rhondab

I have anther question we will be staying in Santorini 6 nights and Mykonos 3 night Oia in Santorini is it worth it to switch hotels and stay in prygos for a few nights to experience another part of the island we are traveling octber 6th, I'd like to see another island but isn't think there's enough time and we need to fly back to USA from Athens, what do you think.?

Heimdall

Santorini is only about 12 miles long and 3 miles wide, so it's easy to see all parts of the island from one base. If you change hotels on Santorini you will lose part of a day packing and unpacking, and checking in and out of hotels.

HappyTrvlr

To see another island, you would need to take time away from either Mykonos or Santorini, is that correct? Or would you lengthen your trip? If the first statement is correct, take 3N from Santorini and visit Paros,or Naxos for a more real Greek experience.

rhondab

Thanks happy traveler but can I get from Paros or Naxos back to Athens to catch flight back to USA mid October?

HappyTrvlr

Yes but check Aegean air schedule.

Heimdall

What I almost added to my first post, but left out for the sake of brevity, is that Paros and Naxos are both on ferry routes between Santorini and Mykonos. Therefore, if you decide to add a third island it would be best to go in this order or vice-versa: Santorini > Paros or Naxos > Mykonos.

Regarding airports, Santorini and Mykonos have long runways served by regional jets such as Airbus A320. Paros is getting a new airport, scheduled to open next month (July 2016), with a runway long enough for large turboprops, and Olympic Air plans to fly there with their modern 78 seat Q400 aircraft. Naxos has a very short runway served by small 37 seat Dash 8-100 aircraft.

Safest practice is to return to Athens at least a day before your flight home to avoid the rare, but possible, cancellation due to weather or industrial action. If you plan to fly back from the islands for a same day connecting flight, then Santorini and Mykonos have the most reliable connections. Paros, with its new airport, would be next on my list.

Paros is getting its new airport because sometimes weather forces the airline captain to bump passengers and/or baggage at the last minute for safety reasons, and this occasionally happens at Naxos too. The new airport at Paros will completely eliminate this problem.

mzalaina

This has been very helpful for me too. We have almost the same travel plans - arriving in Athens Oct 7 and leaving Oct 15, wanting to see Mykonos and Santorini, unless there are other islands that are more beautiful

Heimdall

October would be a very good time for Mykonos and Santorini, when they are much less busy than in mid-summer. There are many other islands scattered around the Aegean Sea, e.g. Rhodes and Crete, all less than an hour by air from Athens.