Calling all Greece experts
 

I am planning a trip for 2 weeks, 2 50 year olds who are okay with not seeing everything. We like site seeing, good food and drink, walking over driving, scuba diving (but this is not a must this trip) and experiencing local culture. My plan
Land in AThens and go to Hydra (2 ngihts)
back to AThens off to Santorini (3nights)
Santorini to Folengandros (2nights)
Folengandros to Sifnos (2nights)
Sifnos to Mykonos (3 nights)
last 3-4 nights in Athens.

Folengandros and Sifnos are where I am looking for advice...I am sure all the Islands are great but I would like to hear from those of you willing to pitch your favorite Cyclades Island and maybe change my ever changing mind...if only I had a month or more!
Thank you all

When asking questions about the Greek Islands <i>always</i> state what time of year you plan to travel, as that affects ferry connections, which change week to week as the season progresses. Assuming you are travelling before the last week of September you shouldn't have too much of a problem with your itinerary (barring weather cancellations or ferry strikes). Strikes are infrequent, and weather seldom affects the large car ferries. Problem is, some of your links are dependent upon Sea Jets catamarans, which tend to get cancelled when winds are strong.

Personally I would cut one or two islands and spend more time on each of the others. My biggest concern would be your Sifnos to Mykonos connection, which will probably have to be with one of the small Sea Jets catamarans. The current timetable shows Superjet making five stops (including Folegandros) between Sifnos and Mykonos, so it will be a long day on small boat with some backtracking.

If you wish to retain all those islands in your itinerary, a more logical sequence would be Sifnos > Folegandros > Santorini > Mykonos, as that follows the patterns of ferry movements.

We are traveling the 3rd week in september this year. I was able to find at least one website that I can confirm Ferries and purchase tickets this far in advance. The lack of good Ferry information was very frustrating. I will check out your sequence...thank you. If I eliminated Sifnos would the sequence stay the same?

Thank you "Heimdall" your suggestions got me out of my route rut I think I will skip Sifnos spend an extra day on Hydra, and Santorini! Going from Ahtens to Folegandros.

Firstly, I wouldn't worry about purchasing ferry tickets in advance — none will be full that time of year, so you can buy them as you go along. Getting refunds when ferries are cancelled (especially Sea Jets) is sometimes a problem, but not if you buy them from an agent on the island, because then all you have to do is go back to the same agent to exchange the tickets. Here is a quote from a traveller on another forum:

<i>"Don't buy tickets in advance. We are still waiting for a refund of 119 euros after our sailing was cancelled due to rough weather with SeaJets SuperJet!"</i>

Yes, if you eliminated Sifnos you would just stay on the Sea Jet when it stops there, and then get off at Folegandros. There may also be a conventional ferry such as Adamantios Korais or Agios Georgios sailing that day, but their timetables for September aren't all out yet (another good reason for not booking in advance). These last two are very reliable conventional ferries that operate year-round, serving the islands even in winter. I would choose a conventional ferry over Sea Jets whenever possible.

Another point I might mention is that Sea Jets Consortium seems to be fiddling with its schedules at the moment, switching around its two small catamarans, SeaJet 2 and Superjet. That probably won't affect your trip, but it would be wise to keep checking www.gtp.gr and www.openseas.gr as your trip draws close. :-)

Folegandros: Be sure to double-check the ferry schedules as they only run on certain days. We loved the small island charm, although there is a bit of an elite tourist quality here as well. Case in point, we spotted a well-known rock star one night at dinner. On the other hand, we found it charming and inconvenient that the single ATM machine on the island was closed until the boat came the following day with the refill money. There are connected central squares in chora with lovely outdoor tavernas under twinkling lights. Be sure to check out the public bathroom "behind the blue door" in one square. Remarkable - I thought I was descending into a dungeon, only to find a state of the art bathroom. Beaches require hiking as the island is a "mini-Santorini" with steep cliffs. We highly recommend taking a boat trip around the island to stop at beaches inaccessible by foot. The island is so small we did not hire a car, but walked or used the public bus. It is a delightful place. Enjoy!

Last year we discovered a second ATM in Chora(Folegandros) If the one in the main squares is not working walk out to the main bus square,walking out of town if you keep to your right you will find the ATM about 150 yards down the road on your right. Chora on Folegandros has a wonderful charm and a delight to visit.

Thank you for all this information. I spoke to a man here in the US who left Greece 50 years ago but visits. He told me "greeks where no watches" and to basically not plan ahead go where I feel. This is a romantic notion and goes against my travel experience (I did this in my 20's not now). I really want to go to Hydra day one...at this point I would have to get back to Athens(Piraeus) by 7am to get the ferry to Folegandros (or Santorini)is it possible that there will be addtional ferries added as we get closer to September? there is an option to get the ferry from Rafina but I have a feeling that may be a hike from Piraeus.

tyedye

Greeks do wear watches and they do plan ahead......
Maybe your friend has a romantic perception of Greece in the 50's..... ( i live in Greece )

If you want to be in Athens ( coming back to Hydra) before 7 AM, you will have to spend the night in Athens or Piraeus, as to my knowledge there are no boats leaving Hydra that early.

...and there will be no ferries from Rafina going to either Santorini or Folegandros in late September.

There will almost certainly be some ferries added to the Piraeus > Folegandros September timetable, as I pointed out in the third paragraph of my June 14th post. These are ferries that tend to operate on the same days of the week year-round, so you can get a rough idea of when they will be running by looking at previous month's timetables.

Don't rely on Superjet or SeaJet 2 for any critical connections — the old, slow ferries are more reliable.

I really appreciate all advice. Maybe frustration is part of this trip planning but it seems the thing to do is buy the airline tickets and then wait until August to pick the islands based on the ferry schedules. Count on access to ferries based on it still being a popular tourist time and make reservations or should I not make reservations until on the various islands.

My third (and best) trip to Greece was when I had no idea which islands I would visit until I got to Piraeus and saw the ferry timetables. The whole trip was an adventure, with no frustrations. In those days we didn't have the internet, so correspondence like this wan't possible. Maybe it's some foreign island-hoppers who don't plan ahead — I did wear a watch, though. ;-)

In my twenty's and pre-internet days I did just that with other european Countries and train rides. I wish I could be that person again. Maybe I will try either way I will get to some Islands in Greece. Thanks again for everyones thoughts and info.