Thanks everyone. We're scheduled to arrive in Athens at 9. What is the earliest flight we should book to the islands? I want to give ourselves enough time but don't want to waste hours at the airport either. Thanks.

Just check Aegean or Olympic air web site punch in Athens to Santorini and you date and all the available flights will come up. You will need at least two hours from you transatlantic flight arrival to the departure time of your flight to Santorini.

Customs doesn't usually take long that early in the morning. But, as noted above, you need two hours between flights. That means you're stuck with the 1:40 to Naxos, if that's all you can find on AEGEAN/OLYMPIC.

About Athens: It's definitely worth every minute of your 2-day stay. Plenty to see, and a wonderful city for long walks ( Plaka, National Garden, Marketplace, etc.)

It is not necessary to rent a car on Santorini. We got around by bus. And you'll be jet-lagged and sleepy, so just sit around and admire the view for the first day or so.

Thanks again for all the great advice. looking forward to every minute of it. Will book 1:40 flights to Naxos.

If anyone has additional feedback on Mykonos please share. Debating whether to include it in itinerary or just focus on Naxos and Santorini. Any advice on Folegandros? Thanks

ocanada, I'm not sure how many nights total you have, but I don't think you have that many. My advice is to fly into Athens and immediately fly to Santorini, the farthest distance. From there you can take a hydrofoil to Mykonos (I'm not sure if you can also take one to Naxos or Paros). If not a hydrofoil, then a ferry to Paros or Naxos. From one of these islands you can take a hydrofoil or flight back to Athens. One of the islands in the Cyclades is enough or you'll spend a lot of time traveling, checking into and out of hotels. You could allow three nights on Santorini, three nights on one of the Cyclade islands and two nights in Athens. That's eight nights. If you have more nights, I recommend you add them to Santorini. Personally, I don't like Athens and would not have gone to Greece at all the last time if it required flying through there.

Don't know if you have time for Mykonos but here's some info which may help.

We stayed at a great place-Hotel Tagoo-that was reasonable with the most wonderful staff. They treat you like family but they get booked up so if you decide to go don't wait. They offered free pick up from ferry or airport. Lovely pool. Nice views. Can walk into town from there. We did a day trip to Delos. www.hoteltagoo.gr

We took the Blue Star from Athens to Mykonos and that ferry is slow. Check Sea Jets or Hellenic Seaways. Take a fast boat from Mykonos back to Athens.

I've heard good things about Folegandros but have never been.

Athens has lots of ancient sites, some very good restaurants, museums, good shopping. I don't think you should not spend time there. 2 full days to see the sights should be enough.

If you want places to stay under the 100$ per night-esp in Santorini you might look at airbnb. I just popped over to that site & saw a studio in Oi for 104$ per night. Take a peek.
We loved Santorini-the view is spectcular

I don't know if you checked out my website (noted in a post above) but I stayed in an inexpensive hotel on Santorini, http://www.evgeniavillas.com
If budget is ultra important, this might work for you. I was there in 2010 and paid 40 euros a night without breakfast. It is located in Fira, the main town, not too far from where you can catch buses to other parts of the island. Nice hotel with a pool; the sleeping room had air conditioning. I stayed five nights and was sorry when I had to leave.

I don't know if it is open to the public at this time, but a visit to Akrotiri on Santorini is very interesting. I took a guided tour for the day and Akrotiri was on the agenda along with a visit to a winery. The guide was very good and brought the city to life.

We were pleasantly surprised by Athens and thoroughly enjoyed our 4 nights there! Great cafés to have drinks, amazing ruins, fun vibe! I think it is definitely worth seeing and staying at least two nights while there!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7627793538740/

We also spent a week on Naxos and loved it!

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gi...7627668851905/

We stayed at Hotel Spiros on Naxos and Tony's Hotel in Athens and would highly recommend both. I think they were around €75 a night in 2011.

Thanks again to everyone who offered advice. Wasn't able to secure a flight to islands on our arrival date. Only way to do it would be to fly to Mykonos instead of Naxos. Kind of had our hearts set on Naxos after reading all the positive comments. So we're thinking about doing Athens first and ending in Santorini. That way we could fly out of Santorini around 9:35am which I think would give us plenty of time to catch our 1:40pm flight home. Do the islands flights generally run on time? How frequently are the cancelled? Thanks.

We took that 9:35 Aegean flight to Athens in June. On time. Be aware that the Santorini terminal is small & it was a zoo when we went with several departing flights.

Ian

Flights are generally reliable but delays can happen anywhere. Last year our flight on Olympic from Naxos was delayed 4 hours. No problem for us we were overnighting in Athens. There were people from the UK, South Africa and France all trying to connect on the same day. They all missed their flights. It is still wise to be back in Athens for that one night before your return flight.

Flying from Santorini on the day of your departure is risky. I strongly suggest you plan on being in Athens the night before your flight home.

Bookmark

I totally agree with what's been said above. We've had flights both cancelled and delayed going to and from the islands. Unless you don't care if you can't get home for a few days, why risk it?
Mykonos would not be the end of the world! Neither would Paros (which I much prefer to Mykonos) if it's available. Or Crete. Or Rhodes... you get the idea!

we're scheduled to arrive in Athens at 9:05. There's an 11:30 flight to Paros. Too tight? I figure 2.5 hours should be plenty. What do you think?

Athens airport is quite well set up and it is easy to get from arrivals to departures. I would say almost two and a half hours is lots of time.

ocanada,

Sounds perfect! Paros is fantastic. There are plenty of small boutique hotels on the island. I prefer Naoussa( much prettier, less hectic part of the island) to Parikia, where the ferries come in, but that's a personal choice. You can take a day trip to Antiparos, or spend some time wandering around the gorgeous beaches in Paros ( don't miss Golden Beach and ParosPoros!).