capella971

Hi, I am going on honeymoon for 14nights beginning of jun.

I have used all the information on the forum to make up an itinerary.

Could someone confirm that my itinerary sound good and relaxing please

1-31may arriving in athene at 2055 3nights in athene
2- Public transport to hydra from Piraeus 2nights- day trip to vlychos beach and spetses
3- nafplio 3nights
4-naxos 3nights
5- santonini 3 nights
6- return to athene

mariha2912

This could work but Nafplio to Naxos means backtracking through Athens.You could consider saving Athens for the tail end of the trip and visit Cyclades first. If you arrive on the airport maybe catch a flight to Santorini or Naxos, then a flight or ferry back to Athens. Then you could
a) connect to bus station and head to Nafplio. On June it might be possible to take a taxi from Nafplion to Ermionis or Porto Heli ports and then get a ferry to Hydra. You may then get a ferry to Piraeus and enjoy Athens before your flight home. Or
b) Hire a car in Athens airport, enjoy Nafplion area, drive to Piraeus and drop of the car there, get ferry to Hydra, return to Piraeus and enjoy Athens before flying home.
This way you do not visit Athens down town multiple times.

Heimdall

Good advice from mariha2912! I like option a) best, and there is a bus (route X93) direct from the airport to Kifissos station where the KTEL buses to Nafplio depart. I'm not sure what the best way from Piraeus to Kifissos Station would be, possibly a taxi.

travelerjan

I have done that route (a) several times ... it does work, but it's a looong day; take a good book, headphones, Kindle, snacks! Blue Star ferry 9:45 from Naxos -- buy "economy" seats, sit on back deck, if u want to relax indoors, the "air seats" sections are usually only 1/2 full in June, so just look for unoccupied seats ... or u can pay the €4 extra and have one reserved (ask for side section). Arriving Piraeus 3 pm, Taxi is about €12-13 to Kifissos KTEL ... reserved-seat busses go on half-hour, 4:30 ;most likely... you'll arrive 6:45 in Nafplio. Luckily, in June, sundown isn't until 8:45 so plenty of time to check into hotel, then get to those lovely seafront cafes to plunk down in cushioned loveseats to enjoy a sunset that -- I promise you -- will outdo the more highly promoted Santorini version.

capella971

Sorry I am only seeing the reply today.

Thank you very much for taking the time to reply.

Another option would be to spend 1week in Crete and the other week to visit athen 2days 3days naxos and 3 days santorini.
Could that work or would you advise to only visit one island with Crete .

Thank you very much

Really appreciates it

mariha2912

In general I think both itineraries would work, but you have to focus only on a specific area of Crete, as this is a huge island. Maybe take a flights to Crete while you are at the airport. There are flights to Chania and Heraklion. On June there are ferries Heraklion(Crete) to Santorini, then to Naxos then flight or ferry to Athens.

Would you hire a car or you plan to rely on public transport?

capella971

Hi mariha2912

I am planning to hire a car but only in Crete as I heard that it's a big island

mariha2912

Santorini's bus system is a decent one and you can get a good overview of the key points there using the bus. But do not underestimate Naxos, I would advice for at least one day car hire and exploring places where bus do not go or bus is not very convenient.
Do not cheat your self into thinking you can see lots in Crete in a week even with a car rental. It is huge and you need to narrow down what you can do/see on your time frame.

capella971

I can't thank you enought for your help.

I have made up my mind now thanks to all your replies

1- flight athene Heraklion Sunday 31st may
2-Heraklion to santorini Saturday 06th jun
3- santorini to naxos by ferry on 09th jun Tuesday
4-flight or ferry naxos athen on Thursday 11jun .

Would you advice me to book all ferry tickets now. Some on this website advise yes others no. So very unsure.
Mariha2912 I am taking your advice and will hire a car for 1 day in naxos
As for Crete I will definetly narrow it Down on what we can see.

Thank you soo much again. You all made my life easier planning for this honeymoon.

stanbr

Just checked Aegean website. There are still 3 flights available on June 11 from Naxos to Athens. The first is a 7:15 and get you to Athens by 8 am. Next two are at 16:30 and 18:50. It is a pretty long ferry ride back to Athens so I would suggest you fly.
Flights book up fast so it is a good idea to choose and book your return flight now.

I am not a ferry expert but I believe you will be able to get to Naxos somewhere between 10:30 and 1:30 at the earliest on the 9th. So that gives you half a day plus the next full day on Naxos.
I respectfully suggest in that time frame you will just barley be able to find your way around Naxos town. Rather than rent a car just stay in town and at St George beach or take the local bus to one of the west coast beaches. While I always suggest that Naxos interior is special, with essentially a day and a half why not stay put and immerse yourself around town where the activity is centered, Save exploration of Naxos until you return next year on your anniversary.
Here is what you will find on Naxos.
Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094558042/
St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632113170279/

travelerjan

No no no do not book ahead. No need to in early june when almost all ferries are only partly full. If you decide to change, it's a hassle to get a refund. Buy tickets the day before.

capella971

Thank you stanbr and travelerjan.

That's very useful to know.

Travelerjan when you say buy ticket one day before do you mean I could do it online from the hotel and possibly collect the tickets on departure?

Stanbr, would you advise that I spend one more night in naxos then and only 1day and a half in athen?

stanbr

Just in case Jan doesn't see this once you get into an island go visit any travel agent to get your ferry ticket. Last year in early June we were pretty surprised to discover there were no economy tickets left from Heraklion to Santorini so we had to buy business class. Not substantially more expensive but it did tell us to buy the ticket when you arrive on an island not the day you plan to leave.

If you have flexibility to juggle your dates I think you will be very happy that you added an extra day to Naxos.
Now you might have time to explore the interior.
A week in Naxos https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645113682278/

travelerjan

You are right Stanbr, about tickets from Santorini to Crete or Crete to Santorini --- there is only one ferry on that route per day, a "fast ferry" with about 500 seats. It is less critical for BLUE STAR ferries from Naxos to Santorin or vice versa or to/from Athens from either of these islands ... these are large modern conventional ferries with 3-4 decks, and capacity of 1200- 1800 passengers. But OK, even for these, fine to get several days ahead, as long as you are sure about your departure date. But buy them as Stanbr says, at a ticket agency not online.

mariha2912

People tend to consider all Cyclades islands as equal, in the sense that people tend to distribute equal time on each of them. But in reallity how long to spend on each depends on what you plan to do and see on each and on what pace. I spent a summer season on Paros and a summer season on Naxos once upon a time and I was very surprised to meet people who thought Santorini is larger and/or have booked more days there than on said islands but when I was asking them more specific questions and the reasoning for this decision, in reality I got no answers at all. I often wonder if people plan a trip by name-throwing and never study a guidebook or map. Please capella, don't get me wrong, this is just a generic observation and is not directed to you,I just felt I has to let some steam out. lol

What I wanted to say is that Santorini covers about 76 km2, Naxos for example covers 430 km2... It takes some time to explore some of the key points of Santorini, let alone of Naxos, so you need to prioritise what you have time for and what you seek to achieve on each destination. What your interests and priorities are? Our replies up to now were based mostly on a travel logistics point of view, but how long on each destination and how to plan around within, is a different matter.

My very personal opinion is that I would still hire a car for a day on Naxos. I would try to visit some of the interior and some of the less accessible beaches, then drop the car and have an evening enjoying Naxos Town. Is this enough? Not at all, but will give you a small taste of what Naxos is about and Naxos is not just an island with amazing beach areas but an island with much much more to offer.....

Decisions, decisions... : )

capella971

Wow!!!!!!!! I am very impress with all those advices. I got you mariha2912!!!!!! Totally understand what you mean. We know we can't do a lot in those island. Our aim is to have a relaxing honeymoon and have an overview of those 3islands . For instance our plan was to stay in Heraklion and chania but we understand that a week is not enought so we will stick to Heraklion this time.

Stanbr and traveljan I am glad you mentioned buying ticket Early for Heraklion santorini because to my surprised all the hotels in ioia with caldera view are fully booked so I was wondering about the ferry tickets too.

Big thank you to all you guys for giving your input it really helps to make a decision. Would have been harder without all your advices

capella971

Stanbr thank you for sharing your pictures they are beautiful!!!!!!!! Will definitely add an extra day in naxos!!!!!! Beautiful!!!!!

HappyTrvlr

Mariha, excellent post!

travelerjan

Ah yes, capella, prospective couples start booking the upscale oia hotels as much as a year in advance!! -- "bridezillas" they are often called! You're late to the scene, so look at Imervogli (it's most accessible if you rent a car) ... and Firostephani .. both of these have caldera view rooms, suites and apartments... many with pools... but since u are cutting back your Santorini time, you probably can do without a pool. And in Naxos (where accommodations will be as much as 50% less), since the beaches are so fine, and June is warm enough to swim, you can get a dandy hotel with a sea view on or near the sands, as long as you don't require a pool as well.

capella971

Travelerjan: thanks a lot I will look into it. And no not cutting back on my santorini trip but cutting on athen. Arriving in athene Friday and leaving Sunday