The isles in June

Old Jun 14th, 2015, 06:10 PM
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The isles in June

we are planning to visit Greece next June. Probably dates would be something like 6/5 - 6/25 give or take a few days. My impulse is to visit the mainland cities/sites first and then end with "chilling" as my kids would say on one (or more) of the Isles. My concern is that the guidebook says that high season is July and August, but then indicates that it gets going in June as well, and I would rather avoid crowds on the beaches. Would you advise reversing the order (beaches/isles first and then cities and inland sights) or is late June still relatively quiet (I'm not thinking Mykonos, but maybe Crete, Rhodes, Santorini? - that's a whole nuther post - I'm totally confused by the wealth of choices). any and all advice most appreciated.
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Old Jun 14th, 2015, 07:48 PM
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Do you really have a choice?
Assuming you are flying long distance flights into and out of Athens from somewhere else, suppose you do islands later, do you have a reliable way to connect back to your return flight taking in account transportation glitches?

If you have to come back to Athens to connect back to your return flight by staying overnight, do you really want to stay in Athens twice?
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Old Jun 15th, 2015, 04:44 AM
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We just returned from 2+ weeks in Greece the end of May. We split our island time between Naxos and Santorini. The beaches on Naxos were nicer than those on Sanatorini. They were not especially crowded on either island though we noted more torists toward the end of our stay. The weather was perfect thought the water a little chilly. It should be good in June. And there will be more people then. I would save the beaches for later in the trip to be sure it is getting warmer.
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Old Jun 16th, 2015, 03:45 PM
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Just returned today .... yesterday temp was 90s -- from noon - 5 too hot to do much. I suggest strongly doing last week May thru mid June latest ... crowds not huge in late june, but temps may be surprising ...
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Old Jun 16th, 2015, 04:20 PM
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June is a good month to visit the island, when the weather is finally warmer.
This year we had the coldest May i can remember, and temperatures only got higher in the last 2-3 days.
June is definitely not High season, with the exception perhaps of Santorini which is too small and too popular.

Some islands ( like Naxos and Paros ) have a later start of the season, usually in May, some others like Crete or Rhodes that are further south, get their first visitors already at the end of March.

The first week of June should be relatively quite, getting busier towards the end of the month.

Don't underestimate the mainland, as it has many great beaches, so no matter where you are, there will always be a beach nearby.. But generally the idea of starting with mainland and then with the islands as the weather gets warmer makes perfect sense to me.
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Old Jun 16th, 2015, 06:43 PM
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Thanks all, Greg, not sure what choice we have as we have to fly into or out of Athens. Based on advice earlier I'm thinking fly into Athens, finish with Rhodes and then take a ferry to Istanbul for the last few days.

travelerjan, because my husband is a teacher we won't be able to start until June, so perhaps getting to the beaches sooner rather than later makes some sense, andthank you Clausar for your advice re Naxos and Paros - it is very confusing trying to figure out which isles to land on....

this is most helpful all
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Old Jun 16th, 2015, 08:08 PM
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"Take a ferry to Istanbul" You have to travel to the Turkish mainland to get to Istanbul from Rhodes.
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Old Jun 17th, 2015, 06:02 AM
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It gets hotter on the mainland than the islands, so if heat is a worry it would be better to go there first and save the islands for later. Hot weather usually kicks in about the middle of June, but is no worse than many parts of the U.S.

There are no ferries from Greece to Istanbul. Ferries from Rhodes to Turkey land at nearby ports, from which you go overland or by air to Istanbul. Also, if you plan to start island hopping at Paros or Naxos (good idea, IMO), you will have to work out a route to Rhodes from there, going via Santorini, Syros, or possibly Mykonos. Ferry rides to Rhodes from those islands are lengthy, and don't run every day. Your alternative is going back to Athens and flying to Istanbul from there.
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Old Jul 2nd, 2015, 07:03 PM
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thanks Happy Trvlr and Heimdall - the goal is next June so hopefully the plan of mainland, islands and then Turkey should work. I am now intrigued enough by all the positive feedback about Turkey to get some good guide books and understand better what we are trying to do.

Heimdall - can yo say a bit more about why Paros or Naxos over other possible islands (i.e. Kos?) thanks
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Old Jul 3rd, 2015, 01:12 AM
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Interesting question, lauramsgarden, as Kos was the first island in Greece I ever visited, and Paros/Antiparos where I now go nearly every year.

Kos is a popular island with package holiday tourists from all over Europe, particularly during high season (Jul-Aug). It, like Rhodes, is near the Turkish coastline, so a good place to transit into Turkey. You can take a day trip from Kos to Nissiros, which has a volcanic caldera. With an interest in history, Rhodes would probably be a better choice than Kos.

Paros and Antiparos are popular with independent travellers, particularly families. There are many Scandinavian visitors in June. These two islands have airports with domestic flights only, and no deep water ports, so access is mainly through Athens. Both islands have a good mix of beaches and traditional inland villages. It is easy to get back to Athens by ferry from Paros or Naxos.
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