swanny65

Hi there,
I've got two weeks in mid-September to explore some Greek Islands, and I would appreciate some suggestions on narrowing the choices.
My husband and I will be flying home from Santorini, so the trip will end with four nights there. That leaves me 14 nights to fill in the Cyclades.
We're interested in quieter locales with good swimming nearby (from rocks or beaches), small towns or villages and great hiking. Renting a car would be okay, but I'd prefer local transport, walking or bike rental.
We like to stay at least four nights in each place. Initial research suggests Naxos and Paros are must-sees. But what about a third choice? Folegrando? Sikinos? Milos?
Finally, what's the most practical order of visiting them?
Many thanks in advance for your help.

bekho44

Check out Nafplio or Milos. My husband and I are going in August and I've done a ton of research and had lots of great input from the folks here. We are doing Santorini, Naxos, Nafplio and Athens. We are hikers and I heard mixed review on hiking in Milos.

Hope that helps!

HappyTrvlr

For Paros, stay in Naoussa which fits your requirements perfectly.
Napflion on tne Peloponnesian Pen is also wonderful.

Judy

If you'd like to stay in the Cyclades, Folegandros would be a great last stop before Santorini. It's a nice contrast to Santorini and so relaxing!

neckervd

Paros and Naxos are along the slow ferry lines from Piraeus to Santorini (Bluestarferries and Hellenic Seaways). Both are fine. So is Antiparos, a short bus and ferry ride from Paros.
The small Cycladic Islands (Iraklia, Koufonissi, Schinoussa, Amorgos) are linked to Naxos by almost daily slow ferries.

Many other Islands are linked to either Naxos or Santorini by sometimes not daily catamarans: Mykonos, Folegandros, Milos, Kithnos, Serifos, Crete.....

Heimdall

Don't be put off by neckervd's use of the term "slow ferry lines". The modern conventional ferries, e.g. Blue Star, are nearly as fast as the highspeeds, and offer more comfort. The difference in speed is only about 26 knots (30 mph) and 36 knots (41 mph), and they both have to slow down as they near the port. Given the choice I would always pick Blue Star before highspeeds.

swanny65

Thanks, everyone.
The Peloponnesian Peninsula looks amazing, but I think I'll save it for another trip in order to keep our travel between island destinations to a minimum.
So does it makes sense to go in this order: Paros, Naxos and then Milos or Folegrandos before ending up in Santorini? Is there one island worth more time? Less time?
Thanks again for the great advice.

travelerjan

Four islands in 14 days is a lot, especially when it takes a Minimum of half-a day to change islands ... even isles so close that from a beach (Naxos) you can see anoher (paros). And don't you want to spend 2 days in Athens?? The Parthenon has been waiting for 2400 years to wow you, you should at least give it an hour! So give Athens at least the first FULL day, before you leave for the islands... i'd argue for 2... so that makes it 13 days ... and if you are counting arrival day (unless you arrive before 10 AM), dont, and never count departure day... its all about breakfast, check-out & getting to airport. So is it 13 days or 12? NOTE: you say looking for quiet locales; ALL islands will be quiet in Mid-late Sept except Santorini.

Which island to eliminate depends on several factors - your stated activity interests, your preference for walking, local bus or cycling. MOST important -- can ferries get you from one to the other?? Mid-September the schedule falls away and you have a big problem ... Santorini is the "Link" between Naxos-Paros and Folegandros or Milos, so it should be in the Middle; instead, you've got it at the end ... so you may have to make a quickie several-hour stop to get from one side to the other. I.e. - fly to MILOS - sail to Santorini, transfer to Blue star to Naxos, then Paros. OR -- ferry/fly to PAROS, then Naxos, then Santorini transfer to Milos then back for final 4 days.

The best Ferry website -- gtp.gr -- is a mine of info, but won't yet have skeds for Folegandros or Milos end. TO find out what the "usual pattern of service is", you can use http://www.openseas.gr/en/index.html on its Departure slot, there's a calendar with a "rollback" feature, so you can see what sailings there were on, say, the 3rd Tuesday of September. Not foolproof but a good indication.

Both PAROS & NAXOS have good beaches, Naxos has great hikes, Paros only a couple. Public transport is good on each, cycling is limited. FOLEY has a Gorgeous "Postcard" Chora (high town) to stay in, not much to do, especially in Mid-Sept. Bus transport to OK beaches (no amenities) is limited in summer, and n Mid=sept? A good walk from Chora to high church, otherwise... u have to drive to get to good hikes. MILOS has v. lame bus network; 22 lovely beaches but u need to rent car or 4x4 to reach. You can bus to High Town, and walk down, a nice hour. In Mid-Sept would have to stay in port town (Adamas) to have choice of tavernas and any night life. The Big Treat in Milos are the half-round sails around rim of island, stopping for picnics & swims ... IF these trips are still operating.

You should already have decided between the 2 if you'd looked at a good guide book with Details (not just the ones with pretty pictures), which give all above info. Internet sites don't provide candor. Check out the library, and you'll find some facts like above to aid your decision.

fluff224

Have you checked out greecetravel.com? We went to Greece in 2005. I used Matt Barrett's Greecetravel site for much of my planning. Granted that was 12 years ago & travel info on the internet is now more abundant. However, I found a lot of great advice on his site. We had 12 days; 3 Athens, 3 Paros, & 4 Santorini. I considered Naxos, but Paros won out. We were very happy with our intineray! Paros was delightful and Santorini was amazing. We stayed in Oia in a cliff type inn. Lots of stairs! All in all it was a very memorable trip. Enjoy!!

Heimdall

The only problem with combining Paros/Naxos with Milos or Folegrandos is that they are on opposite sides of Santorini, so would involve some backtracking if you want to end up in Santorini.

You could easily fill 14 days just on Paros and Naxos, maybe spending part of that time on Antiparos, which has lots of quiet beaches, some of the best reached by hiking.

From Antiparos you can even reach some uninhabited islands for more hiking all on your own. Despotiko can be reached by taxi boat from Agios Georgios. It has an archeological site and some great beaches. Another uninhabited island (except for sheep) is Diplo, which can be reached by wading and a short swim from the Camping Beach at the northern tip of Antiparos. Bring some sandals and you can walk around in complete solitude, unless a yachtie has anchored off one of the coves.

stanbr

My thoughts exactly Heimdall. Transportation logistics are easy from Paros to Naxos to Santorini. Milos and Folegrandos require the small Seajet ferries and they are always late and somewhat unreliable.
I would just do the three easy island hops Paros, Naxos, Santorini.
Here are some images.

Naxos Town http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632094558042/
Trip around Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7634605629689/

Antiparos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632126687570/

Santorini http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632154800782/

swanny65

Again, many thanks to you all for your invaluable suggestions. Yes, I've now equipped myself with a load of library books, so they're helping with the planning as well.
travelerjan -- you bet we're going to Athens. We'll spend four nights there and then do an overnight stay in Meteora and see Delphi before we move on to the islands.. Then we have an additional 18 nights , including 4 already booked in an Oia cave. Thank you for reminding me of the seasonal limitations we may face in Sept.
fluff224 -- I will check out that site. Thanks!
stanbr -- thanks for the visual motivation. Gorgeous.
Heimdall -- wise advice to stick to Paros, Naxos and Antiparos. Given our transportation restrictions, that sounds like a good plan.
Cheers!

HappyTrvlr

Just a heads up about cave rooms on Santorini. We found ours claustrophobic, damp in rear part of room. We stayed at Esperas in Oia.

travelerjan

Swanny, it would have been SO much clearer if from the beginning you'd clarified how much time u would have -- then we wouldn't have had to fret about you missing something on limited time. It NEVER hurts to lay out ALL the key details up front so we don't guess incorrectly.

swanny65

Hi travelerjan
I did say in the original post that I had 14 days to fill in the Greek Islands -- not Greece, generally -- and specifically the Cyclades, beyond the 4 nights being spent on Santorini.
Sorry that wasn't clear. All your good advice and that of others still stands. Thanks again.

travelerjan

Ah ... but I wasn't clear that Athens was covered BEFORE the 14 days, that's what. I'm relieved!

mareebee

Please be aware of professional pickpocket gangs on the Athens Metro, particularly on the airport line. Pick pocket proof pants were even pilfered! A money belt is better.

brotherleelove2004

Another vote for Antiparos if you want to add a 4th island.

zoecat

Bookmarking

swanny65

Thanks, everyone. If I could lean on you a bit further.
So does this breakdown seem sensible?
Naxos: 5 nights
Paros: 5 nights
Antiparos: 4 nights
Santorini:4 nights

Is that too few nights on Santorini? It's the priciest one, but if it's worth another night, I'll cringe and go for it.
For Antiparos, the Dolphin suites near Agios Georgios look nice but would a car be required?
We love to stay in quieter locales, with swimming and walking close by.