kimh1991

I am in dire need of help! I will be traveling to Greece with my boyfriend for the first time from Sep 10-20. Two days will be spent traveling so we will only have 9 full days/nights. We are in our mid 20's and would like a mixture of culture, nature, relaxation/beaches, and nightlife. We dont get to travel much so we want to make the most out of our trip and see as much as possible, but dont want to jam to much in and spend the whole time moving from place to place. Any help would be MUCH APPRECIATED! Thank you!

HappyTrvlr

Athens, Mykonos and Paros/Naxos.

brotherleelove2004

Fly directly to Santorini. Save Athens for the end so you are already back on the mainland for your flight home. After Santorini go to Naxos or Paros, then fly or ferry to Athens.

BeniciaChris

The best idea we got from this site is to fly directly to the island we were going to & spend the last days in Athens. Our first 2 trips to Greece we did Athens beginning & end
Santorini is so beautiful. We spent a week in Naxos this last Sept. I love the Plaka area-got a lovely place on airbnb
We have been to Rhodes-Corfu-Crete-Paros-Santorini & Naxos. All different-All beautiful. September is my favorite time to go
Have fun

kimh1991

Thank you all so much for your help. Since we are first timers, we have decided on flying directly to Santorini for 4 nights, then Mykonos for 4 nights, and then one night back in Athens before our flight home. We were thinking of doing a day trip to Paros while in Mykonos - is that worth it or would one day there be not enough? Also In Mykonos do you have any suggestions on what area to stay in? We can't decide on being close to the beaches or in the town (we are on a budget so we don't need to be in the center of everything, but don't want to be so far from things that we'll end up spending more money in cabs everyday)

kimh1991

Also - is there a difference in price if you buy ferry tickets in advance, or would we be okay waiting until the day of to get our ferry ticket from Santorini to Mykonos?

brotherleelove2004

Ferry ticket prices don't change. You can buy your tickets once you get to Santorini but just to be cautious buy them a day or two ahead of time.

Heimdall

I don't think a day trip from Mykonos to Paros would be worth it, but consider another option: cut a night each from Santorini and Mykonos, and spend those two nights on Paros. Since Paros is about halfway between Santorini and Mykonos, that would make sense logistically.

I don't really like fast-paced trips, but a 3-2-3 combination would be feasible. You would have the same number of ferry trips as a day trip from Mykonos to Paros, and have more time to see the island.

When on Mykonos try to see the archaeological site on the nearby island of Delos. That is a good day trip, and takes only 30 minutes to get there from Mykonos.

travelerjan

If you can find a place you like in Mykonos town, on your budget, there is one strategic advantage to staying there, rather than a beach. There are frequent busses to all the beaches, even in September. And here's the thing; in Sept. most nightlife will be in town. And people report that about midnight or so, the taxis pull a Cinderella ... they disappear, and the bus runs have stopped. So if people are having a good time, and stay late, they can find themselves stranded.

In Sept. you should be able to find a place that's walkable to clubs, but with a nice view, and not noisy. Have a great tme!

I agree with Heimdall on timing & sequence, Paros in the middle. (And BTW, the day-trip idea you mentioned -- Mykonos to Paros & back -- wouldn't work very well anyway, because regular ferry schedules are not set up to facilitate that; for good day trip, you'd need to us an excursion company, and there isn't one on Mykonos for that).

stanbr

Just my two cents worth. You say yo are on a budget but you have chosen the two most expensive places in Greece.
I think Santorini is a must see as it is spectacular. This is the place to blow your budget by taking a hotel with a caldera view. However after Santorini I would pend the next few days in Paros. It is a delightful island with villages and white and blue buildings but it will cost less than half of what you pay in Santorini. Other than nightlife Paros has just as much to offer than Mykons.

Bonus the new Paros airport just opened and that has increased the number of passengers on each flight. Aegean airlines is having a seat sale now so you can just fly back to Athens cheaper than the ferry.