Draft Iternary -Lost of ques. Please critique.
 

Hi,

My husband and I in our late twenties. We will be in Greece – Mykonos, Santorini(Oia) and Athens from May 16th to May25th.

Hotels and flights have been booked. Please suggest restaurants in these places. Please critique my iternary. We will not be driving.

15th
Departure NYC To ATH :)

16th
Arrive ATH to Mykonos
We might be in Mkyonos by 6:00pm or so. Depends on the bus to Rafina and the ferry we catch. As suggested by other travelers, I will get the tickets upon arrival.
Check in Hotel Rochari. Depends on the bus to Rafina and the ferry we catch. As suggested by other travelers, I will get the tickets upon arrival.

Hang out at Little Venice and grab dinner?
Rest and go to Space Dance/Pierros any other clubs?

17th
Psarou beach – any other beach recommended?
church complex of Panagia Paraportiani . Folk lore museum(old Venetian castle (Kastro).)
Little Venice to Kastro
Which club to go to? Is there a club on the beach?

18th
Any suggestions for morning
Leave Mykonos to Santorini and check into Hotel Lauda, Oia .
We will just enjoy the view and eat dinner at Papgalos maybe?.

19th
Red beach/White beach. How to get there? We won’t be driving.
Get back in time for sunset at Oia and dinner at Amoudi Bay (Katrina for dinner). Should we go to Amoudi Bay in the evening or during the day?

20th
Hike from Oia to Fira. Hang out in Fira for the rest of the day. (Koukoumavlos for dinner)
Visit Catholic Cathedral in Fira. Any other attractions in Fira?

21st
Trip to volcano - will it be too cold for the hot springs?
What is the cost of the trip to a volcano
Laokasti (less expensive)
Skala (less expensive)
Pelekanos Café
Sunset in Oia.

22nd
Morning in Oia and leave for Athens to catch the 2:00pm flight via Athens Airways.
Check in Hotel Cypria and hang out at the Plaka/Syntgama Square or the shopping area.

23rd
Acropolis and Paratheon, National Archeological Museum , Roman and Ancient Agoras, Theatre of Dionysis, Hadrian's Library, Temple of Apollo and Zeus (a 12 Euro ticket permits admission to about 7 sites within a 4-day period)and exploring the Plaka area.
Can this all be done in one day?
I have heard to beat the crowds one must reach early in the morning to the Parathoen. What is a suggested time?

24th
Olympia or Delphi or both in one day? Or should we skip it and do something else in Athens?

25th
Noon flight from ATH to NYC :(

The bus system in Santorini works well and runs hourly.
You will be able to get a bus from Oia to Fira and then from Fira to Kamri Beach or a different bus from Fira to Acroteri which will leave you a kilometer and a half walk to the Red beach.

In Athens you have very little time. It is a good idea to purchase the multi site pass but getting those sites in plus a museum or two is going to take most of your two and a half days.
Here are our pictures of Athens Plaka area.
http://travel.webshots.com/album/552001505EYxVYT

Enjoy your trip.

OP asks about Athens "Can this all be done in one day?"

NO.

Skip your day-tour to Delphi, and spend the 2 full days in Athens. It would still be a whirl-wind, but you could see the highlights you listed.

The Philopappos & Pnyx hills due south of the Acropolis, a few minutes walk, provide quiet, forested paths away from the crowds. Many of the postcard views of Acropolis were taken from here.

On the 23rd, no, you can't do all that in one day. I agree with tom-h to spend 2 days in Athens.

If you really want to visit the National Archaeological Museum, you will have to do that on Day 2 in Athens. We did all the rest of those sites in one day (plus touring Syntagma Sq. and watching the Evzones do their thing) but it was a packed day, and we felt pretty rushed. I would have loved more time in the Ancient Agora, for example.

Okay. Will spend my 2.5 days in Athens only. Do you have any suggestions for guides/tours. Or should we do this on our own.

It's not difficult to do it on your own if you're comfortable with that method of exploration. Get a good guidebook to help you plan your itinerary through the city.

Agree with all of the above, and would add that I think 2 full days is really pushing it. Visit the Acropolis sites (Parthenon, Theater of Dionysus, etc) early in morning when they open at 8:00. Then visit the Roman and Ancient Agoras (probably early afternoon), Hadrian's Library, and Plaka area. As mentioned, visit Nat. Archaeological Museum when it opens (usually 8:00, but double check) on day 2 and then also suggest the Benaki Museum which is fairly close by. Both are well worth some time.

I agree, it's very easy to do it on your own. You have to explore the ancient sites on foot anyway, so just get a guidebook or two and a good map.

Rick Steves also has a good self-guided walking tour of Syntagma Sq., the Plaka, the Ancient Agora and the Acropolis that you can print out for free from his site.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ens.htm#glance

We played tourguide for ourselves and took turns reading the info from this and our guidebooks. We were at the Acropolis at the end of the day and had the place nearly all to ourselves, before we got shooed off at closing time.

This is a great link thanks cheryllj

I second the Benaki Museum. Excellent.