Please help me plan 1 week in the Greek Islands..
 

Hi

My husband and I are planning to go to Greece at the end of September 2007. We are arriving and leaving from Athens.

The first week is already all organized (we will rent a car for that week and tour inland)

We would like to see the Islands and Ephesus on the second week. Must see island would be Santorini but we need suggestions on wich other islands we should visit and on which islands we should spend the night.

We like history and nature. We also like to see pictoresque places. We are in shape and visit very fast. We can take in a lot in one day!

We intend to use the ferries and possibly fly if it's more convenient

Thanks in advance for all the help you can give us

L.

Trying to get to Ephesus by ferry and then on to Santorini by ferry will cut into your one week way too much. I suggest you fly from Athens directly to Samos and join an excursion that will take you to Ephesus and then bring you back to Samos. Fly back to Athens and catch a plane to Santorini. Trying to get to Ephesus by ferry and then on to Santorini by ferry will cut into your one week way too much. Aegean Airlines has very inexpensive flights to the islands if you purchase them before they're all gone. http://www.aegean-air.gr/aegeanen/home/

Thanks for your suggestion brotherleelove2004. What if I fly to Patmos from Athens, spend the day there, then take an overnight ferry to Samos and go to Ephesus from there. Spend the night in Samos and go from there to another beautiful island?

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Here is an itinerary that I'm thinking of. Please let me know if you think that it's possible to do:

Day 1- fly from Athens to Patmos
Day 2 - Patmos
Day 3 - ferry to Samos
Day 4 - Day trip to Ephesus then ferry to Santorini
Day 5 - Santorini
Day 6 - Santorini
Day 7 - ferry to Paros
Day 8 - day trip to Mykonos, Delos & Naxos by ferry
Day 9 - Paros
Day 10 - ferry to Athens, rent a car and drive to Nafplio
Day 11 - drive to Sparte
Day 12 - drive to Olympia
Day 13 - drive to Itea
Day 14 - drive to Kalambaka
Day 15 - drive to Athens
Day 16 - Athens
Day 17 - Athens
Day 18 - early flight home

Nafplio - Southwest of Athens
Sparta - Southwest of Nauplio
Olympia - Northwest of Sparta (due west of Nauplio)
Itea - west of Athens of the sea
Kalambaka - by Meteora
Athens

It's hard to comment on your itineray because people are so different. For me, assuming you are changing hotels every night on the Peloponesus which is how I read your plan, I would be desparately unhappy with your plan. It involves way to much time packing and unpacking, and checking in and checking out, for my taste, for a reason that escapes me.

If it were me, I would need to greatly simplify your itinerary. On the Peloponesus leg of your trip, I would pick one place to stay - Nauplio would be an excellent choice -- and use that as the base for exploring the region (and if you want, going to all of the places you have on your list). This would allow you to see every place that you want without wasting the time needed to change hotels.

I would also bypass Itea and drive straight from Nauplio to Kalambaka, with a stop at Delphi along the way. I would stay two nights in Kalambaka(which would give you a full day to explore Meteora, one of the wonders of the world that shouldn't be missed). Especially if you are in shape, Meteora is an incredible place to visit.

Thanks for your input on my inland itinerary.

Itea is a place to spend the night, we intend to visit Olympia, cross the Corinth canal towards Patras and sleep in Itea then off to Delphi and Meteora

Kalambaka was also just a place to spend the night since we intend to visit Meteora.

Maybe I over-estimated the driving time to Meteora?

Day 4 puzzles me ... is there a night boat to Santorini that I don't know about? That's a loooong ferry trip.

Also, your Day 8 -- there's a one-day excursion to Delos, starts at north part of Paros, stops at Naxos just to pick up other customers, then goes to Delos & stays a few hours (3?) then goes back. I don't recall that it goes to Mykonos, or else if it does, you can't do both that AND Delos. You CAN see a lot of Delos in 3 hours but not both islands.

Tell me about this Samos-Santorini transportation -- is it "beam me up, Scotty"??

If you stayed in Nafplio, it's about a 3 1/2 hour drive to Delphi, and then another 3 hour drive to Kalampaka from Delphi. If you left in the am from Nafplio, you could see Delphi, then have lunch, then drive to Kalampaka for an overnight. Then you could spend an entire day exploring Meteora, stay again in Kalampaka, and leave in the am for Athens.

Hi

What about flying to Istanbul from Athens on Day 1. Or fly direct to Istanbul and return home from Athens, if you haven't booked your ticket yet. Spend a couple of nights there. Verrry interesting city. Then bus or flight(?) to Kusadasi (Ephesus). Otherwise leave Ephesus for another trip to Turkey - a country really worth seeing too.

If it helps, Aegean Air has flights to Samos but not Patmos.

If you need to prune your itinerary you won't miss much if you leave Sparta out. If you don't go to Ephesus try to include Epidaurus and Mystras in your itinerary.

Mist, your itinerary has about one destination per day until you return to Athens at the end of the trip. Assuming it is even possible to make all those island connections, there will be little time left for sightseeing.

You have allowed yourself only one breather with two days on Santorini, and that will probably be used up just getting there from Samos. The only ferry I could find from Samos to the Cyclades is twice weekly stopping at Naxos and Paros, where you will have to change to another ferry for Santorini.

Recommend you drastically cut the number of islands you plan to visit. Fly to Samos and back if that's where you want to go, then you will have enough time to fly to Santorini.

The only way ferries make sense for one week on the islands would be to stay in the Cyclades, then do a few days on Santorini and a few days on Paros or Naxos. That would give you enough time to do the day trip to Mykonos and Delos. BTW, I believe the Alexander does half a day on Delos and half a day on Mykonos.

Thanks to all of you. I am flying in and out of Athens because I'm using my airmiles and it's as far as I can go with the points that I have accumulated so far.

We have a total of 17 days= We arrive on September 19 and return October 6th (early morning). To save on airport trips, we will do the first part of our trip in the islands and the last part of our trip inland (rent a car for one week)

I wanted to go to Samos mainly to visit Ephesus (in Turkey).

I will never have the opportunity to go back to Greece so, as you can see, I'm trying to see as much as I can.

As you probably noticed, I'm having a lot of difficulties figuring out the ferry system because they give the names of Ports (not always the name of the islands).

Heimdall, you seem to be very good with finding information about the ferries. Do they have overnight ferries from Samos to Santorini which would save us a hotel room and time?

I would prefer to arrive in Santorini by sea as I heard that it's the most incredible way to first encounter this island.

We have a total of 8-9 days for the islands, which ones do you recommend in order to be able to keep both Santorini and Samos and still see as much as possible?

There is no ferry from Samos to Santorini, but there is one to Naxos, which is as close as you can get.

Use this website to see what's available when you want to go. Vathi is the port name for Samos Island.

http://www.openseas.gr/OPENSEAS/serv...amp;show=index

There isn't anything decided yet for next September, you'll have to wait until at least May for those listings.

Mist, actually brotherleelove is better at finding ferries than me, but neither of us can predict accurately what will be running in September until much later this year.

If you look at brotherleelove's other posts, you will find a link to the Open Seas website where you can go back to Sep 06 to see what was running then, and hope that the same schedule will apply in Sep 07.

I have a copy of Greek Island Hopping 2007, which I understand hasn't been published in the US yet. It shows the Express Athina departing Vathi at 1800, then Karlovassi at 1900 on Wed and Saturday. It shows the same ferry departing Naxos for Paros and Piraeus at 2315 on the same days, so assume it arrives at Naxos around 2245. You would then have to wait until the next morning to catch a ferry to Santorini.

Please understand that this is only guesswork, because ferry schedules for September won't be published until next summer. Also understand that ferry service between different island chains (eg Dodecanese and Cyclades) is patchy at best. In your case you are relying on twice per week service on a ferry that doesn't get very good reviews in Greek Island Hopping. I quote: "...her major fault is a propensity to bob around like a cork in even calm conditions: this is one Greek ferry on which you could end up feeling seasick the moment she leaves harbour."

You say you want to see as much as possible, but I fear with your itinerary you will be seeing mostly ferry ports and long stretches of the Aegean. Flying is more expensive, but not as much as you might think. Considering how much more time you have available for sightseeing and relaxing on the islands, it may well be worth it.

Fly to Samos and back, and you should have time to visit Ephesus. You could then decide between flying or taking the ferry to Santorini. It may even be possible to squeeze in a couple days on Naxos if you take the ferry from Santorini to there.

Thank you Brotherleelove, sounds like I should not rely to much on the Greek ferries...

Thanks again Heimdall, My husband originally want us to take a cruise but I get seasick on big cruises and was told that ferries in Greece were much more fun anyway. We might just take the plane to Samos and back like you're suggesting. It's only 19 Eur each way by Aegian Airlines (cheaper then ferry)

Mist, I hope you don't think I was criticizing the Greek ferry system. They are great for getting back and forth from the islands to the mainland, and radiate from Piraeus and Rafina like spokes in a wheel. The problem is when you try to cross from one route (spoke) to another. There aren't many Greeks who need to travel from Samos to Santorini, so there isn't a ferry service between the two islands.

On the other hand, there are wonderful ferry connections between Piraeus and the central Cyclades. You have a choice between highspeed catamarans and huge car ferries offering daily services to Paros, Naxos, and Santorini. Perhaps you would enjoy taking a ferry back from Santorini, and stop off at Naxos, for example. Or you could take the Flying Cat 4 from Santorini to Mykonos, stay there a couple of days, and do your day trip to Delos from there.

Thanks again Heimdall,

I did not think that you were criticizing the Greek ferry system. I just see that planning to much ahead with ferries is very difficult and that going from islands to islands which are not in the same district might be a bit complicated or take much longer that flying.

I might just decide to skip going in the Aegean Islands region. It's probably not worth all the extra time and money just to see Ephesus.

I heard that there was another place were you could see an ancient city which used to have running water and where houses were heated with fires burning underneath them. Have you heard of where that could be?

Hi Mist, Your post caught my eye because Patmos doesn't have an airport. There is one on a nearby island (Leros?) that you have to ferry from to Skala. I've done the Samos, Patmos, Ephesus trip. There are a few things you cannot do, or if you "can", it will be really, really painful. First off, fly to Samos, not Patmos. Spend the night in Samos, the next day, take the tour to Ephesus. It's an all day affair so you will return to Samos and spend the night. The next morning you can ferry to Patmos. I love Patmos. It's very quiet, but you will probably enjoy the historical/religious sights. Spend one or two nights on Patmos. I don't know about the ferry between Patmos and Santorini. Maybe someone else on the Boards has done that.

Santorini is worthy of two to three nights, but it is a "must" in my opinion. You cannot go to Mykonos, Delos AND Naxos on a day trip. Again, if you can logistically work it out, it will not be pleasant. The trips to Delos are limited as there are no residents on the island. Most people go on a 1/2 day tour sort of thing.

Returning to the mainland, you need to check your ferry schedule into Athens. By the time you get your car and drive to Napflion, it could be evening which won't leave much time for sightseeing around Napflion. EVERYONE loves Napflion. It is a wonderful place to stay and Epidavros and Mycenae are nearby. Don't sacrafice them for Sparta. It looks like you are driving from Napflion through Sparta to Olympia. I would spend two nights in Napflion and swing through Sparta to see Mystras (about 1 -2 hours) before going on to Olympia. My husband's family is from Sparta so for us it's nice to spend the night, but you're better off in Napflion for the night. It's a beautiful town on the sea. I've never been to Itea, so I cannot comment, but I would recommend Delphi as your next stop after Olympia. Delphi to Kalambaka is not such a bad drive. The drive from Meteora back to Athens will not be pleasant. Get an early start on the monasteries. If you leave by mid-afternoon you will not be back in Athens until mid-evening at best.

We're working on a Greece trip with the family this summer and we're struggling with the same thing as you, wanting to take the kids to so many of our favoritie places and see some new places (Crete) ourselves. It's so tempting to overschedule so be careful and HAVE FUN!

Thanks dgg,

Your suggestions appeals to us. Only problem is the ferry betweek Patmos and Santorini. Maybe we should go to Naxos from Patmos, do the Mykonos, Delos half day on each island then off to Santorini the next day? (have to see if there is a ferry)

your suggestion for the inland part sounds great : Epidavros and Mycenae would be day trips from Napflion where we found a cute little pension.

On our way to Delphi we could visit the Acropole, Sparta (to visit Mystra), Olympia and the Corinth canal in one day?

Our new itinerary looks like this, but I'm still puzzled about the ferry between Patmos and Naxos. We have not reserved our tickets yet but I can't be away more then 2 Mondays, so we will probably leave on a Tuesday night(Sept. 18 and return home on Saturday Oct.6)

day 1- Fly to Samos
day 2 - tour of Ephesus
day 3 - Patmos
day 4 - Patmos
day 5 - Patmos to Naxos?
day 6 - Naxos (do day trip to Myconos & Delos)
day 7 - Naxos
Day 8 - Santorini
Day 9 - Santorini
Day 10 - Fly from Santorini to Athens, rent a car and drive to Nafplio
Day 11 - Nafplio
Day 12 - Olympia
Day 13 - Delphi
Day 14 - Kaplambaka
Day 15 - visit meteora
Day 16 - Athens
Day 17 - Athens
Day 18 - early flight home

Please let me know if my itinerary is feasible

Just a caveat, winds at that time of the year can disrupt schedules so be flexible.

Difficult to be flexible once I reserve the hotels...

Other option would be to skip Ephesus, Samos and Patmos and stay in the Cyclades. I'm afraid that we will run out of things to see and do staying so long in the same islands.

Where are the most beautiful beaches? Would it be better if we go in May?

Mist, I lived on Mykonos, Naxos and Samos for 13 years and the ferries are very good and safe, only, there is such a thing as weather. You say you get sick on large ships, we are talking about much smaller boats and you can get such heavy seas you have to put into a port and wait it out. In 1992 on a visit there were no boats or planes for a day because of the weather. And yes I got sea sick but had to go anyway.

I think you'd better heed the helpful people on this web site and cut way down on your itineray. Good Luck, Joan

Sorry, Mist, I see you have cut out a lot. You're doing better. Just don't forget to factor in the weather when you are dealing with the islands.

Mist, no wonder you are "still puzzled about the ferry between Patmos and Naxos" because there is none. You will have to go on to Kalymnos or back to Samos for a ferry to Naxos, as far as I can tell. Each of these islands has ferries only twice per week to Naxos, according to Greek Island Hopping 2007. So if the one you are counting on is cancelled for any reason, you will have to wait another 3-4 days for the next.

Firm ferry timetables for late September won't be released until next summer, and even then can change again at short notice. Before making any hotel bookings on the islands you really need to be sure when the ferries will run.

Probably the surest way of doing this itinerary is to book flights with Aegean Airlines from Athens to Samos and back, then take the ferry to Naxos. Olympic Airlines also has flights to Samos, Kalymnos, and Naxos, but its summer schedule hasn't been published yet (probably will be in March).

The important thing to remember is that right now is way too early to start booking hotels on the islands. In fact, if you plan to rely on the ferries, it is better not to book hotels at all. There is a huge surplus of hotel rooms in late September, and you can wait until you get to Greece, or even until you arrive on each island to find a room.

Before I get flamed on the statement: "The important thing to remember is that right now is way too early to start booking hotels on the islands" let me add I was referring to the Dodecanese segement of mist's itinerary, and to late September.

For travel in the high season, and to popular islands like Santorini, the earlier the better. Late September is a great time to find hotel rooms, but not so good for ferry travel between island chains. As the summer season comes to an end, ferry companies begin to trim their schedules week by week, but most hotel owners stay open until the end of the month.

Actually I find ferry travel very tedious except for short hops in the Cyclades between islands and to and from Piraeus/Rafina. Flying to the Dodecanese, Crete, etc is far quicker and more certain.

Mist,

Well if you want to travel by ferries something MIGHT have to give. On our last September visit (when the winds can perk up), all the ferries were down for a couple of days.

Instead of a night in Athens and a night in London, we waited in Naxos and got out on a completely crammed overnight ferry to Piraeus. Only a complete rush from the port to the airport got us on a flight to Heathrow and catch our flight home.

Despite a little stress, two extra days in Naxos were fabulous.

It's all about your personal comfort level with risk. If you want to take the ferries, be prepared you might eat a night or two of reservations unless the hotel relents.

If you fly, the problem is you're often backtracking through Athens.

Beaches in Naxos are, by most accounts, the best in the Cyclades.

Thanks so much for your help. Should we go in May instead? Would the weather be better?

May and September are almost mirror images of each other, with the season beginning in early May, and ending in late Sep. On the whole, I would say weather would be better in Sep, and avaiability of ferries about the same.

When we started going to Europe, back when there was no internet, we never booked anything ahead and it gave us the flexibility to stay longer or shorter at each location. We waisted a bit of time looking for a suitable place to stay though.

Now with the internet, we always shop around and book ahead to get the best rate but we never had to take into consideration the weather for transportation...

How do the other travellers do it? How do they plan ahead if they can't be sure that they will have transportation to get where they have to go on the day that they had planned to go?

Don't know how well this would work but maybe in booking the trip you could let the people in Naxos and Santorini know that you'll be arriving by ferry and might be stalled by the winds.

Since it's not high season and the chances of a full house are very slim, they might be able to be flexible as well if they know it's a consideration on whether you'll book with them at all.

There's pretty high competition for rooms after the first couple of weeks in September (as you'll see when the ferries dock).

We've always had good responses to e-mail questions.

Mist, the chance of you actually being delayed by winds is very small, but it does exist. In the 12 years or so I have been visting the Greek Islands, it has never happened to me, although ferries have been cancelled for a day or two on a few occasions while I was on the islands but not yet due to leave. Once I had to quickly rearrange ferry tickets when the SeaJet 2 holed itself while attempting to dock at Tinos the day before my departure, putting itself out of action for several months.

Now how do you plan ahead? First rule is to allow yourself plenty of time to make connections. For a short trip of a week or ten days, keep it simple, staying on only two (or three at most) islands with good ferry connections. If you do wish to visit a hard to reach island, do it at the beginning of your trip rather than the end.

When I island hop by ferry it never takes me more than 5 or 10 minutes to find a room. That is because there are always people with rooms waiting at the harbour trying to fill their vacancies. These are mostly owners of small family-run hotels (domatia) who offer clean but simple accommodation. You can haggle for price, but before accepting make sure you know where the room is located, so you don't end up in an out of the way place. Never attempt this in high season, but in May and late September you will never have trouble finding a room that way.

Now if you aren't that adventurous, you could always call ahead to the next island when you know for sure when you are leaving. Armed with the telephone numbers of a few hotels recommended by other Fodorites, or those listed in guidebooks, you should find what you want. You could also get a travel agent on the island you are currently on to call ahead for you.

If you are a person who always likes to have everything arranged ahead, or are particular where you stay, go ahead and make an advance booking. Just keep your itinerary simple and stick to the major routes. Domestic flights and the larger car ferries like Blue Star are fairly reliable, so you are unlikely to come unstuck.

Hi everyone,

I re-did part of my itinerary and here it is. I think it's a little empty, I'm used to see a lot more places in such a long time. the mainland is going to remain the same, the islands part is a bit more complicated and I wish I could also add Rhode and Ephesus:

Wednesday Sept. 19th - arrive in Athens, pick-up car and drive to Nafplio. Stop to look at the Korinthos canal on the way

Thursday - Visit Epidaurus, Mycenae and the Acropol then drive to Sparti spend the night

Friday - Visit Mystra then drive to Olympia

Saturday - Visit Olympia, then drive toward Patra then cross the Korinthia canal and drive to Itea. Spend the night there

Sunday - Visit Delphi then drive to Kalambaka

Monday - Visit one of the Monasteries in Meteora then drive to Athens

Tuesday - return the rental car at the airport and take an early flight to Crete (Heraklion)Tour the city of Heraklion and the Knossos Palace

Wednesday - Visit the island of Crete (still have to decide which part is the most interesting to visit

Thursday - Early morning ferry to Santorini. Arrival in the afternoon

Friday - Visit Akrotiri, Pyrgos and Oia

Saturday - Early ferry to Naxos (or Paros) Leasure visit of one of the village.

Sunday - Day trip by ferry of Delos (half day) and Mykonos (half day)This is the last weekend of September.

Monday - Free time in Naxos (or Paros) Maybe rent a scooter and drive to a nice beach or other small towns

Tuesday - Take an early morning ferry to Milos

Wednesday - Relax on one of the nice beach of Milos

Thursday - Ferry to Piraeus

Friday - Athens - visit the Acropol and main attractions of Athens

Saturday - Last full day in Athens, shop for souvenirs and leisure in Athens

Sunday - Early morning flight home

Akrotiri is closed indefinitely for repairs to the protective roof covering.

Thank you for the information Brotherleelove. Any idea when they will re-open the site for visitors? Is there anything else that you recommend to visit in Santorini?

"No prediction for the reopening of Akrotiri" according to the Director of Excavation.

Other things to do:

On the hill above Kamari Beach is another archaeological site, Ancient Thera. There's also a small historical museum in Fira behind the Atlantis Hotel. There are 8 wineries on Santorini. Have lunch below Oia at Katina's Fish Taverna. At night in Oia go to Santorini Mou for some traditional Greek music and dance.

wow, mist, I read your "pared" itinerary and had to lie down with a cold cloth on my forehead. Doing my 7th trip, knowing where everything is (and in shape)I feel like such a slacker with only having 9-10 stops in 22 days. Prediction -- major winds expected in mid-September, as Mist & spouse roar through the Isles!

I agree with BrotherLee that you can keep time from hanging heavy by scaling the peak of Ancient Thira. FIrst you walk up 16 switchbacks on a cobbled road (or via taxi/rental-car) then you do a 30-minute steep climb on a goat-path to the top. About 4 acres of higgeldy -piggeldy Hellenistic ruins, but highest 360° view of the isle; amazing. Climbing then exploring/picnicking then going down took us about 4+hours but you & hubby can probably do it in 45 minutes or 2 hours if you stop to reconstruct a temple. Go misty!

I modified my itinerary slightly so we can take advantage of the first Sunday of the month of October to see the Acropol in Athens. So we will arrive on Thursday Sept. 20th instead of Wednesday. I also switched the visit of Delos to the following day since I discovered that the site is closed on Mondays.

Thanks for your input travelerjan, sounds like visiting Ancient Thira might take half a day just to get there and return? Is it worth it or do you suggest other things to do instead?