msackton

Looking for advice on which itinerary (modified or as is) would be better for 13 nights in Greece.

When: Late May or June 2015.
Who: My wife and I (mid 30s) and our son (3). We like picturesque villages, kid friendly beaches, interesting cities, good food, strolls (out son loves walking as long as he can take an hour to go 3/4ths of a mile), and gorgeous views from our hotel. I love historic ruins much more than the rest of the family.

Previous Greek trips: None as a family. I went on a grand tour as a teenager: Athens, Delphi, Napflio, Naxos, Santorini. One goal of this trip is to go somewhere I haven't been.

Itinerary 1
Fly into Chania, 3 nights in town
Drive to central Crete. 3 nights probably at Eleonas in Zaros.
Ferry to Naxos. 5 nights.
Fly to Athens. 2 nights.

Or maybe go Crete-Santorini-Naxos and skip Athens. Is it feasible to fly Naxos - Athens and onward to N. America in the same day?

Itinerary 2
Fly to Santorini. 2 nights
Ferry to Folegandros. 3-4 nights depending on connections onward.
Ferry to Naxos. 4-5 nights depending on how long we spent in Folegandros.
Fly Athens. 3 nights.

Folegandros ferry connections seem a bit challenging but I like the idea of a off the beaten path island. Any alternative ideas?

Would the reverse work better for either of these? We would be flying in from Boston so most likely connecting in Athens to get to the islands.

stanbr

I think you have two fairly good plans.
Chania is one of my favourite cities and there is likely enough interesting stuff there to keep even a three year old busy.
Chania http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632117917828/

Because Crete is so large and you have so little time there I would be very tempted to cut at lest a night out of Crete and add Santorini to your plan. I suspect that your wife will be very thankful to have an opportunity to have a day overlooking the caldera.
Santorini is not very kid friendly so you probably only need a night there. You can break up the ferry trip by sailing from Heraklion to Santorini spend a night there and then catch the early afternoon Blue Star ferry to Naxos the next day.
Santorini http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632154800782/

The most kid friendly island on either of your plans is Naxos and I think you have chosen wisely there.
St George beach is perfect for little kids and your son will have new friends to meet every day. It is adjacent to Naxos town so is a short stroll into town for activities shopping dining and the waterfront promenade where everyone shows off their family at sunset.
A week in Naxos https://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr...7645113682278/

St George Beach Naxos http://www.flickr.com/photos/stanbr5...7632113170279/


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


Your second plan to fly to Santorini and spend a couple of nights is a good one however I would then hop to Naxos and add a couple of days there perhaps even spend a week. if you want to see something else you can hop the blue star and spend a couple of nights on Paros or even better Antiparos. Less complicated ferry hops the better particularly with a child.

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

You can fly out of Paros or Naxos back to Athens for the end of your trip. That's a 45 minute flight versus 3 to 5 hours on a ferry.

Whatever you choose to do your family will have a wonderful vacation and memories for life.

neckervd

" You can break up the ferry trip by sailing from Heraklion to Santorini spend a night there and then catch the early afternoon Blue Star ferry to Naxos the next day"
Excellent purpose! Let's hope that the ferry will sail again at 15.30, next summer. Actually (until March 31st) is leaves Santorini at 7pm and arrives at Naxos around half past ten.

HappyTrvlr

I like Plan 1. I wouldn't want to take a three year old to Santorini, steep cliffs and drop offs. Chania is much more kid friendly in addition to being a wonderful city to visit. Naxos or Paros would be perfect too.

msackton

We thought about just Santorini-Naxos-Athens but I'd really like to spend a few nights somewhere new.

I also thought about Crete-Santorini-Naxos-Athens, but two concerns:

1. We don't want to stay at more than 4 places - switching hotels is tiring.

2. I was worried that driving Chania-Herkalion and then the ferry onward all in one day would be a very long travel day.

Maybe not though? If there were a late afternoon ferry we could potentially leave Chania in the morning, drive to Herkalion and return the car, and then take the ferry getting into Santorini in time for dinner?

msackton

stanbr - how crowded/touristy is Antiparos? I liked the idea of Folegandros to get out somewhere a bit more authentic and low key.

stanbr

In late May early June Antiparos is not busy at all. We were there in early June and several of the hotels were just opening. There were just enough people around to make it interesting. It is a good option for you and only a short 1 hour ferry transfer.

I am not a ferry expert but I was under the impression that the Heraklion ferry to Santorini leaves in the morning around 9:45. It is about a 2 to 2,5 hour drive from Chania so that means a very early departure. We prefer to get to Heraklion the night before and have an easy morning.

Sassafrass

Personally, I would find Santorini with a toddler to be somewhat stressful. Of course, kids live there, and any place calls for watchfulness of little ones, but on vacation, I would not want to be cautious every single minute, and would feel I had to on Santorini.