Athens, Santorini and either Milos or Naxos in mid-May
 

So, after some further thought we decided that we'll stick with the Cyclades but we can't decide if we should go to Milos or Naxos as the second island and wanted to get some advice...

Both islands seem to have a lot to offer -- Naxos appears to have more to do but Milos appears to have more majestic pictures from what we have found.

The question is, considering that we are in our late 30's and like to wander around and explore, see the scenery, get the feel for the culture, etc. and aren't really concerned about swimming, party scenes, and like to avoid big tourist crowds; which of these two islands will be better for us?

The two itineraries we are considering are:
A) arrive in Athens on 5/7, take a ferry to Milos on 5/8, ferry to Santorini on 5/11 or 5/12, fly from Santorini to Athens on 5/15, and leave Athens on 5/18

B) arrive in Athens on 5/8, take a taxis to Rafina and ferry to Naxos on 5/8, ferry to Santorini on 5/11 or 5/12, fly from Santorini to Athens on 5/15, and leave Athens on 5/18.

Can you catch a cab between Athens and Rafina for the ferry and is it a good idea to ferry from Rafina to Naxos?

Also, we were considering renting a car and driving to Corinth either 5/16 or 5/17; is it a worthwhile destination?

Thanks,
Jim

You never said why you wanted to go to Patmos — was it because of its biblical connections? If so, Corinth (Corinthians), is not far from Athens and would be a good substitute. Friends who live in Athens recently spent a few days in Corinth, and took photos of the ruins on Acrocorinth and some inscriptions.
https://biblicalresources.wordpress....rinth-erastus/

Now, as for Naxos vs Milos, Milos is noted for its beaches, while Naxos has much more, including traditional mountain villages, and a main town with a castle. Neither island will be busy in mid-May, but Naxos will have more to keep your interest. Milos will be very sleepy in mid-May. Party scenes and "big tourist crowds" won't even be an issue — it's just the beginning of the season.

To make the most of your short trip, I would recommend flying straight out to Santorini upon arrival in Athens. Naxos is an easy 2 hour ferry ride from Santorini, and ferries run daily. Recommend Blue Star for its comfort and views from the open deck.

Piraeus is the main Athens port for Naxos. Rafina is better if you are going directly to/from the airport, but Piraeus is closer to central Athens. It also has more ferries going to Naxos, including Blue Star, the best Greek ferry line.

At which time will you land at Athens? AFAIK the only Naxos bound ferry ferry running on May 8th will leave Rafina at 8am.

Korinthos: I would rather drive up to Mycenae, Nafplion and Epidauros. There is much more to do and to see than at Corinth. There are frequent buses from Athens up to Nauplia.

Not sure where neckervd is getting his information, but gtp.gr shows five ferries leaving for Naxos on May 8th: four from Piraeus, and one from Rafina:
http://www.gtp.gr/RoutesResults.asp?...RSKY56,11943,6

In any case, if you fly directly to Santorini upon arrival in Greece and save Athens for last, you won't have to worry about outbound ferries. The flights to Santorini take only about 45 minutes, about the same length of time it takes to get from the airport to central Athens.

If you stay overnight in Athens on May 7th, you will still have to get to the ferry port or airport the next day, so will have essentially wasted your first day in Greece.

@Heimdall,
Thanks for the advice. The flight that we are planning to book will arrive at 14:05 in Athens on 5/7 so we'll look into a flight from Athens to Santorini afterwards and probably do the 17:05 flight just to be safe with delays..

In light of your recommendations the itinerary would be:

Arrive in Athens on 5/7, fly to Santorini on 5/7, Santorini 5/8-5/10, ferry to Naxos 5/11, Naxos 5/11-5/13, ferry to Piraeus (Athens) on 5/14, Athens with a day excursion to Corinth 5/14-5/17, depart Athens 5/18.

We've been told that one long ferry ride is worthwhile to get a view of the islands.

The reason we are interested in Corinth and also were originally interested in Patmos is for biblical reasons and figured if it was possible we would like to check out at least Corinth and I thought the Corinth canal might be a unique site at the same time.


@neckervd
Sorry, that was a typo in the itinerary B), we would still be arriving on 5/7 but in light of the advice from Heimdall we will probably rearrange the whole thing.

As for Corinth vs other places, we figured we could do Corinth and back in a day at an easy pace whereas the other locations look like they might be overnight.

Thanks both you for the advice.

Jim

Hi Jim,

I like your new itinerary! Neckervd has some good suggestions about the Nafplio area, and if you had more time to spare I would have suggested them too.

With the ferries from Santorini to Naxos and Naxos to Piraeus, recommend Blue Star for both legs. You will see some spectacular sights between Santorini and Naxos, starting with the Santorini caldera and ending with the Naxos Portara, with several other islands in-between. All you will need is a standard economy ticket for that trip, because you will want to be on the outside deck for the whole two hours.

You will have two choices with Blue Star for the Naxos - Piraeus leg: one in the morning that arrives in Piraeus at around 3pm, and an afternoon ferry that arrives in Piraeus just before midnight. Frankly there isn't much after Paros but open sea until you approach the mainland, so you should book air seats or business class tickets for that 5 hour leg.

Buy your ferry tickets when you get to the islands — the ferries are nowhere near full in mid-May, and there is no point in going through the hassle of booking online (you will still have to pick up the paper tickets at an island agency anyway, which takes just as long as buying them on the spot).

Since there isn't much to see on the Naxos - Piraeus ferry leg, consider flying back from Naxos instead. You will have to book ASAP if you decide to fly, because seats sell out quickly on the 37-pax turboprops that fly to Naxos. Tickets are still available as I write this morning, and the cost is €87 per person:
http://en.aegeanair.com

There are tons of commuter trains between Athens and Corinth. But be aware that Corinth is a rather boring place, despite the fact that St. Paul founded a Christion community there about 2000 years ago.

Corinth might not be boring for someone who wishes to walk in the footsteps of St Paul. Jim, since you have an interest in biblical sites, have a look at this website which I found with a quick Google search:
http://www.biblicaltourguide.com/bib...singreece.html

Many of those sites will be out of reach for you on this trip, but there are some references to places on Naxos and in Athens as well as Corinth. There is also the Christian and Byzantium Museum in Athens, which is very interesting, with some beautiful religious art.

I agree about flying back from Naxos. It is a long ferry ride with not much to see once it leaves Paros. We did it once and I don't think it was worth it. We would definitely fly next time.

Hello everyone,

Thanks for the advice, we plan to do the islands on the front end of the trip and Athens & any mainland trips on the back end of the trip to avoid missed flights due to flight and ferry delays.

The itinerary has evolved a bit since I posted based on a change to an earlier flight and advice on this board and another:

5/7 ----------- Arrive in Athens @ 09:15, fly to Santorini that morning
5/8-5/11----- Santorini
5/11 --------- ferry to Naxos
5/11-5/14 -- Naxos
5/14 --------- fly to Athens
5/14-5/17 -- Athens and probable day excursion to Corinth
5/18 --------- fly home

I appreciate the comments on Corinth but I think we will still go because of biblical interests and depending on how much time we'll keep in mind visiting other areas nearby.

Any advice about the number of days in Santorini vs Naxos?

Thanks,
Jim

Looks perfect to me! I wouldn't change a thing.

I may be nitpicking, but you MIGHT just consider tweaking it by 1 day. Consider this: Santorini is only 12 miles long, it's mainly about The View, and u keep saying u want to avoid tourist crowds. Naxos is largest isle in Cyclades with much to do/see + fab beaches. Yet you allot FIVE days to Santorini, and only TWO, in actuality, to Naxos. Let's look at the travel realities, unless u go via Magic Carpet LOL: Here's how it adds up:

• SANTORINI: May 7 arrive 9:15 & get 13: 10 45min Flight (BTW, u should book this TODAY it's the primo flight for 9:15 flight w 400 Santorini fans!!). By 2:45 u will be in yr hotel admiring view, and since it's daylight until after 9, I count that half a day. Full Days May 8-9-10 & another half day May 11 (u go to ferry dock about 2:15 for 3:15 ferry) = FIVE days.
• NAXOS: arrive 5:30, hotel by 6, light til 9, count 3 hrs May 11. Full days May 12-13. THurs MAy 14, the only flight left is 7:15 AM!! (Wed May 13 hs a 18:40(6:40pm) 45min flight. Other option is Wed 6PM ferry arr midnight. So... FIVE days vs. TWO + 3 hours.

I respectfully suggest you take the 3:25 Blue Star on May 10th not 11th.

I meant 3:15 Blue Star.

About Corinth I suggest you Google "half-day tours Ancient Corinth" because doing it yourself is a headache (public transit just takes you to either Modern Corinth or a highway bus deport & you must taxi to ancient site & back). A typical 1/2 day tour http://www.fantasytravelofgreece.com...ncient-corinth covers the St Paul stuff; €62 p.p. & includes entry fees & professional licensed guide.

I respect travelerjan's point of view re the days on Santorini vs Naxos, but still feel you have it right. Santorini won't be crowded the second week of May, because Greek Easter is over, there won't yet be many summer visitors, and it seems to be a slow week for cruise ship port calls:
http://crew-center.com/santorini-gre...-calendar-2016

Were it me travelling later in the summer, I would go even further than TJ and opt for two days on Santorini and five on Naxos. But I am a beach bum, and you wrote you aren't interested in swimming. Two days on Naxos will be enough to explore the town and spend a day driving to the mountain villages. You will probably find more to do on Santorini than on Naxos.