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?