Greek Islands - Should we rent a car on Mykonos and Santorini?
#1
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Greek Islands - Should we rent a car on Mykonos and Santorini?
Spending 4 nights on each island, my wife and I want to go to different beaches on these 2 islands, but don't know if a car is recommended vs. taxis or local transport.
Any advice from the Greek Island hoppers would be most appreciated.
* We are going in early September 2011.
Cheers,
Matt
Any advice from the Greek Island hoppers would be most appreciated.
* We are going in early September 2011.
Cheers,
Matt
#2
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Renting a car will give you maximum flexibility for exploration and allow you to be spontaneous. In the long run a car would be less-expensive than a round-trip taxi ride. These islands have good bus services but they tie you to a schedule. If you wait until you're there to decide you will get a better price from a small local rental company.
Be sure to go to your local AAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required.
Be sure to go to your local AAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required.
#3
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I would be more inclined to rent a car on Santorini than on Mykonos. All the main beaches on Mykonos are connected by frequent bus service from the station near Lakka Square, some leaving as often as every 15-20 minutes. If you want to go to some very out of the way places on Mykonos, then a car may be an advantage.
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I also vote for renting a car. Probably not for all four days but at least a day or two. I'd say more so on Santorini than Mykonos, as Heimdall mentioned. The bus service is more frequent and extensive on Mykonos so maybe a day rental to explore some of the more out of the way beaches on Mykonos. We enjoy having a car on Santorini because we like to explore the wineries, visit out of the way beaches and do it at our own pace. Enjoy your time in Greece. It's my favorite place!!
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We're renting a car for 2 days on Santorini but not while we're on Mykonos. Price we got for 2 days around 73 euros. We wanted to visit some wineries, tour Akrotiri if it's open, and spend time at Kamari beach.
#8
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Hi Matt,
From my experience i suggest you to rent a car for sure in Santorini (where there is no good public transportation).
You can find cheap car rental rates at http://www.bustravel-santorini.com/c...santorini.html (local trusted travel agency office).
At Mykonos you can start using the public transportation as Heimdall mentioned above and if you are facing problems then go with car rental! I suggest you the www.apollonrentacar.com as it provides you also parking area very close to the center.(parking in Mykonos is an issue...)
Hope these will help you on your vacations!
From my experience i suggest you to rent a car for sure in Santorini (where there is no good public transportation).
You can find cheap car rental rates at http://www.bustravel-santorini.com/c...santorini.html (local trusted travel agency office).
At Mykonos you can start using the public transportation as Heimdall mentioned above and if you are facing problems then go with car rental! I suggest you the www.apollonrentacar.com as it provides you also parking area very close to the center.(parking in Mykonos is an issue...)
Hope these will help you on your vacations!
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Hello, I live on a small island between Mykonos and Santorini and visit them often. Santorini has an excellent public bus service which can take you to any spots you desire. I can recommend Kamari Beach (Black Sand) and Red Beach (a short walk from Akrotiri..the archeological site you will definitely want to visit). When you go to Akrotiri make sure to head to the beach, turn right on the board walk and have lunch at "The Cave"..best tomato fritters on the island..
However, if you want to visit "Ancient Thera", the archeological site on the Acropolis above Kamari Beach, you might want to rent a car to get there before the tourist buses do as you can have the site almost to yourselves. There are, if I remember my count correctly,34 hairpin turns to get up there. I've both rented a car and driven it myself, and also paid the car rental folks 10 euros to shuttle us up and down..which, frankly, was a lot easier..parking up there is minimal..
Mykonos, too, has a regular bus service. Taxis there are almost impossible to wave down..stood for about 30 minutes at "THE taxi stand" at the port waiting for one the last time to get us to the airport..not one stopped for any of the people waiting..finally I flagged down a local and paid him to drive us to the airport. Frankly, the only reason I go to Mykonos is to visit Delos..it's become overwhelmingly expensive and touristy..Xara
However, if you want to visit "Ancient Thera", the archeological site on the Acropolis above Kamari Beach, you might want to rent a car to get there before the tourist buses do as you can have the site almost to yourselves. There are, if I remember my count correctly,34 hairpin turns to get up there. I've both rented a car and driven it myself, and also paid the car rental folks 10 euros to shuttle us up and down..which, frankly, was a lot easier..parking up there is minimal..
Mykonos, too, has a regular bus service. Taxis there are almost impossible to wave down..stood for about 30 minutes at "THE taxi stand" at the port waiting for one the last time to get us to the airport..not one stopped for any of the people waiting..finally I flagged down a local and paid him to drive us to the airport. Frankly, the only reason I go to Mykonos is to visit Delos..it's become overwhelmingly expensive and touristy..Xara
#13
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If you want to make more comfortable holiday, forcing to rent a car in Mykonos or rent a motorcycle for a more comfortable ride! In Mykonos there are many taxis and buses are every half hour resulting in limits! It is worth taking a tour on the island of Mykonos but also to Santorini !! If you want to have the most vip services in Mykonos and Santorini and do as many things you need to rent a medium, if not with the bus and walk back you will enjoy it !! Have a good time!
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I had great difficulty with parking in many parts of Santorini. I found a spot easily at Akrotiri and on the outskirts of Fira, but otherwise found it a bit of a nightmare -- I was often in a lot before I realized that there were no spaces, by which time I was blocked in and had to wait for everyone to find a way to back up or turn around to leave. And in other cases, the exit from a parking lot was positioned so that I had to drive some distance to get back to a different lot, or even the entrance to the one from which I had just exited.
Maybe others have had different experiences....
Maybe others have had different experiences....
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