newesttraveler

My wife and I are planning a trip to Greece in mid-May and are looking for some itinerary advice. We have already booked our flights to and from Athens so total duration is locked in: Arrive Athens 2:30 pm on May 15th and depart 8 am on May 26th. Now we just need to fill the days in between.

In addition to the sights in and around Athens we are thinking we would like to visit an island or two and are leaning towards Santorini (bucket list for my wife) and Milos (seems like a good contrast and convenient connections between Athens and Santorini), but are open to other suggestions. We are more into museums and historical sightseeing than nightlife but enjoy hiking and adventure activities as well. For lodging we prefer smaller “authentic” hotels, B&Bs, or apartments rather than large chain hotels.

Here is what we have so far…

Day 1: Arrive Athens and catch connecting flight to Santorini

Days 2-4: Explore Santorini, maybe take Volcano day tour, hit a beach or two. Stay in Oia or Fira?

Days 5-7: Ferry to Milos, take a geological tour, maybe a day sail. Stay in Pollonia?

Days 8-11: Morning flight to Athens, Visit Agora, Acropolis and Acropolis museum. Possible day trips to Delphi, Nafplio, and/or Temple of Poseidon.

Day 12: Fly home.

In addition to feedback on locations, activities and lodging, we are also wondering about connection risks. How much time should we plan between our arrival flight in Athens and departure flight to Santorini to clear customs/immigration, etc.? Would it be better to reverse the order and do Athens first before heading to the islands? Open to any other thoughts and suggestions as well.

Thanks for your help!

isabel

It's better to put your Athens time all at the end. That does mean you have to be careful about having enough time before the Santorini flight in case the first flight is late. But at least absolutely worse case scenario you miss the Santorini flight it won't be that expensive to get another one, or there's always the ferry. If you flip it and miss your flight back home (especially if 'home' is the US) then you are more screwed. Personally I'd want at least 4 hours between the flights. In addition to clearing immigration there is the fact that flights can be late.

Your spacing of time seems logical. While on Santorini try to visit one of the inland towns. On Milos definitely take the boat ride around the island (I took the whole day one, there are half day ones but they don't go all the way around). It was a highlight. Were you planning to rent a car for the mainland (after Athens)? We did to see Delphi, Nafplio and the Temple of Poseidon but we had more than 3.5 days which is all you have. If you could find an organized day trip to one of them that would probably make the most sense for your time frame. I thought two full days for Athens was good.

Here's my trip report from my most recent trip which included Santorini and Milos (the mainland was a separate trip but there are photos on the same site as the trip report)
https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/20...s-milos-sifnos

kja

I haven't been to Milos, but think your timing for Santorini and Athens could work. Or you could shift a night from Santorini to Athens, given that you are interested in museums and historical sightseeing. With those interests, you might enjoy seeing Akrotiri and the small, but extraordinary, Museum of Prehistoric Thira while on Santorini. And OMG, Athens has a lot of wonderful museums and fascinating sites! I must admit, though, that I don't think Nafplio well suited for a day trip -- I'd want more time in that area. And a visit to Delphi would, IMO, make for a LONG day trip from Athens. You might find it do-able, though, and it certainly is magnificent!

Like isabel, I think it's best to have all your time in Athens at the end (you'll need to be there the night before your flight, and there's no reason to change hotels an extra time if you can push on upon arrival).

If you haven't already seen it, you might find some useful information in my trip report, which includes all the places you mention except Milos, along with restaurant and hotel notes.
With Gratitude for a Glorious Solo Month in Greece

Great way to celebrate an anniversary!

KayF

If it were me, I would drop Milos and add a different island, maybe Naxos. Milos was our least favourite Greek island but I know everyone has different ideas about a holiday and what they like or dislike. Another option is Mykonos where you can do a day trip to Delos which was so interesting, you may be able to do that from Naxos but not sure. From your description, I think Naxos would suit you more than Mykonos but they are all in the same ferry grouping so either would work.

I'd suggest staying in Oia on Santorini. First time there, we stayed in Fira/Thira and second time in Oia. We found Oia quieter and prettier but still with lots of places to eat and wonderful views. Oia is at the end of the island, about 20 mins away by bus or taxi.

You could fly from Athens to Naxos, then visit Santorini after that. Santorini gets incredibly crowded with tourists but for good reason. It's drop-dead gorgeous and if you visit there first, anything afterwards might feel like a let-down. Then get a ferry back to Athens, the views of the island from the water are wonderful.

Kay

Heimdall

Good plan from KayF, but I would make one minor change: you will get first glimpse of Santorini taking the ferry from Naxos, and be sure to do it on Blue Star. If you go by highspeed you will be sitting inside the cabin, possibly not even near a window and won’t see much at all. With Blue Star you can stand on the open deck as the ferry enters the caldera to take in the stunning views. Shortly after Blue Star passes below the village of Oia you will be called down to the car deck to retrieve your luggage and get ready to disembark.

The ferry ride from Santorini back to Athens is a long one, nearly 8 hours on Blue Star. For that reason I prefer to fly back from Santorini. You could take a highspeed and save a couple of hours, but the fare will be nearly as much as a flight. Another disadvantage of highspeeds is they go around the island of Thirassia instead of through the caldera, so you don’t get a very good view.

MoBro

For Santorini, I recommend you stay on the caldera at Imerovigli. It's between Oia and Fira, and is a nice quiet spot on the caldera walking path. Would not stay in Fira, especially. It seemed tacky and overcrowded.
We liked the Gold Suites there.
https://www.goldsuites-santorini.com/
Several other little hotels spilled down the hillside from Imerovigli.

Breakfast served on our private patio @ Gold Suites

Another view from hotel

newesttraveler

Thanks for all of the great input! The trip reports are wonderful and fun to read, and advice to keep Athens at the end makes a lot of sense. Also appreciate the suggestion to replace Milos with another island. We had initially discounted Mykonos but a closer look has us thinking that may be the way to go, especially with the opportunity for a side trip to Delos (looks fascinating). Also appreciated the recommendations for Akrotiri and Museum of Prehistoric Thira on Santorini. We will check those out as well. And MoBro's pictures from the Gold Suites are amazing! Any hotel recommendations for Mykonos and Athens would be appreciated as well.

kja

You can also visit Delos as a day trip from Naxos, which is an absolute delight and will provide a greater contrast to Santorini than Mykonos, IMO. I would have found Mykonos too heavily touristed for my tastes. YMMV.

Heimdall

The drawback of a day trip to Delos from Naxos is that the trip takes 10 hours, of which only 3 are on Delos. With these trips you usually get 3 hours on Delos and another 3 on Mykonos, the rest at sea on a boat smaller than the inter island ferries.

A day trip from Mykonos is easy, as Delos is actually in the Mykonos prefecture, and only about 30 minutes by boat from the dock at Mykonos Old Harbour. You have a choice of several crossings and can stay more or less as long as you want. I like to take the first boat across, that leaves at 09:00, and arrives on Delos before any large groups arrive, the best time to get photos in the morning light.

Mykonos is delightful in May, and if you explore away from the old harbour area can get away from the cruise ship crowd. For beaches, my favourite is Agios Ioannis (St John) where the Shirley Valentine movie was shot. It’s a little less organised than some of the other beaches, but you have to walk down a small hill from the bus stop.

HappyTrvlr

Mykonos is touristed no where near as bad as Santorini. You get to many locations on the island that you might like.

kja

Heimdall and HappyTrvlr have provided a nice balance to my comment on Mykonos. I was there just for a few hours in mid-may (the 16th or 17th) of May 2017. I found it too packed with tourists for my tastes, but it was not nearly as unbearable as Santorini.