takes us around sharp curves and up steep slopes that would be challenging to negotiate in a small car, never mind a bus the size of a whale on wheels.
I’m very, very glad I decided not to rent a car on Naxos. If you really don’t like tours, then a car is your only option, but make sure you have nerves of steel!
The views are stunning in this remote area of the island. Our guide tells us about some of the tiny villages we lumber through. Historically, life was very harsh and populations are decreasing.
Finally, we reach the seaside and our final major stop of the day.
It’s almost 3 pm and well past time for lunch. The village of Apollonas clusters alongside a white sand beach. Several inviting cafés await the influx of the tour buses.
We find a table right at the edge of the water and order the best lunch of our entire trip (which is saying something).
View from our lunch spot in Apollonas
Tzatziki is one of our favorite Greek dips and we eat it several times, but nothing tops the flavor, texture, and garlic content of the tzatziki at the little café in Apollonas.
We devour it along with a massive Greek salad and an order of saganaki (Greek fried cheese).
Kourus Statue – AKA the Colossus of Dionysius
Our last short stop is to admire a prone, large, and unfinished marble statue that is over 10 meters in height, weighs 80 tonnes, and dates to the 8th century BC.
Because the statue wears a long cloak and has long hair and a beard, most researchers think it depicts Dionysius, but some disagree and favor Apollo. I don’t suppose they’ll ever know for sure.
Verdict on the Big Bus Tour
Taking the bus tour did at least allow us to see a lot of Naxos. If it’s your only option, then definitely take a big bus tour rather than miss out on seeing the stunning Naxos countryside.
But if possible, opt for a small group tour or a private tour. Yes, you’ll pay more, but you’ll also avoid long waits getting on and off the bus and chatty people who talk over the commentary.
You’ll also likely go on smaller roads that the big buses can’t access, and you won’t feel quite so much like a tourist!
Last Night in Chora
We arrive back in Chora (AKA Naxos town) around 5 pm and return to Kalergis Suites for one last swim in the Aegean before the sun sets.
For dinner, we eat leftovers from our souvlaki dinner the night before. It tastes even better the second night—and the price can’t be beat!
In the evening, we stroll the fifteen minutes back to Chora to poke through the many souvenir stores and enjoy the relaxed ambience, very different from bustling Santorini.
I will definitely return to Naxos for a longer stay.
Leaving Naxos
Bright and early, we bid farewell to Kalergis Suites and take a taxi back to the port. More or less on time, the ferry churns in.
Along with 500 of our new friends, we surge up the gangway and stash our luggage. Before we’re halfway up the stairs to the passenger lounge, the ferry is pulling away from the port and we’re off.
The Joys of Upgrading
We find and settle into two very tight seats with no view and no leg room in tourist class. The voyage takes almost four hours, and Julia decides to check on upgrading to business class.
Off she goes to inquire, returning ten minutes later with upgraded tickets (25 euros each). We mount the interior staircase to business class where we discover that the extra cost is well worth the increased comfort of much wider seats and a view of the passing sea.
I’m all for saving money, but more and more, I opt for comfort over budget whenever I can.
With more room, I’m able to work on my computer when I’m not enjoying the view.
Practical Information for Your Naxos Itinerary
First off, do I think 2 days on the island of Naxos is enough? No, I can’t say that I do, but if it’s all you have, you can still get a good feel for this lovely island.
I think a trip to Naxos–the biggest island in the Cyclades–belongs in any Greek island-hopping itinerary that includes the Cyclades.
To save time, you can fly to Naxos from Athens and then from there do some Greek island hopping, perhaps to nearby Paros which is much smaller and with fewer visitors.
Paros is so close that you can home base on Naxos and do a quick day trip to Paros.
Should Your Rent a Car on Naxos?
You can rent a car on Naxos, but the roads in the interior are very narrow and steep. Unless you’re staying on the island for at least a week and need a car to get from your accommodation to stores and restaurants, I wouldn’t bother.
You can see the island on a day tour like we did, and then stay near Chora so you can easily walk to where the action is.
Best Beaches in Naxos
If you don’t have a car, the best beach for you is the one closest to your accommodation. We stayed on Agios Georgios Beach (#1), and I can recommend it for its sandy beach and warm water. The water is also very shallow and so a good choice for travelers with families.
Here are some other options, all located on the west coast of Naxos as shown on the map:
Agios Prokopios Beach (#2) is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on Naxos with its long stretch of golden sand. You’ll find lots of amenities including sun beds to rent and tavernas to drink in.
Plaka Beach (#3) is known as a windsurfer’s dream and is backed by beautiful cedar trees that provide welcome shade on super hot days.
Alyko Beach (#4) is very picturesque with its sand dunes and rocky cliffs, and is a bit more secluded.
Mikri Vigla Beach (#5) boasts dramatic rock formations and is very secluded; a good choice if you’re looking for a unique landscape.
Kastraki Beach (#6) is known for its calm water which makes it a good choice for families. You’ll find several beachside tavernas with stunning views.
Pyragki Beach (#7) is another secluded cove with dramatic rock formations and good snorkeling.
Our trip to Greece included only two islands—Santorini and Naxos. I wish we’d had time to visit more, but as first-time visitors, we chose the best-for-us Greek island combo.
Santorini has the stupendous views, and Naxos has the laid-back atmosphere and rugged interior.
We stayed four nights on Santorini and three nights on Naxos, which worked well. Although I prefer Naxos for its relaxed Greek vibe, I’d still recommend giving Santorini a bit more time because there is a great deal to see.
Also, the longer you have to enjoy the views of the caldera on Santorini at many different times of day, from sunset to sunrise, the better.
But on my next trip to Greece, I’ll stay a full week on Naxos or another less-visited island and skip Santorini.
Have you visited Naxos? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Staying in Oia is a must-do for the Santorini-bound traveler. The gorgeous little whitewashed town is one of several that frosts the tops of Santorini’s striated brown and ochre cliffs like plaster beads on a string.
Above is a blue sky occasionally studded with drifting clouds. Below is the deep, deep blue sea. Oia is so breathtakingly beautiful that it doesn’t seem real.
Each time I look out at the view of the caldera, I repeat the phrase the wine-dark seas of Odysseus that I remember reading many decades ago when I studied Homer. And yes, although the sea is blue, “wine-dark” perfectly describes it. Perhaps because I know the role Greece has played in forming Western civilization or maybe because the Aegean sea really is different, I sense a richness and a depth to the water that is unmatched by any other body of water I’ve seen.
I can easily imagine Greek triremes sailing across sea, the soldiers’ helmets shining in the strong sunlight, spears at the ready.
Overview
People have lived on beautiful Santorini forever—or so our guide tells us during our tour of the island on our second day. And indeed, evidence of human habitation goes way, way back—even to the lost city of Atlantis.
Was Santorini Atlantis? No one knows! But an attraction—to style it a museum is a stretch—called The Lost Atlantis Experience is built around the notion that Santorini and Atlantis are one and the same. More on the Atlantis myth later!
In this post, I chronicle the four nights and three full days I spent on Santorini with my daughter, Julia (read more about Julia and her adventures as a crochet artist here). Santorini is the first stop on our 13-day whirlwind trip through Greece that includes a week in the Cyclades (Santorini and Naxos) and 8 days exploring the Greek mainland.
Map of Santorini: Locations Visited
The map of Santorini below shows the locations I visited. I stayed in the town of Oia (#1), which is at the northern tip of the island about 40 minutes drive from Fira and from the airport. Click a number to read more about the location.
An easy four-hour flight takes us from London Gatwick to Santorini. Our bags are already on the carousel by the time we deplane and go through customs (a very fast process). We emerge into the arrivals hall to find a driver holding up my name. Private transfers don’t come cheap, but I have to say they are well worth the money.
Twenty-five minutes later, our driver pulls up to the outskirts of little Oia, located on the far northern tip of the arc of Santorini Island. The main city, Fira, is in the middle, and at the other end is Akrotiri, site of an ancient Minoan city.
Checking In to the Aethrio Sunset Village
Our hotel is the Aethrio Sunset Village, chosen for its location in the center of the network of tiny, cobbled laneways in the heart of Oia and its relatively reasonable (for Santorini) price. We quickly discovered when looking for accommodations that Santorini is not cheap, at least not if you want to stay in a walkable location.
The Aethrio Sunset Village turns out to be an excellent choice. Our air-conditioned little suite includes a small kitchen, a living room and a bedroom, along with a small private courtyard. It’s the perfect refuge after exploring Oia and the rest of the island in the September heat.
Pool at the Aethrio Sunset Village in Oia
First Exploration of Oia
After getting settled, I go exploring. Julia is not feeling well, so my first stop is the pharmacy. On the way, I pass shop after shop selling a plethora of intriguing looking souvenirs. I mostly resist, in the hope of finding similar offerings when we go to Athens. I’ve read that the same souvenirs are cheaper in the Athens markets than on the expensive islands of Santorini and Mykonos.
Later, I buy a pendant that the shopkeeper assures me is made by a jeweler on the island and is not found in any other shop. So far as I can tell after much perusing of the shops, he’s telling the truth. I never see a similar one, whereas several of the designs are ubiquitous.
Crowds in Oia
Oia can be crowded, especially when a lot of cruise ships are anchored out in the caldera, and it is certainly touristy. Every shop and café caters to visitors; the only locals are those who work in them.
In some ways, the village feels like Oia Land, a sub-land of Santorini Land, but that’s only on the surface. I’d hate to make the trip to Santorini only for a day because it deserves more time. If at all possible, stay in Santorini for at least three nights.
I’m in Oia!
Our First Dinner in Oia
The hotel makes us a reservation for a sunset view table at Kyprida Restaurant so we can watch the sun dip into the Aegean Sea in comfort. It’s the perfect choice. We enjoy our first Greek meal—chicken souvlaki for Julia and prawns and salad for me. While we eat, we witness the famous Santorini sunset, which turns out to be one of the most breathtaking sunsets I’ve ever seen—and I live on an island in a house that faces west!
First Full Day in Oia
On our first full day, we decide to lie low. Julia is suffering from jet lag and possibly a cold. At Aethrio Sunset Village, we enjoy our first Greek breakfast of yogurt, honey, and fresh bread (divine). We then spend the morning doing very little. We’ve booked a boat trip for the afternoon but are able to postpone it until Friday.
Relaxing by the Pool in Oia
For most of the day we alternate between hanging by the pool and walking around the tiny streets of Oia, snapping endless pictures and checking out the shops. Yes, it’s touristy, but the views! They really are stunning. Pictures can’t do it justice, although I have probably 100 pictures on my phone to prove that I tried.
There is no vehicular traffic within Oia, making it a very restful place to wander around, particularly when the crowds abate.
Dinner Overlooking the Caldera
In the evening, we dine at Flora Restaurant, which overlooks the caldera.
Julia at Flora Restaurant in Oia
The extremely good-looking Greek waiters are efficient and friendly. Here’s my lamb shank, which the waiter assures me is the best in Oia. I can’t verify that, but it is extremely tasty!
My dinner at Flora Restaurant in Oia
Over the next few days, we are to discover that the service at the restaurants and cafés of Oia is far superior to what we experience in Fira, the capital of Santorini (AKA Thira) and by far the most crowded place on the island.
NOTE: While visitors refer to the island as Santorini, its real name—and the one locals use—is Thira.
Exploring Santorini on a Private Tour
On Day 2, we’ve planned to take a small group tour of the entire island. After lunch at yet another caldera-view restaurant with excellent service and terrific traditional Greek food, we meet our guide outside the Hungry Donkey café on the road that skirts Oia.
Private Tour
Our small group tour turns out to be a private tour because another couple canceled. Fine by me! We get a private tour for the price of a small group tour. Our friendly and very knowledgeable guide tells us we can go and do whatever we wish for the next five hours or follow his itinerary or do a combo of the two. We choose the latter and ask him to take us to a winery to sample some local wines and then to the Lost Atlantis Experience and end with a view of the sunset. He can fill in the remaining time with whatever he thinks we’ll enjoy.
The five-hour tour is a fabulous way to see a great deal of Santorini in comfort.
The Art Winery
First stop is the Art Winery, reputed to be the oldest winery on the island. I ask how long wine has been produced on the island. Forever is the answer. Always forever! This is a very old part of the world in terms of documented human habitation!
After I snap a few pictures of the artwork, we take a short tour, learn a bit about the production, and finally taste five wines. All of them are excellent. We’re told that outside of Santorini these wines are prohibitively expensive because so few bottles are produced. Even Gordon Ramsay favors wine from the Art Winery.
I buy a bottle that is packaged for safe transport home in my suitcase. It’s a robust white wine that I’m looking forward to enjoying in the depths of winter in the hope of reviving memories of sun-drenched Santorini.
Highest Point on Santorini
Next is a drive up, up, up to the highest point of the island where a small monastery sells olive oil and other delicacies. Julia buys a bottle, and we admire the stunning views. Not for the first time since coming to Santorini, I’m glad that I decided not to rent a car. The road to the summit is a series of very steep switchbacks with sheer drops. With a pro at the wheel, I can relax.
View of Santorini from the highest point
Lost Atlantis Experience
Our guide wants to take us to Red Beach, but we ask to instead to driven to the Lost Atlantis Experience. Big mistake! I’d thought this would be a Santorini must-see. I am wrong. It’s kind of an Atlantis theme park complete with interactive exhibits featuring Plato discussing Atlantis and an actual theme-park-style ride.
The exterior of the Lost Atlantis Experience
The 9D Experience
‘Touted as a 9D experience (I didn’t count), the experience consists of being strapped into a seat and given 3D glasses. The screen comes to life and for about ten excruciating minutes, we’re taken on a virtual roller coaster ride through an ancient civilization that may or may not have been Atlantis, which was then destroyed when the volcano now at the center of the caldera erupted.
Cue many close-up shots of frightened Atlanteans fleeing for their lives, followed by flowing lava and falling rocks punctuated by literal punches in my back from the seat, lots of shaking and shimmying, occasional bursts of water from the seat rests, and the odd blast of cold air that is actually quite welcome. I don’t taste or smell anything so I’m not sure what is 9D about the experience.
We share our Atlantis experience with a Russian couple who are quite affronted that none of the available languages in the headsets is Russian. Afterwards, we are ushered through various exhibits by the endearingly earnest staff. There are more staff than visitors during our visit. Hopefully, that’s not always the case since I imagine the ride and exhibits cost a fair bit to maintain.
Should You Go?
The fourteen-euro-per-person charge is steep for what we get. But we gamely watch as many of the screens as we can before finally being released into the gift shop. I buy an Atlantis mouse pad and Atlantis mug for Gregg who has long been an Atlantis fan. It’s cheesy, but whatever.
I imagine our guide wonders why we want to waste our time and money on the Lost Atlantis Experience, but he is polite enough not to say. My advice? It’s the Lost Atlantic Experience is not worth a visit unless you’re traveling with children who will probably enjoy the interactive exhibits.
Megalochori
He takes us next to the traditional village of Megalochori, a tranquil place with only a handful of gift shops and some enticing looking restaurants. It feels like a place inhabited by locals. Our guide (we never catch his name) takes us into a cave that was inhabited until the 1990s. It’s extremely dank and unpleasant; hard to believe people lived there in modern times. Of course, now you pay very big euros to stay in a cave in Oia, but I think those caves are quite a bit swankier.
The cave was inhabited until the 1990s
Black Sand Beach
Our guide drives to the south side of the island and along a beautiful stretch of black sand beach. Black sand beaches are found in only a handful of places in the world—Iceland, New Zealand, Hawaii, and Santorini (and I’ve been to them all!).
Sunset Over Firostefani
Finally, we return to the steep rim of the caldera to wait for the sun to set. Our guide jokes about people flocking to watch something that has happened every day “forever”, but he stands with us, his tanned face a ruddy gold from the sun’s rays. I ask him if he ever gets tired of the view, and he says never—and he was born and bred on Santorini. He tells us that the island didn’t get electricity until 1971, just a few years before he was born.
Here’s a video I shot as the sun sets over another lovely day on Santorini.
The Road Back to Oia
After watching the sun disappear into the sea, our guide drives us back to Oia along a cliff-hugging road with views out to the Aegean on both sides. Magical!
Why Take a Tour of Santorini?
In the over fifty years since the advent of electricity, Santorini has developed into a world-class destination. Our guide tells us that he doesn’t even recognize the island anymore. Although he makes his living taking tourists around the island, he agrees that there are too many visitors and that reducing the number of ships allowed on any one day would be wise.
I’m glad we’ve driven the length and breadth of the island and seen places that are relatively tranquil.
During the tour, we discover that the back side of Santorini facing in the opposite direction from the caldera is beautiful in a bleak kind of way, but lacks the drama of the caldera-facing views. The vegetation is very sparse, the soil extremely dry, and the architecture not as pristine as that in places such as Oia, which really is postcard perfect.
Here’s a video I shot of the caldera that really shows off the deep blue of the sea.
Final Full Day
Our last full day is a busy one. Since we’ve postponed the boat trip to today, we must combine it with our planned trip to Akrotiri at the far end of the island. As it turns out, we have plenty of time to do and enjoy both and still squeeze in an excellent lunch at a restaurant overlooking the water in super-busy Fira.
Getting to Akrotiri
We intend to take the public bus—a trip that will require 90 minutes and two buses if we get the connections to sync up. At the bus station in Oia, I spy a taxi and ask him how much to Akrotiri. He tells me 55 euros. Hmm. Seems steep compared to 4 euros each for two bus trips—Oia to Fira and then from Fira to Akrotiri. I dither. But the bus doesn’t appear to be coming, and our time is limited.
I shrug and accept the taxi driver’s option, and soon we’re sailing across the island all the way from one end to the other. It’s a good 40-minute drive from Oia to the opposite tip of Santorini, and worth the extra 43 euros.
The more I travel, the more value I put on my time. If I’m faced with a choice between spending 90 minutes on crowded busses that may or may not depart on time and taking a comfy 40-minute drive in an air-conditioned taxi, I’m more and more inclined to opt for the taxi.
While getting around Santorini is fairly easy on the bus, I recommend you occasionally consider taking a taxi if by so doing you save time.
Touring Akrotiri Archeological Site
Akrotiri is an impressive archaeological site that, thankfully, is shielded from the glaring Santorini sun by a massive cover. To fully appreciate the site, a guide is needed—something we didn’t have. As we stroll around the walkways, we occasionally cozy up to a guided tour to eavesdrop.
I learn that the site was occupied for many hundreds of years by Minoans who built sturdy three-story houses, had indoor plumbing, and well laid out streets.
The large city (only a fraction has been excavated so far) was destroyed by a volcanic eruption in 1700 BCE (as in about 3700 hundred years ago). Akrotiri, while impressive, is not as interesting as other sites I’ve visited, such as Pompeii. To fully appreciate it, we need to visit the Thira Archaeological Museum back in Fira.
Bus to Fira
We leave the site and see a bus marked Fira and so jump on. The two-euro-per-person fare gets us to the town in plenty of time to visit the archaeological museum and have lunch. I’m relieved that we’ve avoided another expensive taxi ride, much as I enjoyed it.
Thira Archaeological Museum
This little gem of a museum is a must-see for visitors also wishing to visit Akrotiri—or even if not. Of the two, the museum gives a much better idea of the Minoan civilization.
The variety and sophistication of the artifacts, particularly the pottery, is astonishing.
A highlight are the reconstructed frescoes depicting Minoan women, youths, palm trees, and geometric patterns. The techniques used to create the frescoes appear very similar to the techniques used in the Middle Ages.
Checking Out Fira
We have plenty of time to explore Fira before we need to be down in the old harbor to embark on our five-hour boat tour.
Our first impression is that the town is Oia on steroids and not in a good way. Much like Oia, the narrow, cobbled lanes are packed with souvenir stores and restaurants, but there are many, many more stores and a ton more people. We are visiting on a day when only one large ship is in port. I’d hate to be there when there are five cruise ships as there were on our first day in Santorini when we wisely lay low.
No wonder the people of Santorini are discussing levying a day-use fee to visitors. I doubt even a 20-euro fee would deter visitors, but at least the money would help with the island’s infrastructure.
Lunch in Fira
Service is slow and indifferent but the caldera view is stupendous and the food, as always, is excellent, fresh and tasty, particularly the very juicy red tomatoes.
Descending to the Old Port
We make our way to the cable car that will whisk us down to the old port. We ride with two people from Toronto who are returning to their cruise ship. They are surprised that we are not also cruise passengers and impressed we’re traveling around Greece on our own.
Santorini Boat Trip
We are early for our tour, but no matter. We wait in the shade for the boat to arrive—an old wooden two-masted boat that allegedly seats 80 people. The guide informs us that there are only 40 people on our tour which fills the boat without overcrowding. We find seats at the bow.
Julia suffers from seasickness, so she is nervous, but for most of the trip she manages, though feeling seriously peaked by the end.
Walk on Nea Kameni
Our first stop is the uninhabited island of Nea Kameni, which is an active volcano. I’ve been told that the walk to the top is a leisurely 20-minute stroll. It is not! I set off with all good intentions but decide to stop about a third of the way up and wait in the shade while Julia goes on ahead.
But then a very nice couple from Lyon in France asks me why I’m not going any farther. I say I’m tired, but they insist I should try.
Doucement! they say. Go slowly. I relent and start off up the next steep slope. At the top, I again try to stop, but they won’t hear of it. Very kindly, they stay with me all the way to the top. I am happy I persevere. The view at the top is spectacular.
Kostas, our guide, describes what we’re seeing and reminds us that the volcano is still very much active. It will erupt (not “may” erupt) in about 80 years, if not sooner. Who knows? The volcano has already blown its top a few times, burying civilizations, including, possibly, Atlantis.
Costas describes the volcano
The walk back down from the volcano is not as taxing as the walk up, but it’s hot and the path is slippery. The guide exhorts us to look down constantly to avoid nasty accidents, of which he tells us he’s seen a few.
Swimming in the Hot Springs
Back on the boat and feeling proud of myself, I get ready for the next activity—a swim in the ocean. The boat ploughs through choppy seas to the island of Palea Kameni where we anchor. Passengers who want to swim (me included) descend the ladder into the cool sea. The temperature is about 22 degrees, which is just perfect.
The swim from the boat to the hot springs takes about ten minutes and is heavy going because the sea is choppy. Julia opts to use a pool noodle, but I strike out on my own. As I swim, the water gets progressively warmer until it’s about 27 degrees and shallow. I’m able to stand up, which I do, and promptly seriously stub my baby toe. Later, back at the hotel, I discover it is black and bruised. A casualty of traveling.
Stop at Therasia
Next stop after swimming is a quick visit to the island of Therasia where only about 300 people live, their principal occupation being fishing. We dock at the bottom of a steep cliff with stairs leading up to the village at the top. At the port, there are only a handful of small taverns servicing the boat tours. I enjoy a Sprite and watch the cats beg for food.
Feral cats freely roam here as they do in Oia and all of Santorini (and Naxos, as we discover later). They look remarkably healthy and are very friendly, probably because they know they’ll get lots of pats and free food from all the tourists.
Sunset from the Caldera
The finale of the boat trip is a front row seat at sunset. We power over to an area where several other boats are anchored facing the setting sun. We are each given a glass of bubbly wine and settle down to watch the sun sink slowly in the west, the way it has forever.
Kostas brings out his guitar and serenades us as the light turns golden and the cares of the world seem far away.
Sun begins to set in the CalderaJulia admires the sunset from the boat
The word “magical” is used frequently to describe the Greek island experience, and truly, it is the best word.
Another word is “supernatural”, in all its many senses. I feel the presence of ancient Minoans who sailed these very seas, of Greeks heading for Troy, of pirates and Crusaders and finally tour boats.
These seas have witnessed millennia of human activity.
These seas have been here forever.
Options for Sailing Tours
Here are some sailing tours you can purchase through Tiquets.com
My Recommendations for Enjoying Santorini
First off, should you visit Santorini? It’s crowded, touristy, and a bit crass. It’s also amazingly, spectacularly beautiful and one of the principal tourist destinations in Greece. So yes, I recommend you make a visit to Santorini at least once.
Stay in Oia Rather than Fira
A friend back in Canada told me we had to change our reservation from Fira to Oia, and we are very glad we took her advice. While Oia requires a bit more effort to reach, it’s well worth it. Oia really is Santorini’s most gorgeous location, which is saying something because just about every location along the edge of the caldera affords magnificent views.
But Oia also has the blue-domed churches clustered in photogenic spots, is a very walkable town, and boasts friendlier servers (at least in our experience). Oia offers a more upscale atmosphere, and is also very popular with honeymooners. Prepare to see a lot of cuddling couples, some dressed in their wedding gear and getting their picture taken at sunrise and/or sunrise.
Hike From Oia to Fira
If you’re feeling energetic (and I confess I was not), you can hike from Oia to Fira, or the other way round. You’ll pass through the little village of Imerovigli, and enjoy jaw-dropping views along the way. If it’s hot, go very early in the morning.
The 10 km hike takes about 2.5 hours, although that time will probably be much higher since you’ll be stopping every ten feet to snap yet another photo!
Comparing Service between Oia and Fira
We notice a distinct difference in service between Oia and Fira, which must absorb all the cruise ship passengers every day. In Fira, our food and drinks are pretty much thrown at us and smiles are thin on the ground. On the other hand, the food is tasty.
Although still crowded, Oia is smaller, more intimate, and less frantic than its bigger sister. There are also plenty of excellent options for eating in Oia, and the goods in the shops are of higher quality with fewer shops devoted exclusively to selling schlock.
I enjoyed a long conversation with a guy in a jewelry shop as he packaged up the pendant I bought. He was in no hurry to rush me out, and was happy to answer my questions about living on Santorini. In Fira, the shopkeepers just looked kind of tired.
Iconic shot of Oia showing the famous 3 blue domes
Sunsets at Oia
Oia is famous for its sunsets, with people coming from all over the island to jockey for position. It’s a bit off-putting to watch people pushing and shoving, cell phones held aloft. The best way to see a sunset is to reserve a table at a restaurant that faces the sunset, as we did on our first night.
If you don’t do that, this is what you may see.
View of a sunset from behind the crowds
Another Reason to Stay in Oia
In the evening after the boat trip and dinner, we catch the bus from Fira back to Oia and sit right at the front. The roller coaster ride in the dark with sheer drops to our right as the bus driver skillfully coaxes his massive bus around numerous switchbacks takes a few years off my life.
But when we arrive at Oia, we see a massive lineup of people waiting to catch the bus back to Fira after watching the sunset in Oia. There is no way they will all fit on the bus which means many will be waiting an hour for the next bus—and it’s already 10 pm. This bottleneck after sunset is reason enough to make Oia your home base.
Also, staying in Oia means more opportunities to take night shots like this.
Sunrises in Oia
For us, one of the many highlights of staying in Oia instead of staying in Fira is the opportunity to witness the sunrise. On our last morning, we get up at 6:30 and station ourselves at a viewpoint that during the day and especially at sunset is clogged with tourists. We are virtually alone as we wait for the sun to rise over the blue domes.
The air is still and warm and a slight wind ruffles the cascades of bougainvillea and carries the sounds of twittering birds. I look past the jumble of whitewashed buildings and the turquoise rectangles of private pools on private terraces of places that cost a small fortune to stay in, and fix my gaze on a view that has enchanted people for millennia.
Conclusion
Stay at least three nights—preferably four or five— in Oia to fully explore the island, and to experience Oia at all times of the day, from the crazy crowds at sunset to the quiet afternoons to the pearly dawns.
While accommodation bargains can be had by staying on the opposite side of Santorini from the caldera, I wouldn’t bother. Splurge and stay in Oia and then visit another less touristy island for a more Greek experience.
Santorini can be reached by plane or ferry. We arrived by plane and left by ferry to visit the island of Naxos—another highly recommended Greek island.
Consider taking a Rabbie’s small group tour of Southwest England to discover one of England’s most beautiful (and visited) regions.
When I travel on my own, I often take small group tours so I can efficiently explore local sites. Usually, I opt for day tours (see my posts about tours in the Cotswolds and Yorkshire). But on a recent, longer trip to the UK, I chose a four-day, three-night small group tour of Devon and Cornwall with Rabbie’s Tours.
Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Rabbie’s operates dozens of tours throughout the United Kingdom and Europe. Their reviews are excellent and the prices reasonable. I figured I couldn’t lose—and I was right. In this post, I present a day-by-day account of what I experienced on my four-day, three-night Rabbie’s small group tour, starting in Bristol.
Spoiler Alert: I cheerfully recommend a Rabbie’s small group tour, particularly if your time is limited.
Map of Southwest England: Locations Visited
The map of Southwest England below shows the locations I visited. I stayed in Falmouth (#5) for two nights and Exeter (#23) for one night. Click a number to read more about the location.
Setting Off on a Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
Bright and early at 8:00 am on September 1, I’m out front of the Doubletree Hilton Hotel in Bristol (#22 on the map), where I meet the first two people I’ll be touring with, a couple from Virginia in the US. They tell me this will be their fourth Rabbie’s small group tour. This bodes well since they have only positive things to say about the tours they’ve taken to Wales and Scotland.
We board and soon stake out our personal space for the next four days. With the entire 16-seat van at our disposal, we each have our own row. It’s delightful to spread out across two seats with another across the aisle rather than having to share the admittedly narrow seats with a stranger for four days.
Matt, our guide and driver
Day 1: Somerset to Cornwall on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
We pull away from the hotel and head out of Bristol. I settle into my seat and listen to Matt when he’s talking and then think when he’s not. Notebook open and pen at the ready, I alternate between jotting down notes about what we’re seeing and planning two new novels.
Matt reviews our itinerary for the day. We’ll travel west from Bristol along the north coast of Somerset, across Exmoor in Devon and then angle southwest to Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall—our home base for two of the three nights. He uses arrow stickies to show our route on the large map of southern England pinned above the front window.
Map with stickies showing our route on days 3 and 4 of the Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
Over the next four days, I’ll enjoy studying the map not only to follow our route but also to remember many of the places I visited when I lived in England back in the 1970s.
First Stop on the Rabbie’s Small Group Tour: Dunster in Somerset
Dunster (#1) is the home of the impressive Dunster Castle that we can only admire from afar. Since on Day 1 we must cover 225 miles, with a long stop at Tintagel, we only have time for a quick stop to wander Dunster’s sweet main street and grab a quick coffee.
Charming town of Dunster in Somerset
Lined with gift shops and restaurants, the street is as quaint as one would expect a Somerset village street to be. Most stores are closed since it’s still early, which is just as well. I need to carefully monitor my shopping if only because I’m traveling with a small carry-on and don’t have a spare centimeter for extra stuff.
On the Road to Lynmouth on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
After Dunster, we travel on from Somerset into Devon. Along the way, we scale the 25% grade road (that’s really steep) that leads up from Porlock on the coast into Exmoor National Park and down the other side to the seaside town of Lynmouth (#2).
The views at the top are probably magnificent, but we need to take Matt’s word for it. The mist has rolled in, and the view is soft and gray with hints of heather and gorse. It’s still beautiful in an atmospheric kind of way, and we do spot several wild horses.
Misty ExmoorWild Exmoor horses
Lunch in Lynmouth
We stop for an hour in Lynmouth, which is just long enough for me to walk from the car park to the harbor, get a takeout lunch of fish and chips, do a spot of window shopping, and pop into the Memorial Hall that documents two seminal events in Lynmouth’s history.
I eat my ridiculously large serving of fish and chips on the pier overlooking the placid sea. The weather continues to be gray and dull, but the air is warm, and the streets of Lynmouth are still full of holidaymakers.
Lynmouth Harbour
Flood of 1952
After lunch, I check out the Memorial Hall where I learn about the devastating flood of 1952 when over nine inches of rain fell in a very short time, resulting in a landslide that buried half the town and killed 34 people in the wider area, 28 of them in Lynmouth. The excellent exhibit in the Memorial Hall includes several blown-up photographs that show the devastation, a well put together and sobering memorial.
Flood damage in Lynmouth
Rescue of the Forrest Hall
Lynmouth is also famous for a daring rescue undertaken in 1899 by local townspeople. When a ship called the Forrest Hall foundered off Porlock Weir—the town we’d just driven through on our way to Lynmouth—the seas were so rough that local fishermen couldn’t even attempt a rescue. Rather than allow the people to perish, the intrepid fisherman of Lynmouth hauled a lifeboat called the Louisa up and over the extremely steep road we’d just traversed. The Memorial Hall includes a display of photographs about the rescue and its re-creation on the 100th anniversary in 1999.
On our way out of town, Matt plays us a song written to commemorate the rescue. The jaunty tune gets stuck in my head for hours.
Visit to Tintagel on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
A lot of driving takes us across Devon and into Cornwall, finally ending at Tintagel (#3), the highlight destination of the day. The main attraction here is Tintagel Castle, a windswept ruin perched atop a craggy island on the rugged Cornish coast. Was it the home of King Arthur? No. But that doesn’t stop the makers of souvenirs from exploiting Arthur at every turn.
Tourist shops line Tintagel’s main street leading to the long walkway to the castle. It’s colorful and tacky and crowded, although Matt tells us it’s quiet compared to what it’s like on Bank Holiday weekends.
Crossing the Bridge to Tintagel Castle
We start the trek down a very steep hill to the entrance to the castle. The word “castle” is used loosely. Folks expecgting to see a castle at Tintagel Castle (#4) will be disappointed. What you will see is an extremely dramatic setting, a very cool bridge linking the mainland to the island, and a smattering of crumbling stone walls—some quite large, most not.
Come prepared to walk and climb. A visit to Tintagel Castle requires a lot of walking, much of it over quite rough ground and up and down steep steps.
Getting to the island is almost as fun as climbing around it. A new bridge spans the gap between the mainland and the island. An open space of about four inches in the middle of the bridge allows for expansion and contraction during the often-ferocious weather that sweeps in from the Atlantic. The bridge to the ruins is sometimes closed and access cut off.
Tintagel Bridge
Exploring Tintagel Ruins
As I wander around the ruins, I try to imagine what the castle looked like back in the day. I can’t really picture it, but I do feel a sense of kinship with the early inhabitants. The view of the rugged Cornish coastline stretching to the east and west will not have changed. And if Arthur had hung out here, he’d have looked up at the same massive expanse of sky and felt the same fresh wind.
View from Tintagel Island
The large site swarms with people but doesn’t feel crowded. The castle has been rebuilt several times over the centuries because the walls keep crumbling in the elements. Hardly surprising. Bonus points for trying to build in such an inhospitable location, but in the end, nature wins.
I take a LOT of pictures.
Back to Tintagel
After exploring the island, I descend an extremely precipitous set of stairs to the bridge. I have a choice. I can either walk back up a very steep hill, which is the way I came, or I can continue down to a road and catch a Land Rover back up to the car park.
The one-way trip costs ₤2.50—a bargain, particularly because all the up-and-down climbing has inflamed my arthritic knee. To be honest, it’s screaming.
Tintagel Steps
Old Post Office in Tintagel
Back in Tintagel, I discover the fabulous old post office—a National Trust property that draws me like a magnet. The ancient building dates from the 14th century. I gleefully explore the rooms, with their massive wooden beams, uneven floors, and white plaster walls. I’m a sucker for old houses, particularly one this old. I know it’s been restored and likely doesn’t look like it did back in the day, but my imagination goes into overdrive, nonetheless.
The thick walls and tiny windows would keep in the heat but at the cost of light. It must have been very gloomy, particularly at night with light provided by only a few guttering candles.
Old Post Office in Tintagel
In the beautiful English garden behind the old post office, I chat with one of the National Trust guides about history and my novels. She’s lovely!
The Tintagel Old Post Office is open every day, with visiting hours from 10:30 to 17:30.
Rum in Tintagel
Before boarding the bus, I stop in at a place that sells local gin and rum. The shopkeeper is very accommodating. He describes the impressive range of rum-flavored spirits. I buy a small bottle of cinnamon flavored rum which I take a tipple of later in my room. It’s delicious; I wish I’d bought more!
The Rum and Gin Shop in Tintagel
Dinner in Falmouth
The first and second nights of the tour are spent in the Cornish town of Falmouth (#5) on the south coast. I’ve chosen the Lerren Hotel—a large guest house overlooking the sea. My room is spacious and comfortable and the breakfast on both mornings is very tasty. I opt for smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on day 1 and porridge with cream and honey on day 2.
After getting settled, I walk down the hill to the harbor in search of a restaurant. I pass the Maritime Museum (#6)—a modern building that looks very intriguing and advertises an exhibition about pirates which, alas, I will miss. On both of our nights in Falmouth, we arrive back long after the museum has closed and leave both mornings before it opens.
Maritime Museum in Falmouth
A General Note About Guided Tours
One drawback of a guided tour is that you’re at the mercy of someone else’s schedule. If the itinerary doesn’t include something you want to see, then you’re out of luck. You must decide if the convenience of a tour is worth the lack of flexibility. Because I’m traveling on my own and don’t want to drive, taking a tour makes sense. Hopefully one day I’ll return and do a driving holiday. There is a LOT to see in this part of the world.
Dinner at The Hub in Falmouth is excellent: a dressed crab salad with lovely fresh bread and salad, and a large glass of Pino Grigio. After dinner, I meet up with the American couple who are dining close by and walk back to the hotel. They are staying around the corner, and I’m grateful for the company in the darkness.
A note about accommodation on a Rabbie’s tour. You can choose the level of accommodation you want, and they will book appropriate places, or you can book them yourself. I can recommend both The Lerryn in Falmouth and Leonardo Hotel Exeter, which is a cookie-cutter chain hotel, but very comfortable with excellent food.
Day 2: All Day in Cornwall on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
The next morning dawns soft and mizzly, with the sky and the sea meeting in a single sheet of gray. But the air is fresh and the seagulls loud, and I’m excited to explore this scenic corner of Cornwall. Matt has promised us a full day of sightseeing with short drives.
Visit to Porthleven on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our first stop is the seaside town of Porthleven (#7) which is apparently a mecca for foodies. Matt tells us about a terrible storm many years ago during which the sea surged into the sheltered harbor and swept a police car right off the pier, killing both police officers inside.
I snap a photo of the warning sign that greets us at the start of the pier.
Warning sign on Porthleven Pier
The pier is open and empty in the rain. It’s a spectacular setting even in the gray and the wet.
Looking out to sea in PorthlevenPorthleven Clock Tower
We stop at a coffee roastery to sample some locally roasted coffee. The roastery is a happening place with lots of employees bustling around the facility visible through large windows in the café area.
Minack Theatre on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
At 11:30, we have a reservation to view Minack Theatre (#8). This place is a revelation. I’d never heard of it and so was delighted to discover a multi-level series of turf-covered benches stretching from the edge of a clif sea up a steep hill.
Minack Theatre is the creation of the indomitable Rowena Cade after she saw an open-air production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the 1920s. She offered her cliffside garden for staging performances and almost 100 years later people are still coming to this dramatic setting to enjoy live theater.
Minack Theater
I go into the exhibition center to watch a film about the origins of the theatre and am particularly interested in the interviews with various performers about the challenges of performing in a theater open to the elements—wind, rain, cold, sun. Occasionally, the weather is so bad that the theatre has to be closed and the performances cancelled.
One of the highlights of the site is the plethora of exotic succulents in all sorts of twisty shapes. I can’t stop snapping pictures!
If I ever travel again to Cornwall—preferably under my own steam—I’ll definitely book tickets for a performance at Minack Theatre. Talk about an Artsy Traveler experience!
Land’s End
A short drive takes us from Minack Theatre to Land’s End (#9). The last time I visited Land’s End was in 1974 when, at age18, I traveled with two friends all around Britain. Somewhere in a box is a picture of the three of us at the Land’s End signpost.
I remember the place as windswept and pretty much empty apart from maybe an ice cream truck.
Land’s End
That’s all changed now. A theme park franchise has taken over the area and made it horrendously commercial. Fortunately, no amount of tackiness can detract from the stunning view of rocks and ocean that awaits you once you’ve threaded the gauntlet of souvenir stores and fast-food joints along with a bunch of weird, out-of-context attractions.
Now, you’ll pay ₤10.99 to have your picture taken next to a signpost on which an attendant affixes letters designating your home town and its distance from Land’s End.
Needless to say, I decline.
Tin Mines of Botallack
This stretch of Cornish coastline is known as the Tin Coast and was home to numerous tin mines, the vestiges of which are still visible. The Tin Coast has been the site of mining for over 2,000 years, with the industry peaking during the Industrial Revolution when the demand for tin was high.
At Botallack (#10), we stop to view the ruins of several mines and walk out to the cliff. The word bleak comes to mind, perhaps because it’s gray and rainy, but more so because I can’t help thinking how horrific life must have been for the miners.
Ruins of a tin mine at Botallack
Many of the mines extend hundreds of meters out to sea and hundreds of meters below the seabed. I shudder to think of how claustrophobic the conditions must have been and how many of the workers died.
St. Ives on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The major destination for Day 2 is the seaside town of St. Ives (#11). One of its many claims to fame is its association with several prominent 20th century artists, including Barbara Hepworth.
Tate St. Ives
Matt drops us right in front of the Tate St. Ives. I hadn’t realized there was a Tate here, so imagine my delight! I make it my first stop. The beautiful building houses ten galleries filled mostly with post-war abstract art along with a special exhibition of the very colorful work of Beatriz Milhazes.
I arrive in Gallery 1 in time to hear a short talk by one of the curators about Robert Lanyon, an artist I had never heard of. Unlike most of the artists who flocked to St. Ives throughout the 20th century, Robert Lanyon was born in St. Ives. He was also a foremost proponent of post-war abstract art. The curator tells us that St. Ives was attractive to artists such as Barbara Hepworth and others because of the beauty of its light and the landscape.
He emphasizes three words: abstraction, light, and landscape.
Commentary on Porthleven by Peter Lanyon
The curator presents a lively commentary of a work called Porthleven by Peter Lanyon. The large, powerful work was Lanyon’s contribution as one of sixty artists chosen to represent Britain at the Festival of Britain in 1951. I’d heard about the Festival at the Museum of English Rural Life a few days earlier. Funny how you can go a lifetime never hearing about something and then suddenly hear about it twice in three days.
The piece is a multi-layered depiction of Porthleven, where we’d visited that morning. The curator’s explanation really brought the painting to life. Apparently, David Bowie was a big collector of Lanyon’s work. He said his work may not be the most beautiful in his collection, but they were the pieces he looked at the most.
Porthleven by Peter Lanyon
Touring the Tate St. Ives
After the short talk, I tour the various galleries and get pleasantly lost in a reverie of art appreciation. Here are three of my favorite pieces.
Waterfall by Arshile GorkyL’Étang de Trivaux by Henri MatisseNives II by Victor Vasarely
Commentary on Lost Mine by Peter Lanyon
I finish my swing through the galleries in time to catch a second talk about Peter Lanyon by the same curator. Thankfully, there is seating for this talk. My knee is tender after yesterday’s hike around Tintagel and I sink gratefully onto a bench to listen.
The curator describes a piece called Lost Mine that depicts a tin mining disaster. Since I’d only just visited the remains of the tin mines at Botallack, viewing the painting felt particularly relevant.
The curator describes what I’d suspected when viewing the tin mines—the dreadful conditions the miners endured to extract tin and copper from under the sea. Some of the shafts went 400 meters into the seabed and then a mile out to sea. When there was a flood—an inundation as it was called—there was no way out. Deaths were alarmingly common in an age when safety standards were unknown.
Lanyon’s visual depiction of a mining disaster is visceral and immediate. The curator’s description of the various elements make sense of the painting and reveal Lanyon’s skill.
Lost Mine by Peter Lanyon
Exploring St. Ives
After touring the Tate, I mosey into the main center of St. Ives, a pleasing warren of narrow streets and alleys. The main street is lined with shops—gifts and food and art. But unlike some of the places I’ve visited so far in Cornwall, most of the shops feature locally made art and gift items rather than imported tat.
At the end of the street, I discover that St. Ives is a peninsula, with the ocean on one side where the Tate is and a beautiful harbor on the other. Surfers ride the waves on the ocean side, and boats bob serenely on the harbor side.
It really is picture perfect. No wonder the place is mobbed. It would be wonderful to come here off-season—rent a house overlooking the water and write. I wouldn’t be the first author to have done so! As a child, Virginia Woolf lived here in Talland House, which is the title of a novel inspired by Woolf by author Maggie Humm. I interviewed Maggie about Talland House and its connection to St. Ives for The Art In Fiction Podcast.
I see signs to Barbara Hepworth’s studio and garden, but I decide I don’t have time for a visit. At least I have even more incentive to return to St. Ives.
Back to Falmouth
After St. Ives, we head back to Falmouth. It’s been a long day and I’m happy to pick up a takeaway dinner to eat in my room. Before darkness falls, I stroll along the sea front to admire the view and listen to the constant cawing of the seagulls. Falmouth seems like a very pleasant town and I’m sorry there’s not more time to explore it.
Day 3: Cornwall to Devon on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
The sun decides to come out as we leave Falmouth and the Cornish coast and drive inland across the sunlit patchwork of green that is central Cornwall. Huge clouds fill the big sky, and everyone is in good spirits.
Our small group is easy to deal with, which I’m sure is a relief for Matt, and makes for a tranquil tour for me. Everyone returns to the bus on time, and no one has any complaints.
Jamaica Inn on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The first stop of the day is the Jamaica Inn (#12), made famous by Daphne du Maurier. When she and a friend were lost in the fog, their horses led them to the inn. As a result, du Maurier wrote her famous novel Jamaica Inn. Several films and a TV series have been filmed here.
I’m looking forward to touring the museum, but, alas, I can’t find it in the warren of rooms all serving food. Basically, Jamaica Inn is a restaurant and gift shop attracting coach tours. I do, however, buy a novel by Daphne du Maurier because I’ve never actually read any of her work.
Traversing Bodmin Moor
In the sunlight, the gorse and heather and cows and towering clouds in a wide sky above Bodmin Moor (#13) captivate my imagination. We’re on our way across the moor to the tiny town of Minions where there is an ancient stone circle. But first, a quick stop to get acquainted with some lovely Cornish hairy cows.
A hairy cow on Bodmin Moor
Matt skillfully drives us along narrow roads with densely packed hedgerows on either side. He tells us that the foliage masks stone walls just waiting to dent passing cars.
We stop in a sylvan dell to view an ancient bridge, called a carriage bridge, that includes outdents to allow vehicles to pass. Matt leads us in a quick game of Pooh Sticks. Mine emerges from under the bridge in third place.
I love this stop! There are no visitors or ice cream trucks in sight; it’s just the six of us in a forest with the smell of vegetation on the brink of decay—the smell of summer ending.
The Minions
We drive on into Dartmoor en route to the tiny town of Minions (#14). Apparently, the town sign is often pinched thanks to the popularity of the Minions movies. Our destination is the Hurler Stones—an ancient stone circle set atop the windy moor.
I do love a good stone circle and this one is impressive.
One of the stones in the Hurlers Stone Circle
The stone circle is named The Hurlers because in olden times, a group of men dared to play hurling on the Sabbath. To punish them, the devil rose from hell and turned them to stone.
The true origins of the stone circles (there are three of them) is not known, but they are definitely very old.
As we walk up to the stones, we need to watch every step to avoid many still-steaming contributions by horses, sheep, and cows.
Lunch Stop in Tavistock on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
We stop for lunch stop in Tavistock (#15), a pleasant little town. I have just enough time to grab a quick lunch—a chicken, bacon, and leek Cornish pasty (excellent) — and check out the indoor market that mostly features antiques.
The American woman on the tour is into antiquing. I run into her outside and tell her she must go in and take a look. With ten minutes to spare before the bus leaves, she manages to make two purchases—an antique lace doll’s dress and an antique doll also dressed in handmade lace. I’m impressed by her power shopping!
A street in Tavistock
Cream Tea
On our way to Haytor on Dartmoor—one of the day’s highlights—we stop at a café to enjoy a proper Devon cream tea. Although I’m full from my pasty at lunch, I can’t pass up the opportunity to slather jam and clotted cream on a freshly baked scone!
Cream tea
Visit To Haytor on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Dartmoor is littered with tors—granite outcroppings that rise above the moor. The most famous, and one of the largest, is Haytor (#16). We are lucky that the weather is glorious for our ascent from the parking lot past grazing wild horses to the base of Haytor.
It is possible to climb to the very top of the grainite tor, but I content myself with enjoying the 360-degree views from the base. It’s pretty dang magnificent.
Here’s a 360-degree video taken from the base of Haytor.
And here are just a few of the many photos I snapped while enjoying Haytor—one of the highlights of the entire Southwest Tour.
Day 4: Devon to Dorset on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour of Southwest England
It’s the final day of our four-day tour of the Southwest. Our mission today is to check out the Dorset coast and then Stonehenge before returning to Bristol.
Lyme Regis on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our first stop is Lyme Regis (#17), known as the pearl of Dorset. Matt drops us at the bottom of the steep main street. I have just an hour and must make a choice. Either I go left to explore the museum or right to walk along the shingled beach to the Cobb, made famous in Jane Austen’s Persuasion. Years ago, I visited the Cobb and so I choose left.
Lyme Regis Museum
The Lyme Regis Museum (#18) is packed full of interesting artifacts and fossils, in keeping with Lyme Regis’s reputation as fossil central. Several displays document the life of the indomitable Mary Anning. Born in 1799, Mary became known internationally for her discoveries of Jurassic marine fossil beds at Lyme Regis. Her findings contributed to changes in scientific thinking about prehistoric life and the history of Earth. Go Mary!
She’s been the subject of novels and films, including Remarkable Creatures by author Tracy Chevalier.
Fossils at the Lyme Regis Museum
Strolling Lyme Regis
After leaving the museum, I stroll a little way along the beach towards the Cobb. Despite the shops and the crowds, the main street leading down to the water still feels ancient. It’s easy to imagine Anne Elliott from Persuasion strolling along the beachfront.
View of Lyme Regis
Hiking Down to Durdle Door on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Another hour on the road takes us to Durdle Door (#19) in Dorset. Last night, Matt asked each of us to supply him with the titles of three or four of our favorite songs. During the drive, he plays all our songs. It’s an eclectic mix including some smooth and jazzy Brazilian music, When I’m 64 by The Beatles, a track by Taylor Swift, various country and rock cuts, and my own contributions—Carole King, Simon & Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart.
At Durdle Door, I’m faced with a very steep walk down and back. My poor knee is not happy, but I ignore the pain and set off. Unfortunately, Durdle Door is not visible from the car park so in order to get some photos and enjoy the stunning views, I need to walk.
View of the beach at Durdle DoorView of Durdle DoorCarol at Durdle Door
Lulworth on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
The little village of Lulworth (#20) is an easy downhill walk from Durdle Door. We drive there, park, and walk down the single street to the cove. There really isn’t a whole lot to do except walk down to the cove, look at the cove, buy lunch, eat it on the beach while looing the cove, walk back from the cove, and then buy a fridge magnet depicting Durdle Door.
View of Lulworth Cove
Stonehenge on Rabbie’s Small Group Tour
Our final stop of the day—and of the four-day tour—is Stonehenge (#21), where we will be five of the one million visitors who check out this massive stone circle every year. I’ve visited Stonehenge a few times over the years and seen quite the evolution.
Back in the 1970s, I was able to walk right up to the stones, touch them and pose on them. Such free access was curtailed in the 1990s because of damage being caused to the stones. When I visited in 2001, I bought my tickets at a pokey kiosk next to the parking lot, walked a fair distance to the stones, walked around the stones, walked back, and that was about it. I don’t even think there was a gift shop.
Well, welcome to 2024! The visitor experience has been transformed into a slickly managed sequence of carefully orchestrated activities. After getting tickets (Matt takes care of this for us), we are fitted with paper bracelets that include a QR Code. I scan the code and download the audio guide, which provides a worthwhile commentary of the Stonehenge Experience.
Shuttling to Stonehenge
I board a shuttle bus for the five-minute ride to the stone circle and begin the circumnavigation to view it from every angle. Although I’ve seen Stonehenge before, I still find it impressive. Who built it? Why? How?
Carol at Stonehenge
I snap plenty of pictures. Even though the site is full of visitors, it doesn’t feel overwhelming, perhaps because the stone circle itself is empty. It’s easy to get atmospheric shots that evoke the ancient past without including other visitors.
Stonehenge
After getting my Stonehenge fix to last me another decade or two, I take the shuttle bus back to the stylish Visitor Centre. The small exhibition is high-tech and interesting and includes re-creations of the types of houses that the people who built Stonehenge may have lived in.
And finally, I enter the giftshop—the largest I’ve seen on this trip, and that’s saying something! It’s remarkable how many Stonehenge-themed items are on display, from sweatshirts to water bottles to socks and a lot, lot more. I resist buying yet another fridge magnet.
Onwards Back to Bristol
We’re back on the bus for the last time. The trip west to Bristol (#22) takes longer than expected thanks to traffic but I don’t mind. I’m enjoying looking out the window and thinking about the past four days.
For me, the highlights of the tour were the opportunities to walk in the countryside at sites such as Tintagel, Haytor, and Durdle Door, and visits to museums like the Tate St. Ives and the Lyme Regis Museum. I could have skipped Lulworth, Land’s End, and Jamaica Inn in favor of more opportunities to be in the countryside. However, a guided tour must make choices and people do need to be fed and have access to toilets.
Conclusion
Thank you to Rabbie’s Tours for a memorable four days. I recommend the tour for travelers who don’t want to drive and want to pack in as many sites as possible in a short period without sacrificing some memorable experiences. Kudos to our guide, Matt, for his patience and good humor.
Have you taken a Rabbie’s Tour? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Other Recommended Small Group Tours in England on Artsy Traveler
The Roman Baths in Bath, England, is the city’s foremost must-see attraction. If you only have time to visit one historic site in Bath, make it the Roman Baths. It’s small enough to enjoy in about an hour, includes an excellent audio guide, and is enlivened by numerous projections of Roman-clad people going about their bathing business.
In September 2024, I visited the Roman Baths for a third time and loved it just as much as I had in 2008 and 2018.
Arrival
I arrive outside the Pump Room that houses the Roman Baths to find quite a crowd gathered and signs indicating which time slot is currently being accommodated. Oh dear! I forgot to take my own advice and book in advance! I ask the person marshaling the crowd if I needed to book, and she promptly stands aside and motions for me to walk right in, bypassing the long line. I don’t stop to question my good fortune.
The admission price is a steep £27—and that’s the Seniors’ rate (a whole pound off the Adult rate). But that’s okay. I’m always happy to support museums that really deliver memorable visitor experiences.
Audio Guide
The price includes an audio guide with two tracks. The regular one provides the usual historical context in short and interesting installments. The children’s track includes first-person accounts by the many characters that wander across screens projected throughout the museum. I alternate between the adult and children’s tracks. Both are excellent.
Touring the Baths
The clearly signposted route starts at the walkway surrounding the baths. This structure and the statues of various Roman bigwigs are Victorian additions that were built atop the Roman ruins to house the museum when it opened in the late 19th century.
The walkway is a delightful space surrounded by warm Bath stone and with the façade of Bath Abbey looming in the background. Below are the deep green waters of the main pool. Bath has been a mecca for health-seekers for two millennia.
View of the main pool from the top walkwayView of Bath Abbey from the top walkway
Hot Springs History
I learn that Bath is the only place in the entire country that has hot springs—three of them. No wonder people have been coming here for millennia.
Before the Romans arrived, the local Dobunni tribe considered the site sacred and was where they worshiped the goddess Sulis. In those days, the heated natural spring was a bubbling, steaming pool surrounded by a thick swamp. When the Romans arrived, they incorporated worship of Sulis into their own pantheon and so transformed her into Sulis Minerva. The Romans were generally “equal opportunity” when it came to accommodating other religions, so long as the people practicing them rendered unto Caesar the necessary taxes.
The Roman legionnaires who first conquered the area must have been very happy to have found a place where they could soak their weary bones in warm water in the midst of a Great Britain winter.
In the 17th and 18th centuries, Bath developed into one of the world’s most fashionable watering holes. Everyone who was anyone came here to take the waters. Jane Austen herself bathed here.
Museum Exhibits
The tour leads back indoors and descends through several rooms full of artfully displayed exhibits about the Romans. Enlivening the experience are screens projecting a selection of Roman people who would have frequented the baths back in the day. It’s a clever way to bring history to life and makes me feel like I’m witnessing it firsthand.
I listen to a blacksmith on the audio guide while watching a screen showing him hard at work making armor.
Projection of a Roman blacksmith
The Baths
The exhibits give way to a series of walkways leading across the remains of the various rooms in the Roman Baths. The Romans took their health seriously. There are rooms for getting massaged and plucked (apparently, the Romans weren’t keen on body hair), rooms for bathing in various water temperatures, and even a gymnasium where Romans got good and sweaty in humid air that still smells of sulfur.
Projection of Roman woman preparing to bathe
The ruins themselves don’t photograph particularly well. Here’s one room showing the bricks that would have been under the floor to supply the heating. The audio commentary provides details about the impressive heating and cooling mechanisms. The Romans certainly knew how to engineer.
Ruins of the heating system
Minerva Sulis
One of the most striking artifacts on display is the gilt bronze head of the goddess Sulis Minerva. It’s a rare and beautiful example of ancient craftsmanship.
Bust of the goddess Sulis Minerva
Outside next to the large pool sits a Roman-clad guide. She acknowledges me with a regal nod when I take her picture. I’m unsure if she’s meant to speak or if her job is to sit by the pool all day and have her picture taken.
A Roman watches the crowds go by
Rome Walking Tours
GuruWalk lists pay-what-you-please walking tours that connect tourists with tour guides all around the world. Check out their tours of city Rome!
Tours and Tickets
Here are some tours and ticket options to consider when touring Bath.
Conclusion
Ruins can be challenging to enjoy because they are, well, ruins. The Roman Baths manages to bring the stony vestiges of a once great Roman hangout to life with its thoughtful use of projections and audio commentary.
As you exit the museum, you can enjoy a cupful of the medicinal waters to give you energy for more Bath sightseeing.
In 2024, the Roman Baths are open from 9 am to 10 pm from July 20 to August 31, and from 9 am to 6 pm from September 1 to December 31. Buy your tickets online from the museum’s website.
Have you visited the Roman Baths? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
Exploring the Area
Here are some GetYourGuide tours in southern England.
This must-see museum of thoughtfully curated exhibits showcases the history of life in rural England. Eight galleries and an impressive open storage area present artifacts and commentary related to the traditions and challenges related to food production in the English countryside.
I spent a wonderful afternoon at this museum in Reading with associate director Isabel Hughes, who graciously answered my many questions about the museum and then took me on a guided tour.
This place is a real Artsy Traveler find! And fair warning: this is a LONG post because there is just so much to write about.
Some Background
I lived in Reading for three years a few decades ago. During that time, I attended the University of Reading where I earned my BA in English Language and Literature. I hadn’t returned to Reading since I graduated, so on a recent trip to England from my home near Vancouver, BC, I decided to make Reading my first stop after landing at Heathrow.
I wasn’t sure what I planned to do during my one afternoon in Reading. I googled museums and discovered the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) run by my alma mater, the University of Reading. I had never heard of MERL, although Isabel told me the museum was established in 1951 and did indeed exist when I attended the university in the 1970s. In 2004, the museum moved to its spacious new digs in the former St. Andrew’s Hall, one of the student residences that was around during my time at the university.
Since its expansion, MERL has established itself as one of the United Kingdom’s premier destinations at which to learn about English rural life.
Why I Wanted to Visit the Museum of English Rural Life
I decided to visit MERL for two reasons. First, it’s a niche museum and as such is a perfect candidate for featuring on Artsy Traveler. Although I often write about blockbuster museums such as the Rijksmuseum, National Gallery of London, and the Uffizi, my heart beats particularly fast when I discover an off-the-beaten-track museum that my readers may not know about, and that fits with my interests.
The second reason I wanted to visit is because one of my novels titled Hidden Voices is partially set in Devon in the 1880s. Eliza, my main character, must move with her family from a bucolic rural life in Devon to the “dark, satanic mills” of northern England where most of the novel takes place. In the scenes set in Devon, I wanted to sprinkle in a few more details about rural life that I hoped to find at MERL.
And I wasn’t disappointed! This extensive museum dedicated to farming practices and rural life is a hidden gem—and admission is free or by donation.
Arrival at the Museum of English Rural Life
A few hours prior to visiting MERL, I land at Heathrow after a smooth eight-hour flight from Vancouver. Twenty minutes after deplaning, I’m standing, phone in hand, searching for my Uber. Most of that time has been taken up with long, long walks through long, long corridors, many rides up and down long escalators and a two-minute wait to go through the electronic customs kiosk.
Since my flight has arrived an hour early, I take the Uber to my hotel before heading to the museum. I’m staying at the Hotel Malmaison (#1 on the map) in downtown Reading, which I highly recommend. After freshening up, I decide to walk the 22 minutes from the hotel to MERL (#2). Here’s a map of Reading:
Along the way, I expect to take a few jaunts down memory lane, but alas, it isn’t to be. Nothing looks the same as I remember from the 1970s—not even close. The Reading skyline bristles with new buildings designed by architects who likely hadn’t been born when I was studying at the university.
When I lived in Reading, there was hardly anywhere to get coffee, much less enjoy a meal. We existed on copious amounts of strong tea; coffee bars were unheard of. And as for eating out, it just wasn’t done, or at least very rarely. Now, every other establishment in Reading serves food, or so it seems as I stroll past the cafes and restaurants in the downtown area.
Along the way, I cross over the Kennet-Avon canal which looks serene and well-groomed in the late August sunshine.
Kennet-Avon canal in Reading
When I arrive at MERL, associate director Isabel Hughes meets me and, over a very welcome cup of tea, we start our chat.
The Interview
Here’s a summary of my interview with Isabel Hughes, associate director of the Museum of English Rural Life (MERL) at the University of Reading in England.
Carol
What is the purpose of the Museum of English Rural Life?
Isabel
The purpose of the museum is to present exhibits and objects that help visitors understand the human side of English rural life: the production of food, farming practices since the 19th century, and the changing countryside. We like to present the human side of rural life and really celebrate working people since the vast majority of people in the 19th century and into the 20th century either worked on the land or in mills, or were servants.
Farming practices began to change in the late 19th century because of the agricultural depression caused by wheat production in Canada.
Carol
That’s very interesting because in my novel Mill Song, my main character’s family moves from Devon because there is no more farm labor work for the men. I thought it was because of mechanization that jobs became scarce, but there was also an agricultural depression. It’s interesting that Canada was to blame! A lot of people, including many of my ancestors, emigrated from a rural life in the West Country to Canada during the 19th century.
Isabel
MERL was started by the Agriculture Department at the University of Reading in 1951. World War II had ended and there was a push to make agriculture more self-sufficient and productive with the use of insecticides and the development of large farms. But as a result, traditional farming practices were being lost.
The founders of the museum realized this and decided to collect items such as old wagons and hand tools. They went to agricultural shows and talked to farmers, and acquired examples of traditional crafts such as basketry, woodworking, and bodging (making things such as brooms and chairs out of unseasoned green wood).
In 2004, the museum moved to its present location in the former St. Andrew’s Hall of residence, helped in part by funding from Alfred Palmer, a well-known Reading businessperson.
Carol
I well remember taking my exams at Reading University in the Palmer Building! He was quite the benefactor.
What is your number one recommendation for touring the museum?
Isabel
We like people to have a wander and see it all. The huge collection of wagons is particularly impressive. We have wagons from almost every county in England.
One of the many wagons at MERL, this one from Dorset
People can explore the eight galleries and then go upstairs to view our open storage of the thousands of items the museum has collected over the years.
Attached to each artifact is a luggage label; these were the original labels affixed when the artifact was acquired by the museum.
A large collection of farm implements in the open storage area of the museum
Another thing that we want people to notice is the textile wall hanging created for the Countryside Pavilion at the Festival of Britain in 1951. It was one of several we acquired. The one on display depicts Cheshire and cheese production.
An enormous wall hanging featuring Cheshire and cheese production
Carol
What is your favorite exhibit and why?
Isabel
I think my favorite is a pitchfork that was grown in a hedgerow. A branch growing off the shrub was nurtured until it was just the right size and shape for a pitchfork.
It’s made by nature but guided by hand.
Isabel’s favorite, a pitchfork grown from a hedgerow
Carol
What are some of the hidden gems that visitors should check out at MERL?
Isabel
The display of friendly society pole heads is intriguing. A friendly society was a cooperative that workers bought into. If they had a rough time, then the cooperative could help to support them. The pole heads were elaborately carved and resembled pub signs. They were carried in processions such as church parades.
Some of the silver pole heads in the MERL collection
Carol
Is this place the only rural museum in England?
Isabel
It is one of the earliest museums but not the only one. There is a rural museum network that includes small community museums. Other large museums like MERL are the National Museum of Rural Life in Scotland and the St. Fagan’s National Museum of History in Wales. There is also the Weald and Downland Living Museum near Chichester, which is where Repair Shop is filmed. We like to think of MERL as the national rural museum for England, but it is not, officially.
Carol
What is the most popular gift shop item?
Isabel
We’ve had images from the wall hangings turned into merchandise such as mugs, pencil cases, notebooks, tea towels and bags. We also have tea towels depicting engineering drawings of farm machinery, which are very popular with enthusiasts who are interested in recreating rural farm machinery.
Carol
Are any new exhibits planned?
Isabel
We have quite a few artifacts related to the Roma people that are often not labeled as such. These include photographs of people working the land, and a gypsy wagon. We are starting to re-label these artifacts to feature the history of the Roma people in the English countryside.
A gypsy wagon
Carol
Anything else you’d like to share?
Isabel
At MERL, we have an extensive library and archives containing a wealth of stories. Of particular note is our archive of letters that children evacuees during World War II sent to their parents when they were evacuated from the cities to the countryside. Reading was one of the hubs for evacuee children. Some of the letters were positive, depicting the experience as active and fun, while others were from children who were upset and even mistreated.
The labels affixed to the children when they were put on the train to go into the countryside inspired Michael Bond to write the Paddington Bear books in the 1950s.
A group of children being evacuated from the city during World War II
Touring the Museum Galleries
After our chat, Isabel takes me around the museum. Seeing it after talking with her really brings it to life. Throughout the galleries are interactive activities for children. MERL has an active school program and welcomes over 50,000 visitors a year, likely a good proportion of them families.
I love the sheep clad in an Aran sweater in the first main gallery.
A large stuffed sheep wearing an Aran sweater greets visitors to the first large gallery
The size of MERL surprises me. The galleries go on forever, each one more chock-a-block with artifacts than the last. You can spend a lot of time here!
One of the very large galleries at the Museum of English Rural Life
Land Girls
I’m particularly taken by the collection of objects and photographs related to the Land Girls—young women who worked on the farms during World War II. Here are photographs of several Land Girls and the uniform they wore.
Land Girls in World War IILand Girls uniform in World War II
The Land Girls experience inspired Land Girls, a British TV series available on Netflix.
Traps
A sobering exhibit features various traps—both for animals and people. The two human traps are particularly horrifying. Anyone caught in one would likely die a very slow and painful death. These traps were placed to prevent poaching.
Human traps, fortunately outlawed in 1827.
We spend almost an hour roaming through the galleries and viewing the open storage collections on the first floor. I’m very impressed with both the size and the quality of the exhibits and am reminded how, in another life, I would have loved to have been a museum curator.
But being a novelist and travel blogger is also good—and MERL ticks the boxes on both fronts. I’m finding plenty of inspiration for the country scenes in Mill Song. The open storage collection of smocks, many beautifully embellished with traditional smocking, reminds me of what some of my characters may have worn. I can also imagine my main character wearing a bonnet, such as the ones displayed, while she helped with the harvest.
These smocks were likely worn for special occasionsBonnets in open storage
New Inspiration
To my delight, MERL sparks inspiration for a new novel based around the story of two evacuees in World War II. After my meeting with Isabel, I scribble several pages of notes about possible characters and plots. It looks like I’m going to have to return to MERL to comb through their extensive archive of letters written by evacuees during World War II.
I can only imagine what treasures await.
As the museum gets set to close, Isabel and I pose for a photo, I purchase a notebook that shows a detail from the Cheshire wall hanging, and say my good-byes.
Carol Cram with Isabel Hughes, associate director of the Museum of English Rural Life
I walk back to my hotel, enjoy an excellent dinner, and then, finally, turn the lights out at 9. My first day in the UK has been a success.
Exploring the Area
Here are some GetYourGuide tours in southern England. Most depart from London.
The Museum of English Rural Life is a specialty museum with broad appeal. Touring a museum dedicated to how food was produced back in the day reminds us of our rural roots–and everyone eats food! No matter where you come from, chances are good that at least a few of your ancestors had something to do with agriculture.
The opening times of Museum of English Rural Life are from 10am to 5pm daily and entrance is free. It is located at 6 Redlands Road in Reading, Berkshire. The museum’s extensive website showcases its many exhibits.
Have you visited this museum or another like it? Share your comments and suggestions in the comments below.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, everyone and their cousin who wants to travel and can travel is heading for Europe. Recently, Italy was named the number one tourist destination in the world, with France close behind. Many destinations are full to bursting with visitors, which means sold-out accommodations, packed beaches, and museums filled to the rafters.
Some communities, such as Barcelona and Malaga in Spain, and Santorini in Greece, have even launched campaigns to limit the number of tourists permitted to invade their hometowns at any one time.
Introduction
I’ve experienced my share of crowds all flocking to experience the same iconic sites—the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, the Uffizi in Florence, the Colosseum in Rome, the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Thousands surge into spaces meant for hundreds, each holding aloft a smartphone to capture the moment.
The joys of travel—discovering new places, meeting new people, learning new things, enjoying great art—quickly dwindle in the face of relentless crowds, inflated prices, and grumpy locals.
Interacting with Locals
When you travel to a new place, consider looking for opportunities to interact with locals instead of lining up for the big-ticket sites. Sample local food, check out off-the-beaten path museums and galleries, meet local artists and artisans, go to local concerts, ride public transit, and wander around back streets where local people live.
You can do all these things in even the most heavily-touristed destinations if you’re willing to zig away from the crowds rather than zag towards them. Doing so may require you to skip the most famous—and crowded—sites. But the rewards more than make up for any lingering feelings of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out).
Here are my top ten ways to joyously enjoy your European travels.
1. Check Restaurant Reviews
Chances are you’re traveling with a smartphone. Use it to find restaurants that fellow travelers and especially locals have rated highly. Ever since I started checking reviews and purposely choosing restaurants instead of wandering the streets in hopes of finding a place, I’ve enjoyed numerous awesome dining experiences.
In fact, I can safely say that almost every highly rated restaurant I’ve eaten at in Europe in the last few years was a winner.
A Parisian café is a great place to people watch while enjoying a trip to Europe
Search Criteria
I search for restaurants that have at least a 4.5-star average review and then read what people say about the quality of the food and the service. If most of the best reviews are in the local language, that’s a plus because it means the restaurant is well frequented by locals.
Make Reservations
Once I’ve made my choice, I visit the restaurant’s website and call to reserve a table or use the online booking system if it’s available. I’ve found in recent years that reservations are essential in many popular places. Without one, you may well be wandering for quite some time before finding a well-reviewed restaurant with available tables.
Note that during busy periods, you may have better luck choosing a reservation time when the restaurant opens (usually 7 or 8 pm, depending on the location). Europeans tend to eat dinner later than North Americans. If you make a reservation for 7 pm, you may well have the restaurant to yourself.
A good rule of thumb in any big European city is to steer clear of restaurants that are full of tour groups reading multi-lingual plasticated menus in high-rent locations such as the Piazza Navona in Rome.
Walk a few blocks away from the busy areas to quiet side streets and you’ll find favorite local restaurants with superb food.
Ask a Local for Recommendations
Another good strategy is to ask your hotel to recommend a local restaurant and then make a reservation for you. Every time we’ve gone to a restaurant recommended by our hotel, we’ve had a great meal.
For a giggle, check out what happened to me when I did not follow my own advice in Bella Roma Rip-off, one of the pieces inPastel & Pen: Two Ways of Seeing, a collaboration of my writing with Gregg Simpson’s artwork. Gregg is an artist and my husband and usual travel companion.
2. Seek Out Lesser-Known Museums
Your sightseeing time is precious. Instead of spending it waiting in long lines, seek out museums and other sites that may be less well known but are just as interesting (sometimes more so) and considerably less crowded. These days, you’ll stand in line to tour the big sites even if you book ahead. On a recent trip to Pompeii, I lined up for forty minutes to get my skip-the-line ticket that I’d purchased online days earlier, and then lined up for another twenty minutes in the skip-the-line line to get into Pompeii.
Instead of sweating in the queue outside the Louvre in Paris, visit the lovely Rodin Museum.
In Amsterdam, skip the Van Gogh Museum (or go very early in the day) and visit the charming and informative Rembrandt Huis.
In Rome, forget the Vatican Museum and head instead to the marvelous Etruscan Museum that houses an incredible collection of treasures. Both times I’ve visited, the museum was virtually empty, which is in no way a reflection on the quality of the displays. The museum just happens to be so far off the beaten track of Rome’s iconic sites that few tourists find it.
The Etruscan Museum is one of Rome’s most interesting museums
Lesser-Known Museums to Visit
Here are posts about some of my favorite lesser-known and fabulous museums:
If you’ve checked out other posts on Artsy Traveler, you’ll know that a lot of my European travel centers around my husband’s art exhibitions. Most exhibitions include an opening (a vernissage in France; an inaugurazione in Italy). These events often include food and wine, and a short talk by the artist and the curator. They are also free to anyone who wants to drop in.
We’ve frequently met fellow travelers at Gregg’s openings, in addition to local art lovers, and have attended the openings of exhibitions by other artists—some we knew, some we didn’t. We always have a memorable time!
Art openings at private galleries in Europe are usually free and open to everyone
Finding Art Openings
To find art openings, check online listings. Also, stroll areas that have a lot of art galleries, such as the Left Bank and Marais districts in Paris. You’ll have the most luck finding an opening in the early evening on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.
If you pass an art gallery hosting an opening, don’t be shy! Walk in and say hello, check out some artwork, and maybe even have a glass of wine and an appetizer. You’re bound to meet a few locals who speak English, or you can practice your language skills.
4. Attend Local Concerts and Events
One of my favorite things to do when traveling in Europe is going to classical music concerts. Sometimes, I book tickets ahead of time to see a particular concert, but at other times, I look for posters and flyers.
On a recent trip to Siena, I picked up a flyer in our hotel advertising an intimate concert with a singer and pianist held in a local church. It was magical!
While in Rome, we saw a poster advertising concerts at the stylish Auditorium Parco della Musica well off the tourist beat north of the city. We bought tickets, and enjoyed two fantastic concerts with other music lovers, the vast majority of whom were locals.
Classical music concerts are top quality and reasonably priced
Tourist Concerts
I find that attending concerts in Europe really enhances my appreciation of the local culture. Even if the concert is advertised for tourists—such as a flamenco performance in Seville—it’s going to be good.
Trust me on this. We’ve enjoyed fado in Lisbon, flamenco in Spain, medieval music in southern France, opera in Paris, folk music in Bacharach on the Rhine, Vivaldi in Venice, Stravinsky in Berlin, Chopin in Leipzig, Shostakovich in Hamburg…I could go on and on.
And best of all, prices for classical music concerts in some of the world’s best concert venues are shockingly reasonable compared to what we pay to attend a concert in Canada.
Local performances are generally authentic and well worth the price
5. Ride Public Transit
Few travel experiences bring you closer to locals than riding busses, trains, and metros. These days, you can pay for most transit options with a tap of your credit card. I love hopping on a bus and following my progress on Google Maps, so I know exactly where to get off.
I also enjoy people-watching on public transit. On very crowded busses and metros, just be sure to keep a good grip on your valuables. While violent crime in Europe is rare, pickpockets do flourish in crowded cities.
Take a city bus in Europe and enjoy great people watching
A Cautionary Tale
A word of caution about bus travel. If you happen to have a paper ticket, ALWAYS remember to validate it when you get on the bus. I learned this lesson the hard way. On a recent stay in Turin, I got on the bus, paper ticket in hand, and noticed that no one else was validating their tickets at the machine. I wrongly presumed that validation wasn’t required. Maybe it was a special holiday?
Ten minutes later, an inspector got on the bus and started checking tickets. Everyone on the bus held up their smartphones. As tourists, we had only the paper tickets we’d purchased from the local tobacconist. When the inspector came to Gregg and me and tried to scan our tickets—nada. My protestations of being a dumb tourist fell on deaf ears. That mistake cost us 40 euros—each.
So, just because no one else is validating their ticket doesn’t mean you shouldn’t validate your ticket!
6. Shop for Food in Local Markets
Shopping for snacks, lunches and the occasional dinner in your hotel room or apartment not only lets you experience life as a temporary local, but it also saves you money. In general, food prices are lower in Europe (although starting to rise). The quality of the fresh produce is also far superior to what is found in the average North American grocery store.
I love prowling the aisles of a European supermarket and ordering pre-made food at the in-store delis. I’ve typically found the staff to be friendly and tolerant of my attempts to at least say hello, good-bye and thank you in their language.
Outdoor Markets
Be on the lookout for open-air markets where you’ll find a dizzying array of foods along with clothing and knick-knacks. Some cities also have large indoor markets, such as the Mercado de Triana in Seville.
Interact with locals while browsing outdoor markets in Europe
7. Take a Cooking Class
When you take a cooking class in Europe, you’ll meet travelers from around the world and learn from a local chef. I’m a firm fan of cooking classes and take one every chance I get.
In a tapas class I took in Madrid, I met fellow travelers from Australia, Holland, the UK, France, and Korea.
8. Go on a Walking Tour
I’ve also become a big fan of walking tours, particularly specialty tours that cater to a specific interest. In Rome, I went on a walking tour of the old Jewish ghetto. In London, I explored the back alleys and colorful history of the Covent Garden theater district. In Stratford-upon-Avon, I joined three other people for a small walking tour with a guide pretending to be William Shakespeare.
Walking tours usually take you behind the scenes and to places where regular bus tours can’t go. The guides are often locals who are very enthusiastic about their subject and love showing off hidden gems.
A great source for walking tours is GuruWalk. All the tours listed are pay-what-you-can and run by locals. Here are some of the free walks available from GuruWalk in Paris.
9. Skip the Iconic Sites
Yes, this recommendation is blasphemy but heeding it could make the difference between reveling in a relaxing and memorable European vacation and enduring one that leaves you hot, bothered, and blistered. When you’re planning what you want to see, consider not visiting super popular sites such as the Colosseum in Rome, the ruins in Pompeii, and the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Instead, choose smaller, lesser-known museums and sites, and leave more time for wandering.
By all means, stroll past the Colosseum and view the Eiffel Tower from one of the bridges. Snap some photos and drink in the view. Then, veer off into a shady side street and enjoy an hour or tour wandering around a quiet neighborhood, sitting in a park, and enjoying a drink at an outdoor café surrounded by locals.
See the Colosseum from the outside only
Travel isn’t all about ticking off the big sites. Instead, think of travel as your opportunity to surround yourself with a kaleidoscope of interesting sights, sounds, and smells.
Slow down and savor the displays in a small museum, make time for a concert or an art opening, be on the lookout for a local festival, and just be.
10. Walk Away from the Crowds
Even in Venice, one of Europe’s busiest tourist cities, you can find solitude. Leave the busy piazzas and thoroughfares and within seconds, you’ll be wandering down narrow alleyways and crossing tiny bridges spanning sleepy canals that look like they haven’t been disturbed for centuries.
Even in crowded Venice, you can easily find quiet corners
I skirt the main tourist drags in busy towns by going left or right down the first narrow street I see. I may get a bit lost, but I’ll also find glorious solitude and the chance to commune with the past.
Siena’s Campo bustles with tourists but walk a few meters down a side street and you’re alone and surrounded by buildings that haven’t changed much in 700 years. And at night, you’ll even have the Campo all to yourself.
Have the Campo in Siena to yourself at night
Such opportunities for quiet encounters with history make European travel endlessly appealing.
Have you ever considered going on a writers’ retreat? If you’re a writer—or want to be a writer—the top need on your writer’s wish list is very likely time. Without time, you can’t write. Without time, you can’t improve. When you give yourself the gift of time to think and create, you give yourself the gift of productivity.
In May 2024, I gave myself the gift of time by attending a week-long writers’ retreat in North Yorkshire. Called, fittingly, The Writers’ Retreat, the venue and program is the passion project of writer Jan Birley. Participants gather in a renovated 200-year-old pub in the tiny, picture-perfect Yorkshire village of Beal to write their hearts out in a peaceful and supportive environment.
About The Writers’ Retreat
The Writers’ Retreat runs retreats from one day to six days in duration, along with special events throughout the year. Check out their website.
At The Writers’ Retreat, you are provided with all your meals (even wine with dinner!) and can participate in a series of optional writing workshops and one-to-one mentoring sessions with a writing professional. Jan or her husband Tony even collects you from the local train station and takes you back again at the end of the retreat.
When you’re not eating, sleeping, or being mentored, you are free to write in any number of comfortable locations throughout the building—from the stylishly decorated bedrooms all equipped with writing desks, to tables and squishy sofas scattered throughout several lounges, to an outdoor terrace for days when the sun shines.
I chose the six-day retreat because I knew from experience that five full days of dedicated writing time was optimum for me to make significant progress on my WIP (Work In Progress).
Spoiler Alert: It worked and it was fabulous!
Here’s my account of the six days.
Day 1: Monday Arrival
The start date of my retreat in May 2024 corresponded with the last day of a five-week trip around Europe with my husband, artist Gregg Simpson. The purpose of our trip was to attend several exhibitions of his paintings in Italy and for me to research locations and get inspiration for new novels.
I discovered The Writers’ Retreat after I’d booked my European trip. Surely it was a sign from the universe that I had to attend when I found out that the dates aligned with the conclusion of my trip–and that there was just one spot left. I immediately rejigged my travel arrangements. My husband flew home from Paris while I flew to Manchester, took a train to Selby in North Yorkshire, and was picked up and brought to the retreat in the sweet little village of Beal.
Here’s my bedroom and the view from my writing table that would inspire for me six days.
Meeting My Fellow Writers
After getting settled in my room overlooking a pair of quaint houses with green and pleasant parkland beyond, I meet Jan and the five other writers with whom I’ll be sharing my week. Jan introduces herself and talks about what to expect for the week, and then we all share why we’ve chosen the retreat.
We are an eclectic lot consisting of academics, non-fiction writers, experienced novelists, and short-story writers. Here are brief bios supplied by some of the participants.
Sue
Sue is a Professor from the University of Edinburgh, specialising in developmental psychology. During the retreat, she worked on wrapping up a series of writing projects including a grant proposal, a couple of journal articles, an editorial and the introduction to a book about neurodiversity for teachers. Neurodiversity is gaining ground as a way to understand important aspects of how pupils learn and generally experience school. But lots of teachers aren’t clear what this model means for them and why it is supposed to be helpful to pupils. The book will have chapters written by a neurodiverse group of academics and educators with the aim of helping teachers embed this new theory into their classroom practice.
JoJo Stone
JoJo is a passionate new writer based in the picturesque landscapes of the U.K. From a young age, JoJo discovered a deep connection with the writing world and began crafting poetry that resonates with emotions. JoJo has published three novels and at the retreat worked on her fourth novel and some short stories. Check out her great website.
Ann
When Ann retired, she dipped her toe into various writing groups and also attended a short evening course in Creative Writing at her local university, all of which encouraged her to ‘get writing.’ She’s completed a number of short stories, some of which she intends to publish online. At The Writers’ Retreat in Yorkshire, she revved up her writing engines and hopes to publish her first novel in 2025.
Two writers from the United States also joined us to contribute their enthusiasm and good vibes.
First Evening
After introductions (and a nice glass of wine), we enjoy our first dinner together in the large dining room. Over the course of the week, the dining room becomes the hub for conversation, lots of laughter, food, workshop sessions, and a constant supply of coffee, tea, and cold drinks to sustain us when we aren’t being fed.
My Project for the Week
I retire to my room and get busy working on my project for the week—finishing my sixth novel. Called The Merchant of Siena, the novel follows headstrong Bianca as she learns how to survive and thrive in late 14th century Siena–a time fraught with plagues, famines, and vicious attacks by bands of roving mercenaries. Bianca’s journey from idealistic youth to one of the city’s richest merchants is a rags-to- riches story with a twist.
The first three chapters of The Merchant of Siena were recently shortlisted in the Ancient to 16th Century category for the Historical Novel Society’s First Chapters competition. This positive feedback has motivated me to finally finish the novel.
Day 2: Tuesday
Our first full day of writing stretches before me with delicious emptiness full of possibilities. Like everyone, I’m up early and down to the dining room at 8 am for a full English breakfast. I can’t manage the full meal deal and opt for two poached eggs and bacon—my go-to for the rest of the week. Cereals, yogurt, fruit, and juices are also available. But in case you’re interested, here’s a photo of another participant’s full English breakfast! That’s a hearty breakfast for sure!
After a productive morning, we all gather for lunch and are introduced to Clare Bamber, our mentor/workshop leader for the week. Thanks to Clare, my experience at The Writers’ Retreat is about to go second level. My mentorship sessions with her along with the fun writing workshops she facilitates make my week very special and fulfilling.
Meet Clare Bamber – Mentor Extraordinaire
Clare Bamber is truly a delight. She’s been a tutor and mentor in Creative Writing since 2020 and is passionate about encouraging writers of all levels to explore the craft in a supported, nonjudgmental environment. She states: “Supporting writers at The Writers’ Retreat UK this week has been so much fun. There has been so much diversity in the subject matter, but it’s great to see everyone being supportive of each other in their projects. What a wonderful bunch of people to have spent time with! I crossed the finish line of drafting my own novel whilst on a retreat here, so I understand the value of giving ourselves the space to write.”
Where to Find Clare Bamber
You can visit Clare’s website to check out her services for writers or visit her on Facebook.
Workshop: Character Creation
Clare’s first writing workshop is on character creation. The four of us most interested in writing fiction meet with Clare to learn valuable techniques for creating memorable characters. I very much enjoy the exercise that she leads us through. A highlight is listening to what everyone else writes. The level of creativity is astonishing!
Country Walks
After the workshop and on most days during the week, I slip out for a country walk. The village of Beal is situated in the middle of farmland with access to a public footpath bordering the River Aire. I have a grand old time snapping photos of the Constable-like skies, the sheep with their gamboling lambs, and a contingent of curious cows.
Lambs in front of The RetreatAnother view of the Aire RiverCowsView from the bridge on the River Aire Lock on the River Aire
Day 3: Wednesday
My writing is starting to click into high gear. I spend my mentorship session with Clare hashing out a plot problem. Together, we come up with some excellent strategies. I’m feeling energized and exhilarated. Writing retreats rock!
I skip the workshop (it was on point of view and I’m sure was wonderful!) only because I’m on a roll and want to get a few more chapters under my belt before dinner.
At 5, I take off for the only local pub in the village to sip some wine and continue writing before being joined at 6:30 by the rest of the group for a pub dinner. We continue getting to know each other amid much laughter as well as interact with the friendly pub staff.
Some of the Participants Hard at Work
So many work spaces are provided for participants at The Writers’ Retreat. I chose mostly to work in my room because I liked the view. Most of the others spread out among the many areas on the main floor of the converted pub.
Day 4: Thursday
Another mentorship meeting with Clare builds on my progress. She provides excellent and useful feedback about The Merchant of Siena. I’m finally starting to feel like this novel—which I’ve been writing on and off for about five years—is on its way to being completed.
Workshop: Writing Descriptions
In the afternoon, Clare facilitates a workshop on writing good descriptions. Thanks to her advice and prompts, each of us produces and reads two compelling pieces.
Day 5: Friday
Today, I share with Clare the first three chapters of Mill Song, my recently completed fifth novel. As I’ve come to expect from Clare, she provides me with thoughtful and useful feedback. I’m feeling more excited now about getting Mill Song out to the world.
Workshop: Writing Emotion
Our afternoon workshop is on how to effectively write emotion (no easy task). To my delight, I follow Clare’s prompts and end up writing a piece that I’ll be including in The Merchant of Siena. Talk about a win-win!
Day 6: Saturday
After a series of cloudy, wet days, the sun finally emerges on our last full day at The Writers’ Retreat. After five full days of solid writing, I start the final day feeling relaxed and much more confident in my ability to complete and be proud of The Merchant of Siena. I still have a few months worth of work to do before it’s ready to send to an editor, but that’s okay. I’m feeling motivated and confident—and that’s worth a lot!
After lunch, a few of us read a piece of our writing aloud to the group. I share a passage from The Merchant of Siena and am gratified by the positive response. One of our group is leaving, so after the readings, we troop out to the parking lot for a group photo.
The writers at The Writers’ Retreat with wonderful staff member Shane
Workshop: Writing Dialogue
Our final workshop with Clare is on how to write good dialogue (another challenging and useful topic). She has a knack for giving us just the right prompts to stimulate the creative juices. I’m amazed at the work each of us produces in a very short time. The creative process really is miraculous.
At the end of the day, we all retire to the pub for a farewell drink and dinner. I go to bed feeling tired but very satisfied with my progress over the week.
Should You Go On A Writers’ Retreat?
In a word, yes. No matter where you are on your writing journey, a writing retreat will help you. Having the time and mental space to do nothing but write and be creative is tremendously therapeutic. No cooking, no cleaning, no kids, no spouses, no day job—just you and your pen or laptop and the infinite possibilities roaming around your head waiting to be led to the light of day.
What could be better than that?
Conclusion
In March 2024, I went on another, very different, writers’ retreat with three other historical novelists. This one was based in sunny and warm Florida and was just as wonderful. Fellow historical novelist and retreatee Mary Tod wrote an interesting blog post about our experience in Florida.
