My husband and I would like to visit Greece leaving the USA in mid June 2008.

I would like you opinion on the islands that we chose and the number of days to stay at each.

These are the places we are thinking of and the number of days at each:

Fly to Athens: stay 3 days
Fly to Crete: stay 4 days
Ferry to Santorini: stay 5 days
Ferry to Antiparos: stay 3 days
Ferry to Mykonos: stay 3 days

We will then fly to Milan from Mykonos and take the train to Venice for 4 nights, then fly home from Venice.

Please tell me what you think of this basic plan. Thanks! Laurie

I certainly hope none of the "experts" here call your itin "too ambitious". Are you planning to spend a lot of time on the beach in Crete, Mykonos and Santorini? The latter two islands are pretty small - I'd say 2 days each is perfect if you just want to sightsee and shop. I was underwhelmed by Crete. The archaeological stuff and wineries are great but Heraklion was boring. It wasn't awful, just not very interesting other than a few shops and restaurants. But if you're going there to lay around on the beach, throw out my advice.

Might I suggest a little more time on the mainland perhaps using Athens as a base to explore Mycenae, Epidaurus and Delphi? I found the Meteora region further north to be one of the most fascinating places I've ever been. But that's definitely not convenient to Athens.

How much time you spend in each place really depends upon what you like to do.

I think Crete is fabulous. We spent a week there and loved every second. It's got beautiful villages to explore, gorges to hike or just look at, coastline with very nice beaches and all around spectacular scenery. Chania is a charming village with a lovely harbor.

I might cut one day off Santorini. Its a great place to kick back and relax. If you want to go hiking or beaches there are some beaches and trails, but not the greatest. There is also a winery. Again the scenery is just fabulous.

Mykonos is fun for night life and beaches. Not sure that there is a whole lot beyond that.

Agree with the suggestion of going to Delphi.

In Crete, base yourselves in Chania on the western end of the island and add several days there. The Peloponnesean Peninsula is also beautiful and Napfion is a lovely small city with many hotels. I like Paros and Mykonos more than Santorini so I would take several days away from Santorini.

You plan to visit Antiparos, my favorite island. I was there in June, and am going back for another two weeks at the end of the month.

Antiparos is easy to reach from the ferry port on Paros (Parikia) and you can base yourself there for sightseeing on both islands. It is a wonderful, relaxed contrast to the frenetic activity on Santorini and Mykonos. In June you will see few other Americans, but lots of Scandinavians. Everyone speaks English, so you will have no problem with communication.

Thank you all for your input. I will think about moving a day from Santorini and adding it on to either Antiparos or Crete.

Heimdall, can you recommend a place to stay on Antiparos?

Thanks again for your help! Laurie

Without knowing your budget, it is hard to say where to recommend you stay. Antiparos has no high-end hotels. Those who want luxury usually rent villas outside the main village. If you stay in the village everything is within walking distance, but outside it you would need a car.

A couple medium-priced hotels I can recommend are: Mantelena and Artemis. Both overlook the harbor, with Artemis in a quieter location. Another hotel, called Kouros Village, has small apartments and a pool. It's popular with families, so sometimes a bit noisy with children running around.

Antiparos also has lots of rooms and studios. One I can recommend is Theologos Place. You can see these hotels and rooms at http://www.antiparos-isl.com/2006/index.html.

Thank you for your reply, Heimdall. Theologos looks very nice.

We are budget travelers and we were thinking about the Kastro studio apartments. Here is the link: http://www.kastro.net/

What do you think? Thank you for your opinion. Laurie

I don't know Kastro, but the photos look very nice. From what I can see on the map, it is on the other side of the square from most of the activity in town, so should be in a quiet location. It looks to be near Sunset Beach where everyone goes in the evening to watch the sun dip into the sea. There are dozens of establishments like that on Antiparos. I will try to check it out when I go back to Antiparos at the end of the month.

Hey! Thanks a bunch, Heimdall!

I would really appreciate it if you would take the take to look at Kastro for me.

If you post back on fodors, i will see your review, since I check the site almost every day.

Thanks again. Laurie

sorry for the typo. I meant that "I would appreciate it if you would take the time to look at Kastros."

It really depends on what you want, so you will hear different answers from everyone.

We went to Santorini this year in early June and loved it so much that we ended up staying a month.

We found Camping Satorini a wonderful haven at that time with no one there, a great pool, wonderful people and even great food.

We were in an RV but they have nice little bungalows for VERY cheap and will pick you up at the ferry.

It is only about 200 meters from the main square and buses, but feels like its own private world in the countryside.

It is cheap to rent a car and fun to see the island this way. We stayed one night at Volcano Villa in Oia and it was spectacular ( and there were lots of Americans there)right on the caldera.

Look to my blog for more pics and info ( in archives under Santorini):
http://www.soultravelers3.com/

I also have pics and info on Athens, Crete and Mykonos ( altho Mykonos is not quite up yet as I am still uploading our Turkey trip) and Venice.

Stay in old town Chania when you go to Crete which is lovely at that time and cheap. See Knossis before you take the ferry onward as the port town is yucky ( and I also do not like the charmless big "holiday" beach big hotels nearby).

Venice will be crowded, but tour early and go away from the tourist areas and get lost.

I would not cut the time off from Santorini as there is nothing on the planet like the Caldera and we found it extraordinary.

My favorite part of Mykonos was the area around Mykonos Grand. Mykonos Town is also very pretty in the morning before the crowds.

Both Satorini and Mykonos can be crowded even in June ( they are cruise ship ports) so keep that in mind and find ways around it or it may impact you not liking them. ( I have had friends who did not like them because of that).

Delphi and Olympia are nice, but I was not so impressed with Naplion. If you have a fear of heights Delphi and Santorini will give you a thrill as well as the wild driving in Greece.

Your plan sounds fine and I am not sure I would change anything. We only did a couple of days in Crete and Mykonos and that seemed fine for us.

If you want to relax, spend those full 5 days at a quiet place on the Caldera in Santorini which feels like heaven on earth.

If you want to hike, ( you can do it on the caldera) then maybe add time to Crete. If you are a very beachy person and like to party all night, spend more time on Mykonos.

Just my 2 cents from our almost 3 months island hopping in Greece this summer.

Don't miss the archeology museum in Athens as I can not believe some people skip that. It will help a lot with other sites you see all over Greece.See the Acropolis when it is not crowded ( before tour busses).

Sounds like a good plan. You will just get a taste ( even we got only a taste), but it should be a nice one!!

I would definitely spend more time in Athens and Crete, doing tours.

After you've spent a few hours in the other three places you have seen everything. Spending maybe 10 days on the beach is a bore since you can do that in your own country a lot cheaper.

Hi WT, Thank you so much for your ideas! I have been following your travels here on fodors and at slowtrav.

It sounds like you have had a wonderful trip!

I think we will plan on 5 days in Santorini, since I hear so many people say this is their favorite island.

We really enjoy the culture, food, wine and music of the places we visit. We are really looking forward to our Greek Island Experience!

Thanks again for your help. Laurie

Hi Laurie,
I just got back from Antiparos, and while there stopped in at Kastro to check it out. The hotel is pretty much as described in their website.

The lady who manages the hotel was very friendly, but busy checking in guests while I was there, so I didn't get a chance to speak to her very long. She did say they will be putting in a swimming pool over the winter which will be ready for next summer. An American couple sitting outside on the veranda said rooms are clean, the management very nice, and they were completely satisfied with the hotel.

Frankly I did have a little trouble finding Kastro, even though I knew from the maps which street it was on. Because of its name I thought it would be somewhere near the kastro (castle), but that's not the case. It sits at the edge of the village, away from most of the other hotels and tavernas, in one of the less attractive parts of town. If you want a quiet location and don't mind being a short walk from the shops and tavernas you could do worse.

Heimdall, Thank you so much for checking on Kastros for me. It sounds like a nice enough place but the location bothers me a little.

I think I will check into some of your earlier recommendations such Mantelena and Theologos Place.

For a visit in June 2008, how soon should I be booking rooms? How long do you recommend staying on Antiparos?

Thanks again for looking at Kastro for me. It was very kind of you. I hope that it did not take up too much of your time.
Hope you had a great time on your trip!

Laurie

Now I am thinking maybe we will stay at Theologos Place. Can you tell me a little bit about this place?

Thanks! Laurie

Hi Laurie,

Antiparos village is very small, so the walk from Kastro into the center isn't a problem, really. I enjoyed having a look for it, as it took me to places in the village I had never been before. If you want a quiet place to stay, don't completely disregard it. The walk from Kastro to Psaraliki Beach (my favorite) is short, but the approach is down a dusty, unattractive road.

Funny you should ask about Theologos Place - that's where I just stayed. I paid €30 per night for a very nice large twin-bedded room with air-con, balcony, fridge, and private toilet/shower. I could have had a smaller room for €25. It's in a quiet area of Antiparos, and also a short walk from most of the tavernas, but only a few steps from the harbor. They have a small restaurant for breakfast and evening drinks, and even wi-fi if you have your own laptop. One of the other guests was a translator who had been there for five weeks and worked over the internet from there. They have various sized rooms and apartments, and they have a second apartment hotel called 'Theologos Beach', right on the water. http://www.theologosplace.com/theo/

The Mantelena is at the harbor, and you would have a beautiful view from rooms at the front of the hotel. The drawback is the street in front of the hotel is busy (by Antiparos standards) and there could be some noise from motorbikes during the night. http://www.hotelmantalena.gr/

When to book? Theologos tells me he always has vacancies in June, so there is no hurry. I got my room for the end of August by calling two days ahead. I fully realize that most travellers like to have things arranged in advance, so you may want to reserve your room sometime in the spring. You will pay more if you book in advance, though.

How long should you stay on Antiparos? In your original post you said '3 days', and in that time you could take a round-island cruise (highly recommended), see the cave (everyone does), and spend a day on the beach. That would probably be about the right amount of time, considering the other islands on your itinerary.

Should you wish to stay a little longer, say 5 days, you would have enough time to explore a bit of neighboring Paros. A boat from Antiparos to Parikia on Paros takes 30 minutes. From there you can hire a car or take a bus to Naoussa, Lefkes, etc.

To get that extra two days you would have to either extend your trip or take them away from another island. What you decide is a matter of personal choice.

Thanks so much for your help, Heimdall. Theologos place sounds perfect for us!

I will contact them in the spring, after I decide how much time I can stay there.

Decisions... Decisions.

Thanks again for all your help. I do appreciate it.
Laurie