omerabs

Hi - so we booked a trip through tripmasters.com (a great site if you want to travel to EU from US). We travel through Delta to and from the US to Barcelona for 3 days - head to Santorini (1.5 layover in Athens) for 3 days and then (3.5 layover again in Athens) Rome for 2 days before we journey back home.

We have not honeymooned yet but been married for 5 years. So this is literally the trip of a lifetime for us and we have planned a lot of it and left certain parts to spontaneity but recently had 1 pressing concern!

Our flight from Barcelona through Aegean Airlines cuts it pretty close in Athens. Is 1.5 hours enough as we have 1 check-in bag. Will this be something that can be accommodated at Barcelona for a direct stamp to Santorini or did we really not plan this as well as we thought! It is too late for any changes but I want to brace myself for any bad news before hand so any feedback would be appreciated! We are travelling on Wednesday - mid-afternoon in September.

PS - One more note - return from Santorini has a 3.5 hours layover in Athens- From that time we guess we could possibly have an hour outside the airport to look around. Is an hour enough for us to go out and explore a bit. Any cool monuments which are walking distance or within a few miles/km from the airport which you think we might be able to gander and take photos around?

brotherleelove2004

You will be able to check your bag in Barcelona all the way through to Santorini (JTR). You really don't have enough time for any exploration away from the Athens Airport (ATH). There's nothing nearby of any interest and the city center is at least 45 minutes away.

justineparis

There is nothing worth seeing near the airport in Athens. and really, you don't have enough time to worry about..

Heimdall

The 1.5 hour layover at Athens Airport on the way to Santorini should be long enough provided the flight from Barcelona is timely. If Aegean Airlines issues boarding passes for both flights and checks the bags through to Santorini, then all you have to do is walk from Arrivals to the departure gate, and that shouldn't take more than 15 minutes. Since this is an intra Schengen flight, there shouldn't be any passport or customs checks. You <i>will</i> have to go through security checks in the Domestic Departures area.

For your 3.5 hour layover on the return flight you really don't have enough time to leave the airport. There is a little museum on the top floor of the Athens Airport terminal with artefacts dug up during airport construction. That won't keep you occupied for very long, so you can go across the street to the Sofitel for a drink and sit at one of the outside tables.

There is the Athens Airport Retail Park which can be reached quickly from the terminal, but there isn't much of interest except a Factory Outlet store and an Ikea.

Heimdall

And it won't be the outlet store Fodor's thoughtfully put in blue letters in my previous post! ;-)

littlejane

Athens airport has some lovely shops to browse while you are whiling away your 3 hours - some excellent Greek products such as Korres cosmetics and the Masticha shop, and lots of lovely calendars / stationery with photos of the Greek islands. Maybe save some of your souvenir shopping for then.

omerabs

I love this forum. You guys rock and thank you for all the advise!