Itinerary: 13 day trip to Greece

Old Apr 13th, 2014, 07:30 PM
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Itinerary: 13 day trip to Greece

Hi, I'm 22 and my friend, also 22, have made a last minute decision to go to Greece after college graduation (Late May 2014). We are both experienced European travelers, but haven't been to Greece. We would like to hit some of the major tourist destinations, but not try to see everything. Some time to relax would be nice too, though we realize our schedule might be hectic. Here is our tentative itinerary for the trip. (Nothing is booked yet, not even flights, so any suggestions or advice is much appreciated).

Day 1: Leave from LAX
Day 2: Arrive in Athens at night, check into hotel
Day 3: Athens
Day 4: Athens
Day 5: Athens
Day 6: Leave Athens (Piraeus) in morning and arrive in Mykonos in afternoon
Day 7: Mykonos
Day 8: Mykonos
Day 9: Leave Mykonos at about 2 pm and arrive in Santorini at 6 pm
Day 10: Santorini
Day 11: Santorini
Day 12: Santorini- leave late at night for Athens (we would get beds to try to sleep for a few hours)
Day 13: Arrive in Athens in early morning
Leave Athens in afternoon and arrive in LAX the same day

Is the number of days at each place adequate? Too much in one place over another? Any major flaws in the plan? Do you recommend different islands over the ones we were considering? Also, any recommendations on cheap hotels (about $100/night/room) without sacrificing location or fun things we might be interested in would be greatly appreciated!!
Thank you!
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 08:14 PM
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Go to Mykonos the same day you arrive in Greece, then go to Santorini and then spend your last days in Athens. It's a mistake to try to get back to the mainland the same day as your flight home when you don't need to take the risk. It's rare but cancellations and long delays do happen. Nothing will ruin your vacation faster than missing that flight and having to pay for another one. You can either fly or ferry to Mykonos, and depending on when you arrive at ATH you can take a bus to the port Rafina for a faster and shorter ferry ride than if you were to go to Piraeus as planned.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 08:36 PM
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You have laid out an itinerary as if you were doing a domestic U.S. trip: returning back to the landing airport just before the return flight.

This is risky as well as redundant (last night is unproductive) for European travels especially for Greece as noted by the previous poster.

Compare various scenarios integrating the long distance flight, inter island connections, and accommodations. Some flight possibilities are:

LAX-JMK then ATH-LAX as open-jaw
LAX-JTR then ATH-LAX as open-jaw

If extending flight to either island adds too much to the cost, do it separately with sufficient buffer time. http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp to get info on how islands are connected by boats. Use a booking engine to price out ATH-JTR or ATH-JMK as one way flights. The one-way ATH to island flights don't come with punitive prices like US domestic one-way flights.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 10:32 PM
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Those are really good points. I looked into 1 way tickets straight to the islands, travelling to the islands by plane, as well as starting in Mykonos and ending in Athens.

We're pretty limited by price, so one way tickets aren't an option. I think the most feasible option would be to fly into Athens and then take a ferry to Mykonos the same day. The problem is that we have to go with the cheapest flight to Athens, which doesn't get in until late, meaning we won't get a ferry to Mykonos in the same day.
Any other suggestions?
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 11:25 PM
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I find your Itinerary fine, a typical First timer in Greece Itinerary. Since you are 22 year olds, you probably love Nightlife, and Athens-Mykonos-Santorini have a crazy nightlife. Especially Athens has dozens of Nightclubs and this city simply never sleeps (trust me, I live here). And ofcourse the Nightlife in these islands is more than enough... And now as destinations, Athens is great for 3 days, many just skip it to go to the islands, but thats simply damn wrong.
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Old Apr 13th, 2014, 11:28 PM
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I suspect you are tossing out options without looking at the whole picture.

The ferry to Mykonos is about €34 on slow Bluestar.
One way flight ATH-JMK, for example on Jun 1, 21:40 Aegean is 68.64EU. Is ferry "cheaper" than flight? On the surface it is by €34.64 per person. But that is not the complete picture. First, you have to make you way to the port at about €5 on a bus. That leaves €30 more each by flying. The question here is how much does it worth to you not having to sleep overnight in Piraeus or in Rafina and wake up in Mykonos and gain a full morning plus lunch in Mykonos? Of course, the air prices change depending on the arrival day.

Also, what if, because you are starting Mykonos earlier, you add Naxos/Paros with beautiful beaches, where the accommodations and food cost are generally lower than Mykonos, Santorini, or Athens? Will it generate enough savings to offset flying to/from Athens by taking days away from more expensive locations? Of course, we don't know what are your "fun things," so while you allocated Athens-3 full days, Mykonos-2 full days, and Santorini-3 full days, we cannot comment if the allocation makes sense based on what "fun things" and "major tourist destinations" you are planning to visit.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 02:14 AM
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I'm afraid greg isn't looking at the whole picture either. The Aegean fare he quoted is a GoLight fare. To that you have to add €15 to check a bag, and €3 credit card fee. That extra €18 isn't much, but needs to be considered along with the €68.64. Then, of course, you need to pay for a taxi from Mykonos Airport into town, so add another €10 or so.

I agree it would be best to go straight to Mykonos if you can. Rafina has the quickest ferries to Mykonos. If you are really strapped for cash you could stay at the airport terminal overnight and take an early morning bus to Rafina. Some cafes and shops stay open all night, and there is a little museum in the terminal. There are rules against sleeping in the terminal, though, and they are enforced. If you can sleep in a chair you will be okay, but you can't stretch out anywhere.

In the event you would like to get a good night's sleep, there are hotels in Rafina where you can stay for about the same price as an economy hotel in Athens, and probably cheaper than what you will pay on Mykonos. I've stayed at Avra Hotel, and Corali is a another good choice for economy. Rafina is an attractive little port with some good tavernas. You could have a nice meal, a good night's sleep, then walk to the ferry docks in the morning.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 06:16 AM
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You wouldn't book "one way" tickets. You would book "multicity". On www.kayak.com just look for the different tab called "multi-city" that lets you put in LAX-JMK on one line and then ATH-LAX on another.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 06:44 AM
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Sometimes when trying to book from the U.S. to Santorini (JTR) using a multi-city function on an airfare booking website I have been offered the worst possible connection in Athens, sometimes requiring an overnight there. Pay very close attention to the arrival and departure dates and times. In my case I've always had better luck booking separate tickets fro Athens>Santorini>Athens.

The airport bus to Rafina leaves on a regualar basis, as late as 10:20 according to this timetable: http://www.athensairporttaxi.com/en/...afina_port.htm

Unfortunately the latest Rafina departure for Mykonos is at 5:30pm, so you'd have to spend the night there if you didn't want to hang out in the airport overnight. There are some fairly inexpensive hotels near the Rafina ferry dock. Check the Avra Hotel and the Hotel Corali.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 07:43 AM
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There are several ways to look at this since you have not bought flights. There are cost - number of days tradeoffs.

1. (current) land on day 2, overnight in Athens, Rafina,etc. then boat to on day 3 Mykonos, arriving around noon.
2. arrive earlier on day 2 (different air fare), take an evening boat on day 2 to Mykonos.
3. arrive earlier on day 3 (different air fare), take an evening boat on day 3 to Mykonos.

The difference is how you see the value of overnight in Athens/Rafina, etc. If

Option 2 adds to the cost, but if there is a difference in value to you to stay another night in Mykonos, this might be an option.

Option 3 may be even cost wise - more air fare, but you eliminate accommodate/food cost on the mainland upon landing, but also lose about 10 hours in Mykonos. This again depends on how you see the stay on mainland - part of the destination or as a non-value added item.

Because the airfare is such a volatile variable, it is best to put together actual routes to look at the overall picture rather than assuming piecemeal sequential approach (airfare, then cheap hotel, then boats) will get you want you are looking for.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 12:57 PM
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Thanks everyone. I looked into all your suggestions: multicity flights, staying a night in Rafina when we get there, flying to the islands, rather than taking the ferries...
Nothing that I've found has shown that these options would work for us. For exmaple, we could fly from LAX straight to Mykonos and then leave from Athens to go back to LAX. The problem is that the flights from LAX to Mykonos have us arriving in the morning, rather than the night before. I'm sure we'd waste that first day sleeping if we got there that morning. It's also about $300 more expensive.
I have what may be a drastic idea to solve some problems with the trip: what about only going to Athens and Santorini? Are we totally missing out by skipping out on Mykonos? Do you think it'd be worth the sacrifice to do that and have a significantly less stressful, and less risky plan?
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 01:32 PM
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It depends on what you want out of your trip. Mykonos is a well-known party island. There are lots of bars and clubs, plenty of shops and restaurants. May will still be fairly quiet there since the summer crush will not have begun. You could do a lot worse than spending all your island time on Santorini. There's a lot more to see and do there and the nightlife is also very lively. The beaches won't be as nice, nor will they be as crowded, but the clifftop villages of Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli and Oia will also not be as crowded, which is a very good thing. You'll be able to relax and explore the island at your leisure instead of trying to cram it all into a few short days.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 04:32 PM
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Whether you arw missing something depends on what you are looking for. We don't know what you are after. Athens make sense if you are into big city environment, cultural artifacts from around Greece, etc. Santorini would likely to be an expensive place if you want a hint of caldera view, so retaining that over other island probably doors not help your budget. You have enough days to visit two islands easily timewise. Rather than rattling destinations, let what you want get out from each destination dictate how you want to allocate days. How late would you be arriving in ATH if you took the original flight?
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 06:01 PM
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What are your dates of travel? I am also going to Greece in May 13-June 2 with my college aged daughters 20 and 22-One of which is graduating as well. I have noticed that some day tours drop in price the more people you have in your "group". I do have my flight to and from Athens booked. I also have ballet and operetta tickets bought in Athens for May 13 and 14.I have reservations in Santorini May 17-20th.I may delete a day off Santorini due to the high prices. Also look on airbnb for rooms or apartments to rent-Good deals there. I am still working on the rest of our plan Let me know if there are any tours you are interested in and if any of our dates match up perhaps we could join in and drop the price.
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 06:32 PM
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Ok, I looked into what I want to do in Athens in Santorini and this is what interests me:
Athens:
-Acropolis/Acropolis Museum
-Athen's Central Market
-Hammam Baths
-Lycabettus Hill
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Old Apr 14th, 2014, 06:38 PM
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Oops submitted before I was finished.
Doing a day trip to Hydra from Athens might interest me, would have to look into that more though!
As for Santorini, I'm thinking about relaxing more- hotel pool, checking out the night life, just exploring Thira and Oia.
I think what this plan is missing is a nice beach :/ Not sure how to make that happen at this point.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 09:35 PM
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If a nice beach is a goal, look over your wish list and put the nice beach in its position according what you value. That probably means you have to drop something. Everyone has their list of what to include and what to drop, how much time to spend at a particular place, etc. You will likely to come out with the outcome you want by deciding on your own after gathering relevant facts.

You will be tangled in details if you try to do linear decision on each item. What you are dealing is what you can include within your constraints time+money to optimize what you want to get out of the trip. That can only be done by making several "packages" of things to do and do comparisons - which feasible package would you take?

Here are some areas to consider trade offs.

The list you created for Athens, presuming Lycabettus Hill is for watching the sunset, can be done in one long busy day. Note that I did not say you should. Only you can decide how much time you want spend at each location and how much slack time you want to put in between. Obviously, more time you allocate in Athens, easier it is to do things there ... BUT you have to take time away from elsewhere.

Think about what Hydra means to you. Is is a destination that stands on its own that competes for your resources with other island? Or is it just an island which can be substituted by something else in Cyclades?

Once you decide to go to Santorini, you can leverage the time+money you spent to get there to visit other islands. Additing other islands in the Cyclades, especially those on main ferry trunk line, Naxos, Paros, and Mykonos are practically freebies. Hydra, on the other hand, requires a completely independent trip.

Santorini, especially if you want to be in Fira or Oia, is expensive. Be sure you have done reality check with accommodations and other costs before deciding to spend lion's share of your time there.

Think about if you want to spend time at hotel pools or at beaches. If you are thinking of hotel pools because that is what you are used to in the U.S., realize that you have choices of blue water Aegean sea beaches vs. hotel pools. For me it is a simple choice. I can find hotel pools within driving distances from home. It takes a major trip to swim in the Aegean. For beaches, Paros and Naxos have the kind of beaches you have seen in travel brochures. It is also easier to find cheaper accommodations than in Santorini.
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Old Apr 15th, 2014, 10:28 PM
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I don't know which dates you are flying. I just pulled some days out of hat and there are earlier arriving flights. I am not sure if you are seeing better prices by arriving later.

5/29 lax-ath via jfk on delta 645am-915am $1378 at Expedia
6/12 ath-lax via jfk on delta 1130am-800pm

Plus boat or flight to first island
5/30 ath-jtr on Aegean 105pm-150pm $161.39 at Expedia (or more expensive flights later that can tolerate more delays in arriving in Athens)
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Old Apr 16th, 2014, 08:26 PM
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Great suggestions Greg! Thank you so much. I love the idea of going to Paros or Naxos because of the beaches and both are less out of the way. Any thoughts on Ios as an option instead of Paros or Naxos? Ideally, I'd like a convenient, nice beach in walking distance to the main town. The reason I brought up Ios is because I've read the nightlife is nice there, but I'm not sure how exciting it would even be mid-May and not on the weekends.
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