Naxos - How many days?
 

My husband and I are planning a trip to Greece in July. We are short on time and want to know if this itinerary makes sense. We are planning on 3 days in Santorini, 2 days in Naxos, and 3 days in Athens. Is 2 days too short in Naxos? Should we skip it if we only have 2 days? If we should go, what is there to see in only 2 days?

Depends on your priorities. Naxos would be a nice contrast to Santorini, with its golden beaches and mountain villages. Two days isn't really long enough, though, especially considering the transfer from Santorini to Naxos will eat up nearly a day of your precious time, with packing and unpacking, checking in and out of hotels, and the ferry trip itself.

You could take a day away from Athens, allowing yourself three days on Naxos, but then you may miss out on something you want to see in the Athens area. Unless you want some beach time on Naxos, perhaps it would be best to skip it and spend the whole five days on Santorini.

One of the real pleasures of Greece for us, is just slowing down and putting the hectic pace of our lives on hold for a brief period.
While we love Naxos I think Heimdall gives good advice. It is probably better to concentrate on Athens and one Island and just relax.

Since you will be there in July it could be very hot and you may want to limit Athens to the first and last day and stay on the cooler islands.

The only additional advice I might add is, stay flexible. You may love Santorini and want to spend every second there. On the other hand, perhaps after a day or two you may get wanderlust and want to see something new. In that case Naxos is a good choice and a contrast to Santorini. You can have a couple of good days in Naxos town but you will only scratch the surface. That's ok the experience will make you want to come back again and give the Island the time it deserves.

Hi

I would pick one island and chill out there. I suggest if you're flying in from overseas try to hook up a connecting domestic flight (Aegean or Olympic) to that island. Leave Athens for last. It's a great city if you're into antiquity. Otherwise this Grand Old Dame is well and truly showing her varicose veins. :)

Good advice from heimdall and stanbr. like stanbr, i'm a huge naxos fan, but realize that might not be the best use of your relatively short time.

Santorini is the kind of place that you hate to miss. Although I will forever remember my first trip, a short stay was all I needed.

Santorini reaches out and grabs you, while Naxos takes longer to reveal its very different, but equally engaging charms. The joy there is getting to know it.