nakul_mohta

Hi

I am planning Greece for honeymoon in June 2014. I have shortlisted Athen Santorini Crete as the places to visit. Please suggest if it is possible to cover all the three place and in 10 days. I dont want to miss on Crete since I am getting a good deal there through RCI time share.

greg

If you are using a timeshare, would you not have to there on specific dates? How may of "10 days" have already been committed to the timeshare in Crete?
Also, how are you computing "10 days"? Are you counting the arrival and the departure days as one day each? That is, are you are staying 9 nights and 8 full days plus the arrival day and the departure day?

SharonG

Athens is incredibly dirty and crowded. Suggest you get out into the country and perhaps consider a short cruise to the islands.

Mimar

Well, we didn't find Athens either dirty or crowded. Of course, we were last there a couple years ago when tourism was down. In any case, there's so much to see in Athens.

The conventional wisdom is to fly into Athens, then fly directly to your island destination. Allow a few days in Athens at the end of your trip.

Crete is quite a large island and has a lot to see. With your 10 days (10 nights? 9 days?) I'd skip Santorini this trip and just do Crete and Athens.

clausar

I live in the incredibly dirty and crowded city of Athens ( which has a population of 4 Millions, does that make it crowded?) and i would say, since the OP will have to fly via Athens, it would be a great opportunity to see the Acropolis, the New Acropolis Museum and a few more archaeological sites and museums. The Acropolis alone is worth it in my opinion.

jamikins

Well we loved Athens! It surpassed our expectations...lovely cafes, great sites, fabulous food!

Sure it is a big city, so some areas may be a bit dirtier than others, but a fantastic city to visit! Don't dhort change it!

jamikins

Here are our photos of Athens - does it look dirty? Not to me!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/pug_gir...7627793538740/

el13207

We loved Athens, Crete and Santorini when we were there a year and a half ago. Like mirmar, I would recommend flying straight through Athens upon your arrival and flying on to Crete. Stay in Crete for 4 days (we stayed in Chania and then ended with one night in Iraklion to see Knossos and the Archeological museum, both of which are great) before taking the high speed ferry to Santorini. Stay two nights in Santorini and then fly to Athens, spending at least two days there before your departure for home.

Why do it this way? Because in our experience strikes are inevitable! There were taxi, metro and air traffic controllers strikes during the two weeks we were in Greece! You want to be in Athens at least a day before your scheduled flight home in case of any delays along the way. Admittedly Crete is large and deserves way more time than you can give it, but 4 days or so IMO gives you a nice taste. Santorini is an unforgettable experience and a ferry ride through the Greek islands is truly memorable, but a couple of days, with drinks outside on a terrace somewhere watching the sun go down, will also give you a nice introduction to Santorini. And Athens is surprisingly wonderful- we were braced for noisy and dirty and found it charming, historic and welcoming (sticking to the usual places- we covered a lot of ground in just a few days). Sometimes we stay less time than we might like, but then we hope to return. Hopefully you will have many anniversary trips in your future!

SharonG

Didn't mean to offend anyone with my opinion of Athens. Just my opinion and I found the rest of Greece lovely. Especially Delphi. there is something about that place that just lets you know it has been a sacred place for thousands of years.

phillipalstonbutler

You haven't enough time to do all three. Sorry to say, if you go to Crete first, you won't want to leave. Suggest three days in Athens, fast ferry to Crete, leave from there. Skipping Santorini might seem unromantic, but it is about vistas mostly. Crete is by far the most friendly and romantic of the three if you factor in all things. Athens cannot be taken in in three either, but you need a week for Crete at least. If you must, take the ferry to Santorini for a day.

I hope this helped.

WWK

I think you have time for all three. It will be a whirlwind, but hopefully you'll return to Greece when you can spend more time. And since you're a first time visitor, I think you shouldn't miss Santorini.

I'd recommend flying straight from Athens to Crete. Spend three days in Crete ( we loved Chania), then bus or rental car to Heraklion, with a possible overnight so that you can visit the Palace of Knossos.

From Heraklion, take the fast boat to Santorini. Spend three days in Santorini, preferably at a hotel with a caldera view ( we loved Oia), fly to Athens, spend three days, then fly home.

BTW, I love Athens. We're returning for another visit this summer.

TravelingSeeker

I hope you enjoy your trip. But in my opinion Crete is a quite big island and you may not be able to visit all the must go places. Heraklion-Chania-Rehtymnon are cities with many sights and places to visit.

travelerjan

I think there have been many helpful contributions … now let's wait to see if original poster comes back to this thread.

stevelyon

Congratulations. Be less ambitious, personally I would allocate my time between Crete and Santorini - the trip through the islands sounds wonderfully romantic.