Greek Isle Itinerary
 

We are contemplating a trip next May to the Greek Isles. Top on my list is Santorini, but I know there are many more lovely islands to see.

We live in Boston, and would fly to London, then on to Athens.

Given the travel time, and that fact that I had a scare with my leg swelling on our last flight to Italy, we were thinking of breaking the trip up so that we spend the night in London, then have a couple of days there, then fly to Athens then on to Santorini, then spend another night or two in London on the way home.

Does this make sense? We have never seen London before, and don't know what we'd get to see in that amount of time. Too much, not enough?

Secondly, and more importantly, is 5 full days in Santorini enough? This is our main destination, so we don't want to shortchange it.

We most likely won't have time for an overnight at another island, but would there be boats in May that we could visit another island? Which would you recommend?

Our itinerary would look something like:

Fly out PM from Boston - arrive London AM

London for day - and PM
London - full day to tour and PM

Fly London to Athens- travel to Santorini

Santorini PM

Santorini full day and PM
Santorini full day and PM
Santorini full day and PM
Santorini full day and PM
Santorini full day and PM

Travel Santorini to Athens and fly Athens to London
(Stay in London - PM)

London full day and PM
London full day and PM

Fly London to Boston

May is a great time to visit the Greek islands. I just visited Santorini (among others) this May and had a fabulous time.

1. If you are going to visit London, it deserves more time than you are giving it - there is a LOT to see and do. I would take 1 or 2 days from Santorini to add to London.

2. You are just going through Athens without stopping overnight even once? I doubt that will work logistically, given the limited number of flights/ferries from Santorini-Athens in May.

At the very least, you should plan on spending one night in Athens before the flight back to London.

I think your plan is good. Shortening travel time, given your prievious experience, sounds wise. 4 full days in London is enough IMHO since Santorini is your objective. If you shaved a day off London, you might be able to fit in a second island. If you fly to Santorini and make your reservation well in advance, I can not imagine why transportation should be an issue. Have fun planning this great trip!

I think 5 full days in Santorini is overly generous, I mean, it is not like there are THAT many things to do there, its about relaxing, enjoying the beach( ? May?) and seeing a few ruins.. I think 4 days is more then enough, and , I think London can certainly eat up another day easily. London deserves a full week, but, I would say that 3-4 days can at least give you a taste.
I agree that its a good idea to break up the flight.

Have you looked into some of the Europeon based discount airlines that may possibly offer direct to Santorini flights, I have no idea if that is possible, and even if it is , if they would run them in May which is still shoulder season.

If we were to do another island, which would you recommend?

Day trip or overnight?

Is it not possible to fly to Athens and then catch a ferry to Santorini without overnighting in Athens? (we really didn't want to)

It may or may not be possible -- iirc most ferries from Piraeus to Santorini leave early in the morning. It's not like there is a ferry leaving every hour of the day, and flights are pretty limited in May also.

You would have to check the schedules for a specific day, and ferry schedules often aren't available until a month or two ahead of time. Flights, otoh, can be booked well in advance.

Wanderer, if you have a flight from london that gets in to Athens airport by 10:30 or so, there are daily flights on Aegean Air at either 1 pm or 2:30 pm, depending on the day. You shold have no problem with the connection. I myself have done it 2x, and 2x with connection via Aegean to Crete.

I assume what you want to do is mainly sit on your lovely terrace in Oia and look at the famous view. That is what Santorini is mostly about today. The Akrotiri ruins are closed, most people don't do the black beaches in May, and anyway water in beach OR pools is too chilly yet.

There aren't a lot of other "sights". One can climb the cliff to Ancient Thera, but with leg problems, I don't advise it. Honeymooners find plenty to do (snicker)... BrotherleeLove can be amused there for a month at a time ... exhausted people can sit all day without moving -- but others report that 3 days on Santorini is enough. "People-watching" will be mostly watching other tourists, and "authentic villages" (another item on many wish-lists) are best sought on less-promoted islands. I'm curious about what other activities you may have in mind that might take more than 5 days.

Regarding your return trip... you MAY be able to get a flight to Athens airport early, and then a flight to London, but you would have to plan carefully so Your london flight would be in late afternoon, just in case.

Thanks for the info.

When we travel, yes, we like to see the "sights" but our most enjoyable moments are just hanging out.

Going to the cafes, poking in the shops, enjoying a glass of wine on our terrace, a nice meal at a casual (non-dressy, non-expensive restaurant).

We just got back from 3 nights on Capri, and we could have spent a week. Likewise of Positano, where we spent a week, and could have spent a month.

Some people don't understand. There's no "sights" on Positano. We did day trips, but our jobs are such that to get away from the high pressure and languish is all we need, We just want to make sure (and I know there are no guarantees) we have plenty of sun, and don't go during rainy season to save a few bucks.

I'm with you, Wanderer1! When I go to Santorini it's for 4 weeks, which is just about right for me. It doesn't take much to keep me occupied. I like to wander, read, nap, swim, visit old friends, meet new ones and generally just hang out and relax. Some people just can't sit still long enough to do that, let alone for 4 weeks, but however long you stay I guarantee you'll want to return one day.

Will this give us time to visit another island?

Which one?

Overnight or day trip?

You could go to Ios or Naxos for a few hours. Whether or not you would go on an overnighter depends on if you're enjoying Santorini.

I also have had problems with my leg-especially ankle area-swelling on airplane fights. I was concerned about this as last Sept. we would be flying from NY to Beijing-a very long trip. My neighbor recommended that I buy therapeutic supportwear. I purchased JOBST 8-15 mmHg. This is compression hosiery that improves circulation and reduces swelling. I discussed this with my doctor who approved. I got the knee high ultra sheer which looks great. I can't believe how well this worked-not a bit of swelling!! Here's the website www.jobst.com Also discuss this with your doctor to see if this might work for you as you didn't say why your legs swelled on your flight to Italy. Our best friends are Greek. Born in Crete. Have 2 homes there. Crete is a good base to island hop via ferry. Santorini is a thumbs up-just beautiful. Enjoy your time in London and the isles.

Thank you very much!

They don't know why this time my ankles swelled, as I have traveled extensively - longest flight to Japan - and never had this happen. Perhaps it has to do with getting older.

The Dr. thought that because I slept on the way home, had a glass of wine, pretzels with salt, and coffee, that contributed to the problem.

He told me that you should get up and walk a minimum of every 30 minutes.

The airlines really should publicize this, but I'm sure they don't because they don't want people walking around in the aisles. However, of course a DVT can be fatal and quick, so it is important.

I'll definitely check out the stockings.

Paros sounds interesting as does Crete (Chania).

Are either of these doable as day trips from Santorini?

It would be difficult to do a day trip to either. The best thing to do is to reasearch what nearby island you would like to visit that has ferry service to Santorini and then plan accordingly.

Unfortunately Santorini ferries are not set up very well for day trips.. especially pre-season, as in May. You'd have to check upon arrival. To do so I recommend going to the PORT OFFICE, on Fira TOwn SQUARE; they know ALL ferry sailings for the week. Sometimes ticket agencies don't tell about ferries they don't act for.

TIP- using OPEN SEAS ferry website you can click BACK one month and pick a sample date in May 2008, to give u an idea of offerings. On gtp.gr site, can't backdate, but u can look at 9/2008 as an off-season "sample". If u choose "any" for day, u see the pattern for a month.

IOS - easier to reach, only 45-50 mins. Can get there most days by 11 or 12. Most days, last ferry back is around 4 pm; 1 x per week, 9 pm.

NAXOS-- 2 or 2.5 hours; earliest u can get there is 12:30-1. Most days the last ferry is at 3;30-4pm -- 1-2 x per week, a late (9 or 11pm) boat.

.. Either isle, you'd have to go on a particular day to make it feasible.

Spend as many days in Santorini as you can - 4 nights there didn't even seem enough. I should probably mention that you'll lose almost an entire day flying/ferrying to Santorini and then getting from the airport/port to your hotel. It's certainly a long day and buses aren't as frequent from the airport/port so you must rely on taxis.

This may be too vague a question, and I know alot depends on our flights.

We are thinking of not doing the London stopover, but spending time in Athens both coming and going, to rest, see the Acropolis, etc., and make for less hectic connections. '

The flights we were looking at arrive in Athens at 4:30pm, and we don't want to be scrambling to get a hydrofoil (our preferred method of travel).

The flights on the way home appear to leave Athens very early - 9am or so, so again, we thought we'd spend the night in Athens rather than in London. Too many stops.

If we do this, it might give us time to spend time (was thinking 2-3 nights) on another island rather than trying to squeeze in a day trip from Santorini. I'm not a big fan of day trips. Too rushed, and you miss alot. Not our style.

Anyway, have been reading, looking a pictures on greeka.com, guidebooks, etc, and am more confused than ever about which other island to visit. I don't know if we'd like Mykonos - we're not into the party scene. Paros sounded nice, then I read the nice parts are rather hard to get to. Naxos is a possibility, but it doesn't seem to score high for beauty.

I'm intrigued by Hydra and Sifnos, what little I have read. We basically want a place with good food, low key atmosphere, shops, cafes, pretty island, where we can laze and amble about and just relax. We love Positano and Capri in Italy if that gives you any idea of our taste.

Does it make sense to stay in one island chain, or are they pretty easy to get around from one to the other? We want to make this the least complicated as we can - after all it is vacation!!

(we will have a total of 14 days, counting travel days and one day at home when we return).

Hydra, Spetses and Aegina are all good choices since they're all so close to Athens by frequent ferry. Hydra is very charming since motorized vehicles aren't allowed. Otherwise choose an island in the same group to minimize travel time. I like Paros, but I do rent a motor scooter for exploration. Without that "tool" getting around is not as easy on the bus as on some other islands, but there's lots to see and do in the main village. There's a small archaeological museum and the Church of 100 Doors as well as lots of shops.

Purely subjective, I know, BL, but of those 4 islands which would you consider to be the most charming and a "fit" for us given what I've told you we like in other places?

I like the idea of Hydra, but don't know enough about the others yet. (I do very much like the idea of no cars!)

I've not seen anything in my guidebooks that says there is ferry/hydrofoil service from Hydra to Santorini. How frequent is it?

Is there any rhyme or reason to doing the other island first or last?

We'd be unlikely to rent a scooter or a car, as my husband really doesn't want to do any driving this trip.

There's no ferry between Hydra, etc. and Santorini. You have to go back to Athens/Piraeus for that.

There's no practical value to going to one island group first or last, it really just depends on what you choose to do.

The size of Paros might be too limiting without a car so it might be a better idea to go to Hydra instead.

I do recommend that you save Athens until the end of your trip so you don't have to stress about getting back to the mainland for your flight home. When you first arrive head directly to your first island of choice, either by ferry (Hydra, etc. or Santorini) or airplane (Santorini).

Wanderer1,

"Naxos doesn't seemt to score high for beauty"...
I am not sure where you read this opnion about Naxos, but have you actually talked with anyone who has been there??

I've made 7 trips to greece 3-4 weeks each time, I have visited 20 isles or more and Naxos is the ONLY place that is ALWAYS on my itinerary.

A real FOdor expert, stanbr, and his wife, also adore Naxos, and they have done a slide show that I look at nearly every day.

I won't try to tell you in words -- just give a quick look at this.. it depicts a visit to Naxos, starting & ending w. view from ferry. NOTE: when it starts, click on a foto and a menu appears at the bottom and you can speed up the slids to 3 seconds -- then it's almost like a film! the whole thing only takes 2 minutes.
http://travel.webshots.com/slideshow/552001505EYxVYT

After this, if you don't think Naxos scores high for beauty I do wonder what island COULD score high enough for your standards. :(

Yes, Naxos looks very pretty!

We still are not sure what other island to link with Santorini, though.

My husband is becoming dismayed with all the connections, and thinks we are losing too much in travel time. On the other hand, he doesn't want to go to the Greek Islands and "just" see Santorini. Me, I would be happy just doing a few days in Athens coming and going, and Santorini.

I have told him there is no "easy" way to get around, and most likely, from what I have read and you all have told me day trips to other islands are out.

Even sticking with the same island group, it appears somewhat difficult.

Is there a compromise? Somewhere beautiful and peaceful and easy to get to from/to Santorini for a couple of nights?

I had thought of Hydra, until I learned that you cannot go from Hydra direct to Santorini but must backtrack to Athens. That's what's driving my husband crazy. He's ready to throw in the towel on Greece. I am not! We only have 2 weeks total (travel time and a day at home included), so I understand his frustration.

Any ideas? Between the day we leave, the night in Athens, the travel Athens to Santorini next day, Santorini to Athens on the way home, and then another night in Athens due to the early flight, the travel day home, and a day when we get home, we are already losing 5 days or so to travel....

Any itinerary suggestions appreciated.

I just spent two weeks in Greece in May and visited 3 islands (4 including Delos) and we didn't feel rushed. We spent 3 days in Mykonos, 3 days in Naxos, 4 days in
Santorini, and 2 days in Athens. If you have two weeks and you visit only 2 islands, that would be even less rushed.

If you know for sure you want to visit Santorini, the easiest islands to add would be Ios, Naxos, Paros and Mykonos. I'd suggest Naxos because it's quite different from Santorini - much more low key and less tourist-focused than Santorini. It's also much cheaper and doesn't cater much to the 5* market so it gets a different variety of visitors.

Arr Athens - fly/ferry to Naxos Naxos - 4 days, ferry to Santorini
Santorini - 5 days, fly/ferry to Athens (the ferry is long, but the flight on Aegean is just a quick hop)
Athens - 3 days, fly home

That's a pretty relaxed itinerary imho, compared to how many people visit the Greek islands. (We met many people who were going from island to island stopping only for a day or two.)

>>>My husband is becoming dismayed with all the connections, and thinks we are losing too much in travel time. On the other hand, he doesn't want to go to the Greek Islands and "just" see Santorini.<<<

<i>Don't get discouraged!</i> When first planning a trip to the Greek Islands the many choices seem overwhelming, and ferry schedules too complicated. Added to that, some &quot;experts&quot; give overdetailed advice on itineraries and accommodation.

May is an excellent time to travel, as even the busy islands are still quiet. To keep it simple, choose an island on the same ferry route as Santorini. My choice would be either Naxos or Paros/Antiparos. Both are within three hours by ferry from Santorini, and have plenty of room vacancies in May, so you don't have to worry about hotel reservations until next Spring. You can even do as I do, and find a room upon arrival (doing some research in the meantime).

Naxos would be a good choice for scenery, beautiful beaches, and a relaxed atmosphere. It is easy to get around the island by bus, but a rental car would be an advantage for the mountain villages.

Paros is more diverse, and the best parts of the island are away from the port town, so it takes some time to get around there. If you want a total contrast from Santorini, try Antiparos. This little island has a pedestrian-only main street lined with excellent shops, cafes and tavernas. It is a place for chilling out rather than sightseeing, although it has a famous stalactite cave and round-island boat trips. To learn more about Antiparos and other Cycladic islands go to http://www.islandstrolling.com/, a private website with excellent photography.

We were told we couldn't get a ferry out when we arrive in Athens, and would have to spend the night.

I think the flight was due to arrive at 4:30pm (we are coming from Boston, change in London, as there are no direct flights from Boston, and that is the earliest arrival).

That adds an extra day of travel, and more $ for a hotel room somewhere we don't want to stay on the way in.

Hi wanderer1,

We cross-posted.

Yes, 4:30pm is too late for the ferries, but there are still flights to Santorini leaving after your arrival in Athens. Aegean Airlines has a 9:25pm flight that will get you to Santorini by 10:10pm. Book early and you could get one of their cheap tickets. Olympic Airlines also has a late flight to Santorini.

Wanderer, if you would share the exact date you hope to travel, we might be able to advise you better; is that a problem? I plugged in a couple of &quot;sample dates&quot; (May 12 &amp; may 14) to Mobissimo search engine. And while most flights arrive 4:20, there were several that arrive about 2or 2:45, and moreover, have decent departure times (i.e. 1 pm). Check it out!

If arriving at this earlier time, get a 1800 (6pm)Aegean flight to Santorini arr 7:15 in time for a sunset drink on your hotel balcony.

When u are ready to go to Naxos, there are multiple ferries; the &quot;regular&quot; feries only take 2.5 hours. And you could fly back from Naxos on its daily 1:30pm flight, 50 minutes.... OR take a &quot;dinner ferry&quot; 6 pm arrive 11:30pm. in Piraeus, taxi to hotel.

May 2009 is far far away. We don´t know today what will happen to the ferry and flight companies until then. I would buy a good guide book and several other books now and level up my knowledge of Greece. But I wouldn´t prepare the trip technically now.
G.

I agree. It is a long way off.

Just trying to get a sense of what the transportation options are.

No flights I have found from Boston get in earlier than 4:30pm to Athens. Please let me know what airline you are looking at and what connecting city from Boston.

I do not have dates set yet, but early May, even late April is what we were thinking, before rates go up.

How expensive, in general, is inter-island airfare? I had read in the guide books that it was quite pricey.

This year there are direct flights to Mykonos from London with Easyjet. So since you don't want to spend any time in Athens, i would stay 4 nights in Santorini, then go to Mykonos, stay for one night and take the direct flight to London.
(But you can't be sure that there will be direct flights next year from May)

For a daytrip from Santorini you could also visit Folegandros, one of my favourite island which has one of the cutest towns (Chora) and you'll get a different feeling from the crowded Santorini.

Also you can check out www.whichbudget.com with all the cheap airlines that fly direct from London to the greek islands.

Unfortunately a daytrip to Folegandros might not be possible, especially in May when the ferry system is not operating in full summer mode. Even in summertime there isn't a daily ferry between these two islands, you'll have to plan carefully if you want a daytrip. It's best to wait until you're on Santorini to speak to a travel agent to see what might be available. From Santorini the most frequent ferries in May would be to and from Ios, Naxos and Paros, but you will be limited to a few short hours before you will have to be back at the port for the return to Santorini.

Gaspard hit the nail on the head - I couldn't have said it better. Now is the time to learn about the islands, and a good guidebook, e.g. Thomas Cook Publishing's <i>Greek Island Hopping</i>, will give you lots of info on the islands themselves, and how to get between them. Detailed planning at this point would be a waste of time.

Stick to the main ferry routes and you don't have to worry about inter-island travel. Piraeus, Paros, Naxos and Santorini have ferry connections every day, even in the depths of winter. On the other hand, no one can tell you what days, in May next year, ferries will sail from, for example, Santorini to Folegandros.

The advantage you will have by traveling during April or May is that it is still low season, except for Greek Easter, which is April 19th in 2009. Apart from a week either side of Easter there will be plenty of hotel vacancies, and advance reservations are unnecessary, except perhaps for Santorini.

A word or two about about air travel:

Inter-island flights are almost non-existent. There is a small company, Sky Express, that has flights between some islands, but with airline check-in, wait for baggage, airport transfer, etc, there is no real time advantage over the ferries.

EasyJet indeed has flights between London and Mykonos. They were inherited from another airline it took over earlier this year. They are seasonal flights, twice per week from 1 May, and three times per week from 23 May in 2008. It remains to be seen whether they will continue that route next year.

Heimdall, when you're right, you're right!! I buy a new copy of T. Cook's book every few years -- I WISH WISH WISH I could convince every inquirer on these forums to go to their public Library and check out a copy, if they don't want to buy one! It is THE best at showing graphically how the ferry system works -- and it's an understanding you can't get by just browsing the web.

Wanderer1, this is a way to get thru the hot summer. Boston surely has as good a library system as Philly! Go get an ARMFUL of guides including the above... T

Then spend time browsing the ferry websites - I particularly lilke gtp.gr because you can look at a MONTH's worth of sailings to a given place -- AND you can see the route via a moving red line, and even a picture of the boat they use!

You have time, and the more you learn the less anxious you will be. And it will give you something to daydream about during your stressful work day.

Thanks all. I've already ordered a copy of the Thomas Cook Island hopping as well as Eyewitness (to check out the pictures) and been poking around Greeka.com.

That being said, there is nothing like first-hand information about the islands, or generally the ease of getting from place to place.

The inter-island air travel I was mentioning was from Athens to Santorini (someone had mentioned that might be an option vs the ferry if we arrive late in the afternoon).

We have ruled out day trips, given the info. we have received. Now just trying to learn enough about the islands to choose another (or not) for a visit during our time there. I really like what I have read about Hydra, but it seems too much back and forth to get to Santorini from there.

Mykonos doesn't really appear to be our style - we are in our 50s and not party people. We like more laid back, low-key places, but still with things to do like shop and sit in cafes on the water.

Thanks all for the info. BTW I've already also read cover to cover Frommers and Fodors Greek Island guides as well as the latest Conde Nast magazine which had a feature on the Greek Isles.

Wanderer, I used the Mobissim0 search site -- it searches about 200 sites for flight offers.
http://www.mobissimo.com/search_airfare.php

I put in Boston, Athens 1 person RT going May 14 returning May 28 and it came up with several flight offers around $1140.The booking site with the best times had an offer that came in at 2:45 pm -- Lufthansa to Frankfurt, Aegean Airlines from there to Athens. Coming back was same airlines leaving athens at 155 pm instead of crack o'dawn. THAT is worth looking at ....so many USA flights force u to be at airport at middle of night to go back! Even a 7 am departure means 5 am at airport. Inhumane!

I just now did the search again and that combo is still offered... there's one that comes in even earlier (10:10am) with Virgin Atlantic on first leg--but I woldn't advise that because the 2nd leg is Olympic and lord knows what will happen with the Big O.

I don't think you will do much better if you want a decent arrival time -- and with your limited time u DO want that. Fiddle around with different dates &amp; you can see what you get. good hunting!

PS about your nominees for 2nd Island -- yes Hydra is not reachable from Santorini, its back to Athens.

Plus if you like to stroll along a nice beach (not at Santorini) Hydra doesn't have same either, also no transport outside of harbor ... Naxos has both as I hope you saw from those fotos... plus a whole maze (ancient agora) filled with shops -- handicrafts, jewelry, chic clothes. objet d'art. And the prices will give you sticker shock -- in reverse! -- compared to Santorini prices.

The Greek islands are not easy to get to and will take time and effort. You have to want to go to Greece A LOT. I've gone four times from Southern California, and I can tell you I thought long and hard before tackling each trip. But my love of Greece keeps me going back. You need to decide if it's worth the effort -- after your first trip there, I'd bet you would say it is.

I traveled to Greece in my 40s and 50s. I hope to return in my 60s. Mykonos fit the bill and I am not a nightlife person. I loved staying outside the town, visiting the beaches and relaxing by the pool at my hotel. I am admitting here that I went to Paradise and Super Paradise every day even for short times. At that time, Paradise was clothing optional and Super Paradise was also, but had mostly gay guys. (Is that still the case?) We went into town a lot to wander the shops and try out the restaurants. It was fun to wander by the port and the windmills. I was there one time around May 1 to find we were on Mykonos in the middle of a major Greek holiday and the town was bursting with people. Then, all of a sudden they were all gone and we felt like we had the town to ourselves. BTW, May is a glorious month in Greece. Check out if Greece is having a holiday during your dates.

Your thought of going to Santorini is a good one. It is visually stunning. I've been there twice, the first time for three nights, and the second time for four nights. I never felt that there was not enough to do. I would gladly spend a month there and never be bored (if only I could afford it).

On Paros we stayed in Naossa (that's spelled wrong, I'm sure) a fishing village -- at least it was in 1990. Very charming. We also took the bus into the main town for shopping and dining.

I strongly advise you to spend a minimum of one night in Athens on the way home as transportation in Greece is sometimes undependable due to weather conditions. And that will give you time to see the Acropolis and spend an evening in the Plaka. For our last two trips, we connected directly from Athens to an island without spending the night in Athens, but we allowed a lot of time for transfer in case of delays.

I don't recommend Rhodes. The town was too built up. The old town was nice, but not as wonderful as Mykonos, Paros, or Santorini, and this is your first trip. The resorts are outside town, but even they felt too built up for me. They lacked charm except maybe Lindos.

Hydra can be done as a day trip from Athens. We did it once by ferry.

Wanderer1, another thought: to many people Greece = islands, but that's far from the case. There are so many wonderful sights on the mainland (in addition to Athens), you may not want a second island at all.

Consider just Santorini, then returning to the mainland for a trip to Delphi and Meteora, or Nafplio and Epidavros, for example. No worries about ferry connections, and far more to see.