bostonjenn

I am putting together a 7-day/6-night itinerary for my husband and myself, and am beginning to feel overwhelmed with all the options out there! I'm hoping you experienced travelers out there can shed some light!

Athens is our hub (for reasons beyond our control) so we thought we'd spend at least one night in Athens to take in the major sites (at either end of our week). Santorini is a MUST for me so my thinking is to (1) stay there the remainder of the time and plan day trips from there or (2) spend 2 or 3 night there and 2 or 3 elsewhere. Chania seems stuck in my head as that third destination for variety in landscape and activities and relative peace and quiet. Would Athens/Santorini/Crete be too ambitious for one week?

Also, based on my research, it seems flights from Athens to Santorini and Crete are not only faster (obviously) but cheaper than ferries? can that be? ANY thoughts and recommendations are welcome and MUCH appreciated!! Thanks!

europhile

That's a tough one, as 6 nights is really very little time. For the most relaxing/low key option, I would do 2 nights in Athens and 4 nights in Santorini. If you haven't been to Greece, Athens has some "must see" sights and you really should spend a little time there. I would fly directly to Santorini first (ie, connect through Athens on your first day), then spend the last 2 nights in Athens so you are assured of making your return flight (it's always risky to connect in Athens from the islands, and you don't want to miss your trans-atlantic flight home).

Another option, less relaxing, but allows you to see more, is 2 nights for one island, 3 nights for a second island, and 1 night in Athens before flying home the next day. If you went this route, I might suggest 2 nights Mykonos and 3 nights Santorini (my very favorite island, hence the longer time here), or 2 nights Santorini and 3 nights Crete (more to see here, so the longer time makes sense). Either way, you should plan an early flight back to Athens so you can get your "must see" sightseeing in the day you arrive from the islands, before heading home the next day.

Finally, one other option comes to mind. On one trip to Greece, we took a 3 night Royal Olympic cruise to get a quick overview of several islands, then spent 3 nights on Santorini, then one night in Athens before flying home. It was hectic, but actually not that bad b/c we only unpacked twice (once on the cruise and once in Santorini), and we really wanted to see lots of islands so we could decide where to return when we had more time. You might want to look into that, too.

Definitely fly between the islands and Athens, but ferry between Santorini and Mykonos or Crete (you would have to connect through Athens anyway, so the ferry is quicker).

touristblob

Good advice europhile 2 days in Athens esential and stay in the Plaka district and you will not have to use the public transport.
mykonos is as good as any island to get the taste and santorini is simply unique and you can do 2 days in Mykonos and 2 days on Santorini.

bostonjenn

Thanks for the feedback! It really is very helpful. I'll certainly look into the Plaka district and will plan to end in Athens so we don't have to worry about our flight back.

We thought of Mykonos initially, but based on what i've read so far, it sounds like it will be extremely crowded (I failed to mention we'll be there in July!). Also, we much prefer quaint towns, landscapes and architecture and not much interested in nightlife. do any of the other islands closer to santorini come to mind for those things?

jules4je7

Whatever you do, spend two days in Athens. One day alone to climb the Acropolis and see the Parthenon, and another day to see Syntagma Square and other sites. We also took the funicular up to Lycobettus...which if you walk to it takes you through some neat neighborhoods. What an incredibly friendly city, although the air pollution can be a bit much, so 2 days will probably be all your lungs can take.

My husband and I stayed at the Attalos Hotel (easy access on the brand new subway, in the Plaka district). Reserve now to get a room -- they are extremely reasonable and very friendly and helpful staff. The hotel has a lovely rooftop bar with a view of the Acropolis. Here's the link:

http://www.greekhotel.com/athens/attalos/more.htm


We took a ferry out of Pereius overnight to Samos Island, over by Turkey, and it was wonderful. We paid $130 for a triple (doubles were gone), but we had a shower and a lovely view. That made it so we didn't lose any time in airports, etc...and got to enjoy the islands. We loved Samos -- it is a bit of a haul (12 hours on the ferry), but a more obscure island. Santorini is "Spring Break Central", Samos is quieter. If you stay there, stay with Stellios at the Pythagoras hotel. If you get off the ferry he might meet you there. He charged us $18 Euro for a beach from double, believe it or not. Lovely town too.

Good luck! Greeks are FUN and almost all speak English.

Julie

Dreamer2

Europhile,
Could you give more info regarding your cruise? How did your reserve on Royal Olympic? I've had two travel agents refuse to book them, and was told they are "going out of business." The agents keep pointing me toward more expensive 5-7 day cruises (of course). How long ago did you do this trip? And which islands did you go to? If you have any website/contact info, or even travel agent referal, I'd appreciate that as well. Thanks in advance!

europhile

We did our cruise in 2000, so I don't know about the going out of business thing. It worked out well for us. Actually, we booked it through a travel agency where we lived at the time (boston) that specialized in Greece travel. I think it was called City of Athens Travel. However, I have seen the 3 and 4 night cruises (either through Royal Olympic or Golden Star cruise lines) on the Fantasy Travel website (based in greece and much recommended in this forum). They offer "programs" with a 3 night cruise plus a stay in Athens and Mykonos or Santorini.

Dreamer2

Thank you, Europhile, for the leads. I guess Royal Olympic is gone, Fantasy Travel only refers to Golden Star and Louis Cruise Lines.

I usually plan our own trips, but am feeling so overwhelmed with the whole Greece thing. We've been to Athens and Crete before, but we did it independently - well, we had some help on the ins and outs from my husband's Yiayia! This would be a family trip and I feel really stressed about spending so much money if it isn't just right. It seems like there are so many variables: cruise vs island hop, so many hotels and islands to choose from, how long in Athens for the kids to see what we did the last time - and do we want to go to all the same places again - etc, etc. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time this time.

touristblob

bostonjen
have you thought of Paros instead of mykonos .its quieter in lovey villages like Naoussa which has great atmosphere architecture and fabulous beaches making the perfect greek island experience also its easy to drive around . check out villages like drios

bostonjenn

Thanks for the suggestion. I think i will look into paros. Do you think paros is day-trip feasible? We decided to skip crete this time around and divide our time between athens and santorini (with possible day trips) for a more relaxing time.

Btw, I asked this ques on another post, but any suggestions for a mid-range (less than $150/nt) hotel on a cliff in santorini anyone can recommend? private balcony with views are essential. We're leaning towards artemis villas in imerovigli. Any experiences there?

touristblob

bostonjen
as a matter of fact we stayed at artemis villas and it was excellent. central ,spectacular views ,and very clean.and an easy walk to fira
as far as paros is concerned no its not really a day trip ,need to spend at least 2 days but 3-4 would be better