Naxos to Athens airport on Sat 9/24
Sep 4th, 2016, 02:10 PM
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Naxos to Athens airport on Sat 9/24
Hi guys, I need a little help here. I will be in Naxos on Sat 9/24 (coming from Iraklia actually) and need to get to a flight in Athens taking off at 2:05pm.
I expect to arrive on Naxos at 9:00am by ferry. What's the fastest way to Athens between 9:00am and 1:00pm?
I see there's a flight from Naxos to Athens but it leaves at 7:15 am.
Do I have an impossible task here? Can I go to Santorini then fly to Athens in that 4 hr time period?
Any help much appreciated.
-anic
I expect to arrive on Naxos at 9:00am by ferry. What's the fastest way to Athens between 9:00am and 1:00pm?
I see there's a flight from Naxos to Athens but it leaves at 7:15 am.
Do I have an impossible task here? Can I go to Santorini then fly to Athens in that 4 hr time period?
Any help much appreciated.
-anic
Sep 4th, 2016, 03:01 PM
#2
I would never (ever) travel attempt traveling between two islands and the mainland for a flight out. Too many things that could go wrong including a cancelled/delayed ferry or flight. If it was me -- I'd give up my last night on Iraklia and get to Athens the evening of the 23rd.
Sep 4th, 2016, 10:39 PM
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You will miss your flight unless you leave Iraklia at least a day earlier. There is a Blue Star ferry leaving Iraklia on Sep 24th that goes all the way to Piraeus, but doesn't arrive until 3 pm.
Now that Olympic Air (the airline that flies from Naxos) is combined with Aegean Airlines, you can check for flights on their website as well. The Dash 8-100 that flies from Naxos takes only about 30 passengers, and it looks like all flights are sold out for the 23rd and 24th (they usually sell out months in advance).
Paros, the island next to Naxos, has much larger aircraft flying from its new airport, but it looks like the two flights that would get you to Athens on time are sold out for the 24th too.
Unfortunately your only option at this late date is to take a ferry to Piraeus or Rafina a day early and stay overnight. If you want to be near the airport and don't want to pay the high price of rooms at the airport Sofitel, think about a room at Hotel Avra in Rafina. There is an afternoon ferry from Naxos to Rafina on the 23rd, and Rafina is only 30 minutes from the airport. I've stayed at the Avra before, and it's a nice hotel with views over the harbour. There are some great fish tavernas in Rafina, and the hotel does an excellent breakfast.
Now that Olympic Air (the airline that flies from Naxos) is combined with Aegean Airlines, you can check for flights on their website as well. The Dash 8-100 that flies from Naxos takes only about 30 passengers, and it looks like all flights are sold out for the 23rd and 24th (they usually sell out months in advance).
Paros, the island next to Naxos, has much larger aircraft flying from its new airport, but it looks like the two flights that would get you to Athens on time are sold out for the 24th too.
Unfortunately your only option at this late date is to take a ferry to Piraeus or Rafina a day early and stay overnight. If you want to be near the airport and don't want to pay the high price of rooms at the airport Sofitel, think about a room at Hotel Avra in Rafina. There is an afternoon ferry from Naxos to Rafina on the 23rd, and Rafina is only 30 minutes from the airport. I've stayed at the Avra before, and it's a nice hotel with views over the harbour. There are some great fish tavernas in Rafina, and the hotel does an excellent breakfast.
Sep 5th, 2016, 05:59 AM
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Great info Heimdall. anic is brand new -- I sure hope s/he knows to come back to see if there are any responses (many first-timers assume they will get notification from Fodors when there is activity on their threads 
)
)
Sep 5th, 2016, 09:48 AM
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Thanks, janisj!
What I should have added is that you can take Express Skopelitis from Iraklia to Naxos on the morning of the 23rd, then wait for Ekaterini P. to depart for Rafina at 3 pm that afternoon. Express Skopelitis is a legendary ferry that goes between Amorgos and Naxos, stopping at the Little Cyclades islands on the way. Ekaterini P. is a conventional ferry based at Rafina.
Another thought: if you are planning to stay on Naxos as part of your island hopping trip anyway, perhaps you could rearrange your itinerary to go to Iraklia first and then Naxos. In the event of bad weather I would rather be on Naxos last, which has two large Blue Stars leaving for the mainland every day.
What I should have added is that you can take Express Skopelitis from Iraklia to Naxos on the morning of the 23rd, then wait for Ekaterini P. to depart for Rafina at 3 pm that afternoon. Express Skopelitis is a legendary ferry that goes between Amorgos and Naxos, stopping at the Little Cyclades islands on the way. Ekaterini P. is a conventional ferry based at Rafina.
Another thought: if you are planning to stay on Naxos as part of your island hopping trip anyway, perhaps you could rearrange your itinerary to go to Iraklia first and then Naxos. In the event of bad weather I would rather be on Naxos last, which has two large Blue Stars leaving for the mainland every day.
Sep 5th, 2016, 12:33 PM
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Thank you for the responses. Looks I have some plans to re-arrange.
The Iraklia part of my trip is part of a hiking tour that includes Naxos, Amorgoums, Koufonissi and Iraklia (nofootprints.gr).
I have contacted them to see if I can get back to Naxos early.
Heimdall- I appreciate your info on the travel options back to Athens. Did not anticipate flights being sold out!
The Iraklia part of my trip is part of a hiking tour that includes Naxos, Amorgoums, Koufonissi and Iraklia (nofootprints.gr).
I have contacted them to see if I can get back to Naxos early.
Heimdall- I appreciate your info on the travel options back to Athens. Did not anticipate flights being sold out!
Sep 6th, 2016, 12:00 AM
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Hi anic,
I found what looks like your walking tour on the nofootprint.gr website:
http://www.nofootprint.gr/our-greece...clades-greece/
You should be able to cut the tour short at any point, and make your way back to Naxos or Athens on your own. The nofootprint website says their tours are customisable, so they should be able to help. Is there any way you can rearrange your outbound flight to stay in Greece a couple of days longer?
No Greek travel expert ever recommends returning from the islands to Athens the same day as your flight home, especially from small islands like Iraklia that have no airport and few ferry connections.
Naxos, unfortunately, has a very short runway, accessible only by small turboprops like the Dash 8-100, and even then with takeoff weight restrictions. Occasionally passengers or luggage are bumped from the flights at short notice when weather conditions suddenly change. Naxos does have good ferry connections with the mainland, but nearly all the ferries start their day at Piraeus or Rafina and don't return to the mainland until afternoon or evening.
I found what looks like your walking tour on the nofootprint.gr website:
http://www.nofootprint.gr/our-greece...clades-greece/
You should be able to cut the tour short at any point, and make your way back to Naxos or Athens on your own. The nofootprint website says their tours are customisable, so they should be able to help. Is there any way you can rearrange your outbound flight to stay in Greece a couple of days longer?
No Greek travel expert ever recommends returning from the islands to Athens the same day as your flight home, especially from small islands like Iraklia that have no airport and few ferry connections.
Naxos, unfortunately, has a very short runway, accessible only by small turboprops like the Dash 8-100, and even then with takeoff weight restrictions. Occasionally passengers or luggage are bumped from the flights at short notice when weather conditions suddenly change. Naxos does have good ferry connections with the mainland, but nearly all the ferries start their day at Piraeus or Rafina and don't return to the mainland until afternoon or evening.
