Athens- Mykonos-Santorini- Trip Help
 

Hello All:

My Husband and I are flying into Athens next week for 10 days

2 nights in Athen
3 nights in Mykonos
3 nights in Santorini
1 night in Athens

We are staying in Hilton Hotel in Athens; Esperas Villa in Santorini and Harmony in Mykonos.

We have an idea what we want to see in Athens but I was wondering if you can help with recommendations to do in Mykonos (a day trip to Delos) and Santorini. We want to see must-see places and do must-do things.

Any ideas and also guide us in places to eat good food at all 3 places.

Also, shopping suggestions. I want to buy something authentic from Greece.

Any suggestions will be helpful.
Thank you

Santorini:

If you like hiking there's a trail between Perissa and Kamari Beaches that passes by the archaeological site of Ancient Thera at the summit, or you can drive up to the beginning of the trail on the Kamari side and only have to walk about 1/3 mile in to the ruins.

Hike between Oia and Fira along the cliffs for most of the way.

Visit the Museums in Fira.

Do some wine tasting at the island's various wineries. In Oia there's a small award-winning winery called Sigalas on the outskirts of the village across from the entrance to Perivolas Villas.

Have lunch on Amoudi Wharf below Oia at Katina's. Walk to the end of the seawall that begins on the wharf to the best swimming on the island. No beach but large rocks and a platform for sunbathing. Swim across the narrow channel to another platform on the little rock island for a unique look at the caldera from sea level.

There's a volcano/caldera cruise as well as a sunset/caldera/champagne cruise.

Thank you Brotherleelove for the recommendation. I do want to take the volcano/caldera cruise or the sunset/caldera/champagne cruise. I was wondering how much will it cost to take the above cruises. Any ideas?

I just cannot wait to see the caldera- the pictures are breathtaking....

Also, thanks for recommending the wine place. I saw so many places and was not sure which one to go to. Now I know.

Sir- any idea what can I buy from Santorini to bring back.

Please advise.

The price varies according to what is planned, but the standard full-day caldera/volcano cruise costs around 30 euro if I remember correctly. Some offer food. You can find all this info online using www.Google.com. Use keywords such as "Santorini Volcano Tour", "Santorini Sunset Cruise", etc.

Here's one to get you started: http://www.thiratours.com/Santorini-volcano-cruises.htm

Thanks Brotherleelove for the information.

Everybody else- Any must-do and must-sees in Mykonos.

any help will be appreciated.

Thank you

Hi wparmar

If you click my name then look down the list of threads to the left you will find one called 'Greece trip itinerary'.

Take some time to read all of the thread and amongst it you will find some messages from me about the Mykonos 'must sees' and less well known parts of the island you may like to explore.

Bill

Sounds like you already have plans for Athens, but if you're looking for additional ideas there:

1. As I mentioned in a different post, one of the highlights to our visit in Athens was the Dora Stratou Dance troop, which performs outdoors at the base of he Acropolis. Beautiful costumes and dances from throughout the various regions of Greece.

2. The National Museum in Athens is incredible, and has a great collection of artifacts from the Cyclades Islands (which will add to your experience in Mykonos and Santorini).

3. Two authentic restaurants that we enjoyed - Athenikon, near National Museum, and Filpou, in Kolonaki district.

I have not been to Myknonos, but everything in Santorini is beautiful. I agree with the prior post about the beautiful port below Oia - very magical, with a few tiny restaurants with excellent menus and fresh seafood.

For items to purchase, 2 come to mind- jewelry and honey. For jewelry, there is a district away from the tourist area (Plaka) in Athens with many stores and good competitive prices. I don't remember the street, but it is not far from the University. I bought a ruby and gold ring for my 25th anniversary for $400 that was appraised in the US for over $3000.

Have a wonderful time!

Regarding night performances in Athens unfortunately events in the Herodius Atticus amphitheatre do not begin until june and I gather the OP is going before that... and I hear that the Dora Stratou troupe (why I do not know) will not be performing this season... and anyway that is also not until june. Being in Athens many times in May I have not been able to find outdoor performances before. So... just enjoy music in restaurants.

You MUST do the volcano cruise off Santorini. I would do that as opposed to sunset cruise, as you can get the beauty from land. Speaking of which, the thing to do is to go to Oia for what is supposed to be the best sunset on earth. Go early and get a table with a view at the bar at the top of Oia (you'll figure out where), drink ouzo for an hour or so on the rocks. When the crowds come, you'll safely have a seat with a view for the "show." The Delos trip is fabulous! Get a reservation from the ticket place by the harbour the day before and take the first one of the day, as it gets VERY HOT there mid-day with very little shade. There is no real food there (and expensive drink) so buy water before the trip! You may think you wouldn't want to eat octopus, but you will be amazed--go to a scenic bar/casaual restaurant every night for sunset and drink ouzo and eat grilled octopus.

wparmar -

sounds like a great trip! We stayed at Esperas last September and loved it. We spent every sunset either sitting on our balcony or sipping wine by their pool - fantastic.

In Santorini I highly second brotherleelove's suggestion of Katina's down at the Ammoudi wharf below Esperas. We also swam off the rocks every day. There's a shortcut path from Esperas - the hotel staff will show you.

As for other meals, we really enjoyed Skala and the restaurant just below or above it - can't remember the name. We also ate at 1800 - nice view but we felt it was overpriced for the quality of food. In fact, we preferred smaller tavernas over the few fancy meals in Greece.

We did the hike from Fira to Oia - it is a fairly long hike so bring water and sunscreen. I enjoyed it but it was 40C and my husband was more than happy when we finally made it to the village of Oia. Start early and finish with a dip in the sea!

Can't comment on the shopping as we didn't buy anything on Oia - lots of lovely jewellery though!

Have a great trip!

I'm just jealous! I have been to Santorini 3 times and Mykonos once and am dying to return! Sounds like you're well prepared. I wanted to add that in the Plaka is a jewelery store called Byzantino (also online) and they are reputable. They did the jewelry for the olympics. I might add that in Santorini at the base of the Santorini Palace Hotel is a wonderful taverna and The Royal Myconian on Elia beach is also a great place to have a meal or sit by the beach. It is a taxi drive out, however.

Thank you billbarr, milwaukeegreek, travelerjan, travelri, Hana, lenlu for the suggestions.

Any more you remember please forward them to me.

I was just wondering... should I have a plan (schedule) or should I just go with a flow...take it as it comes...

Also, should we take traveler's checks, cash or get money out of ATMs in Athens, Mykonos and Santorini...Just wondering

Don't waste your money with traveler's checks. Credit card will give you pretty competitive exchange rates. Be sure to call your credit card company before you go to tell them you'll be in Greece--otherwise they may cancel your card detecting the "unusual use." Small lovely tavernas like cash.

ATMs are everywhere in Greece.

On the matter of Visas - not the credit cards, :) but the govt. documents....if I fly to France first (citizen from the US) and then go to Greece, will I need a visa for Greece?

I keep seeing mention in various places of "check if you will need a visa for Greece".

Hi

When at Mykonos a visit to the sacred island of Delos is a must.

Mahya2-

No, as a U.S. Citizen you don't need a visa for Greece, or France for that matter, just a valid passport. Most likely your passport will be stamped in Paris indicating that you have entered one of the Schengen menber countries (both France and Greece are members). Then when you arrive in Greece you won't even have to go through customs or passport control since you will have already done that in Paris.

We loved all these spots but especially Mykonos. We stayed in Platys Gialos and hiked down the coast between the beaches. Also walked to the hotel where Shirley Valentine was filmed. Lots of great walking.
And in the town you can spend lots of time going up and down all the little lanes. It is so pretty.

The hike between Fira and Oia on Santorini is spectacular. We enjoyed eating at Nicholas in Fira. Very reasonable prices, delicious food, and the people who run the place are real characters (one guy is like the soup Nazi on Seinfeld) but it adds to the character of this popular restaurant.