memejs

Karen it's so great to run into you on this forum again! We took trips to Spain and Portugal the same years, and I really enjoyed reading your trip reports. It sounds like we'll be traveling about the same time this year, but I'm headed to Scotland, so there will likely be quite a temperature difference between your trip and mine!

Greece is in my top 10 list, so in addition to saying hi, I'm commenting to bookmark this thread and all of the great suggestions. Your itinerary sounds pretty close to - if not exactly - what's on my "first trip to Greece" bucket list.

KarenWoo

memejs, it's so nice to hear from you! Yes, I definitely remember that we were both planning trips to Spain and Portugal around the same time. I am sure you will have a wonderful time in Scotland. Scotland along with Ireland are on my bucket list, too!

It was so depressing when the pandemic first started and the travel planning threads and trip reports came to such an abrupt end. So many of us had to cancel trips during 2020. We were able to visit our daughter and grandchildren in France in August 2021. It was the first time we saw them in 2 years. And we also attended a family wedding in Montana in September 2021 and also visited Glacier National Park. So hopefully we can all continue traveling in 2022!

geetika

KarenWoo, we’re looking at 2 weeks in Greece mid May, though I haven’t yet booked anything as we’re yet to finalize the dates. We were thinking 3 nights in Santorini, four in Nafplio and the rest in Athens, with an overnight to Delphi. Prior to this my sister and I will have two weeks in Sicily and a week between Naples and the Amalfi Coast. After so many disappointments the past couple of years I’m wary to even plan anything!

KarenWoo

Geetika, I hope you are able to go on your trip to Greece and Italy. I have been to Rome and Florence in the 70's but nowhere else yet in Italy. Sicily and the Amalfi Coast are on our bucket list. Our daughter who lives in France visited the Amalfi Coast when she was backpacking around Europe one summer and just loves the Amalfi Coast. She keeps telling me we have to go there. I hope everything works out for you. It is so disappointing canceling trips.

kiwinz

My wife and I late 60s, active are planning to visit Greece early June this year for 9 nights as part or our Europe holiday. This forum has great information.
We are flying into Santorini and have booked 3 nights at Firostefani.
After this we are thinking about the ferry to Naxos - 2 nights and then fly or ferry to Athens.
Delphi / Nafplio all sound good but I have to fit this into our time allocation.
We cannot fit everything in. What to drop?
Any advice appreciated

KarenWoo

Our trip was 16 nights on the ground. Our itinerary was as follows: Santorini (3 nights), Naxos (4 nights), Nafplio (5 nights) and Athens (4 nights).

Two nights in Naxos is not a lot. You really won't be able to see much. What are your interests? Do you want any beach time while on Naxos? Do you only want to see Naxos town? Or explore the island? We rented a car for a day, for example, and visited mountain villages and fishing villages. This was one of the best days of our trip.

I definitely recommend flying from Naxos to Athens. That is what we did. How interested are you in seeing ruins/archaeological sites? Athens is very interesting. It has the Acropolis and Parthenon, some outstanding museums, and very interesting neighborhoods and markets to explore.

I think you need at least 3 nights in Nafplio to do it justice. As much as I love Nafplio, I really don't think you have time for it on this trip. So perhaps the following itinerary:
Santorini - 3 nights
Naxos - 3 nights
Athens - 3 nights with a possible day trip to Delphi. I visited Delphi many, many years ago as a daytrip from Athens.

If you wish, you can click on my name to read my trip report. It was in May 2022.

kiwinz

Thank you for your reply KarenWoo.

We are not interested sitting on the beach but we are keen for exploring, seeing the villages, walks/hikes and a few ruins/archaeological sites.
So, we will take your advice, thank you.
Santorini - 3 nights
Naxos - 3 nights
Athens - 3 nights
Is flying better from Naxos to Athens? I thought processing at the airport would make this a tedious option
Can you suggest where at Naxos for accommodation, we love views?
What area in Athens should we be looking for accommodation?

KarenWoo

There is very little paperwork/processing at the Naxos Airport. It's a tiny airport. Our plane arrived late, so we were delayed taking off. But it's only a 40-minute flight to Athens. We arrived at the Athens Airport by noon.

Where to stay in Naxos: I think staying on or very close to Ag. Georgios beach is ideal. You can take a short walk on the beach if you like, and it's also a short walk to Naxos Town. We stayed at the Hotel Palatia on the beach. It's located at the edge of the beach so it's a close walk to Naxos Town. The owner, Manos, is very, very nice and very helpful with sightseeing tips.
https://palatiahotel.com/

In Athens, we stayed at the Airotel Parthenon. It's in an excellent location, right around the corner from the Plaka and about 5-10 minutes from the Acropolis. Our room was small but clean. The included buffet breakfast is mediocre, IMO. I purchased tickets for a guided tour of the Acropolis and Parthenon in advance from Athens Walks. I highly recommend them. And luckily their office is about a 5-minute walk from our hotel.
https://www.airotel.gr/en/Parthenon-Hotel-795.htm

kiwinz

Thanks for all the information.
There are 3 airlines that fly to Athens from Naxos
Any recommendation? or are they all similar?

Heimdall

There are actually only two Airlines that fly into Naxos: Olympic Air, which is part of Aegean Airlines, and Sky Express. Olympic Air performs the domestic flights for Aegean Airlines, while the latter has international flights. Both use ATR-42 aircraft, small turboprops, as the Naxos runway is too short for jets. I’ve always flown with Olympic Air and booked the flights on the Aegean Airlines website. Sky Express is also a reputable airline, so you can’t go wrong with either.

KarenWoo

We flew Olympic Air from Naxos to Athens. We booked the 10:35am flight, which was late arriving into Naxos (maybe about 20 or 30 minutes late?). It wasn't a problem for us. As I said upthread, we were in Athens Airport by noon. I don't remember if I booked it on the Olympic Air website or Aegean's website.

Did you have a chance to look at my trip report? It includes photos, too,

Heimdall

I always use the Aegean Airlines website because I also use them for flights between London and Athens, but it doesn’t really matter which you use. The Olympic Air flights have a little Olympic rings logo next to the flight number.

HappyTrvlr

In Athens, do not miss the small Cycladic Museum, purely ancient Greece! It was a top favorite of ours. Near the Benaki Museum.

kiwinz

Hi, advice please, in Naxos early June and looking at accommodation for my wife and I.
Villa Naxia(cheaper) or Kalergis Studios?