I'm trying to go when I can use the least FF miles, but don't want to waste my time and miles, and not enjoy the trip because of cool weather and closed facilities. Anyone here been that time of year? Thanks ...

One other thing ... am *considering* an escorted tour (Trafalgar maybe), since we're in our sixties and not too adventurous. Any comments regarding that?

Tourist infrastructures begin to close for the winter in October but there will still be a lot going on. The days and nights will be windy and the nights a bit chilly but the sun will still be shining during the day. I prefer travelling solo but if you're nervous or unsure perhaps a group tour might be the best option for you.

Thanks for your reply, brother ... I'm thinking of one of the *semi-escorted* tours where you have a couple of days at a time on your own, but your transportation, inter-island transfers, etc. are taken care of for you. Any other input from anyone?

ELsie, I advised a couple who were 70+ who wanted to do a 50th anniversary tour, and they ended up doing a 'semi-escorted" trip as you described and they loved it. I think it would be great for you.

As you say, you can have several days on each island (you can even specify the length of time u want) but the tour takes care of the "hassle" factor -- they get all the bookings & tickets, pick you up at the boat and return you TO the boat etc. That's what frets most travelers anyway. And if you ask they can probably arrange car-hire and/or local sightseeing trips (to ruins, for instance).

Since u probably are not into snorkeling, etc, the lower temps are OK. My only counsel would be to choose isles that are not totally tourist-dependent, because they tend to fold tents even before Oct 30.

Santorini will still be going, (tho I hear that by then the hotel staff etc is sort of 'burnt out" and ready to go). Naxos has activities beyond tourism, so keeps activity going. Chania in Crete is a lovely year-round city (and u may get a $19 bargain Aegean Air flight there from Athens). And have you checked into Nafplio? It's not an island, but on a peninsula on the Bay of Argos -- a 2.5 hour ride on an a/c reserved-seat bus from Athens. It is absolutelly charming, a World Heritage Site full of history, good food, great shops, and has an urbane year-round population. It's a chic town for grownups -- you'd love it!!

travelerjan, you've given me a lot of great information on which places to go, and I think that's just the kind of trip we'll do, probably next year. Thank you so much ...

Anyone else like to contribute an opinion?

Elsie, since you do have ample time, my final bit of advice would be: Do Your Homework. Go to the library and check out some Guidebooks. They don't have to be this year's edition because you're not looking for this week's lodging/meal prices...it's for an overview.

For the best visual overview, I lilke the Eyewitness guide to the Greek Islands. Not just "pretty photos" for effect, but pix to SHOW features... and v. good color graphic drawings (of ruins, fortresses etc).

The Cadogan Guides give good background, almost no illlustration. Lonely Planet is a good compact guide. The Thos. Cook "Greek Island Hopping" helps you visualize the logistics of getting from one place to another -- so you don't say "I think we'll pop into Rhodes and then Samos, and then Sifnos" -- because they're WIDELY separated.

Read and ponder, Xerox key pages. Then you'll be able to ask the right questions of your agency. Advance planning makes for more enjoyment!

We've visited the Greek Isles in early October and the weather was wonderful. As mentioned earlier, I would imagine the beach-oriented islands and facilities would be winding down by the end of October. Have you considered a combination tour/cruise? I'm not in the business, so this isn't a plug, but look at Affordabletours.com. It's website is easy to use and they offer a wide variety of tour providers at discounted prices. You can look at all the options side by side. We used them once and had no problems.

Patmos and Ephesus would be a great combo to include in a cruise/tour in the shoulder season.

We've been to Crete- as far south as you can get- in the October school holidays. It is warm during the day but cooler at night. The sea can be rougher. Not stormy, exactly, just not flat calm.

I think you'd love it. It's not so ennervating as high summer.

Most large tour companies with Land/cruise trips use Louis Cruise Line. Their best (in my opinion) ship just sank. I guess they will have to move 1000s of people now to other ships. Better check first.

We found that by using a Greek travel agent in Athens to do the planning with us, it was quite easy. The flights and ferries within Greece, hotels,and drivers meeting us at ferry docks were all taken care of..it was a flawless trip. We were very pleasantly surprised by the ferries. We did our own international flights.

quote: "Their best (in my opinion) ship just sank"
If this was the best ship, I wouldn´t book on the others.
G.

..re October..as stated above not necessarily beach weather.When we were last there in October the winds were high and the sea rough. We met some people in Santorini who had their ferries cancelled. Again some places were winding down and I felt like the guest who arrives late to a party with things a bit "flat". However, we loved the weather for sightseeing and loved the lack of crowds.

I would stick to the more southern islands - Crete, Santorini and / Rhodes. The earlier you can visit in October the better.

Carolena

Have you ever been on an Elderhostel? I am an American who lives part time in Greece and my parents have come to visit me a number of times in conjunction with an Elderhostel trip. Last year they came in October, and went off with the Elderhostel group to Crete, Paros, Naxos, Santorini and Mykonos. My husband and I tagged along for part of the trip, and I was really impressed with the quality of their guides (they had a historian and an archeologist leading them). Every morning there were really interesting lectures, and the trip included some interesting activities such as a cooking school in Crete and a visit to a local village home. If you aren't going to lay on the beach, I think that October can be a very nice, less crowded time to visit the islands.

http://www.islandstrolling.com/english/main.htm

This is a pefekt site for people going on greek islands strolling