Greece with 4 months baby old in September
 

Good morning, afternoon to all !!

My name is Elinor, my husband and I are planning a trip to Greece.
We will stay there from the 17 until the 28 of September.

We read some reviews and thought to do
Athens, paros, Naxos and santorini ( don't know if only exclusion or nights as well)

Are all these places ok for babies? What would you have visit and stay in each island?

Thanks a lot for your assistance !
Elinor

What is your budget - specifically in euros? Without that making recos is difficult.

Obviously there are some adult resorts but I'm sure there are plenty of places you can take a baby.

Since your tot is so small, you'll be carrying all or most of the time in a baby bjorn or a back carrier .. so you need not concern yourself much with the stroller. Hard to say what is best for you, because you give no indication of what your interests & priorities are. If it's mainly beaches, the best ones are on Naxos & Paros. Santorini has the great Caldera view, but the beaches are far away (on the ohter side of the island, and besides are not that great (black pebbles/grit). With such a short trip, it is important to give more details, because that could directly affect advice:

(1) You arrive Sept 17 -- but from where??? ... if u have had a 10-hour journey, advice would be different from that for a 20 hour journey.

(2) You arrive Sept 17 -- at what hour??? AM arrival gives u more options on where to go first ... with short trips, we often taking a domestic flight immediately, to your farthest island ... it's much more fun to get over jjet-weariness on an island, and also avoids the time-wasting process of going INTO Athens (35 mi from airport), checking into hotel, going back OUT to plane or ferry for your island time... and then at the end of your tri, doing the same thing? Get It? If u arrive in afternoon, with looong journey, your baby's time clock will be all screwed up.. You'd do best to go straight to a small b & B right by the airport -- St. Thomas B & B -- collapse, put baby in crib, have dinner & a swim & recover ... then next morning early take a plane to Santorini.

(3) Island time & sequence --- I would say 2 nights in Santoirni, 3rd day at 3pm Blue Star Ferry to Naxos (a bit over 2 hours, sit on deck, enjoy view) ... then stay there at least 4-5 nights. Paros maybe for 2 nights... then ferry back to Athens for final 3 nights. If this is too many (you sound uncertain as to how many days are actually "In" greece, rather than taken up in international travel) ... if you only have 9 nights, skip Paros.

(4) Where to stay -- In Athens --I'd say, stay on te "Quiet side" of Acropolis, right off the nice pedestrianized walkway, so pleasant to walk w. child (especially if u are taking a small "cane stroller"). Hotel Airotel Parthenon is moderate (sometimes a bargain on booking.com for 90E or less for double).

5) Where to stay -- In Naxos U want to stay right ON the beach, right next to Naxos Town .... so look for a hotel inSt. George Beach (Ag. Giorgios). If you can find a studio unit at the patio level, that is the best for your needs. Why? Because your tot will have to nap sometimes at inconvenient times. U can sometimes get them to nap in a stroller or beach chair under an umbrella... but if y ou must pop him/her into a baby cot, being on the patio level means fewer steps, and you can stay outdoors while the child sleeps. Also these units have kitchenette niches, so u can feed the tot (or yourselves) at any time, not just at hotel mealtimes. Two of thse lodgings on St. George are Studios Kalergis and Studios Thomais, both have websites. Also Sun Beach. The advantage of this location is u can stroll 5-10 minutes right in to the attractions of harborside --cafes, tavernas, shops. In May when I go, I often see couples in the tavernas (restaurans) lingering over coffee at sunset, while child snoozes in a stroller.

6) Where to stay in Paros -- If u do go to Paros, it will be for a shorter stay, so I'd advise staying in Parikia. Again, the consideration is, the child. a place that you could get back to easily while sightseeing around the port town. 2 that I would suggest are right in the town's "agora" (maze of small, lovely lanes. Hotel Dina and Casa di Roma. both have websites, are walkable from ferry ... Casa I think has patio-level units, and also a pool.

7) Where to stay in Santorini -- well, that depends on your pocketbook, and your stamina for walking. If you want lodgings with a caldera view, that may mean walking up/down steps. Be careful u don't choose something too steep to access. There are many posh hotels you can book, but if you want a darling budget hotel that is only about 150 feet from the caldera path & view, has lovely bright rooms, family-run, convenient to everything but quiet, look at Villa Fotini -- http://www.santorinivilla.com/. Oh, PS, use of the pool next door. Great TA reviews. They pick up/deliver to ferry port. Not luxe, just friendly, sparkly clean, welcoming.

OK, I am going to be a naysayer here. Yes, I know locals have babies everywhere, but I, personally, would not do a vacation to Santorini with a baby I had to carry everywhere unless you are very used to walking on rough terrain carrying the baby. It is not easy on all the stones. One tiny slip and you could have a problem. A stroller there, except for one made for going over cobbles, would be pretty bumpy.

Athens would be manageable.

Mykonos would be a little easier.
Other islands like Corfu and Rhodes (some parts of Crete near the ports) would certainly be easier.
I have not been to Naxos or Paros, so can't say about those.

Also, are you planning on taking an infant to the beach?
Make you sure you rent an umbrella to protect such a young child.

Sassafrass I totally agree ... that is why I suggested the MINIMAL time on Santorini, and in a place I personally know is NOT on a steep downhiill/uphill setting, and also is right by a level walkway (parallel to main road, not known to many) which gets to to Fira square in 5 minutes. Right across from Fotini is the bus stop that goes to Oia, for 90 minutes of walking & pix-taking. This couple will be carrying a 12-lb 4 month old in a backpck or baby-bjorn -- not the same as a chunky, heavy, wriggly 2 year old... so I think they'll be OK on short walks.

The reason I didn't totally nix Santorini is that Many first-timers don't feel they have been to Greece unless they can tell their hometown friends (who have usually just been on cruises) taht yes, they saw Santorini. I say, 2 nights 1.5 days, then jump on a ferry to Naxos.

As for Naxos, the beach i suggested is Perfect for youngsters 1 - 6. Every May it's hopping with cute Scandinavian toddlers, and beautiful Swedes nursing infants.

hi all,
thansk a lot for your replies!
we dont know yet where to land. most likely to athenes from a 3-4 hours flight. we didnot take the flight tickets yet because we are trying to see if greece ( athenes, naxos, paros and maybe santorini) is better than Italy ( rome, florence, pisa, sardaigna)

did any of you made a similar trip for both countries and would better go with one of them?
thanks a mil!

You say a flight of 3-4 hours to reach Athens so obviously you are from UK or northern Europe tho you did not say.

If you want to get opinions about Italy, you may not get an unbiased opinion here, since this is a Forum for Greece travel, and most of us prefer Greece.

Do not ask us to compare the worth of Greece vs. Italy ... since the sights, culture, cuisine, etc are so different -- and this is a matter of individual taste. And since you have shared almost nothing about your interests & priorities, we cannot judge which would suit your tastes.

Perhaps the only comparison we could give that would be fact-based -- in terms of cost, ease of transit. I have travelled in both countries. Italy is considerably more expensive, in my experience, because it has a much longer "season" ... lodging prices drop off in Greece much more quickly after August. Italy may be easier to get around due to its extensive railway network ... altho u would have to ferry to Sardinia -- I don't know if you could fit that in to your short holiday.

"If you want to get opinions about Italy, you may not get an unbiased opinion here, since this is a Forum for Greece travel, and most of us prefer Greece."

Well, I won't address those comments, but do suggest that the OP [original poster] start a new thread titled Italy or Greece with 4 month old" or similar and tag both Italy and Greece.

Additionally, google the terms: "European travel with infant" or "european travel with baby" to find perhaps more helpful information.