Limited time in Greece/travel to Italy
 

I am organising a section of a longer trip which begins in Athens but ends in Italy. I envision flying into Athens, staying two nights to see the important sights. Then I would like to go to Santorini. Is it better to fly to Santorini or take a ferry? Which is the best ferry company? My idea is to then fly to Bari directly from Santorini rather than return to Athens. Has anyone done this? TIA

Depends on what you mean by "better." But ferry is between 5-10 hours, and the flying time is about 45 minutes. Blue Star is probably the best and most reliable ferry, but again it is a very long ride. When we went to Greece, we flew to Athens then flew on to Santorini. Very easy.

I don't know any negative reviews concerning Volotea.
I suppose you know that their JTR- BRI flights are not daily

For me, seeing the "important" sights of Athens would take more than two nights.

And whether its better to take a ferry of fly to Santorini would seem to be a matter of personal preference -- I can manage about 2 hours on a ferry before I am bored silly; other people can spend hours and hours. In contrast, some people (including me!) hate the hassles associated with short distance flights.

It would seem that you and your group need to figure out what YOU want to do.

When is this? There are far more flights between the Greek islands and Italy July and August . Plus going back to Bari limits you even more.

Thanks. No, I am just starting my research and did not know the flights are not daily. Maybe it's better to do a round trip from Athens to Santorini and then fly to Bari, but it seems a waste of valuable time. I am getting discouraged because I am probably trying to do too much in a short period.

Bingo! (IMO.) My guess is that most of us know that feeling and know that it can take a while to explore options before realizing that a more fundamental shift in plans might be worth considering. Good luck!

Yes, I agree, I like that idea. But how do I get to Bari? Are you saying it's better to do a round trip Athens/Santorini/Athens and then fly to Bari?

I was thinking late August/early September.

But there ARE direct flights from Santorini to Bari in August/Sept. You will just have to check the dates.
I suppose that Bari is a must for you.

Voltea has flights most of August. Every other day in September. Everybody else will require a connection.

Red, I can't speak to the Bari part, was just answering about whether ferry or flight to Santorini was better. We were flying into and out of Athens, and in between were going to a couple of the islands. So rather than do Athens at the beginning and waste another day traveling, we landed in Athens then flew straight to Santorini. We then went back to Athens at the end of the trip. As to Bari, I understand that there may be flights from Santorini to Bari directly, so that would seem to be better for that part, but again that was not part of our trip. Again, just seems that if your goal is to get to Santorini from Athens as easily as possible, that's probably by air--certainly much faster.

Hi. From Bari we are starting our driving tour of Puglia (Polignano al Mare (depending on when the cave restaurant closes), Alberobello and then heading up through Gran Sasso (L'Aquila) where I think we will ditch the car and take a train into Firenze. Unfortunately, my friend for this part of the trip only has 10 days which I'm trying to get her to stretch to 12. She really wants to go to Firenze.

I have now had a reply from Grotta Palazzese who tell me they will still be open "August/September 2020." With that information, my current itinerary from Bari will be to drive directly to Alberobello (about 1 hour from the airport) and then to Polignano a Mare for the night (about 30 minutes), in time for drinks at the restaurant and dinner somewhere else.

The drive to L'Aquila from PaM would be close to 5 hours. Where would be a good place to visit midway? Sulmona was of interest at one stage, but that's practically all the way to L'Aquila where we could spend two nights. I need to check where I would be able to drop off our car from Auto Europe before getting the train to Firenze. Any suggestions on somewhere worth staying to avoid the 5 hour drive in one go to L'Aquila?

Direct trains to Florence from Foligno, Orte and Orvieto.

Since Greece isn't your primary destination, I think 2 nights in Athens is OK.
Arrive early enough to explore the Plaka neighborhood in the evening.
Full day: Start at Acropolis Museum, then do the hike to the top from the museum. Can be done solo, but you'll get more from a guided tour.
I'd fly unless the idea of a ferry through the Greek Isles appeals to you (the ferry to Santorini will travel through a lot of islands, so the views will be nice).

Thanks! I appreciate the vote of confidence. I know it's all a bit rushed, but my friend has a very limited timeframe. When it comes to booking our arrival date in Athens, I will have to figure out the flight schedule Santorini to Bari if in fact it is only every other day. Sometimes this is difficult as schedules are not usually available a year ahead of time. Any suggestions on this? TIA.

Thanks for the info. Now if I can coordinate the car drop-off in one of those towns, it should be smooth sailing.

Addendum:
I am still trying to find a where worth spending the night to split the drive from Polignano a Mare to L'Aquila. I have sort of eliminated the coastal road (not that exciting), preferring to skim the mountain range. Has anyone been to Campobasso? Any suggestions for an inland route from PaM to that area and a place worth visiting? TIA