Ideas for Eastern Med with 2 kids?

[SailaDolla]

Hi,
We are planning to set sail in Croatia this May 2024 and cruise through Greece and then over to Sicily with our 2 kids, ages 14 and 12. We are experienced sailors, and my kids love history. Would love to hear any ideas about great destinations in these areas. (I am new to the forum and am looking forward to connecting!)

[Dockhead]

The great destinations in those waters would fill a shelf full of books. I wouldn't even know where to start. You could spend 10 years cruising that area and barely scratch the surface.

[SailaDolla]

So true! I am definitely discovering that as I plan the itinerary. I'm hoping people will offer one or two of their top favorites. I don't want to miss anything major.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by SailaDolla

So true! I am definitely discovering that as I plan the itinerary. I'm hoping people will offer one or two of their top favorites. I don't want to miss anything major.

It's all "major". You can't go wrong. Just be careful with the Meltemi in August. And don't skimp on time -- you can't see anything in a few weeks. Take the whole summer and try to really cover one area. Don't plan too much. Don't write an itinerary which gives you a day in each place and keeps you moving all the time. Slow down and enjoy it, and leave room for spontaneity. Leave room to stay a week or even more if you spontaneously decide some place is fabulous.

Also, a lot of the best places in the Aegean are in Turkey but passing from Greece to Turkey can be bureaucratically difficult. If you decide to see, for example, Bodrum, after Kos, don't underestimate the time and money required for the procedures.

[nmuir]

As per @DockHead.That is a lot of ground to cover! You (and the kids!) might enjoy slowing down and spending more time exploring and less time transiting. There is so much to see.



We have spent 4 summers in the med and have barely scratched the surface, and some of our favourite places have been out-of-the way spots we stumbled upon when hanging out somewhere and talking to locals.


We also enjoyed following spots from the Iliad/Odyssey and Greek legends, not so much due to some of the sites themselves, but the bridge to the past. As an example, Nestor's Cave, where Hermes concealed the cattle of Apollo. Not the best cave I have seen but cool to be able to say you stood in it. Lots more around.


Good luck. I know you will have great time.

[Paramotorgreg]

I assume you’re just considering sailing in the Ionian - or are you thinking about going round into the Aegean? If you’re in the Ionian then Corfu is a must and Paxos is lovely….both Lakka and Gaios are worth some time. If you’re going round to the Aegean then there’s too much to mention - I suggest you buy the Heikel Pilot Books and enjoy building your own intinerary.

[stevenrolls]

Originally Posted by SailaDolla

Hi,
We are planning to set sail in Croatia this May 2024 and cruise through Greece and then over to Sicily with our 2 kids, ages 14 and 12. We are experienced sailors, and my kids love history. Would love to hear any ideas about great destinations in these areas. (I am new to the forum and am looking forward to connecting!)

That's nice places to visit. I'm planning to go to Sicily in July, and I'd love to hear about your experience after
And what about destinations, well, there are a lot of them. I'm working on mine, but so many places, and I have limited amount of time

[Montanan]

Not sure what your nationality is but you may need to assess if the Schengen visa limitations would impact your duration in the territory.

Short term visitor visa provides for a maximum of 90 days in any rolling 180 day period of time.

Croatia has recently joined the Schengen territory so time spent there is included in the running clock.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schengen_Area#Current_and_acceding_members


Bon voyages.