suec1

Thinking about going to Santorini late May / early June. Confession - I have been there on a cruise - I am aware of th swarm and would like to avoid it. Are some days better (quieter) than others? where on the island might be better? nice beach please. We would consider a different island but prefer good flight connections, rather than ferry. Thanks

HappyTrvlr

Santorini is not known for it’s beaches. If they are important to you, go to Mykonos, Paros, Naxos, Crete. I am surprised that you want to return to Santorini. Flights go to several of the islands, not only Santorini.
To see how many cruise ships are coming into any port in the world on any given day , check wwww.crew-center.com

greg

>>> prefer good flight connections,
You can trivially check the air connections at Aegean Air site, en.aegeanair.com. Mykonos and Crete are well connected by frequent flights. Less so for Paros and Naxos. Paros and Naxos have gorgeous beaches.
>>> Are some days better (quieter) than others?
If you look at the Santorini port calendar, what you find out is that Saturdays and Sundays generally get less ships. If a cruise starts or ends at Piraeus, it is difficult to be in Santorini on weekends. Longer cruise can put Santorini on weekends.

adi_plainsailing

Santorini is a great place to visit, but it's pretty well connected, so I'm afraid you kind of just have to put up with the tourists - sorry!

aliced

For beaches, head to Mykonos for sure. Airport there for Athens connection. Awesome town for amenities and dinner.

Heimdall

Good flight connections from where? Santorini and Mykonos are the only islands in the Cyclades with international airports, but there are many others with flights from Athens by Aegean Airlines and Sky Express, including Naxos, Paros, and Milos. Santorini and Mykonos are beautiful islands, and it is possible to get away from cruise ship crowds. Cruisers on Santorini tend to stick to Fira and Oia, while the beach resorts on the other side of the island, e.g. Perissa and Kamari, get few. Unfortunately Santorini has lots of charter flights in summer, and the airport isn't designed for that many flights.

Cruisers on Mykonos mostly go to the old port, crowding around Little Venice and the five windmills. Walk away from the old port and you can find peace and quiet. I have a favourite restaurant in Lakka Square with prices no higher than other islands. Many of the beaches on Mykonos are filled with sun loungers put out by the restaurants and beach bars. You don't have to use them, but sometimes its hard to find an empty space to spread your towel.

If you mean connections from the UK or other European countries, there are many others in different island groups, including Crete, Rhodes, Skiathos, and Corfu. I avoid islands with international airports because that usually means overdevelopment. Although I live in the UK I prefer flying to Athens and taking a connecting flight from there. Paros has a new airport which has several flights from Athens each day. Athens Airport was built for the 2004 Olympics, is modern but small enough that you don't have to walk very far to the departure gates. The new Paros Airport opened only a few years ago, and normally has only one flight arriving at a time, so you can quickly get your bags and head for the hotel. The Naxos Airport is even smaller.

In late May and early June, when you plan to travel, Naxos and Paros are very quiet. There will be no crowds anywhere you go. Each island has beautiful beaches and good bus systems, so it is possible to explore the island without a rental car. You can choose between long sandy beaches with sun loungers or small sandy coves with no development at all. I prefer the latter, which are also better for snorkelling.