4TakeTheRoad

8/27/21 Athens Fly to Crete
8/28/21 Crete
8/29/21 Crete
8/30/21 Crete
8/31/21 Crete
9/1/21 Santorini
9/2/21 Santorini
9/3/21 Santorini
9/4/21 Milos/Sifnos
9/5/21 Sifnos
9/6/21 Sifnos/Athens/Hydra (Athens to switch to Hydra unless we can take a ferry from Santorini to Hydra)
9/7/21 Hydra
9/8/21Hydra/Athens
9/9/21 Athens
9/10/21 Return

Hi folks - I welcome your thoughts on this trip. Instead of Sifnos are we better doing another of the Cyclades island ? We'd like to complete the Cyclades Islands tour with a different perspective amongst the two islands we stay and not looking for night fun. Also any recommendations on whether one day will be sufficient in Hydra so we can return to Athens and do the Sounion too for instance or something else. Thanks much.

KayF

We haven't been to Sifnos but personally, I wouldn't recommend Milos. It was our least favourite place in Greece. Also I wouldn't go all the way to Hydra for one day. We liked Hydra and found it fairly quiet but that was slightly off season. There are no vehicles on the island which made it more peaceful. As a contrast, Santorini and Hydra are certainly very different. You could consider Naxos or Folegandros. I haven't visited Paros but it seems to be popular.

I guess you have checked the ferry routes? When I've been planning in the past, it's just not that easy sometimes to get from one island to another. If you have to return to Athens and head back out, it's quite time consuming. This is the website we used for ferry routes etc but that was a few years ago.
https://www.go-ferry.com/

neckervd

Milos and Sifnos are both beautiful, although very different Islands. There are ferries (catamarans) to both on Sept 3th.
After Sifnos, Hydra would rather be a frustration. I would rather stay longer at Sifnos.

Heimdall

I’ve never understood the attraction of Hydra unless you plan to spend all your time in Athens and the Peloponnese. It’s too far out of the way to combine with the Cyclades. You could combine Hydra with Nafplio or other Saronic Gulf islands. You could add Folegandros to Sifnos and Milos, and would then have three islands very different to each other.

I would caution trying to fit too many islands in a short trip. Two nights on an island equals only one full day, and one night makes no sense at all, as you will spend more time on ferries than the island itself. Most catamarans serving the Western Cyclades are small passenger-only vessels, not good at all when seas are rough.

Southam

You aren't spending much time in Athens. If you are flying trans-Atlantic it might be possible to skip that city and start your holiday in Crete. The route would likely involve a transfer but not necessarily in Athens. Other international gateways have flights straight to Crete. Saves some time and maybe even some money when the flights are all on one itinerary. A multi-destination search function, now common on Internet agency sites, can show the possibilities.

4TakeTheRoad

Thanks much for the feedback, We've scrapped Hydra based on the feedback and extended our stay in Sifnos. Reading about the ferries and schedules, let's see if we have luck with the Zante ferry or may have to consider another island close to santorini with better ferry timings.

4TakeTheRoad

Thanks for pointing it out. The choices were to fly to Athens and then go to Crete. A hassle but appeared worth taking during these times just because there are more flights to athens. With the increase in the delta variant here, at this time, even those best laid plans may go awry.

4TakeTheRoad

Thanks for the feedback and we have decided to scrap Hydra for this trip and extend our trip in Sifnos, I am checking ferry schedules on this site https://www.ferryhopper.com and let's see what I find.

Heimdall

You may now have noticed all your replies end up at the bottom, and it’s not clear to whom you are responding. Better to compose one reply acknowledging by screen name the people you are thanking.

For what it’s worth, I prefer flying to Athens and transferring to a domestic flight to the islands there. I can’t imagine any other European airport easier to negotiate than Athens International Airport, and you have more choices of flights. Athens Airport was built for the 2004 Olympics to replace the old one at Hellenikon. It is modern, efficient, and small, so there isn’t much walking between Arrivals and the domestic departure gates.

neckervd

Heimdall is right. Especially in covid times, I would never fly via other European airports which may have their own Covid rules.
For the Santorini - Sifnos ferry ride, you will have the choice between:
Santorini dp Friday Sept 3rd 15.00 by Superjet - Sifnos ar 18.00
Santorini dp Friday Sept 3rd 18.30 by FB Dionissos Solomos - Sifnos ar 23.30
Santorini dp Saturday Sept 4th 15.00 by Seajet 2 - Sifnos ar 18.00
Other connections with boat change at Parikia
In the case of huge waves, Seajet2 may not run
https://www.gtp.gr

Heimdall

Superjet is a sister ship of SeaJet 2, and almost identical in size, so the same caveat about rough seas applies to both. When they do run in rough seas many passengers get seasick, and those who don’t have to suffer with the smell of vomit.

neckervd

Seajet - Superjet

neckervd

FB Dionysios Solomos

Heimdall

Good photos, but they don’t show the difference in size. Superjet and SeaJet 2 are 42 meters in length, and Dionisios Solomos is over 121 meters, almost three times the length. In rough seas the bigger the better.

I saw a YouTube video this morning of another small Sea Jets ferry, Sifnos Jet, in rough seas. Sifnos Jet is 10 meters longer than Superjet and SeaJet 2.