I am planning a trip from Rome to Greece and some of the Greek islands. I was planning on taking a friend, but last minute she backed out. I am planning on going end of April (23rd - May 4th). So, I have about 10 days and really want to see Athens, and have heard that Santorini, Paros, Mykynos, and Crete and must places to see. However, I am worried that during my travel time the weather will be too chilly to lie on the beach etc, thus wondering if I should forget Mykynos and Paros. I thought about doing a tour, but not sure if worth it. Also, as a single travel would I be safe on my own and staying in hostels? Any suggestions? All advice would be very greatly appreciated!

Hi

I have done a tour of the Greek mainland and visited a few of the Greek islands. Both were awesome. However the weather on the Greek islands in late April would not be warm enough for my liking. I would be inclined to do a 10 day tour of the mainland. There is much to see and I have lots of good memories of it. For our tour we used Cosmos. Here is the itinerary - http://www.cosmos.com/Default.aspx?t...p;source=56793.

ddgirl, chances are the temperatures will be in the mid to high 60s F (18-20C) in late Apr & early May, but it could be a bit warmer than that, so lying on the beach in a sheltered spot is a possibility. That early in the year is a perfect time for sightseeing and walking, though, so choose islands with plenty to see.

With only 12 days in Greece you won't have time to do Athens and all the islands you mention, so it would be best to choose a maximum of two. Santorini and Mykonos both have lots to see and are connected by a highspeed catamaran. From Mykonos you can take a day trip to Delos, one of the best archaelogical sites in Greece.

If you are lucky then the days will be sunny - but like a previous poster said, unlikely to be a blistering sun-bathing 24C or above. Like it's early spring so what do you expect?

But there is plenty to do - so I wouldn't worry.

You need to choose, though - you can't do all those places in the time you have.

Athens - Crete - Santorini - Athens - you could do that - but Crete is a very large island and be aware that the best bits are well away from Iraklion.

Santorini is sublime. If I were you I would fly to Santorini from Athens, and then take the ferry to Paros and either fly or boat it from there back to Athens.

Leave Crete for another time.

Thanks for the responses! I think with my time and the weather seems like best would be maybe 4 days in athens, then day trip to Santorini (2) to Delos (1-2) and save Crete for a later time. How about Corfu? Any ideas on that place on my way back? And in regard to Athens, since it is so extensive, would a tour be a more time effective way to approach things and a better way to get the full historical information? Thanks for all responses!

For Delos you need to stay on Mykonos, as Delos itself is an uninhabited island. There are also day trips to Delos from Naxos and Paros, but I'm not sure they run that early in the season. At any rate, it is only a 30 min boat trip from Mykonos. N.B. No trips on Mondays, as far as I know.

Since you are going back to Rome, I suppose Corfu would be a possibility. Probably best to fly there from Athens. Someone else may be able to advise on the best way to get to Italy from Corfu.

Have you got hold of a travel guide yet and had a look? Recommend Lonely Planet or Rough Guide.

Why, why - even consider Corfu?

I you have "spare" days spend them in th Aegean.

I love Corfu but your dates are just before the start of the season. Crete is the most reliable for weather in late April. I would suggest you choose either Athens plus 1 or 2 of the Aegean islands, or Athens plus Crete.

Carolena

Thanks for all the responses..they have been more than helpful. So, I will actually be in Greece from May 5th to May 11th giving me only 7 days to venture. So here is my tentative itineray and any advice/rearrangments would be appreciated.I want to maximize my experience with the little time I have.

Athens: 2 nighs ( one day tour to delphi and back)
Naxos: one night...day trip to mykonos/delos
Santorini: 3 nights (one night Fira and 2 nights in Oia)day trip to

Ideally I would really love to go to Crete..if I had 2 days to squeeze in what itinerary would anyone suggest to do? Come into Chania or Iraklion? Thanks!!!

D-

Everybody else is advising on your itinerary. I want ot reassure you about your safety as a single traveller. I don't know where you come from but Greece is a very safe country.

As you'll be staying in hostels you will potentially be in contact with people from all over, so be sensible.

If you find yourself in any trouble you can rely on the police of course, but also most Greek people would care enough to protect you.

I think you are trying to do way too much in too little time.
In 7 days you will be spending a lot of time just getting from one place to another. Hopefully you intend to fly. If not the ferry from Athens to Naxos is 5 hours and then on to Santorini is another 3 hours.
For instance the Delos Excursion from Naxos takes a full day and only departs on Tuesday Thursday and Sunday. I see you are only planning on spending one night in Naxos. You will probably have to spend at least two nights there to include the Delos trip.
If Delos is the purpose of your trip then just go to Mykonos which is only a 20 minute excursion to Delos.

Frankly I would suggest you take one night in Athens, two or three nights in Naxos, and two or three nights in Santorini and your last night back in Athens.
Delos is nice but Naxos is worth spending time for it's own sake with good beaches, a Venetian influence, antiquities good shopping and dining.