My wife and I will be in greece from Sept. 27- Oct.4 We are flying into Athens and out of athens or Mykonos (not sure yet). We want to spend 2 nights in Athens(1 full day), then we want to see some island. We have never been there so i am not sure which islands would be doable in the remaining 5 nights. I was looking at 3 nights in Paros. Then the last 2 in Mykonos. We want to have a nice beach on the island we stay on. Are there any sugestions for other Islands? Itinerary? Please help! Thanks in advance

is this part of your 35 day trip? (see 6/9 post)

Nothing wrong with your choice of islands (Paros + Mykonos), especially since you may be flying out of the latter.

You could go to Naxos instead of Paros, though. Either island would be a good choice,but IMO Naxos has the edge for short stays. Most of the beaches and other tourist infrastructure are concentrated in a small area south from Naxos Town, so getting around is very easy.

Paros is a bit more spread out, with Parikia the ferry port, and resorts in Naoussa, Golden Beach, Piso Livadi, Aliki, etc. It takes a little more than three days to appreciate all Paros has to offer.

Yes this is part of out 34 day trip. We got it narrowed down thanks in part to you guys. I like the idea of naxos. I will look into it more. do you think it would be better if i stayed in naxos for 5 nigths and just day trip to mykonos and/or other islands? Should i stay there?

If you have 5 nights personally I would do 2 islands not just one. You can't go wrong with any of the islands mentioned - Paros Naxos and Santorini are my favourites but I have enjoyed Mykonos also.

Be careful in your choice of resort if beach is important to you - while all islands have nice beaches they are not necessarily near the resort you will be staying in (Naxos is an exception with a lovely beach in Naxos town).

Jake, as littlejane said, they are all nice islands, so you can't go wrong whichever you choose. Spend all five days on Naxos and you can take the Alexander or Naxos Star day trip to Mykonos and Delos. They also do day trips to Santorini, Alexander on Mondays and Naxos Star on Wednesdays. Both ships stop off at Naoussa on Paros as well, so if you decide to go to Paros instead of Naxos the trips are still available.

With five days at your disposal you do have enough time to stay on two islands. Mykonos was my first Cyclades island, and I really did enjoy it. I haven't been there for several years, but plan to return again soon. It is more expensive than Naxos or Paros, but shouldn't break the budget for a two day visit. Mykonos has a beautiful chora (main town) with a maze of winding passageways lined with upmarket shops and restaurants. The island is noted for its nightlife, but by the end of September will be relatively quiet.