Athens, Santorini-need a 3rd stop
 

We are spending 4 days in Santorini and 3 days in Athens (end of our trip)...we need 1 more place for 2-3 nights. Is Mykonos too similar to Santorini (plan on taking a day trip from Santorini to a couple of nearby islands) or should we stop somewhere else for interest instead of Mykonos?

I suggest Paros or Naxos. Both are close to Santorini and are on the same ferry route back to Athens/Piraeus as Santorini. There is much more to see and do on either of these than there is on Mykonos. Also, from both these islands you can take an excursion boat to Delos that will make a stop on Mykonos before returning.

Thanks alot brotherleelove. I never thought about these 2 islands--would 2 nights be OK on these and do you have suggestions as far as where to stay on them? How far is the ferry back to Athens from Naxos (it seems larger)

Crete is really wonderful, bigger and more diverse than any of the other islands. There is fast boat service between Crete and Santorini, and you can easily get back to Athens from Crete, either by plane or overnight ferry.

Go to Mykonos!!! I've been and it's definitely a place everyone must visit.

You could easily spend two nights on either island. Sorry, I don't have any suggestions. Where I stayed on Paros in 2005 is no longer in operation.

From Naxos you can get back to Athens by either a car ferry or a highspeed ferry. The car ferry will take about 5.5 hours and the highspeed ferry takes about 4 hours.

If we stay 2 nights on Naxos and want to visit Mykonos & Paros, are those duable in one day or are they separate trips?

It might be possible if you can catch a highspeed ferry to one or the other in the morning and then go on to the next one later in the day on the way back to Naxos. You'll have to use a ferry schedule website to see if this is possible on your travel dates. www.gtp.gr