3 days in Greece - need planning and budget help
 

Hello!

I have only 3 days in Greece and I would like to get to Athens and Santorini. This is supposed to be a relaxing first visit to Greece but I have a low budget and limited time.

What is the best way to see Athens and go to Santorini and have a part beach day as well as go visit Oia, volcano, hot springs, etc?

Any and all tips would be so very appreciated? I can't quite piece together a plan.

3 days? Good luck trying to relax!

You don't have enough time to do anything but fly. Check Aegean Airlines and Olympic Air for 'saver' fares to Santorini.

Stay in Fira so you'll be centrally located. Rent a small car once you're there to make the most of your time.

Truly, if you only have 3 days for vacation, I would pick somewhere closer to home. Or if Greece is close to your home, I would pick either Athens OR Santorini.

If you pick Santorini and have a limited budget, you can stay on the non-cliff side more cheaply. You will be staying near the beach. And there are a lot of day trips that take in the volcano, the hot springs and Oia in one fairly long day. I did this from Kamari several years ago and it was not too expensive. We did not book ahead, but rather just walked around Kamari and picked out and booked a tour the day before.

>><i>I have only 3 days in Greece and I would like to get to Athens and Santorini. This is supposed to be a relaxing first visit to Greece</i><<

'relaxing' and '3 days' are mutually exclusive concepts.

Why only 3 days? What is the rest of your itinerary like?

Do you mean 3 days and 2 nights, or will you be in Greece for 3 nights as well? Can you fly directly to Santorini, or will you have to change planes in Athens? If flying in and out of Athens, what times of day do you arrive and depart?

With 3 days you really have time for only one location, but assuming you have 3 nights, you could squeeze both in by flying directly or by connecting flight to Santorini upon arrival in Greece. Stay 2 nights on Santorini, then take the earliest possible flight back to Athens. Check into an Athens hotel for your third night, and you will have the rest of the day for sightseeing in Athens. If your outbound flight is late afternoon or evening, you may be able to see a bit more of Athens before heading to the airport.

Your time in Greece will be anything but relaxing.

Count at least 4 full days for a somewhat decent visit of Athens and surroundings (Cape Sounion, Dafni, Korinthos, Micenae, Nafplion, Epidavors)

I have 10 days at the end of a business trip since my flight to and from Europe is covered. I am spending a couple days with friends in London and visiting another group in Rome so that is 6 of my days. I have been thinking about it and want to give Greece its proper due, so I am pondering other options.

Is there a city I can get a taste of in 3 days that I can relax in that won't add major cost?

Barcelona? Madrid? Munich?

Thanks for all responses already!

Since you'll already be in Rome it makes the most sense to go somewhere nearby your friends can recommend.

Suggest somewhere near the city you are flying home from. You aren't giving us much to go on. ;-)

Gems around Rome:
Tarquinia, Chiusi, Orvieto, Perugia, Assisi, Siena, Pisa, Volterra, Lucca, Florence, Islands of Giglio, Ponza and Ventotene, Gaeta, Naples, Capri, Ischia, Sorrento, Amalfi, Caserta.....