Folks,
We'll (2 adults and a 12 yar old) be in Greece for a week in July. At this point, I figure a couple nights in Athens, a couple in Santorini. Where would you spend the other three? Maybe its so hot on the mainland, I should spend more time on the islands. But which ones? Naxos, Paros? Are there memorable sights and beaches on those islands?
Thanks for any suggestions.
Mark

Mark, we'll be there in July too.

Start with greecetravel.com and go from there!

Hi, I just answered your other question form a different post, but it just so happens my husband & I are doing a similar thing that you are...We are spending 8 days in Greece and 9 days in the Netherlands...So far, while we are in Greece, we are going to spend the first 3 nights in Athens, and then the next 5 in Santorini...We looked at doing an island combo but thought we might have more time for relaxation if we just stayed on one island..We will take the high speed ferry from Athens to Santorini, and then fly back to Athens..While we are in Santorini, we will do a day trip to Ios...There are so many choices and it really is hard to make a decision..It took us a couple of months to decide, and I still wonder if we shouldn't try to fit in another island ...Good luck.

My suggestion would be to spend only a one or two nights in Athens depending upon if you have a lot of specific sights that you want to see. What I did with my father who didn't have much desire to spend time in a big city was spend the first night in Athens saw the Acropolis early the next morning bought our ferry tickets and left on a late afternoon ferry to Naxos.

My next suggestion is to include Naxos my Dad actually liked it better than Santorini and if your 12 year old likes beaches its the place to be and I liked it better than Paros (not that Paros sucked). You can catch a ferry from Pireaus to Naxos it's about 4 hours on a highspeed and from Naxos you can continue on to Santorini (1.5 on a highspeed) then you have the choice of flying back from Santorini or taking a ferry.

Naxos town has one of the prettiest harbour towns I've seen in Greece and it will be hopping at night plus there is lots of inland villages to see. In Santorini I suggest renting a vehicle to see the whole island including the red beach, the two black beaches ancient Thira and maybe take one of boat cruises around Nea Kameni and Thirasia.

Tracy, I agree that the more you read about these islands, the tougher it can be to decide. Trish, I like your recommendation on Naxos. I've thought about that island and I'll loook again. I've decided to fly to Santorini from Athens, so Naxos would be on the ferry "line" back to Piraeus. So its worth looking back in to. Mike, see you guys in July.
Now, about these ferries, how do you "hop," by the way? If I'm paid to return on Bluestar to Piraeus, can I get off on Naxos and continue two days later? Or is it two separate trips: Santorini to Naxos; Naxos to Athens?
I'll tell you one island I would like to go to from Santorini-Crete. Ant thoughts?

Mark

Tracy, I agree that the more you read about these islands, the tougher it can be to decide. Trish, I like your recommendation on Naxos. I've thought about that island and I'll loook again. I've decided to fly to Santorini from Athens, so Naxos would be on the ferry "line" back to Piraeus. So its worth looking back in to. Mike, see you guys in July.
Now, about these ferries, how do you "hop," by the way? If I'm paid to return on Bluestar to Piraeus, can I get off on Naxos and continue two days later? Or is it two separate trips: Santorini to Naxos; Naxos to Athens?
I'll tell you one island I would like to go to from Santorini-Crete. Any thoughts?

Mark

Paros is a good all around island with something for everyone: busy beaches for people-watching and quiet coves to be alone, lively towns and quiet villages, antiquities and more. Plus it is easy to get to and from.
Learn more at www.ParosParadise.com
Enjoy!

Taking a ferry from Santorini to Crete is not a problem. There are even express boats now that only take a couple of hours.

Your ferry ticket is not an "open" ticket, it's point-to-point. It's also dated, so if you get off at Naxos you'll have to purchase another to continue on to Piraeus.

When you purchase your ferry ticket, you pay for your next destination, where you are getting off. You cannot get off at other stops along the way, not even to take a quick look. People are rushed on and off so fast... You would purchase your ticket Santorini to Naxos, Naxos to Athens.

All Greek ferry companies have to use a computer ticketing system (except for short routes in sheltered waters). This was imposed by the government after some ships were found to be overloaded. When you buy a ticket, the agent will ask for your name which will be recorded on the ticket, along with the time and date of the sailing and the name of the ship. If you want to change to a different sailing, you must exchange your ticket or buy a new one. If you want to get off the ship at an intermediate port, you can do so, but you'd have to buy another ticket to continue your journey.

If you want heaven on Earth go to Corfu and spend time in Kassiopi and Corfu Town. Glyfada beach is also wonderful, I will put out a trip report in a day or two so it will have lots of info. Corfu is the only place I cried when I left. I mean that.

I'm with Hayden...Corfu is outstanding.

I spent some time in Syros last week and loved it. Beautiful architecture, and while they may not be on the scale of the more well-known islands the beaches on Syros are really nice and easy to get to. The selling point for me was that Syros is the holiday island of choice for Greeks so you really get a true native flavor of the island, as opposed to the island trying to conform to the expectations of foreign tourists. As far as getting to Syros by ferry, there are both high-speed and regular ferries that make round trips daily and Syros often shares its route with Tinos and Mykonos.

My favorite island, michelec. I am very pleased you enjoyed Syros.

T.

Hydra is a magical little island...worth considering.

Coming back from Santorini, Corfu isn't really a sensible option - it's about as far away from Santorini as you can get and still be in Greece. Hydra is a possibility, but you would have to go back to Piraeus first.

I would choose Naxos. It has wonderful beaches and lots to see as well. It has good ferry connections from Santorini and onward to Piraeus.

Hi Mark_va,

i just posted my trip report....got back last night and am miserable. We had such an amazing time. Huge vote for NAXOS! I loved it equally to Santorini but for very different reasons. Some of the best beaches, VERY afforable and the trip driving inland is breathtaking. It's very open and spaciuos views whereas Santorini is compacted on the cliffs. Naxos has a wonderful harbor town with lost of interest, great seafood if you like and super cheese! It's a great place to relax and I felt it to be a perfect combo with Santorini. It'll be on your way back up towards Athens. We did the opposite trip...and flew back from Santorini to Athens. No matter....have a super time!

We (2 adults, 2 kids) did one quick day in Athens, Plaka, Acropolis, then early morning ferry to Sifnos. An incredibly family friendly island...you can stay in the harbor town of Kamares and watch sunsets to die for...it is a charming island. Milos is also wonderful and you can swim in incredible volcanic hotsprings...

Santorini is a jewel...but so crowded with cruise ships and Americans. Stay right on the caldera and enjoy the most incredible sunsets...the colors are seared in my memory forever...Take a day trip to Akrotiri...the Minoan ruins are fascinating.

When we came back to Athens we hired a taxi driver (I think they are all tour guides!) He took us on a day trip to Delphi. The kids really liked the ruins and the museum.

The great thing about Greece is that all the islands have their own charm...you can hardly go wrong and you will just HAVE to go back!

so many choices, aren't there?

I knew I wanted to hit Santorini, but after that I was clueless. So I went around and asked lots of different shopkeepers where they thought I should go.

I ended up in Paros, Naoussa to be exact. The island landscape is like that of nearby Naxos, but it is smaller. Naoussa was exactly what I needed after the hussle and bustle of Fira...a small fishing village, but becoming quite upscale in many ways. Excellent seafood. I showed up without reservation, and got my own place, with kitchenette right on the water (from the room, it looked like I was on a boat...couldn't even see land in front of me) for 25 euro a night. Parikia is the port town, and busier than Naoussa. Plenty of decent beaches near Naoussa as well.