Greece/Italy itinerary, please vote :)
 

We will be on our honeymoon, both in our late 20’s, both from Canada. W
e have visited France/England/Belgium before, but never Italy nor Greece.

We are not into museums/archeology, we mostly like to walk around, take pictures, eat the food, spend time at the beach (will it be beach weather?).

We will arrive on September 22 and we have 14 nights.

Please vote on the itinerary you would do;

A

Florence 3 nights
Venice 3 nights
Santorini 3 nights
Mykonos or Paxos or Naxos 2 nights
Athens 3 nights

B

Florence or Venice 3 nights
Crete 3 nights
Santorini 3 nights
Mykonos or Paxos or Naxos 2 nights
Athens 3 nights

C

Florence of Venice 4 nights
Crete 4 nights
Santorini 3 nights (is it possible to do day trip to Mykonos?)
Athens 3 nights


Of as a vote you can propose a D….


I know that we should only do Greece and skip Italy, but we really want to have a chance to at least “touch” Italy if ever for some reason we never get to go again…

Why are you starting another thread when this has already been hashed out on your other thread? People seeing this one won't realize that you've already received MANY recommendations to choose one country or the other, or if not, they've given advice about your possibilities.

Good point, however in the other posting I received everyone's opinion which was very appreciated which led me to create a few different possibilities...now, I'm looking at opinions as to which one is better and not necessarily on whether doing citys in 2 different countries is a good idea or not....

Alpine, I vote for option D: choose either Greece or Italy. Considering the things you enjoy doing, I would pick Greece. Walking, Hiking, good food, photography, and plenty of beach options (I will admit I have not been to Italy). It seems significant that you have asked the same question two different ways. What does your significant other want? 2 weeks and one country or 2 weeks and 2 countries? No matter what you do, I am sure you will have a wonderful honeymoon and enjoy every place you visit.

I must agree with doing only one or the other - why short-change Greece? Its Fantastic! Still if I HAD to pick one of your choices...I'd go with A. I can't imagine going all the way to Italy for only 3 nights.

There is so much to see in both countries - why rush around and fuss with extra flights (which is also more $$).

Have fun,

Naxos

I would stick with Greece alone unless you can find a flight that needs to stop in Italy. You have only two weeks and you want to do too much. If you include all these destinations, you'll be spending a great deal of time packing and moving between destinations. Allow yourself some time in no more than three spots to fully appreciate where you are.

You are not into museums nor archeology, prefer time at the beach and will be on your honeymoon....why would you even consider visiting Florence or Venice? To go to a place just to say you were there is kind of DA...go to Greece; enough dilly-dally....

My fiance would prefer concentrating on Greece, but she would like to at least touch 1 city in Italy. It's not going to cost us more since we are using points for the flights and we can do a "layover" The attraction to Italy was more the food and maybe visiting a Winery. I know it's a lot of Travel, but let's say I decide on Florence instead of Crete....won't this be the same thing? I would think that there is not much more time difference between a flight from Athens to Crete and a flight from Athens to Florence???

If we fly from Canada to Florence...spend 3 nights in Florence only (get a feel for Italy for a possible future trip), then continue to Greece for 11 nights....doing only 2 islands...am I shortchanging Greece if I don't do Crete?

I think we will do something like this:


Florence 3 nights
Venice 2-3 nights
Santorini 3 nights
Mykonos or Paxos or Naxos 2-3 nights
Athens 3 nights


The more I think about it, there is likely less travel going to Florence then Crete???

We fly into Florence...3 wonderfull nights...take a quick train in the am to Venice, 3 more wonderfull nights....quick flight to Athens, then ferry to Santorini which will take us the day :(, but then 3 nights in Santorini...ferry to a close island...another 2 nights...ferry to Athens...3 more nights...

doesn't seem worse then:

fly into Athens...fly in to Crete...4 nights...long ferry to Santorini 4 nights...ferry to close island 3 nights....ferry to Athens...3 nights....

Is the Florence/Venice option really going to be more travel??

This way, I can return to Italy some day for 2 weeks and do some of the other cities...or if for some reason I never get to return to italy, well I will have had my pizza in Italy at least once :)

Please, at least 1 person, tell me I'm not crazy

Did you mean Paros or Paxos? Paxos is hard to get to from the Cycladic islands. If you wanted to go to just one place in Italy why not Rome because it seems it would be the most convienent transit city not to mention it's so beautiful. Also there is lots of day trip options.
I would also leave Crete off your intinerary beacuse of it's size and concentrate on Santorini and Naxos or Paros or Mykonos. I also would think two nights in Athens would be enough.

I did not really research the second island yet...I was thinking Santorini/Mykonos, but then got bombarded with comments that Mykonos was not a good idea for a honeymoon destination...basicaly, for the second island I was thinking a beach destination...any advice?

Your comment for Rome is very good and will be considered!

thanks again

alpine, it really looks as if you are planning a trip that will cost you at least $5000-6000 w.o. RT airfare, and you haven't glanced at a guidebook yet. I know 20-somethings are really into electroniv vs. the printed word but actually browsing a book could help you sort the wheat from the chaff ...

Consider going to Barnes & NOble or other large bookstore, and sitting down with a few major guidebooks & browsing. Buy (or borrow from Library) the one that appeals to you most. For an overview of best-linked Greek isles, oriented to under-30s, try Cooks' GREEK ISLAND HOPPING. Also Let's go Greece, Let's go Europe, same focus. Then u will know where Paxos is and why it's not Paros.

If u INSIST on Italy, fly into Rome for 2 days, then on to Athens.

As for beaches, Naxos has 12+ miles in a row of golden sand beaches all easily accessed by scooter or bus, it has a large enough population that in late September Naxos Town is still going strong, unlike some summer-only smaller islands. And it has a daily ferry that only takes 2.5 hours from Santorini, with outside decks so you can get the lovely cliff-view as you leave.

As a non-print orientation, here is a Fodorite's wonderful slide-show in Narrative form (arrival to departure) of Naxos' attraction:
http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/552001505EYxVYT
To speed it up to max, click photo & drop-down menu speeds it to 3-secs.

Great advice, I did buy a book, but didn't get a chance to read it yet (weekend plan).

I know it will be costly, but it's our honeymoon...

I am using points for the flights and I will be using hilton points for Hilton Athens and the Hiltons in Italy...I will however pay for hotels on the islands...and based on my LIMITED research so far, I was thinking the Mykonos Grand (if I go to Mykonos) and either the Hotel Volcanos Villas or the Ikies in Oia..I know the last one is expensive, so I will wait to see all of the other costs...

As for Paros/Paxos, this was more of a spelling mistake...the importance was not really picking the island now...but more of the concept of doing Santorini + 1 Island close to Santorini + Athens + 1 city in Italy...which may be Florence or Rome...

or skipping Italy and doing Crete....in my mind a city in Italy vs. Crete is a similar hastle in terms of travel...but I might be wrong...

Volcano's Villas no longer exists as such. It's called Atlantida Villas now, or at least part of it is. I haven't gotten the 'full story' yet.

Good to know!! Thanks!

Choice A with Mykonos! I have been to them all and Florence, Venice Santorini, Mykonos all beautiful. Athens...big city with great ruins..
I would rather spend 2 nights Athens and an extra night in Florence or Venice...
I have never been to Paxos or Naxos, but the sites in Mykonos are classic "calendar Greece"

Thanks! I am getting excited already but almost a year away... :(

We decided to skip Crete and do Florence/Venice/Santorini/Athens + 1 more island which will likely be Mykonos...not sure how many days at each destination...

The important thing for us was to book our flight now since it's on points...

should I...fly into Venice...3 nights take a train to Florence 3 nights, fly to Athens OR

fly into Florence, train to Venice, then fly to Athens from Venice......

or it doesnt really matter? For my points it does not as I will fly into Italy and fly out of Athens...but I will be paying teh flight from Italy to Greece...

Venice is one of the most romantic cities in the world. Good for you to get it in. Whether you fly into Florence or Venice and out the other, really doesn't matter. It will be lovely, and then on to Greece to just wander. Enjoy.

Are you going to stay at the Hilton in Florence? Do you realize it's not even actually in Florence? If the budget allows, I would want to stay IN Florence.

Speaking of Hiltons, the Athens Hilton is one of the stops on the bus route for the Airport Express Bus #95 if you want to take advantage of that convenience. #95 leaves the airport every half-hour, 24/7/365. The fare is 3.2 euro each.