Naxos, Milos, or Other?
 

Hello!

We are traveling to Greece from May 13 to May 26, my husband and I, who are in our 40s, with 18, 17, and 12 yr old kids. We are interested in architecture, stunning & unique natural beauty, hiking with views, unique beaches (but we are not the type to lay out on the beach all day), and inexpensive but great food. Two of the kids have a deep interest in Greek mythology and Ancient History, the other one is more interested in architecture.

So far our itinerary is as follows:

Fly into Santorini - 3 nights
Ferry to either Naxos, Milos, or other, (suggestions?) - 4 nights
Fly or Ferry to Athens, pick up car straight away and drive to Delphi, stay in Delphi 2 nights
Athens - 3 nights

We are having a hard time deciding on the second island, where we are spending 4 nights. Naxos sounds great but we just came back from a vacation to Puerto Rico, which is culturally different, but is also an island with sandy beaches, mountains, etc. Will it be different enough than PR? Milos looks more unique and visually stunning, but besides Sarakiniko beach, the pictures of the inland areas look barren and I'm not sure if the towns are as interesting as Naxos. It sounds like it might be a little sleepy in mid-May. Our kids are not interested in partying, they want adventure.

Any thoughts? We've also looked at Sifnos as a possibility but we are inclined to fly back to ATH and Sifnos doesn't have an airport.

Thank you in advance!

I have also considered Crete for those four nights, Because of hiking in it's gorges, and more architecture / historical sights?

I loved Naxos! I haven't been to Milos, and so can't compare. And I haven't been to Puerto Rico, either.
You might want to wait to visit Crete until you can give it more time.

If you haven't seen it already, you might get some useful information in my trip report -- I visited all the places you are considering except Milos.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...reece-1460735/

Don't worry, there is a big difference between a Caribbean Island like Puert Rico and a Greek Island.
Milos may be interesting for it's geological formations and for it's many beaches.
But Naxos has the much better hiking trail network (for people who are used to read maps only) and a much more scenic harbour town.
Western Crete would be good for hiking and stunning beaches (compared with other European one's).

We were on Naxos a long time ago and Milos more recently so not sure if that made a difference. We loved Naxos but Milos was my least favourite Greek island. It was OK but would never go back.

Chania on Crete might work for you. We flew one way and got the overnight ferry back on return. Chania was lovely.

Kay

I've been to all those you are considering. I agree 4 nights is not enough for even a fraction of Crete so wait till you have more time for that.

I liked both Naxos and Milos. Agree that the harbor town in Naxos is more scenic than the one in Milos. But Milos has the hilltop town of Plaka which is very picturesque and the boat ride around the island show amazing geologic scenery. I don't think you would be disappointed in either. I also really enjoyed Sifnos, an easy ferry ride from Milos. You could do Milos and Sifnos and then ferry back to Athens and avoid another flight. I would ferry back to Athens if you choose Naxos as well but then I hate flights if there is a reasonable ferry option.

Here are my photos of all the places you are considering - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/f320347206

Trip report that includes Santorini, Milos and Sifnos - https://andiamo.zenfolio.com/blog/20...s-milos-sifnos