My husband and I will be taking a 16 day tour/cruise to Greece, and need your help in what to see and do on the islands we are visiting. We will be spending
4 days in crete
3 days in santorini
3 days in athens
and 1 day in rhodes.
What are the must-see's on these islands/places?

Also, we would like to rent a car on the islands where possible. Does anyone know how much a car rental is approximately per day? Is it worth it to rent a car on these islands? Any feedback you have would be great. Thanks so much!

Crete: hiring a car there is almost obligatory because of the distances and the little time you have . Must sees: Chania, Rethymnon, Knossos, the archeological museum in Heraklion, the Samaria gorge . Off the beaten track : the beaches in the western coast Falasarna and Elafonissos, 100% Carribean colours...

Santorini: Hiring a car is not necessary but try to find a hotel with view to the caldera ( Fira, Firostefani, Imerovigli, or Oia ).

One day in rhodes is certainly far less than the minimum, but it is enough to see the sights of the town of Rhodes . Must sees: the old town and the palace of the Ioannites knights . If possible (like staying one more day) go to Lindos 40 kms SE and enjoy the view of the old town from the ancient acropolis of Lindos - amazing scenery ...

Taia:
Curious, what tour group, if any, are you using? We are looking to do the same thing in May of 2004.

Hi Taia
I came back from Athens, Santorini and Naxos yesterday and had such a good time!
I would recommend you stay in Oia in Santorini. It has the best views and food and is reasonably quiet in comparison to the rest of the island. You will probably not need a car, as there are good bus and boat services around the island. Driving seemed dangerous! I think you will find the rest of the island is too busy - in particular Fira. Take a few cruises - around the island and neighbouring islands and make sure you bring your walking shoes. The beaches on Santorini aren't great but you can swim in the sea in Oia near the port. The water is crystal clear and full of fish. If you enjoy your seafood you will love Santorini.

I think that 3 days in Athens is too long. (We actually spend 3 days there). I was very dissapointed. There isn't much to do, plus its dirty and almost completely undergoing a reconstruction for the Olympics next year. I would avoid it if possible and fly straight to Santorini or Crete and fit another island in along the way. Naxos is highly recommended.

<<mmm, the last entry posted when I previewed it - sorry>>

As for a car, we rented a car bec we were driving from one city to another, but I don't think you will need one if you are just staying put in Athens or Santorini. As others have mentioned, driving is harrowing in Athens to say the least, and parking in the city is hard to come by. Our short stay in Santorini, we found we had to park a good distance away from our hotel anyway, so having a car really did not make much of a difference to us.

Have a great trip!

<< sigh, my 1st post seems to show in the posting preview but not in the actual thread itself, so I apologize to all, I'm reposting the whole thing again >>

Hi Taia,
I have an almost opposite opinion than alice123 - on our October honeymoon trip, we found Athens to be delightful, and did not enjoy Santorini. I think it is all dependent on the time of year as well as what you are interested in.

In October, everywhere in Greece is much less crowded and more laid back, which I think made Athens more appealing to us, and Santorini less since the people seemed tired of tourists and most establishments were closed.

Given the time of year there was not much else to do in Santorini than laze around hotel, explore the villages (which we had done a lot of in other towns) or go to the beach (but we're not big into beaches). In Athens, we found lots of ancient sites to keep us busy. The Plaka is an absolutely wonderful place for people watching, shopping, relaxing in a taverna with wonderful food. We enjoyed escaping to the National Gardens for a stroll. While the city itself was not my cup of tea, there are lots of little areas in Athens that are absolutely wonderful to visit.

As for a car, we rented a car bec we were driving from one city to another, but I don't think you will need one if you are just staying put in Athens or Santorini. As others have mentioned, driving is harrowing in Athens to say the least, and parking in the city is hard to come by. Our short stay in Santorini, we found we had to park a good distance away from our hotel anyway, so having a car really did not make much of a difference to us.

Have a great trip!