Hi there we are planning a last minute trip to Greece in 2 weeks (needed a medical clearance for my son)
2 adults and a 12 yo boy
going for a wedding outside athens
Need itiniary help pls.

1. Which option is better with a 12 year old, looking for some site seeing, beaches, shopping mostly cultural experience.

1. 5 days in Athens , fly to santourini 3 days than fly or Ferry to Crete for 5 days

2. 5 days in Athens, fly to Santorini 3 days than Ferry to a closer island for 3 days ex. Naxos Paros Milos ?

2. Has anyone been to any of the above and can advise on which itinerary is best?

3. which island would have more things to do that we are interested in (mentioned above) esp 12 yo. Which island is Less busy and crowded (i know Santorini will be crazy)? I also have mobility issues so I don't want to stay in Santorini too long.

4. is it best to cruise after the wedding or do a tour or plan on my own, with limited time?

5. any suggestions for accommodations that are clean, and have a nice pool or on the beach in these islands but not too far from town?

Any info is so helpful thanks so much
Lilly

I'm not sure what information you need beyond that provided on your other thread. Perhaps you could be more specific?
Greece Family Trip Questions

BTW, most Fodorites are committed independent travelers who chose to do things on our own rather than take a tour of cruise.

Good luck!

Dear Heimdall - Thank you so much for the information, very helpful.
do you think 4 days in Santorini is sufficient if one of those days I'm flying in? I would like to do a winery and a boat tour...

kja - thank you - LOL I felt I made this one a lot more specific ... I would prefer that too, but unfortunately, due to life events and so much on me, I don't find the time to get my research done the way I like.

I'm basically having trouble deciding how many days to allocate to each island, and how long it takes to travel to/from each island. (door to door). ex. if I want to spend 4 days in Santorini do I could the travel day from Athens as one day? I hear the flights are short, but Idk of the door to door will be.
I also don't know what kinds of things we can do on these islands with a 12-year-old. I know in Santorini I would like to do a wine tour and a boat tour, But not sure where to get started.
I don't know if we should go to Naxos or create, I'm hearing different things. I can either do 4 days in Santorini and 5 in Crete or 5 in Santorini and 4 in Naxos.
any info would be helpful
thanks so much

thanks so much

Use rome2rio.com to figure out the actual transportation time -- just be sure to click through to the underlying web pages because the main web page is not sensitive to seasonal variation. For Greece, I personally would then add some time because departures can be delayed by weather, wind, or sea conditions. Use google maps to figure out how long it will take to get from your lodging to/from your source of transportation, making sure you count time to arrive early for any ferry or flight. Then add a few hours to each side of the actual transportation times for checking in and out, packing and unpacking, getting lost and oriented, etc. You can probably make all the transitions you are considering in a half-day, but I'd plan on losing the better part of the day, with some idea of what you'll do if you end up with "bonus" time. JMO.

No bad choices here, just a difficult one! I believe I said on your other thread -- and I still believe -- that it would make sense to defer Crete until you can spend more time there. And you might consider 3 days in Santorini and 5 in Naxos, but that really depends on your interests and those of your young one.

Good luck!

Hi Lilly2016,

Yes, I feel 4 days on Santorini is more than sufficient, and if you plan going to Naxos suggest allocating more days for it than for Santorini. I always try to take in account specific circumstances before making suggestions, and in your case with a 12 year old, unless he is a history buff or fascinated by the legend of Atlantis, think he would enjoy Naxos more.

I'm not going to look at your other tread, but all things being equal it's best to save Athens for last and take a connecting flight to the islands when you arrive at Athens Airport. You will need a 2 hr layover, and the airport is small by international standards, so not a lot of walking required. When you get to Santorini on a domestic flight there are no customs & passport formalities, so all you have to do is grab your bags and take a taxi to the hotel.

Naxos is a good choice for a second island. It's very family oriented, and there will be lots of teens and preteens there in August, so your son will feel more at home than on Santorini. Naxos has lots of nice beaches, the best south of Naxos Town, but Staying in the St George (Agios Georgios) area of town is more convenient for walking to shops and restaurants in the evening. Look for the Waffle House in Naxos Town, which is very popular with teens. The gelato, Italian style ice cream, is to die for, and they have that at Waffle House too.

I can't advise you about Crete, I haven't been there. The island is just too big for me, and I would need a car to get around. As a solo traveller I prefer using public transport in Greece, which is very good on the smaller islands. Both Naxos and Santorini have good KTEL bus services, however the one on Santorini gets very crowded in summer.