My family and I are traveling back to europe this summer and want to know about Athens or Barcelona.?

We are going with a friend of mine who has never traveled to we are going to London for 5 days, Paris 4 and Rome for 7-9 days (we are not sure how long in Rome yet.) We have discussed going to Barcelona or Athens. My mom wants Barcelona because she wants to lay on a beach or something but my friend and I want to see the sights of Greece. Is it difficult and expensive to go to Athens and what is the easiest way? (this would make it a deal breaker). what is the best way to go to Barcelona. As a matter of fact what is the order we should see the cities? we plan on going aug1-27 so we can play with our days any way that we want. (my dad said he heard that it was not that safe in Greece..is this true?) all in all we have planned about 3400$ each for the trip. Is this enough? I have gone before but my parents expect me to pay for half since we are helping my friend pay part of his trip. are any countries less safe for teenagers to walk freely around 16ys old. anything else you want to tell.

the best thing to do is find which country is the closet to Rome and then travel to next direction.

Why not just stay in Italy once you get there? They have some wonderful beaches there.

I travel a lot and have found that it's just not worth trying to pack in too many destinations. I work for three months in Iraq, then I have three weeks off and a plane ticket to Europe. I found out that even though I can go a lot of different places in three weeks when I return I have trouble sorting it all out in my head. Now I just go to a couple of places and spend more time there.

Greece is nice, but to be honest, that is a very hot time to be going to Athens. And it can be a dangerous place for anybody. But, so can any place if you're not careful. It is pretty full of back packers that time of year. But that said, it's a very nice place and your Mom would love the beaches of the islands. Santorini is my favorite but it's packed in August, better have a reservation soon!

Get on Google, check out places in Italy. There are many different types of things to do there and beaches are not far away.

Maybe you could rent a car and spend some time out of Rome, maybe Venice, etc. Again, get on google, you can rent cars pretty cheaply there. I rented a four door convertible last time I was in Pisa for a week for about 200 Euros, unlimited mileage.

Explore, take a bus, ride a train, Enjoy!

If you're going to Barcelona instead of Athens; the order of the the cities visited should be London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome. You could also make it London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona but there are more flights to more US cities from Rome than Barcelona (assuming, you'll fly home to the US after you've visited the last city on the list).

On the other hand, if you're going to Athens instead of Barcelona ; the order of the the cities visited could be London, Paris, Rome and Athens . Most people fly from Rome to Athens rather than use ground transportation. You can get a one-way ticket on Aegean Airlines for just $ 127 one way.

The amount you've budgeted, $3400 per person, seems quite adequate, especially as you and your friend will most likely share a room. As for safety, Greece used to be considered less safe than Spain. However, after the Madrid train bombing in 2004 and before that, the 1987 supermarket bombing in Barcelona (24 killed); safety has become a relative term. You need to be careful wherever you are, even at home in the US.

Athens is not safe?????????????? You must be joking.

Better to avoid Athens in July (very hot) June and September is great. Leave Athens for last, end of August, and you can fly from Rome. There are many flights daily from Rome by Alitalia, Aegean,Olympic but book soon as many Italians are flying from Italy in the summer and vv. From Athens daily flights direct to New York and I think to Atlanta but i am not sure if this is daily or not.

A lot of sightseeing in Athens and you can pop by to a near by islands, preferable Spetses (2hrs by hydrofoil) or drive to Epidaurus to see the ancient theatre and the great nature and to Port Heli for swimming.

Otherwise daytrip to Delphi where you can visit the famous temple of Appolo at mount Parnassos.

Have fun what ever you do, Barcelona is great as well been there.

London to Paris to Rome and then Athens? That's a lot to do and see. I love Greece but Athens will be a letdown, especially after Rome. And it will be extremely hot! SInce you have the time, why not just spend the rest of your trip once you're in Rome going to Tuscany? Florence? I also recommend Piensa, Siena, Montalpuciano. There was a wonderful old monastery in Pievascola that had been transformed into lodging with a great restaurant there as well. Or you could head south to Positano if you want to hang out on a beach. Positano is BEAUTIFUL - but be warned - beaches in Europe are different than in the US. More rocky. Up in the hills overlooking Positano are some wonderful little villages with great restaurants where the locals go. There was one there called Dona Rosa (real family-owned) that was so great we went back twice! Plus it was on a piazza that I swear was showing an old Sophia Loren movie on the wall of building at 10pm, and you could see the mamas and papas sitting there, watching it, with little kids riding their scooters. It was out of a movie! Was in Rome this past summer and be warned - it is expensive! Hope this helps.

GREECE IS A WONDERFUL PLACE IN THE SUMMER ESPECIALLY THE ISLANDS..SPAIN WAS MY FAVORITE PLACE TO GO BEFORE I WITNESSED GREECE. NOW IVE BEEN GOING THEIR FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS NOW. GREEK ISLAND BEACHES A SOME OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD. NOT TO MENTION ITS GREAT FUN. ATHENS IS ALSO A GREAT CITY , AND ITS NOT UN -SAFER THEN ANYWHERE ELSE IN EUROPE. FOR TRAVEL NEEDS I USE MYKONOS ACCOMMODATION CENTER, THEY ARE BASED ON THE ISLAND OF MYKONOS BUT CAN HOOK YOU UP NO MATTER WHERE YOU PLAN TO STAY IN GREECE. LOOK THEM UP ON THE WEB, THEY ALSO HAVE GOOD TIPS, ALSO YOU WILL GET MORE FOR YOUR MONEY EVEN WITH THE CRUDDY EXCHANGE RATE